Has cell phones change the way you hunting ? I see more of the younger generation getting out of vehicle's with cell phones in hand with these map hunting apps and covering ground in hopes of finding a gobbler, a lot of this is done without any prior scouting. Has the days of the old school compass and topo maps become a thing of the pass ? Has scouting for turkeys become a thing of the pass ? If you took the cell phones away form these younger generation of hunters could they still kill gobblers? I feel turkey hunting has really changed in the last few years because of cell phones in my opinion.
Quote from: Greg Massey on May 08, 2021, 11:15:09 AM
Has cell phones change the way you hunting ? I see more of the younger generation getting out of vehicle's with cell phones in hand with these map hunting apps and covering ground in hopes of finding a gobbler, a lot of this is done without any prior scouting. Has the days of the old school compass and topo maps become a thing of the pass ? Has scouting for turkeys become a thing of the pass ? If you took the cell phones away form these younger generation of hunters could they still kill gobblers? I feel turkey hunting has really changed in the last few years because of cell phones in my opinion.
Everything has changed because of smartphones and not all for the better.
The mapping thing is pretty convenient in terms of marking things on a map, but the skills of using a compass and map to navigate are definitely a skill not many younger people have these days.
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I use my cell phone a lot. It does make going in blind become more of going in with one eye open. Nothing however will replace boots on the ground.
I do have huntstand on my phone but I don't use it for navigation. I use terrain association and dead reckoning for that. But I do use it to mark areas where I have found bedding areas, turkey roosting sites, scrape lines etc. Before I start heading in I just check it again and walk on into the area. I pretty much hunt public land exclusively (Fort Campbell Army Base) so it's a little different here, you pretty much get assigned an area to hunt each day. So if you scout one area prior to the season you are not guaranteed to get that area. So this helps when there are a possible 52 areas you could wind up in. Some of the areas are massive and some are smaller.
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If you were to take away OnX, I would simply bring multiple hard maps with me and a compass. I would cover the same amount of ground and scour topo maps and property lines all the same. It would simply take me longer to do it.
I use onX a lot. It's very helpful and yes I use it to scout a lot before out of state hunts. That being said if I had to get paper maps and scout that way I would. I'm pretty confident I could kill gobblers with only a gun and diaphragm call consistently without onX. It is nice being able to focus on just heading towards that gobbling bird without paying attention to how to get back to the truck though
I'm old school boots on the ground
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I greatly prefer boots on the ground. But that's not doable sometimes when heading to a new place with 2 days to hunt
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Both phone apps and paper topos have limits. Hunters can't "know" the ground by looking at it on the phone or looking at a map, that takes in field observation and experience.
Not for me. It would be nice for me to be able to see property lines and but thats it. I prefer to hunt one on one with a turkey. No pin dropping and whatnot. I use a bushnell backtrack to mark my truck and go. In my opinion we lost fair chase to technology a long time ago. I want to improve myself as a hunter not a tech expert. The guys I have always held in high esteem are the ones that can go to new ground,hear a tom and go get him. Just camo, calls, and a gun. But like many things its my personal opinion and what I want to be one day when I grow up.
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Great topic you can open up a can of worms with this post, nothing is old school anymore the list of things used today to hunt is endless. I guess it's the future of hunting join it or get left behind. I'm sure there are still a few of us that remember hunting before the internet and cell phones. Those where better times.
Quote from: paboxcall on May 08, 2021, 12:45:45 PM
Both phone apps and paper topos have limits. Hunters can't "know" the ground by looking at it on the phone or looking at a map, that takes in field observation and experience.
AMEN BROTHER!!!
Quote from: Ol timer on May 08, 2021, 01:51:47 PM
Great topic you can open up a can of worms with this post, nothing is old school anymore the list of things used today to hunt is endless. I guess it's the future of hunting join it or get left behind. I'm sure there are still a few of us that remember hunting before the internet and cell phones. Those where better times.
Yes sir! More enjoyable too. Now I will say if you've got another person that you're hunting with the small radios are nice to have, especially if your partner is older than yourself.
As with pretty much everything on this forum we will never 100% agree. I am older and use my smart phone maps alot. I also us a separate GPS and yes I still remember and use topo maps. I am comfortable with all and have no problems with technology. Nor do I have any problems with anyone that decides to limit technology's use. Its an individual choice. Why stoke the fire?
Ya'll just wait til LiDAR becomes readily available to hunters. There's already a LiDAR mobile app available for the state MN that I use when hunting hill country there. It's amazing the level of detail it exposes about the terrain. For example, I can see grown over logging roads cut into the mountain side.
