Do any of your hunts use these new GPS type tracking devices?
Yes. We are currently using the Garmin Alpha. I know of some other hunts that use the Garmin Astro 320 and 220. I personally have the 220 for tracking my own hunting dog.
I don’t think any hunts in New Zealand use any hound tracking devices at all! =)
My nephew uses them for his coon dogs and loves them. No more searching for dogs in the dark that are just over a hill so their voice does not carry.
A student of mine last year at school said they used them for their hog dogs too.
Do you use the feature that tells you how far away the hound is and in which direction, or do you look at points on a map?
The GPS has been used for two main reasons. The first is when gathering hounds. Its easy to see where they are and to get them back. The second is that the tracks provide an interesting study in how the hounds run, which ones are leading, etc.
The astro and the alpha provide both maps and distance/direction. You can plot points on the map for reference as well.
I don’t recall what make/model ours is, but we just use distance and direction. There are fixture maps in the hound truck and one of the members made a distance overlay, so it’s pretty easy (if you know where you are with the base unit) to figure out where a particular hound is located.
It’s definitely better than nothing, particularly if the pack splits or hounds are getting too close to busy roads. However, it’s difficult to get good readings quickly–the unit freaks out and will swap north and south or flat refuse to update hound locations unless it’s stationary and perfectly flat.
