GPS units

[jason]

I don't hunt big timbers, or fish very big lakes. Coralville res is probably the biggest I fish. But I am interested in a gps unit. Just a simple one, the garmin E Trex. Just something to plot points on topo maps, like rubs, scrapes for hunting. Scructure and under water humps for fishing. I was wondering if it was worth the money to get one even when I don't go deep in back country, or fish 5 thousand acer lakes. The E Trex is about 120, but I can get it around 100.
thanks

jason

 

[muddy]

price sounds good to me. just remember that just because you don't hunt or fish big areas now doesn't mean that you won't be in the future!! a simple gps can make a world of difference if you're ever in colorado chasing elk or nevada chasing mule deer. i say go for it, but that's just one guys opinion.

 

[bjkpharmd]

I don't hunt big places right now but I have an eTrex. Simple & easy to use. I was walking an 80 acre riverbottom last weekend with a couple of very experienced folks. We weren't "lost" but it would have been a 40 minute shorter walk if I had it along.

 

[TimberPig]

I have the basic E-trex and I really like it. The wife bought it for me when I went to WY mulie hunting. They are very easy to use and 99% of people dont need the extra doo-dads on the expensive models.

Aside from just showing you how to get from A to B, they are kind of fun. You can use the trip meter to see how far you walk in a day of shed hunting or pheasant hunting or if you get really bored you can see how far you travel when mowing the lawn (the trusty Yard Machine mows at 4.9mph BTW). You can also check your car or ATV speedo. I even took it on a flight to Florida to monitor speed and altitude (pre 9/11 of course) which was very interesting.

If you get one it pays to understand the owners manual and do a little reading on how GPS works, coordinating with maps properly, etc. They arent much fun if you dont use them correctly. If I was really into fishing large lakes I would buy one with the lake maps built in, but it doesnt sound like you need it for your useage. Tinker around with it before you need it so you dont waste your day of fishing trying to figure it out.

 

[jason]

well i got one for 160. A AWESOME unit. Loaded with stuff. But on the way back home from the mall tonight when I bought it, my truck broke down. The clutch went out, so it will cost about 200 to fix it. So im going to take the gps back to pay for the piece of crap turck!

jason