Calculating mileage

[mjblowers]

As hunters, I'm sure we all hear the stories of "oh I shot him only 100 yards off the road" or "I hike 10 miles in" etc. How do YOU personally calculate the mileage? Is it by guess, by GPS, by map?

I recently went on a hike while scounting that changed 1500 feet in elevation over 2 miles, and between the glassing for elk occasionally and checking out sign and what not it took every bit of 7 hours round trip.

When a buddy of mine that... struggles with hiking ... told me he went on a 7 mile hike I questioned whether I'm doing something wrong or if someones guessing is off...

Anyways - I use a Garmin ETREX 10 and BaseCamp and upload it to Google Earth - I can't imagine it gets much more accurate than that. What about you guys?

[sojurner 65]

GPS will give me an actual mileage hiked, though destinations are as "the crow flies". Also use a map.

[Lefty]

Most maps have section lines, I just count them off over the line of travel, I should be within 20%

[Lark Bunting]

GPS, and the absolute exhaustion of my legs confirmed I went 28 miles in six days. Not every step was a hunting step. When I realized my pack was without any toilet paper after realizing my son had it in his hunting pack...and it was at home because I had dropped him off earlier that week...I jogged a mile back to camp one afternoon on a dirt road. Then, I jogged the mile back to where i was.

[Stick]

I have used a pedometer in the past. A pretty neat little device that you can pick up cheap. Clip it on your side and you are good to go.

Two years ago I dropped about a 1000 ft one morning and made a huge round. I was hunting but also covering some new country so moving much faster than normal. When I arrived back at my starting point I had walked 10.2 miles. Now I may be an exception seeing I am 6'5 and can stand with a yard stick between my legs and it doesn't touch me. That being said a step counter is pretty neat deal!!

[Indian Summer]

Most maps have section lines, I just count them off over the line of travel, I should be within 20%

Yep... or even 10%.

I rarely pull the gps out so definitely don't keep it running all day and the distance the crow flies when I do turn it on doesn't tell much either.

[Lefty]

I need a gps to find my camp

Most maps have section lines, I just count them off over the line of travel, I should be within 20%

Yep... or even 10%.I rarely pull the gps out so definitely don't keep it running all day and the distance the crow flies when I do turn it on doesn't tell much either.

heh hee I don't walk very straight.
Saturday I struck out, straight line two miles to where I started still hunting. about 4 1/2 miles straight line where I hunted but realistically true boot leather was closer to 7 miles. The straight back to the pick-up or so I thought about 5 miles, ended up a mile north. Sounds like a lot but maybe a total of 500 feet up and down. Flat ground and here it is Tuesday and my legs are still firing threats of leg cramps.