Shunning techology in the field.

[Comerade]

Do any of you leave all your digital stuff at the truck?
I am 61 and had the great opportunity to hunt as a kid , in the remotest of country with nothing more than a topographic map folded up in my pack. I hunt by myself, and a saddle and packhorse these days for several days at a time now. I just tell somebody where I am planning on going .
Any other old Geezers, that refuse all the new stuff? I believe you lose skills when you add technology. Curious.

 

[huntsman22]

I take rangefinder, camera and compass. But then again, I've always been right on the cutting edge of technology.....bwahaha

 

[flatlanderhuffandpuff]

If I didn't have a wife I'm very interested in staying married to I would love to go electronic less.

The inreach has probably kept a few folks from developing ulcers since they have become common. I carry one more so my wife can reach me other than the other way around. I'm always with at least one other person so I'm not concerned about my own safety.

 

[VernAK]

I use an IN Reach to keep my pilot informed of WX in my area. I don't bother carrying a range finder for most hunting.

Otherwise I carry nothing digital nor electronic other than my headlamp.

 

[Kevin Dill]

I tend to approach electronics the way I do a first aid kit. I've usually got stuff with me (in camp) but I don't need or use it to hunt successfully. Calling home on a satellite phone doesn't take away any skills I've honed. Having a PLB just means I've got a way to call for help if I end up in serious trouble....as in injured. I don't need daily weather reports. Have never relied on GPS or electronic maps to get me around ever. I've never owned a rangefinder. My cell phone can be found in my duffel bag, but it's mostly useless in the backcountry except for being a backup camera and having my contact phone numbers. I'm not down on technology, except I do think it's easy to rely on and then certain skills are lost.

The best example I can give is how so many people can't drive anywhere unfamiliar without some sort of programmed navigation assistance. When you default your own abilities to use of a device, you can't help but become partially or wholly dependent on it.

 

[cardiac5]

I use xmaps for topo and satellite to look for thick areas and the best route


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[Salmonchaser]

Always have a compass, I don’t worry about calling home, I do like my GPS/radio. I’ve played with my rangefinder some. I think the greatest skill lost by most guys is fire building. At 63 I marvel at the quality of glass on my rifle, the comfort afforded by my Kenetreks, the Sitka clothing etc.
Makes me wonder how I ever hunted with an 06 topped with a weaver, leather boots and wearing wranglers.

 

[Riles1050]

As nice and pure as it seems to go electronic-less and be one with nature, it isn't something I feel is for me and my family. It's definitely a two way equation for me. Having the ability to keep in touch with my wife and make sure she and the kids are ok while I'm out, always me to be more dedicated on the mountain. Having the ability for her to know I'm ok allows me the freedom to be on the mountain more. Just letting someone know where I am and not raising an alarm until the time to return has passed, I feel would be selfish for me personally at this point. If something happens on day 1 of a 5 day trip, I'm way dead by the time help arrives. On the flip side if something happened to one of my loved one's on day 1 and I wasn't there for them, because of my passion/hobby, I would never forgive myself. Pro's of having communication on the mountain significantly out way the con's for me.

 

[kicker338]

For umpteen yrs. I used only land marks to guide me in the woods, no compass or map. Now days at 71yrs. old I do carry a gps. not to keep from getting lost, just to find the easiest way threw Nth. Idaho's nasty brush. Without it and pick the wrong spot at dark and you might find yourself on your hands and knees trying to get back out.

 

[Jimbob]

I consider everything I use technology. I get that electronics can be separated from clothing or boots but really it is all the same. There is so much "tech" in every piece of gear I have. I totally get the idea of going less tech to heighten the experience but for me, I would really need to cut out some things to feel that way.

For instance, if I use a synthetic stalked stainless rifle with a scope so I don't feel much different adding a range finder. Now if I went to a lever action open sight gun then that would feel like less tech.

No doubt that the more self-reliant I feel the greater the experience becomes.

 

[Zbot]

I’m the opposite. My SPOT connects to my phone for satellite texting, so I already have it on me. At that point, I might as well download a few podcasts or movies to pass the downtime once the sun goes down.

