It should be impossible to get lost in the woods these days. The technology we have now has given us so many different electronic wonder devices to tell us exactly where we are and tell us how to get to where we are going.  If you do an internet search for GPS, you will get literally millions of web pages that have many different navigational devices for just about any situation. There are units that will give you turn by turn directions to help you find that great restaurant you heard about in the next town, find the location for your child's sporting event, or find your way on your next epic vacation.

There are also many different hand held units that can be programmed from your computer to help you find that high lake way up in the Wilderness area, plot and stake out your Placer Mine Claim, or determine what ridge to hang your tree stand on. All of these GPS units have their use and if you take the time to learn how to use it you will be able to easily find your way anywhere you need to go.
There are even web sites dedicated to using the GPS units for outdoor adventures. Geo Caching is a growing past time where people go out and hide trinkets in small plastic or metal containers. They then make a note of the GPS location and upload the location information to a web site such as Geo Caching .com to try this out you log in to the web site and search for caches in your area. You then enter the coordinates into your GPS and go search for the Cache. Some of them have signup sheets so you can leave your name to show others you have found the cache. After you have found the cache you can go back to the web site and post your find. You can create and hide caches of your own as well.

Now myself I am more interested in safety while I am out in the woods and in keeping things light. I have looked at many of the GPS units and although I can see one that has built in maps that can be used to track my path from my vehicle to my super secret hiding spot and all points in between, the price for these units can get expensive and many of them use a lot of batteries. They are the size of a hand held radio and take up a precious room in the back pack. I don't really need to track every turn in the trail I am taking into the woods, and I always carry a paper map of the area I am going into as well, so I do not need all of these features. When I go I to the woods I have a very simple, easy to use, and yet reliable GPS unit in my pack.

The Bushnell Back track is a compact, lightweight, simple GPS device. The Back Track will mark three different way points that can be used to mark the location of your truck, your camp, and your kill. The display is basic and easy to read. All that is on the display is a icon for the Satellite that flashes until the signal is picked up, a battery level indicator, an icon of a house, a car, or a star that are for the three different way points. Once a way point is set there will also be distance readout to show how far you are from the way point, and an arrow pointing in the direction of the way point.

The Bushnell Back Track runs on 2 AAA batteries that will last for 20 + hours of continuous use. There are only two buttons on the Back Track. The Power / Mode button is on the right side and is used to turn on the unit and change from one way point to the others. The button on the left is used to turn on the back light at night and to set the way points. When you are ready to set a way point, turn on the unit and wait for the satellite to lock on. Next press and hold the way point button until the unit sets and shows all of the arrows around the outer edge lit up and 0 for the distance. You now have set the way point and as long as you are within 500 miles of that point the Back Track will point you back to that spot. I have used mine for a few years now and have never had any problems with it. I have used it to find my truck in a crowded parking lot, I have used it to find my way back to my trail camera that I set up on a ridge, and I have used it to check the distance from my house to many hunting and fishing spots around the state.

The last feature of the Bushnell Back Track is the digital compass. I have found this feature to be the most useful when hunting. I will regularly use the digital compass to check that I am heading in the general direction that I had intended to go. I have also been able to identify landmarks I could use to navigate by knowing where North was.  The digital compass is as simple to use as the way point navigation. Press the mode button until the compass comes up. The display will show the arrow pointing north and instead of the distance the direction the device is pointing is shown. The Bushnell Back track is small enough and light enough to fit in your pocket, or you can use the lanyard that comes with it to hang it around your neck. If you are looking to try Geo Caching or you want to plot out property boundaries, or you are staking a mining claim then the Back Track is not going to work to well for you. If you are looking for a simple easy to use GPS then the Back Track is just the unit for you.

By Jeff Love

Jeff “ke7cjw” Love, was introduced to hunting and fishing at a young age by his father. Growing up in the Cascade mountains of Western Washington Jeff spent most of his time chasing squirrels, rabbits, and grouse. When Jeff was old enough to hunt big game he started a life long quest for Blacktail deer and Roosevelt elk.

Jeff worked for many years in the same sawmill his father worked in and that many of his child hood friends also worked in. After a life altering accident in 1997 that cost him most of the use of his right arm he went back to school to learn computers. Now living in Southern Idaho Jeff is learning to hunt Antelope, Mule deer, Turkey, and Yellowstone elk.

When Jeff is not out in the woods he is working on perfecting his photography or re arranging his antennas for his amateur radio to make contact with other avid radio operators across the country.

Comments(1):

1. GPS

   I have a Garmin Foretrex 101 it has more features then yours but it is simple to use. I am also a HAM Radio operator tech for 20 years.

   Tuesday, July 13, 2010 Ray