Quote from: simpzenith on May 08, 2021, 02:36:57 PM
Ya'll just wait til LiDAR becomes readily available to hunters. There's already a LiDAR mobile app available for the state MN that I use when hunting hill country there. It's amazing the level of detail it exposes about the terrain. For example, I can see grown over logging roads cut into the mountain side.
Yes , but could you still kill as may turkeys without using your cell phone?
Cell phones have killed a bunch of turkeys IMO. I'm not gonna say they're unfair. But they're almost unfair lol
Makes taking pictures easier
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Quote from: fallhnt on May 08, 2021, 03:26:38 PM
Makes taking pictures easier
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That's about all i can do with my phone. I can call, text, and take pictures. Dang if i can figure out how to post them though. I need to learn how pretty soon , i have some pattern and turkey pics i want to get posted up!
When I am hunting public I am scouting as much as I can, unfortunately the private land I hunt I am not allowed to scout because they are afraid I am going to scare all the turkey away. Sure wish they would let me scout. I do use Basemap to look at areas I may be able to go on their land though this year with the knee and foot problems I have been having I have stuck completely in the blind which was not at all the plan for the season. Hope your season is going well Greg.
I use onX primarily to make sure I'm not crossing boundary lines. Sometimes public and private boundaries are not marked very well if at all and i always want to make sure i'm hunting in a place that i am allowed to be. I also use it to send my wife gps coordinates when I'm hunting public land in case of an emergency. I let it track me while I'm hunting mainly because I've lost things and it makes it easier to backtrack. But as far as scouting goes that app can't tell you where there is turkey sign.
old school boots to the ground. I don't rely on any modern devices other than a compass and game cameras. I do own a handheld GPS but I've never carried it hunting or scouting and yes I have a cell phone but, I don't have any type of GPS app on it. I've been in the woods all my life (I'm past 60) and I've never needed a search party to find me. Coon hunted for years, hunted ginseng all my life and been to several other states hunting and always end up back where I'm supposed to be. Guess I've just been lucky.
I have one of those Coghlan's ball compass pinned on my pack straps, An etrex GPS and a cell phone. My sense of direction is on not the best, and one of my biggest fears is having to have a SAR team deployed in my honor.
Mainly drop pins for deer sign, and access points to hunt able areas. Other than that they are used to get get back to the truck.
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I'm slowly transitioning to new school. Use to be boots on the ground. Now about half the time it's crocs on the ground.
Cell phones are a problem. They allow trespassers to text their driver when it's time to get picked back up.
What a minute... Im confused here... Are yall suggesting that the use of ANY map is "new school?" And that putting a boot on the ground blind is "old school?" It doesnt matter whether the map is digital or hard copy. It does the same thing. And it doesnt matter whether you decided to go scout at a location because you found it on a map, or because you drove by it and made an impulse decision to go check it out blind. Both will kill turkeys. Suggesting that people who hunted 30+ years ago did not use any kind of map to their advantage is a far stretch and not based off of any evidence.
Quote from: Pluffmud on May 09, 2021, 09:08:49 AM
What a minute... Im confused here... Are yall suggesting that the use of ANY map is "new school?" And that putting a boot on the ground blind is "old school?" It doesnt matter whether the map is digital or hard copy. It does the same thing. And it doesnt matter whether you decided to go scout at a location because you found it on a map, or because you drove by it and made an impulse decision to go check it out blind. Both will kill turkeys. Suggesting that people who hunted 30+ years ago did not use any kind of map to their advantage is a far stretch and not based off of any evidence.
What the OP states is true 30+ years ago you did early scouting before any season months ahead, no maps just old school hunting no waypoints no sharing your info with anyone, no social media BS, no instant gratification!! Go out and learn how to hunt not get lucky with the aid of a App.and You Tube.
I was killing my share of em before cell phones where invented . That said , I use on x to find property lines on out of state hunts , but that's about all I know how to use it for . A big portion of the reason I hunt is finding new places and putting the puzzle together on my own terms , not technology's terms . Plus , while I'm in the timber hunting , I'm trying to get away from my phone ...
