We gave J a compass for his birthday when he was much younger so he would have practice with one. He had fun learning to use it walking in the grove that surrounds our farm site. It’s time to get the other older grandchildren using a compass too. We took a long weekend up on a our hunting land this fall, and the kids had a great time exploring through the woods. As they get braver, they’ll need to have a compass to find their way back to the ‘turnaround’ where we have our bonfire and set up chairs, etc. when we are up there.
Using the compass on a hunting drive through the woods means identifying the direction I want to go, then looking ahead in the direction I want to walk and picking out a tree or other landmark to walk toward. Walk toward that landmark and then do another direction check as needed. I have a tendency to always go to my right in the woods, so I need to check regularly to stay in my straight line toward the standers. The video here does show how to do that with a good overview of compass use.
I’ve basically stuck to 2 types of compasses. I am an Amazon shopper so I had to look to see what kinds of compasses are currently sold on Amazon. My 2 go to compasses are available. It’s like everything else, you can find low cost options and expensive options. For my purposes, an inexpensive compass will do.
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One is a small, round ball that pins to my coat. I did originally try a compass that I had to put in my pocket when I wasn’t using it. Carrying a gun and wearing gloves much of the time, I didn’t like having to repeatedly go into my pocket. The compass that I can pin to my coat is convenient. I just have to pull the compass forward and look down to see the direction.
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The compass with the lanyard also carries easily. I have gotten it caught on branches if I’m leaning too far forward to get under low branches on a balsam tree. It might sound obvious, but I lost one when the leather boot shoelace I was using as the string, I’m guessing, came untied.
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Another inexpensive option is a zipper pull compass. It looks like it has the same advantages as my small, round ball compass. I have never tried this style, but I am going to try it out the next time I need to purchase a compass. I will be able to attach it to the front of my coat. I worry the pin from the small, round ball will come undone. This one might be more secure.
There are compasses that include a mirror, referred to as a sighting compass. We have a longer video on our FaceBook Page and in this video about compass use, the presenter gives a good explanation of use of a compass with a mirror. I have never used a compass with a mirror. It seems that the mirror compass is an advantage if you are walking a long distance. Using the mirror allows for a longer view into a greater distance. In the woods, this type of compass wouldn’t have any advantage.
I plan to always have a compass with me when I’m hunting, even though we’ll be doing more stand hunting than we’ve done in the past and we’ll spend enough time on our land to know our woods and trails well. Following a blood trail in the woods could take us into any direction and it’s easy to get turned around. With public land on 3 sides of us, we could easily end up in any of those unfamiliar areas and then need to find our way back.
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