Ranch Dog wrote:You are right about that!
Unfortunately these two hunting locations have no cell phone service and are very remote. The quickest way to get help would be to start a fire, set out a rescue panel and then use a signal mirror when you see a border patrol vehicle or helicopter. That is about it.
A real big danger in the desert mule deer country is not enough water, there is none that is not carried in, and then slipping and falling. The ground is covered in loose rock and the drops are sheer. Getting lost is not much of an issue, there is good GPS coverage but I tend to just use a map and topo map. The US Army honed those skills in me rather well.
It is not uncommon to observe a string of people filing their way across the desert, on these hunts I expect and plan for an encounter everyday. It is best to lay low and observe their movement out of the area. That said, I have had dozens of face to face meets out in the middle of nowhere and they have all gone well.
I always carry a magnetic compass and a map for several reasons......electronic GPS rigs are great when they work and the batteries are up and political times are normal.....a decent, quite usable one will cost you $10.
The plastic emergency med kit I spoke of in previous posts has a magnetic compass as part of the screw on lid...........nothing fancy but it will get you out of the bush.
Another thing about civilian GPS units is that when the US military goes on alert (I forget which level of alert) in regards to an impending attack the satellite GPS signals are scrambled...........only DoD/CIA issued GPS units will be able to use the scrambled signal.
After the signal is scrambled
civilian GPS units without a special signal decryption attachment are useless.
Makes sense..........why provide an already made GPS system for an enemy to use to attack your country.
For a few years the US military provide a degraded (SA) GPS signal for civilian GPS units which limited their accuracy. The unadulterated signal was encrypted and could only be used by DoD/CIA issued units.
Bill Clinton of all people ordered the military to unscramble the unadulterated signal making it usable by civilian GPS units during his tenure but the scrambling can be turned back on again instantly in the case of an attack rendering generic civilian GPS units useless.
I think some of Wise Willy's big contributors in the electronics industry had something to do with that decision which some DoD brass never agreed with but they don't call the President Commander-in-Chief for nothing.
So there is one thing you can thank the Democrats for.
Those illegal running "coyotes" are pretty ruthless..........more predatory critter than human.........I hear that one policy some landowners follow during a hostile encounter is the
SSS policy.........SHOOT, SHOVEL, SHUT UP.