Ive used my phone to help a silent gobbler sneak in on me. :TooFunny:
I been at this for 48 years and I have hunted 8 sates, all before we even had the internet or cell phones. Any prescouting with topos had to be done months ahead by ordering maps by phone. I done a ton of hunts by just showing up in an area after looking at road maps and finding state/national forest or by talking to people. Magazines and NWTF helped. whenever I traveled I asked in restaurants and wherever about turkeys. I have walked the mountains and the plains looking for gobblers. I used to have a saying, "the first trip to a new area was only scouting". If you found and killed a turkey it was a bonus. I frequented coffee shops, farm stores, bait shops, gun shops and more. I got a lot of places to hunt by just being friendly and talking to people. I will admit that today's world is not as friendly and joining the liars table in a coffee shop will most likely only get you stared at in a lot of towns. Too many landowners have had bad experiences and frankly they sold out their land to leases. Now it is much easier with computers and apps on cell phones and I am right there using it all. Sure it's easier, but it's only a starting point, you still need to get on the ground. What it does do is eliminate some of those wasted trips where you learned that you only wasted time and money going there. I like the new toys and the fact they save you time and money. Sure they also make it more congested and harder to find that secret spot, but adapting to change is inevitable in life. Adapt or be left behind. I will take a few newbies showing up if over all my life is made simplier
It's now called cyber-scouting.
Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.
Quote from: RutnNStrutn on May 09, 2021, 11:06:21 AM
It's now called cyber-scouting.
Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.
So true like on line dating you never know what's in the chocolate box till you open it.
I guess I'm new school. I use a shotgun instead of a stick bow and have a smart phone. I also have a truck instead of a horse.
Quote from: Bedge7767 on May 09, 2021, 12:28:43 PM
I guess I'm new school. I use a shotgun instead of a stick bow and have a smart phone. I also have a truck instead of a horse.
I'm old school, i have mule and slingshot ...
Quote from: Greg Massey on May 09, 2021, 12:31:15 PM
Quote from: Bedge7767 on May 09, 2021, 12:28:43 PM
I guess I'm new school. I use a shotgun instead of a stick bow and have a smart phone. I also have a truck instead of a horse.
I'm old school, i have mule and slingshot ...
Whatever works for you. :funnyturkey:
Quote from: HillclimberWV on May 08, 2021, 04:32:23 PM
I use onX primarily to make sure I'm not crossing boundary lines. Sometimes public and private boundaries are not marked very well if at all and i always want to make sure i'm hunting in a place that i am allowed to be. I also use it to send my wife gps coordinates when I'm hunting public land in case of an emergency. I let it track me while I'm hunting mainly because I've lost things and it makes it easier to backtrack. But as far as scouting goes that app can't tell you where there is turkey sign.
Yup!!!
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It has kept me awake the hr before bird business starts. It has also help me find property lines, and my way back if I get lost. But most of all...it let's the wife text me when it's time to come home:(
It has never occurred to me that a cell phone would help me kill turkeys. I may be a little different than most because I hunt a lot of private land that I grew up around. I do keep my cell phone with me when I turkey hunt to: 1) be accessible in case of an emergency; 2) keep my eye on the weather when I suspect rain is approaching; 3) keep track of what time it is; 4) monitor OG for giveaways ending; and 5) what was said earlier about helping silent turkeys sneaking up on me. I imagine cell phones are more helpful when you are hunting an area you haven't hunted before. So far as scouting, I ride to all the places I hunt and look for turkeys before the season starts. Since I'm very familiar with the places I hunt the movement and roosting patterns don't differ much from year to year. However, some years the turkeys just aren't there at all and some years they're all over the same place. If I don't see turkeys or turkey sign I simply hunt somewhere else. Once in a while I'll get permission to hunt new property and I walk it and familiarize myself with it before I hunt. I'll get on the internet and look at aerial images of the property as well and correlate that with what I saw on the ground. I imagine I may be an outlier because I have a lot of familiar property to hunt close to home that holds a lot of turkeys. I get enough excitement hunting the same ol' places year after year, and I don't particularly care for traveling.
I recently lost a piece of good private land where I hunted for a long while. The smart phone did come in handy on public this year. It's nice to know property boundaries to prevent trespassing.
Onx topos only get you so far when hunting. It shows major ridge lines and finger ridges but that's about it. There are a lot of terrain features that just don't show up. Little drainages off the side of the finger ridges are nearly impossible to see on onx topos. Boots on the ground are the only means of finding these smaller features. I use it mainly for property lines. I drop waypoints for roost sights and what not but I did that with paper maps as well.
Does it help me kill turkeys? I think it's more of a tool to find areas that need further investigation same as a paper topo. An experienced hunter can look at either and narrow his search areas down. Onx just saves a little time. You still need to know how to hunt them to kill birds consistently.
There was a time I was a younger hunter. Used to drive the logging roads in state-land at dusk and cutt-cackle, locate and keep an inventory of known birds before/during the season. Worked well then. Now I have a lot of permission on private land and keep track through visually seeing where they strutt, feed and end up at dusk without roosting them. Drive by scouting helps save time when monitoring the waterfowl, checking traps and locating gobblers. The APP's help find who owns the land and a knock on the door generally results in permission.