Summary:
Analysis of the top rated portable handheld GPS for Hunting. List of the features needed to be considered one of the best GPS for Hunting.
Best GPS for Hunting:
There is No One Perfect GPS for Hunting
That's right; there is no one perfect GPS for hunting. There may be one that you consider perfect for yourself, but probably not everyone has the same needs you do. However, overall there are highly recommended GPS for hunting out there, and they are all listed below. These are considered the best GPS for hunting. The hunting community has rated these as the most popular GPS for hunting. However, choosing a good GPS for hunting depends on what and how you, personally, plan on using your GPS for the hunt. I can't tell you the one single GPS that has been proven the best for hunting, though I have put together a list of the most qualified and top rated GPS for hunting. So I encourage you to look into each of these GPS and find what exactly it is that you are looking for and choose which GPS is best suited for you. GPS technology is constantly changing so check back often for updates.
Features of the Best GPS for Hunting:
-Long battery life (between 15-25 hours)
-Plenty of memory to hold waypoints (14-25 MB should be good)
-Easily portable/light weight (hand held)
-I hunt at night so a easily readable screen
-WAAS capability (allows for accuracy of up to 3 meters)
-Water proof/resistant
Top Rated GPS for Hunting
-Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx
-Garmin Etrex Camo
-Magellan Explorist 200
-Garmin GPS 60
Long Battery Life for a Handheld GPS
One of the best features a handheld GPS can have is a long battery life. Hunting is not a short event most go hunting for days even. A long battery life for a GPS can save a lot of frustration while hunting. It allows for longer hunting trips to locations you would not be able to go without a GPS with longer battery life. So be sure you add this feature to your list when deciding the best GPS for hunting.
GPS Needs Plenty of Memory While Hunting
It is a common practice to revisit waypoints several times because most hunters have spots they like. If you are one to revisit waypoints your GPS will start to run out of memory and no one wants to delete spots that have been good to them in the past for hunting. So when shopping for a GPS be sure you save yourself the hassle of having to decide which waypoints are more important and get plenty of memory for your hunting GPS.
Hunting GPS Should be Light Weight and Portable
No one enjoys walking around the woods hunting while carrying a big heavy burden of a GPS. There are some handheld GPS that weigh up to 3.5 pounds. That would be a terror to go hunting with. Anything over 2 pounds is a little to heavy to be considered in the best GPS for deer hunting category. So try and stay under 2 pounds when shopping for your hunting GPS.
GPS Should Have WAAS Capability to be Good for Hunting
WAAS has been around for awhile and yet many GPS owners still have no idea what it is. WAAS capability basically allows for a GPS unit's accuracy to be within 3 meters. When hunting you want to know exactly where you are and how far you have to go in case of an accident. So when deciding which GPS is the best for your hunting needs be sure to include WAAS capability as a must have feature.
When Hunting GPS Need to be Water Resistant/Water Proof
As most already know, hunting, is an outdoor sport, which means weather applys. When it comes to a $100+ piece of equipment thats primary use is outdoors you don't want a little water to ruin it. So be sure your hunting GPS is some what water resistant. Particularly if you are one to go hunting in the woods where there are plenty of places to accidentally drop the GPS into standing water.