Seems like every year, I find something that is going to make a difference in my hunting. Either make me more comfortable while in the field, or more effective.
Got a new one in my hands that I have been trying out the last week and will give it the full blown test in New Mexico next week. It is a GPS card that has the surface ownership of every piece of land in the state.
A lot of emails ask how we draw so many tags. Well, it is not that hard really. You just need to be willing to accept a second or third choice, or apply for leftovers. Or apply in areas with difficult access.
Probably the one thing that is the best way to get tags is to look at those areas that have difficut access issues. Those tags are always easier to draw and you have a good chance of finding an animal that might have been getting old in the sanctuary of some private land and he just happens to stumble onto the small parcel of public that you have discovered.
You often see us with maps and GPS discussing property lines. Part of how we hunt. We hunt the public ground, right up to the boundaries of the private. That gives us opportunities many hunters will not take advantage of.
Many guys will shy away from that public/private boundary, as they are not comfortable knowing where they are at. I share that same concern and if there is ever any doubt, I error on the side of caution and let the critters pass.
A good example is the mule deer episode ariing this week. Our GPS and maps told us one thing, but the fence lines gave a completely different impression. So, Lawnboy didn't hang his tag on a great buck, even though the buck really was on public and our GPS told us that.
My point of all this explanation is to talk about a new GPS chip that will give you the land ownership status of all land in a state. Yup, just like having a really big BLM surface map in your hands. And, it is compatible with most GPS units, and extremely accurate.
My confidence level is usually pretty high, given my experience with map reading and the research I do in advance. From what I am seeing with this new toy, my confidence level is going to get a lot higher.
Here is something all serious western hunters need to look into. These state by state memory cards can solve a lot of problems you might have been worried about. Go here.
If you do buy something, tell them you heard about it from On Your Own Adventures, or if you order online, make referrence in the note. They promise that OYOA guys will get the highest priority of service.
The area in New Mexico where we will be archery antelope hunting has a lot of checkerboarded private/public mix. I will give you a full report of how it works for that hunt. So far my experiments here in Montana are looking very promising.
Got a new one in my hands that I have been trying out the last week and will give it the full blown test in New Mexico next week. It is a GPS card that has the surface ownership of every piece of land in the state.
A lot of emails ask how we draw so many tags. Well, it is not that hard really. You just need to be willing to accept a second or third choice, or apply for leftovers. Or apply in areas with difficult access.
Probably the one thing that is the best way to get tags is to look at those areas that have difficut access issues. Those tags are always easier to draw and you have a good chance of finding an animal that might have been getting old in the sanctuary of some private land and he just happens to stumble onto the small parcel of public that you have discovered.
You often see us with maps and GPS discussing property lines. Part of how we hunt. We hunt the public ground, right up to the boundaries of the private. That gives us opportunities many hunters will not take advantage of.
Many guys will shy away from that public/private boundary, as they are not comfortable knowing where they are at. I share that same concern and if there is ever any doubt, I error on the side of caution and let the critters pass.
A good example is the mule deer episode ariing this week. Our GPS and maps told us one thing, but the fence lines gave a completely different impression. So, Lawnboy didn't hang his tag on a great buck, even though the buck really was on public and our GPS told us that.
My point of all this explanation is to talk about a new GPS chip that will give you the land ownership status of all land in a state. Yup, just like having a really big BLM surface map in your hands. And, it is compatible with most GPS units, and extremely accurate.
My confidence level is usually pretty high, given my experience with map reading and the research I do in advance. From what I am seeing with this new toy, my confidence level is going to get a lot higher.
Here is something all serious western hunters need to look into. These state by state memory cards can solve a lot of problems you might have been worried about. Go here.
If you do buy something, tell them you heard about it from On Your Own Adventures, or if you order online, make referrence in the note. They promise that OYOA guys will get the highest priority of service.
The area in New Mexico where we will be archery antelope hunting has a lot of checkerboarded private/public mix. I will give you a full report of how it works for that hunt. So far my experiments here in Montana are looking very promising.