Last hunt, I watched Birdbox and a few other scary movies. Makes falling asleep alone in the woods a little more interesting lol

 

[Ndbowhunter]

i’m that way nowadays.

It kinda sucks not having pictures to look back to, but it’s more of an upside to not have any tethers

Maps and gps are for the birds

 

[rtaylor]

Many of us grew up hunting with little to no tech and developed our hunting skills without them. I like having the tech of today but I also like knowing that I have the skills to get out there and get it done without them. I would say that the youth of today will never quite hone their skills because of the reliance on tech right out of the gate.

 

[jmcd22]

Cell phone for OnX and will be adding an INReach for piece of mind. If Idaho hadn't passed that BS trespassing law, I don't know if I would even bring my phone...maybe just for pictures and that is it.

 

[Beendare]

Usually technology enhances the experience for me...otherwise I don't bother.

Technology; Most of the line drawing I see is ego based. "I shoot this....."

IMO.....We are all "Hunters"....and have to be careful about drawing lines....as anything past stone arrowheads and a bent stick is improved technology.

..

 

[Comerade]

Shame on me for misspelling technology- freudian slip

 

[Milestone522]

I have a PLB for an emergency. I like using my Garmin 401 for grid coordinates as my topo is set up for UTM grid. I keep the phone powered off but once in a while take a pic with it. I guess i am somewhere in the middle, still use map and compass but like techno support.

 

[Reburn]

I like my gadgets. However, I don't rely on anything electronic that can make or break my hunt. If my range finder breaks my range is shortened from 400 to 300 or less but my shooting ability isn't removed. Hence why I'm so very leery of the electronic scopes. I don't have to use GPS, but it may save me a couple miles in unfamiliar terrain. If it doesn't work, I may have to go farther but I'm not lost. I take my phone because I find the camera very good and normally right around the same weight as a traditional camera. Electronics can improve the quality of a hunt and the efficiency. I’ve never felt like I had to have something electronic to hunt though. Other then a flashlight in some instances. And a way to contact my wife so I don’t get a rash of shit when I get home…..

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I've never understood where the line is for these sorts of things. For navigation should I draw the line with navigation by sun/stars, map, compass, what kind of compass, compass and topo map, gps etc.
If an easier and more efficient way of doing things is available to me at what point should I say no.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Great thread. I'm sure the OP was talking specifically about the use of electronic technology, as opposed to the generalized progression or evolution of everything else in life....often referred to as tech advances. KUIU and Sitka Gear can be called techie clothing, but I'm 100% sure that's not what the OP is thinking about.

Anybody remember when you had to actually understand f-stops, apertures, light meters and use a (gasp!) manual focus ring and telephoto zoom? Anyone here never had to change film and preserve many rolls until getting home? Hello technology. I've defaulted most of my acquired photographic skills from the '70s and '80s to the use of cameras so 'intelligent' they make it easy to shoot magazine cover images.

I truly DO get the guys who try to eschew all digital or electronic technology when going afield. That stuff is pervasive in our everyday lives and many of us hunt....at least partially...with the objective of simply escaping to a simpler world. We don't want to be involved with cell phones, gps, texting, routing and navigating, podcasts, digital music, Bluetooth, radar, touchscreen maps and so on. We just want a backpack, good clothes, glass and a weapon that is capable in our hands. The rest of it can stay at home or in camp. But see....I grew up without any of it. The guys who have known elec-tech since infancy have never known a world without it. It comes down to your life....your world of experiences....and your preferences. If you love electronic technology afield, I say run with that ball and don't look back.

I think those who would put an end to most technology afield are simply out of touch with reality. They're living in the past and rejecting the basic premise of human life, which is to evolve, create, invent and find ways to make everything easier.....whether by greater or lesser magnitude. Whether we're talking about photography, golf or hunting.....they all have their roots in the past and all have evolved dramatically in the past 100 years. Play the game as you prefer and let others do the same without judgment.