It was one of the most unsettling moments in my fifty-plus years of hunting. In thirty minutes I had gone from standing in a familiar place to being completely turned around.
My cousin Clay and I were crow hunting on a wildlife management area and had set up at one of our regular spots on either side of an ATV trail. After a few minutes of fruitless calling, I headed back to the trail but decided to skirt around a briar patch. Then I hit more briars and went around them, too.
Knowing Clay was waiting, I moved quickly and kept angling back to where the trail should be. Unfortunately, it was overcast with no prevailing wind, and there were no discernible features in the woods. My internal compass failed me. It finally hit me with a jolt that I was not going to find the trail and that I didn’t know in which direction to walk. I yelled loudly but heard nothing in response. I then fired my shotgun and heard Clay respond in kind—in the opposite direction I was heading. When we reunited, I discovered that my mishap could have been avoided if I had simply looked at a map. The reason I couldn’t find the ATV trail was that I assumed it continued straight from my original position when it actually made a sharp turn away from me.
Hunting season is upon us and while most hunters take precautions to avoid mishaps with their guns, climbing stands, and boats, few ever consider that they might get lost. Yet it happens every year even though some simple steps can reduce the possibility. Most cases of lost hunters occur in the woods but it is also easy to get turned around on the water. I use a pirogue to duck and deer hunt on Dugdemona River and Saline Bayou. The sloughs are my highways that I use to get from point A to point B, but when the entire bottom goes under water, it sometimes is difficult to tell where the channels flow. One trick I’ve learned to keep my bearings is to look for cypress trees, particularly a line of them, because they tend to grow along the banks of streams.
I also pay attention to the current’s direction. Once when paddling down an unfamiliar slough, I suddenly noticed that I was heading upstream. The slough had made a ninety degree turn that I didn’t notice in the flooded timber and I had continued paddling up an intersecting slough. If the current suddenly changes, you know you’ve made a wrong turn and need to backtrack.
Keeping your bearings in the marsh can be equally difficult because there are few distinguishable features, and the water’s current changes with the tide. To avoid getting lost, take a minute before launching and scan the horizon for visible landmarks such as telephone lines and water towers.
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To avoid getting lost, follow these eight common-sense rules.
- Have a plan. Let someone know where you are going and what time you plan to be back. Remember, if you don’t tell someone, no one will know that you’re missing.
- Be specific. Don’t just say you’re going hunting at the deer lease. Explain where you’ll park or launch your boat and what area you intend to hunt or fish.
- Be prepared. Carry more than one tool to help find your way back to the truck. For example, take a GPS unit as well as your cell phone.
- Charge your phone. Having a cell phone doesn’t do much good if the battery dies. Make sure it is fully charged and take an extra battery for your GPS unit.
- Protect your gear. Make sure your electronic devices are kept in a plastic bag or other waterproof container even if you are not in a boat. You might get caught in a heavy downpour or fall in a creek.
- Take a compass. Every outdoorsman should learn how to use a compass and carry one even if they have electronic gear. GPS reception can be poor in thick foliage, and many hunting and fishing spots are outside cell phone service. A compass always has reception, never runs down, and rarely breaks.
- Study a map. Get familiar with the area you plan to hunt or fish by studying a map or Google Earth. Learn the location of roads, pipelines, creeks, and the direction of water flow.
- Stay put. If all of your precautions fail and you find yourself hopelessly lost, hunker down and wait. If you continue to wander around aimlessly, searchers will have a more difficult time finding you.
Be careful out there.
Dr. Terry L. Jones is professor emeritus of history at the University of Louisiana at Monroe who has received numerous awards for his books and outdoor articles.
