The Best Hunting GPS – Our Top Selections
Although a GPS unit will not do the hunting for you, neither will it track the game, it is instrumental in helping you get out of the woods faster. To feel safe in the mountains or the woods, you will need a GPS gadget that has a reliable signal reception, easy to read, has long battery life, and other similarly essential features.
There are many GPS units in the market; some perform as advertised, while others do not so much. We have reviewed four top Garmin GPS units, which are also the best GPS units for hunting. We hope the information presented will assist you to make an informed decision. Let’s get right into it.
Best Hunting GPS Reviews
1. Garmin Foretrex 401 Waterproof Hiking GPS
The Garmin Foretrex 401 is a very sturdy and handy GPS with features that rival other and more expensive GPS trackers in the market. The GPS comes packed with many features that will make your navigation while hunting very easy.
Has a Barometric Altimeter
The GPS has a barometric altimeter to see how high you have climbed. However, barometric altimeters are not accurate, and you are safer using another type of altimeter to measure your altitude.
Adjustable Straps
The straps on the GPS are extendable, so it is easy to wear them over clothing like a cardigan or a jacket, for example. Therefore, you do not have to freeze to death if you are hunting in winter or when it is cold.
Uses AAA Batteries
It also uses AAA batteries which can be found anywhere,- ok, almost anywhere. The batteries have a run time of 15 hours, but depend mostly on the use.
Additional Features
Another great feature of the Foretrex GPS is that it is very light. For this reason, it is very comfortable to wear on your wrist. The screen is also readable at different angles and under different light conditions, even under direct sunlight.
You can connect multiple Foretrex 401 devices wirelessly. This is a significant feature if you are hunting as a group since it makes finding each other very easy.
Pros:
- Waterproof
- Dustproof
- Lightweight
- Accurate GPS coordinates
- The readable screen even under direct sunlight
- Connects wirelessly to other similar devices
Cons:
- Its barometric altimeter is not accurate
2. Garmin GPSMAP 64st
The GPS comes with a color screen which is also readable in the sun and at different angles. However, the screen’s dimensions are a bit small compared to other handheld GPS devices. The screen measures 26 inches.
Uses the Duo Positioning System
Reasonably, the most significant point of this unit is its dual positioning systems, GPS and the Russian GLONASS. The feature makes Garmin GPSMAP extremely dependable because the positioning system makes it very accurate.
Has an Antenna
The unit also has an antenna that makes it receive signals virtually anywhere. This is a significant feature when you find yourself in a forest with dense tree cover. It even works in canyons because it receives the signal directly from the satellite in orbit.
Readable Display
The GPS is handy since it displays maps in every readable manner. It uses satellite photography, which displays objects like mountains, rivers, and other features near you
Pros:
- Receives signals virtually everywhere
- The maps are easy to read, a Color screen
- Uses both GPS and GLONASS
Cons:
- It is not a touchscreen
3. Garmin Approach G6 Handheld Touchscreen Golf Course GPS
The advantage of the Garmin Approach G6 is that it is quite small and light. This makes it ideal since you do not want to carry more weight than necessary on a golf course. With the golf course unit, it is very easy to track your progress since it stores this information.
It comes with preloaded golf courses, and all you have to do is select the direction that you are currently playing on. It is also very easy to use, has a sleek design, and a colored touch screen.
Records Your Scores
The Garmin Approach G6 will record all your scores and other essential statistics on the device. Sensitive Screen. The unit has a very sensitive screen which makes it very easy to navigate. To avoid the screen from changing to other areas, it has lock screen features that ensure the screen stays on the current page.
Perfect Size
The G6 is sized in such a way that you can easily hold it in the palm of your hand. The size enables you to have a very pleasant experience when mapping out the distance to the next hole, or the general layout of the golf course.
Pros:
- Records you’re score and other relevant data
- Sensitive touch screen
- Has a lock screen feature
- Sleek design, Rechargeable battery
Cons:
- Some golf courses on the device are outdated
3. Garmin Oregon 600 3-Inch Worldwide Handheld GPS
The purpose of a GPS unit is to get you out of tricky situations, and to do so. The unit must have a signal to tell you where you are and where you are going, or supposed to go.
Therefore, a unit that does not receive signals in forests, on mountains, canyons, and valleys is useless. However, the Garmin Oregon 600 will dazzle you with the accuracy and speed at which it acquires a signal in the locations mentioned earlier.
Very Easy To Use
The device is pretty easy to use since it operates like a smartphone and you can use your finger(s) to operate the unit. The screen allows you to zoom in and out, go to a different page, etc. It also has two buttons, the power button and one that lets you go back to the menu fast.
Touch Screen
The GPS uses a very durable screen referred to as the gorilla screen. You also do not have to set the screen manually as the unit uses the intensity of the light to determine the best screen brightness.
The orientation of the screen also changes depending on the position the device is held at for portrait display, hold it vertically, for landscape display, hold it horizontally.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Very strong and accurate signal reception
- Changes to landscape or portrait depending on how it is held
- Self-adjusting brightness
- Gorilla screen
Cons:
The display is super sensitive and will change from one page to the next. You can avoid this by locking the screen.
Conclusion
There are many things you look for in a GPS unit, but the topmost on the list is reliability. It would be very disastrous to rely on your GPS unit only to find out that you are completely lost or going in the opposite direction. Having a GPS unit that will let you down would be useless because it cannot receive a signal.
Another important feature is the readability of the device, an easily readable GPS is very much preferred over the one you will spend minutes trying to understand where it is saying or showing you are. Overall, we hope the review has helped determine the best GPS unit for hunting that best suits your navigational needs.