You must have heard of lost hunting groupies. Well, it happens. You could easily lose your way in a thick and dense forest. That’s why it is important to share your hunting itinerary with a close pal or a loved one.
If you do that, then in case you lose your way in a thick forest, looking for you becomes an easy task. If not, the search party could still have somewhere to start from. But what information on your hunting plan can help law enforcement officials find you?
Before I come to that, let me give you some of the reasons why a hunter may be declared lost on their hunt.
- Injury or accidents
- Bad or severe weather
- Faulty GPS systems
- Poor map reading technique
- Lack of a GPS system
Whichever the reason, it is easy for a hunter to get tapped or to lose their way. A good example is a broken leg during a hunt. This might cause an inability to move. In turn, you could remain trapped for a day. The same applies to bad weather.
Hunting Plan Tips that Will Help a Search Party to Find You
In case you are unfamiliar with a place that you are going to hunt, there are several information on your hunting plan that might help a search party to find you. They include.
Contact Person
If you were out hunting, you should fill in a pal or a loved one. Close family and relatives can make a good start. You can choose one contact that you will include in your plan and one that is easy to get to.
This is especially ideal if you went hunting in new locations. For instance, if you were in another state for a vacation and, in the process, chose to go hunting. Make sure that the plan is shared with your hotel if possible.
Name of Place
Next, the name of the area that you are planning to hunt on or visit when hunting also helps law enforcement officers to locate you easily. They should be names of a shopping center, a wildlife park, and another known natural phenomenon. A good example could include:
- Name of rivers
- Name of local location
- Name of a creek
- Name of the hotel of residence
- Name of a hill range
Travelling Route
In your hunting itinerary, you should have a specified route. A clear hunting route will give authorities an easy way to track your movement. You can include the name or areas along the route until you reach your destination.
From there, you can again include your hunting route using the names that we have included above.
Hunting Map
Another thing that might help is the map. If you included the map of the area in which you intend to hunt, law enforcement officials can easily pull out the map and locate potential areas that you could go hunting.
The map will again do a better job in case you had located specific places that you wanted to visit using a marker pen or a different color. This is why it is important to get a map when visiting a new location.
Hunting Team
It is important to include the names and contacts of the people or person that you are going hunting within your hunting plan. Their phone numbers can be called, their location can be determined, and in the process, you could be located.
It is important to give both their cell numbers and their home contact numbers (just in case they told anyone where they were headed to).
Place of Residence
Where will you be residing when you go hunting? In case you are residing in a hotel that’s close to where you are hunting, you should include the name of the hotel and its contact. The same applies to a private residence.
Type of Hunting
Are you going to hunt for elks, deer’s, or turkeys? Depending on the location that you are headed, knowing the type of hunting that you are going for helps law enforcement officers to locate you easily.
There are potential areas that are known for specific types of hunting. They can scout those areas in line with your favorite type of hunting. So make sure that you include your best type of hunting.
NOTE: Having the best experience when out hunting relies more on the choices that you make before you take your trip. As such, you must ensure that you have a way that you could be contacted easily. This type of information that I have included here will again play a vital role if you must be located.
Don’t Get Lost When Hunting: Practice the Following Tips
Getting lost when you are out hunting isn’t the best experience. The best thing to do is to follow the smartest tricks that minimize such bad experiences as much as you can. Here are some tips that’ll be of help.
Don’t go hunting alone (Have a hunting group): Hunting alone can turn out fatal in case of an accident. It is better to hunt in a group so that you can look out for each other. Go with people that you trust.
Practice your map reading skills: This is the bomb. With the right map reading skills and a GPS tool to spice up the trip, you will easily have a smooth hunting experience. You can always retract your starting point.
Carry hunters that are familiar with the place: When choosing the hunting group to go with, you should choose the persons that are familiar with the area that you are going to hunt. They can play the lead.
Study the weather patterns and watch the forecast: most people who get lost during a hunting trip do so because of bad weather. Before you go on a hunting trip, make sure that the weather is calm and lovely.
Read about the area that you are going to hunt in: Reading about the area that you are hunting in enables you to get a little more about the location. You will see landmarks and other vital things that can be of help in case you are lost.
Take a local guide in case all of you are new: finally, don’t go out there if you don’t know the place; instead, take a local guide. This saves the headache of looking around for several days before you can go hunting.
FAQs
For first time hunters, now you know what information on your hunting plan can help law enforcement officials find you. Take a look at the FAQs.
What is the best way to know a new place?
Talk to the locals. They will give you the best information. You can read about the place you are visiting prior to coming there. When interacting with the locals, try to make new friends that can tell you more about their locality.
How can you trace your way back to the start point?
You can use a GPS machine. If you don’t have this machine, you should put your personal landmarks that you can follow back. Use rocks, trees, and other natural occurrences to mark your path.
What is the safest way to hunt?
If you want to hunt safely, you should get the right hunting gear. Again you should go hunting after you have practiced and perfected your shooting. It is important to get prepared so that you can have the best experience.
Can you hunt several animals a day?
No really. The hunting laws determine the number of animals that you can hunt. No one is allowing for packing up their trunk full of game meat on a single hunting trip. That’s why it is important to learn the hunting laws. You should again take safe hunting lessons for a proper hunting experience.
Who should my hunting team comprise of?
You should have a pro hunter if possible. Nonetheless, just make sure that everyone in your team is certified and licensed to hunt.
Conclusion
Like I mentioned before, when forming a hunting checklist, understand what information on your hunting plan can help law enforcement officials find you?
This simple tip could prove to be the difference between life and death. With proper preparation, you’ll realize that it is easy to keep yourself safe even when hunting in new locations.
The most important thing to do is to carry rescue guns and, if not, include landmarks on your hunting plans.
Proper landmarks and clear hunting maps are some of the things that can help. Make sure that your map is drawn to scale whenever possible.
Apart from that, the other thing that you can do is to have a central location from which you will operate. This more practical if you were going for a hike or a weekend hunting spree.
It gives a specific point from which you can be traced – that is why most experienced hunters hare their hunting location.
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