Deep Woods Preparedness

[Salmon_Run]

Every year we sadly see this, luckily he was found in the morning alive and well. Any time one enters the deep woods be prepared and have the basics for navigation and survival. He was only 8/10 of a mile from his camp. I know this area well and if one panics and walks the wrong direction they can travel about 75 miles and not cross a road. This section of woods can be greatly confusing and if he stopped and was prepared he should have easily heard traffic on State Route 8.

Be safe out there....

Hamilton County
Town of Morehouse
Search: "On Oct. 28 at 6:25 p.m. DEC's Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from Hamilton County 911 requesting Forest Ranger assistance in regards to a missing hunter in Hoffmeister, town of Morehouse, off Alderbrook Road. The 30-year-old male left unprepared for an evening in the woods. Three Rangers responded and searched the area with assistance with Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) and Hamilton County Sheriff's units until midnight with no success. Sixteen Forest Rangers responded to continue search efforts the next morning.  On Oct. 29 at 7:30 a.m. two Forest Rangers located the subject on the edge of a wetland, approximately 0.8 miles from his camp and in good health.   He was walked back to his camp when located by Rangers and declined further care."

[Five Seasons]

I subscribe to the weekly dec mailing and read these too.

Best thing I ever bought was my garmin 62st.

Don’t ever be too manly for a good gps in those big woods


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[Salmon_Run]

Agreed a GPS is great, but I relay on my compass first and foremost.

I have a "bubble" type compass pinned to my outer jacket for very general wandering and still hunting and I carry a Silva Ranger compass for actual point to point navigation. I also have the custom printed topo maps I carry. I have centered the area I most likely hunt and they have great details.

It's hard to tell someone that the terrain looks vastly different in each season change and with a snowfall. I've never been lost but certainly been confused a few times on dark cloudy days. I've hunted this same area for almost 45 years now and it's still confusing with all the subtle ridges and valleys.

[Five Seasons]

it's good to have both.

 

what's funny is i was in the tree typing that response when a 5 point showed up behind me. head out of your phone guys! lol

[Salmon_Run]

Good luck, where I hunt there is no cell service for miles. 

I have found myself daydreaming or looking at a map and looked up to see a deer looking at me...

Enjoy.. 

[sailinghudson25]

I like the older garming GPS that use AA batteries.  Color is cute, but black and white lasts much longer on a battery.

One if not 2 GPS's.  I own three and let folks borrow them for safety.  2 flashlights that use the same batteries, and a tiny watch cell light.  One light is real bright, and the other uses less power so it lasts longer.  Spare batteries too.  a safety pin mount compass on my pack, a quality compass in my bag.  two ways to light a fire, plus some sort of fire starting medium, like waxed sawdust.    Extra hat, pair of gloves, and socks.  No food but one or two extra bottles of water.  I went to a logger supply store and bought other than orange colored marking tape.  Please remove it if possible or practical.  As I go deeper in the woods, it use the knot to point where I go to get out of the woods.  If hanging from a branch, i use a smaller tail section pointing out.

I almost got lost in early april.  My hunting lease got logged.  So, I wander up the main trail about 1/4 mile to my little foodplot trail camera spot.  Got turned around from the trail be littered with tree tops from logging.  Found my way back, but I didn't have squat except a flashlight.  Now I bring my pack out the first night I go out to set traps or check cameras.

I mostly hunt my logging land lease and I know it well, but you never know.  MY bowhunting safety instructor had his knee blow out in a swamp 200 yards from a busy road when duck hunting.  He spent part of the night out there.....

I dont bring any overnight food, but tend to bring an extra snack or two.  I also bring raingear no matter what the weatherman says for that day.   70 degrees or 30 degrees...   Novermber and no raingear if it rains overnight, good chance you wont make it till dawn......

For communication I bring a very small 2 meter ham radio or a GMRS radio, both take AA batteries.  Ham radio If I'm alone and got a repeater site available, or the GMRS if I am with folks.  I also have a whistle with me too.  IF you do have a cell phone, despite the fact it has no signal, still sned a message to someone your lost, your condition, and guess at location and heading.  IF you do get a small blip of cell service, that phone will periodically try to send that message out for hours.....   I do this at work when I need to communciate at remote sites in the catskills.

MY advice over the years.

 

Set boundaries, stay inside of the stream, or this road.  Let the boundary be your easy way out.  MY club is on the west side of a north south road.  Just walk east.....

Also, for folks who have familiar place you go with others.  Make names for things.   This swampy spot is called so-n-so.  Our club has 4 hills. 5 beaver ponds, 2 streams, 3 logger landings, and 3 deep brushy areas.  Without names, it's easy to mix up where someone went.

