# Hand held GPS vs. Cell phone GPS apps



## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

How far have the apps come? I haven't used GPS since my wildland fire days and have never used it to hunt with. With the new laws that state you don't have to post private property anymore, i'm thinking i need something up to date to keep me out of trouble. So, how are cell phones compared to the handhelds? I'm assuming the phone would be easier to keep updated but can some of you let me know the pros and cons. Thanks


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## Gator-Flage (Nov 28, 2014)

APD, 
I have had a lot experience with both GPS and Phone Apps (Android/I-phone). As far as good products goes, I currently use the Garmin Montana topo version (little pricy but good). If you don't want anything real bulky then I would recommend the Oregon. These are both touch screen devices with lithium batteries, the Montana uses a cellphone type battery and also AA's. APPS - ActinNatureHunting is an android app that allows you to see where your buddies are if they have the app as well, this works good for pushing game. Scoutlook is another good app that has good maps, and then Backpacker GPS trails will allow you to do some tracking on maps. 
I always prefer a GPS b/c of battery power, they just last longer than phones running apps. The GPS can also fix your Private Property issue whereas phones cannot. I have the GPSHUNT UTAH PLAT MAP chip that can go into your GPS device or into your computer. This allows you to see your position in relation to private land in real time. If their is any other info you would like about this gear or others I can write a full review, just didn't want to bore you with details. 
Hope this Helps, 
Brent


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## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

brent,

That's great info. i do occasionally hunt with others but mostly solo. 

does the lcd screen work in the cold? is it hard to use with gloves?


my experience is limited to the older style garmin gps from the late 90's. i realize they've changed a lot and hopefully have become more intuitive. some features are a must but what would you say is a good intermediate gps that is easy to operate & has the basics without going overboard? price, as always, is a concern.


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## Charina (Aug 16, 2011)

I use my phone solely, with a gps in the backpack as backup. With an extended battery (and keeping it in airplane mode most of the time) , I can go three days with heavy gps and satellite image usage. 

There is only one app I've ever paid for - maverick pro gps. It's great, and all I ever need. I sync it with google earth and have all my way points on both the phone and computer. 

I played with it once, but don't have an opinion about it, but onX HUNT is an app to provide gps location and property boundaries. Purchase is required after an evaluation period.


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## bamacpl (Jun 1, 2010)

Will the cell phone GPS app work of you have no cell service? Idk where yall hunt, but I never have cell service where I'm hunting


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## klbzdad (Apr 3, 2012)

bamacpl said:


> Will the cell phone GPS app work of you have no cell service? Idk where yall hunt, but I never have cell service where I'm hunting


Yes. I use onXmaps on my android phone. I also have a simple GPS app that uses up to 7 of the available GPS satellites for location information. All smartphones are GPS enabled so that feature always works even in Airplane Mode. The trick is having enough memory on your phone to have the full aerial photo map of the area you're hunting. You can download maps here:

http://www.huntinggpsmaps.com/

And another good resource, especially for laptops or tablets is:

http://www.mytopo.com/custom-maps.c...ClU0x-zqUExIH89IdS2bsFiHoMBxdu8Xi8aAt-28P8HAQ


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Charina said:


> I played with it once, but don't have an opinion about it, but onX HUNT is an app to provide gps location and property boundaries. Purchase is required after an evaluation period.


I am EXTREMELY disappointed in the onX Hunt app. I purchased the wyoming maps for a hunt this fall as I wanted to know where I was in relation to the private lands up there. I got it a month before the hunt and played aorund with it, learning how to use it. I had all the satellite maps cached off as well as the unit maps and BLM / Private lands so it would work in areas without cell reception. When we got up there, it simply would not work. only partial data would load... it was utterly useless. Super slow in other areas with cell reception.

It might evolve into something useful but atm, I feel I wasted my money on it. Luckily I had all my paper maps with me for the hunt and we were able to find and stay on the public access areas.

-DallanC


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## jasonwooden (Nov 30, 2014)

The Trimble Outdoors ap is really useful. I put my handheld in the drawer and haven't used it since. It does require a subscription to be useful though. $5/year gets you offline map downloads so it doesn't burn up all your data downloading maps in the field. $15/year gets you the public lands overlay (among other things), well worth it with all the assclowns posting public land as their own private hunting spot. Available from the itunes store.


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## Charina (Aug 16, 2011)

klbzdad said:


> The trick is having enough memory on your phone to have the full aerial photo map of the area you're hunting.


Maverick used to default to the phone memory, and you had to jump through hoops to push it to a external sd. Thankfully, a recent upgrade has a built in option to store data on the external card. So, the only limitation on data is your choice of card and how much it costs.

Another reason I rely on my phone is to have a card reader for my trail cam cards. Just swap out my external micro SD and view the pics right there without a second device. Just use a micro card with adapter in the camera.

They only trouble I have had with temps and the phone is when my fingers have been to cold to register on the touch screen.

I just wish phones were more water resistant without a cumbersome case. I definitely keep insurance on the phone, and a GPS set to camp coordinates in the backpack in case I fall in water, or drop/lose the phone.










I use satellite images exclusively. For the technical user, digitized topos could be uploaded and used as well.


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

I have used my Garmin Rino for years and it has yet to let me down. They are a bit pricy but act as a radio as well as a GPS so you can not only see your fellow hunters (as long as they also have a Rino) but talk to them.

I used the Trimble Hunt app this year while scouting and it actually worked pretty well. My Rino is still better. The screens work with gloves on, cold doesn't bother it at all. I get 2 days at least out of new batteries (Energizer Ult. Lithium), a friend gets 3 days out of the Garmin brand rechargeable.

If you use your phone, I recommend a Lifeproof case. Great weather protection and minimum bulk.


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## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

so, i finally got back around to looking at gps devices and think i'm going with the garmin oregon 650. i found a good deal ($370) on the version without maps and will install an onX chip. the battery life seems a little short at 16hrs max. has anyone used this device enough to know the true battery usage?


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## drsx (Sep 8, 2010)

APD said:


> so, i finally got back around to looking at gps devices and think i'm going with the garmin oregon 650. i found a good deal ($370) on the version without maps and will install an onX chip. the battery life seems a little short at 16hrs max. has anyone used this device enough to know the true battery usage?


I've got the Garmin 62st and it works great. I've found that even while turned "off" the gps is tracking my movements so that's why it drains the batteries so fast. An easy fix is to just take the batteries out until you actually want to use your GPS I can get a solid week of use in the woods like this. Also, always have a pack of extra batteries on hand.


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