GPS Ability Question

[fellas2]

Never owned a GPS before but am considering purchasing one. My question is are they accurate enough to keep track of the 20 or so trail cameras i run. I constantly change their location and have in the past forgotten the location of a few. Are they accurate enough to get me to their exact location ? If so, can someone recommend a budget friendly model ?

 

[ILIKEGEAR]

Absolutely within a few meters. onX and other mobile platforms would but the most budget friendly option and what I use to keep track of cameras.

As far as GPS, we like Garmin. The inReach explorer would be a bit overkill for just trail cameras - but if you ever plan to do more - its a great piece of gear.

 

[Hackleback]

A GPS enabled phone should be adequate for this. Remember that GPS accuracy will go down in deep/steep canyons or where there is overhead obstructions such as trees, but if it gets you within say 10-20 meters, that is good enough.

 

[wapitibob]

Get onx or another phone gps app. You can try any of them for free if you email and ask.

 

[maverick]

GAIA gps app has a free version. It just limits the amount of maps available for download.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

 

[snowchaser]

I run about a dozen trail cameras most of them are a mile or more from any roads or trails. I use an old Garmin to mark there locations . Works great .

 

[Rokwiia]

All of the places I put trail cams are in a very dense forest with lots of trees. I camouflage each trailcam using tree bark that matches the species of tree they will be put on. It helps to make them nearly invisible to anyone walking by but also makes them difficult for me to find.

In my experience, the waypoint can be off more than a few yards. I'm using Stealth Cam 4Ks which are fairly decent units. Maybe it's the tree canopy that causes the variance.

I use GAIA and do three things when I put up a trailcam:

1) Mark the location with a waypoint
2) Take a picture of the tree and surrounding area
3) Record the trackway in and out

I've found that sometimes it is near impossible to locate the trailcam using just the waypoint but the combination of the trackway and waypoint will almost always get me there. Once I've had to rely on the picture to identify the tree but having it to review saved the day.

 

[Whiskey_Fish]

I do the same. I really like that I can attach the photo to the waypoint in onX and share that with my buddy.


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[nevadabugle]

I'd recommend using a phone app for a cheap option. I used to run a crew of field biologists in the consulting industry. We ran 4000 dollar sub meter accurate GPS units. However I required my team to back up points with their phones. Most of the time the phone points ended up on top of the fancy GPS points. At worst they would be off by 5 to 10 feet.

I recommend either Gaia GPS for iPhone. Or backcountry navigator for Android. Onx is a good option for both but costs a couple bucks more. All of these phone apps are better than a standalone garmin type GPS in my opinion. Mainly because it's one less device to carry with you and the screen is so much larger with higher resolution.

 

[doc holiday13]

My Garmin is money.. I only have it because it doubles as a tracking unit for my hunting dog and it will get you within a foot of whatever waypoint you drop a pin for