 

Dont assume folks in your group know how to use a compass.  Quiz them on how to get out of the woods with a compass.  I tell folks 3 things about my club.  Sun in your face to get out in the morning, sun at your back to get out at night.  The red needle stays to the left to get out.  All these things are east.   Since we are not too far away from a road, listening for vehicles helps too.   IF we are out looking for people, we leave the generator running and a radio on.  If someone cant go ino the woods for whatever reason.  Having them periodically honk their horn can be real helpful...

 

Another thing....   Don't be dead set on you needing to go way out for a deer.   The nicest buck ever shot in 30 years at my club was right from the clubhouse door, which was 70 yards from the road.    Especially on public land, deer enjoy the road edges for browse.  There's some monster bucks way in, but there's nice ones close to the road.  Rather than using parking places to enter.  I either park on the side of the road, or leave my gear there and high tail it to that spot, then enter the woods.  Just circling a small pond's swampy edges can be real successful.

 

Also, make sure your footwear suits your feet well.  Loose realy warm boot can roll in your feet and cause you to slip.  Also, finding a gun that has a really convient safety it good too.  I use lever guns and leave them at half cock.  I find that to be real easy and quiet.

Edited November 10, 2017 by sailinghudson25

[nyantler]

I think it's a good idea to always have a compass on you and know how to use it. In the big woods a map is good also. Getting monkeyed up even in a small 1 square mile woods can ruin a day of hunting trying to find your way out when there is no sun.

[Salmon_Run]

It's very easy to get beyond your abilities in the deep woods. I've sat on watch and seen but a few hunters over the years. It's rugged and very remote and ever changing in nature.

I carry a large fanny pack with basic supplies, dress in layers and have comfortable boot for the days hunting. The woods are very mature hardwoods and mixed in wet lands, One can not make a direct line and one has to dodge large rocks, blow downs and dense brush areas. The state land has open up somewhat as the tree canopy has risen but every few years the high wind make blow downs and jumbles of trees that are impenetrable. 

I love the area but it is extremely hard to pattern deer as the food sources change yearly. We have beech nuts in abundance in some years and not others, cherry trees and a few old apple trees from when the area was a remote farm.

get out, explore and above all be safe....   

[Cedar+Canvas]

It's very easy to get beyond your abilities in the deep woods. I've sat on watch and seen but a few hunters over the years. It's rugged and very remote and ever changing in nature.
I carry a large fanny pack with basic supplies, dress in layers and have comfortable boot for the days hunting. The woods are very mature hardwoods and mixed in wet lands, One can not make a direct line and one has to dodge large rocks, blow downs and dense brush areas. The state land has open up somewhat as the tree canopy has risen but every few years the high wind make blow downs and jumbles of trees that are impenetrable. 
I love the area but it is extremely hard to pattern deer as the food sources change yearly. We have beech nuts in abundance in some years and not others, cherry trees and a few old apple trees from when the area was a remote farm.
get out, explore and above all be safe....   

@Salmon_Run, man we’re neighbors, I’m also a Morehouse hunter! PM me sometime, would love to say hi.

Your description of hunting the “big woods” is dead on. My dad and I️ also hunt with packs (either lumbar or internal-frame day packs) and always make sure we have what we’d need to bivouac for a night if we had to.

We also use the Spot locator units, but even those are fallible. Just last week out in that area my unit malfunctioned and sent two “Help” messages to our contact list. I was totally fine, but some wives and mothers were not pleased... Valuable experience though. Made us realize that we can make as much contact we want to the outside world in an emergency, but if our contacts don’t know how to help it’s pretty useless.


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[vizslas]

here is the question. why was that guy so far in and so confused. Some people just do not have what it takes. You have to keep track of yourself.Sure trees blow down and swamps change according to the weather.But nothing moves mountain tops and the sun only goes one way.Keep an eye on the terrain and use it to navigate your way in and find your way out.If you end up in the water and your electronics get wet then what are you going to do. Learn how to navigate with a compass and land marks.And for gods sake dont just wander aimlessly. It puts other people at risk to save your stupid ass.

[Cedar+Canvas]

here is the question. why was that guy so far in and so confused. Some people just do not have what it takes. You have to keep track of yourself.Sure trees blow down and swamps change according to the weather.But nothing moves mountain tops and the sun only goes one way.Keep an eye on the terrain and use it to navigate your way in and find your way out.If you end up in the water and your electronics get wet then what are you going to do. Learn how to navigate with a compass and land marks.And for gods sake dont just wander aimlessly. It puts other people at risk to save your stupid ass.

Maybe he got dehydrated? I️ know for me personally if I️ ever drop the ball on hydration the first thing is that I️ start feeling spaced out and all the landmarks start look a little too similar. Very easy to do with that terrain when it’s in the 30’s at 5am, 50’s at 2pm and back in the 30’s by 7pm.


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[vizslas]

It is tough out there but you have to stay focused. I have hunted everywhere from western ny flat land to Allegheny forest to the ADK.Got 40 years of hunting under my belt. My dad would put me on one side of the road while he and his buddies would deer hunt the other side. I was young and on my own learned to navigate through necessity. I would usually bring back some kind of small game.

