Old School Stuff

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As I look at todays modern big game hunter I have to wonder how they would ever manage to get along if they didn't have gadgets such as, GPS, Hi Tec super fabric hunting clothes, $300 boots, how to books, videos, and seminars, And for many, a guide or outfitter that lets you tag along while they do the actual hunting and all you have to do is pull the trigger ?

What if someone took you several miles back into the wilderness with only a compass, a pocket knife, and an old hand-me-down weapon. Then they put a blindfold on you and spun you around several times and said, "There ya go! Now, lets see if you can be a successful hunter and find your way out of here with your harvested game". What if you didn't have a compass and had to navigate by the stars and sun?? Could you do it?

I'm betting guys like Swede and Saddlesore and a few other (Old Schoolers) on this forum could. Not so sure about some of the modern (Young Wipper Snappers)

I'm not criticizing anyone, just putting out something to think about and hopefully generate some discussion on the forum.

[Lefty]

Im not as old as Swede, I just hope I can make it to Saddle Sores age.


winter outdoor activities were Rubber buckle farm boots over the top of our shoes,,, a great way to freeze your feet 1960's
In the mid 70's, I was trapping beaver with uninsulated hip boots during Minnesota winters. ( clothing technology, everything was cotton or wool,,, and we did not own much wool)


Our mother worried way to much,, about the things she knew we were doing
I knew how to read maps and how to use a compass some of that credit was due to Boy Scouts,,, to keep my mom from worrying.
Ive always had a natural sense of place, and chose to use a compass twice, once in heavy fog, and time in a snow storm
Even as of now I can look at a map of an unknown area, I can go where I want.


For me the most wonderful technology is On X ,, for land ownership, sure beats using a plat map or going to the courthouse, and clothes,,, I like staying warm!

[Swede]

I appreciate my GPS, but always have a map and compass with me. To be honest, I do not completely trust the GPS. It is an electronic gadget that depends on good batteries. We had maps and a compass for years and when we did not have them, we had to observe and keep track of how far we had gone and where we were. I have also stayed out all night alone in freezing weather because I misjudged how far I had gone, or I got something that kept me longer than I had planned for. If you have to stay out, you better be prepared in order to survive.
Working for the Forest Service I have gone on search parties looking for a lost hunter. On one we stayed with it long enough to know it was just a recovery mission. During the search and rescue effort the local newspaper describe the fellow we were looking as very experienced. He was still in high school. You just know that is what the parents told the paper and that is why he was allowed to go out alone in what is now a designated wilderness.

[RanchoSueno]

If it's in archery season with more than trad equipment, I could probably survive I may be living on grouse but I'd make it out. I love my compound bow and OnX. Other than that I don't have too many gadgets or widgets. I bet the mountains were even more beautiful and abundant pre-tech age. I can only imagine

[Tigger]

Where we hunted last year there were posters up for a missing guy. he got lost and died. He was an old guy.

[Swede]

Age in itself does nothing to ensure us from getting lost or injured. Training, experience and being prepared to survive will make the difference in getting out alive. I am not sure if an old fool or a young one is worse. In both cases they are fools because they think they know it all and don't lack anything.
Some people seem to have a sixth sense about direction and navigation. I am not one of them. I use my equipment to help me navigate and I trust it. Years ago, it seems the government turned off the GPS satellites
or I was not getting a good signal, so I took a couple of long night hikes getting out of the forest. Fortunately, I knew the direction was uphill until I hit a road. Navigating by flashlight in the timber is not good. That is one reason why a compass is still a good tool.
Back in the early 1970s my brother-in-law and I, after hours in a heavy snowstorm debated which way would get us back to camp. Neither of us was sure. The compass settled the matter, and we headed back in the perfect direction.

[WapitiTalk1]

Always trust the compass. At the bare bones minimum, know-understand the azimuth to where you will hit a trail, road, etc when done diving, climbing, or navigating to an area or a vocal bull. I fought the GPS thing for years but still do a majority of my navigating with compass and map.

[Elkhunttoo]

In my mind I’m still the young guy (42)

Hunted a lot more years without most gadgets than with any. I got BaseMaps on my phone around 4-5 years ago. My favorite thing about the maps on your phones is being able to send exact location to my hunting group. I also use it a lot for property boundaries.

Headlights are something that have came a long was since I started. Definitely improved

When I was in college I knew one of my professors from the town I grew up in. He had worked for the forest service (he was a higher up) when I worked trail crew for the forest service. He got a job as a professor at the college I attended. One day as he was giving a lecture about how each person has things they are good at and things they are bad at he pointed to me and said. “I’m going to use Cody as an example, if I was writing a report he would be the last person in this class that I would pick to help me! But if I was lost in the woods he would be the first person in the class I would pick to be with me!” I took it as a compliment . I’m probably not the best in the woods. But I have been in them my whole life and feel really comfortable in them.

[Tigger]

Hey, you write a pretty decent WapitiTalk post!

[Swede]

I understand Saddlesore's point. Some people have a proven record of being able to navigate and survive in all kinds of weather and conditions. They can find their way in and out of different places. They can be depended on unlike an untested person. That does not mean that something magical happens when we turn 60 or 70. It takes experience or special training. Certainly, there are young people that can do even better because they have the physical ability to go beyond what Saddlesore or I could, and they have learned.
For anyone reading this thread, I would strongly advise you to have something like a compass or GPS if you are going to navigate very far in the forest at night. If you are on a slope you can go up or down to the road and your truck or camp, but you can't see Polaris or far enough to navigate by the seat of your pants.