Modern GPS technology is a gift when you’re lost

Lots of helpful tools have been developed in recent years to make our hunts more enjoyable and, not least, more safe. When it comes to finding your way as a hunter, Garmin offers some of the best GPS devices on the market. That’s why they are a trusted Härkila partner.

In a not-so-distant past, a hunter needed excellent map-reading and navigation skills to embark on adventures in unknown terrain. For safety reasons, you needed to know exactly where the other hunters were, and the only way you could get an idea of where the dogs were in the drive was if they barked. All this was perfectly possible but also time-consuming and less exciting than knowing where everyone is.

When everyone participating in a hunt knows what’s going on, the mutual experience becomes a lot more mutual.

//Where do you want to go?//

Suppose you are a well-equipped hunter participating in a driven hunt in 2021. In that case, you will typically have electronic devices that show you exactly where you are and where other hunters, dogs, and beaters are moving in the drive.

This knowledge improves safety tremendously and makes the long periods of passive waiting a lot more exciting. As humans, we have a constant craving for knowing what is happening around us. Modern equipment gives us that insight. It is a blessing that brings new and exciting dimensions into the hunt. When everyone participating knows what’s going on, the mutual experience becomes a lot more mutual.

Similarly, these modern devices will improve your experience when you are entirely on your own in unknown terrain. Knowing exactly where you are and in which direction to travel to reach your destination will save you time and frustration and allow you to focus on the hunt. If you already own modern GPS units, the chances are that Garmin produced one or more of these.

The American tech company Garmin was founded a little more than three decades ago. The initial business idea was utilizing space technology to build GPS navigation systems for aircraft. Soon they expanded their product line to include GPS solutions for maritime use, then handheld GPS units. Finally, Garmin launched a myriad of high-tech equipment to meet the demands of practically everyone who enjoy the great outdoors. And they continue to do so.

Extreme technology

The product line-up is impressive no matter what kind of outdoor activity you pursue. There are many handheld GPS units and smartwatches with onboard GPS capabilities and thermometers, altimeters, pulse meters … you name it!

The hunting smartwatches are personal computers optimized for hunters and sitting right on your wrist. And they are built to last – underwater, under shock, in freezing cold – Garmin works with extremes, and their engineers are constantly pushing the envelope.

To give you a faint idea about the level of technology we are talking about, consider the following examples: A few years ago, Garmin developed an automatic landing system for planes. In case of emergency, this system will – at the push of a button - fly the aircraft to the nearest airport and land it safely without any human intervention.

The equipment system is officially approved for various plane models and is in use as you read this. When people talk about autonomous vehicles, they are usually dreaming about cars. Because of Garmin, airplanes are already autonomous.

Garmin delivered the electronic range finding unit that enabled the NASA Ingenuity helicopter to complete the first controlled flight on another planet in the history of humankind. The flight took place in the thin atmosphere of Mars (the density of the Martian air is less than 1% of that on Earth) in February 2021 under extreme environmental conditions.

The very same super-accurate range finding technology is the engine driving Garmin’s electronic bow sights. These take the guesswork out of ranging and gives the hunter an exact aiming point that allows her (or him) to focus entirely on the target.

Products optimized for hunting

In the Garmin product range optimized for hunting, you will find handheld GPS units and GPS smartwatches for navigation with many mind-blowing features. There are high-quality action cameras for documentation of your adventures. There are market-leading dog tracking systems. Electronic range finding bow sights with aiming point adjusted to the trajectory of the arrows fired from your bow.

Garmin even offers affordable trap-shooting training units that track the clays and tell the shooter exactly where the shots went in relation to each target (and it does so without guessing or the mocking comments of the usual bystanders on the range). Many of these products seem to be magic. However, they are simply manifestations of Garmin’s vision of utilizing cutting-edge technology to make life a little easier for a wide range of outdoor enthusiasts.

We noticed that all the Garmin products use sophisticated, space-age technologies to give super accurate feedback. At the same time, they are also straightforward to use, allowing the hunter to focus entirely on the hunting experience without the need to bring a 400-page manual in the backpack to operate the equipment.

All you need to do is look at the unit, and you know where you, your buddies, or the dogs are, where you were and which direction to walk to get to where you want to be. Technology that makes our lives simpler. It swiftly becomes a sixth sense on batteries. What’s not to like?