 

[Cedar+Canvas]

It is tough out there but you have to stay focused. I have hunted everywhere from western ny flat land to Allegheny forest to the ADK.Got 40 years of hunting under my belt. My dad would put me on one side of the road while he and his buddies would deer hunt the other side. I was young and on my own learned to navigate through necessity. I would usually bring back some kind of small game.
 

Absolutely. Hard to stay safe, much less get on a nice buck, if you’re not staying on top of the details.


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[Salmon_Run]

No idea what happened as he was only 8/10 of a mile from his camp. He should have easily heard traffic on Route 8 if he sat down and listened.

It's hard navigating there on cloudy days and there are no far off mountain tops to gauge off of as you are on the side of the mountain. It's easy to get turned around but one needs to be prepared and first and foremost stay calm. I've been in these woods since I was 10 years old and I still can get turned around.  

[Salmon_Run]

The woods are dense enough I've had to walk around just to get a GPS signal when the leaves are on. There is no cell service for miles and when it's blowing snow getting around is challenging at best.

It's deep woods hunting, the deer are big and very nomadic....

It's very hard hunting but that's part of the lure.

 

[Jdubs]

Great saying in the military: 2 is 1, 1 is none.   Relying on one navigation source or one piece of gear might not work out and in the woods that can have serious consequences.  

However, our best asset is that spongy thing between our ears.  Stay calm, process the situation and make a plan to get out.  No matter how bad things get, don't quit. 

[Five Seasons]

Great saying in the military: 2 is 1, 1 is none.   Relying on one navigation source or one piece of gear might not work out and in the woods that can have serious consequences.  
However, our best asset is that spongy thing between our ears.  Stay calm, process the situation and make a plan to get out.  No matter how bad things get, don't quit. 

Just want to be clear on my gps recommendation. You always need a map and compass plus backup batteries too.


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[Padre86]

I've got a Delorme Inreach GPS/Communicator, but I always carry a map and compass as a backup.  If the electronics fail, I at least have a map and a pre-planned escape azimuth to get back to the nearest road or trail.  It's just too easy to get disoriented out in some of those remote areas.  You could be less than a mile from a road or trail and not even know it.

[Salmon_Run]

Nice to hear you have a "back up"plan in the woods. How do you like the Delorme ?

I often at camp alone for several days at a time and have no cell contact within miles from my cabin. 

[Padre86]

17 hours ago, Salmon_Run said:

Nice to hear you have a "back up"plan in the woods. How do you like the Delorme ?

I often at camp alone for several days at a time and have no cell contact within miles from my cabin. 

I like it a lot.  Garmin now owns Delorme, but the maps on the device are still Delorme maps, not Garmin.  Lots of map options (sat imagery, US Quad, Nautical, Digital Topo, basic road maps).  You got all the features of a normal GPS unit (location, waypoints, tracking, route setup, bearing, elevation, speed) in addition to having the ability to send pre-set messages or typed out custom text messages.  As well, there is an emergency distress function which automatically alerts a 3rd party rescue coordination center, and your information is passed on to the nearest rescue agencies.

Garmin actually has made a second version of this device, which now also allows the device to display maps on its screen (for the original version, you have to pair your device with a mobile phone in order to view digital maps).

Main issue: it's pricey ($400-$450 for the device, plus a monthly subscription fee ranging from $13-$20 per month).  But depending on how often you venture into the woods by yourself, it is well worth the cost for the safety features it provides.                                      

[Salmon_Run]

Thank you for the info...I'm at camp alone very often and for extended periods.

My family thinks it will be a wise investment....

Happy holidays !!!

[NFA-ADK]

I love navigating by compass but I have to admit my GPS is an invaluable tool that allows me to navigate much easier in the dark and foggy conditions where you can't see the ridges mountain tops or terrain features.  If you go solo often this is a tool you should become an expert at using because often when solo if something goes wrong it will be to late by the time anyone realizes you are in trouble!  Self reliance is imperative!  Never count on anyone saving you because by the time they find out you need help you might be GONE in deep woods. 

[Hunter007]

My smartphone has a great GPS built in  and I bring compasses .

But I guess not everyone has that yet 

Edited December 29, 2017 by Storm914

[Hunter007]

On 11/11/2017 at 7:43 PM, Belo said:

 

Just want to be clear on my gps recommendation. You always need a map and compass plus backup batteries too.


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Gps devices  are really obsolete in my opinion

Every good smartphone has gps technology  built in and there are like 100 or more apps that work with it you don't need cell service either for them to work if you know which app to get .

[TACC]

Gps devices  are really obsolete in my opinion
Every good smartphone has gps technology  built in and there are like 100 or more apps that work with it you don't need cell service either for them to work if you know which app to get .

Please tell this app that does not need service

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