Ninety-nine percent of today’s hunters navigate the backcountry using onX, Gaia, or whatever mobile mapping app they prefer.
Those tools are fantastic. I use onX all the time.
But most young hunters are dependent on smartphones. They never learned how to read a map or use a compass because they’ve always had access to modern tech.
I grew up before GPS existed. If you wanted to navigate somewhere, you had to read a topo map and use a compass.
While I’m not suggesting anyone ditch their smartphone, a fundamental understanding of map and compass navigation is still important for anyone heading into the backcountry.
Technology fails. Your phone might take a swim while you’re crossing a creek on day three of a five-day hunt, and suddenly, you’re stranded without a plan B. If you’re not familiar with the landscape and can’t fall back on basic navigation skills, there’s a good chance you’ll spend an unplanned night in the woods.
The Two Most Important Skills for Backcountry Navigation
You can get a ton of information from those old USGS topographic maps that very few people carry these days. If you’re heading somewhere unfamiliar, especially in terrain where it’s difficult to see landscape features, it’s probably a good idea to have one.
I just got back from Alaska, and the terrain I was hunting on was flat as a pancake. Areas like that get disorienting. You don’t have mountain peaks to look at to keep your bearings. Having a map you can spread out on the ground can help you understand the landscape’s context.
These two skills can save your life:
- First, learn how to orient your map so it lies properly with the earth, meaning the north of the map points north on the ground.
- Second, learn how to find your location on that map. Once you can do both, you can figure out where you want to go and how to get there.
To find your location, understand how what you’re seeing on the land looks on a map. If you’re using topographic maps, you need to understand what those contour lines mean.
Lines close together indicate steep country. Lines farther apart indicate milder terrain. You need to recognize what marshlands look like on paper, what timbered areas look like, etc.
These details help you figure out where you are.
How to Orient a Map for Accurate Backcountry Navigation
Orienting a map is one of the most fundamental map-and-compass skills. You don’t need an expensive compass to do it.
A basic baseplate compass, like the Suunto MC-2, works great. A compass in the $40 range serves most hunters well.
Set your map out on a flat piece of ground. Set your compass bezel to north, then lay your compass on the map with the edge of the baseplate lined up along one of the map edges or grid lines. Now, rotate the map and the compass together until the magnetic needle settles inside the orienting arrow on the compass housing.
I tell people to “put red in the shed.” That little housing on your compass looks like a small shed, and you want the red end of the needle sitting right inside it.
Once that happens, your map is laid out exactly the way the terrain is.
From there, if you know where you’re standing on the map, you can put your compass on that spot, line it up with where you want to go, read the bearing off your bezel, then turn your body until the needle is back in the shed. That’s your direction of travel.
Why Magnetic Declination Matters for Map and Compass Navigation
You need to account for declination for this to work properly.
Declination is the difference between true geographic north, where the Earth spins on its axis, and magnetic north. Those two points aren’t in the same place, and the difference depends on where you are on the planet.
It also varies over time because the Earth’s molten core shifts, which is where the magnetic field comes from.
Here in Idaho, where I live, declination is about 10 degrees. Other parts of the country or world can be 20 or 30 degrees off.
If you don’t account for declination and try to orient a map based on magnetic north alone, your map won’t align with the Earth. Your readings will be off, and the farther you travel, the further off course you’ll end up.
Most quality compasses have a small declination adjustment screw on the back. You can find your local declination online or printed on older USGS maps and Forest Service maps.
Dial that number into your compass before you head out. If your compass doesn’t have an adjustment screw, add or subtract the declination manually from every bearing you take.
Wilderness Navigation in Poor Visibility and Dense Terrain
Poor visibility makes backcountry navigation harder. Maybe you’re dealing with fog, dense timber, or terrain like the willow flats in Alaska, where you can’t see more than 15 yards in any direction.
If you’re in a dense canopy and find any elevation, climb it. Get up a tree if you have to.
Look for a visible landmark in the distance: a lake, a mountain peak, a steep cliff, a distinctive ridge. Any landscape feature you can positively identify on your map will help.
When visibility is limited, the skill that matters most is understanding how your surroundings look on paper.
Let’s say someone drops you off blindfolded with only a map and a compass, and you need to figure out where you are. Start by looking at the landscape around you.
Maybe you’re on a steep north-facing slope with heavy timber. Look at your map and find areas where steep contour lines face north and the map indicates forested land. You’ve just narrowed down your potential locations.
From there, keep looking for additional clues. Walk in a direction that makes sense given what you know, and keep track of your bearing.
Eventually, you’ll hit a feature you can identify: a tight bend in a river, a hairpin turn in a road, a saddle on a ridgeline. Each piece of information narrows down your location until you’ve pinpointed where you are.
Why a GPS Can’t Replace Backcountry Navigation Skills
Smartphones are great tools, but it’s easy to lose your spatial awareness when you’re constantly looking at a screen.
If I’m driving somewhere using an app that narrates every turn, I can get there just fine. But I couldn’t drive there again on my own because I didn’t figure it out myself.
You’ll face the same problem in the woods. If you stare at your phone from the minute you step out of the truck and let it tell you when to turn left or right, you won’t have a clue where you are if that phone dies.
Every now and then, pick your head up and look around. Pay attention to where you are and what direction you came from. Know which way you need to go to get back to the truck.
Pre-download your maps before you lose cell service. Carry a backup compass in your pack. Keep a gazetteer and forest map in your truck.
These small habits can save you from a dangerous situation.
A Wilderness Navigation Lesson From Alone
I experienced this firsthand while filming season eight of Alone. I wasn’t allowed to bring any navigation tools, so I had no map, compass, or GPS.
One day, I found myself in flat, dense lodgepole pine. The wind was whipping, and the sky was overcast. Normally, I could listen to the waves on the lake to orient myself, but the wind drowned them out.
The sun was concealed. I couldn’t see more than 30 yards through the timber. I got disoriented.
Here’s what saved me: I picked a direction I thought would lead to higher ground and walked in a straight line. You can do this without a compass by looking as far ahead as you can, lining up a couple of trees, and walking to them.
Once you reach the last tree, you find more trees to keep that same line. Keep doing that until you reach somewhere you can see.
I walked until I hit higher ground, climbed up, and spotted the lakeshore.
Don’t lose your head. Don’t start running around in circles. You’re okay. You’re not in immediate danger. Just stay calm, think through what you know about the landscape, pick a direction, and walk in a straight line until you can get your bearings.
Practice Your Map and Compass Navigation Before You Need It
Situational awareness is the goal here. Understand which direction you’ve been walking and roughly how long you’ve been at it.
The average person covers two to three miles per hour on flat ground and one to two miles per hour in steeper terrain. That simple math can help you estimate how far you’ve traveled from your starting point.
If you want to build real confidence with map and compass navigation, challenge yourself. Next time you’re out in country you know reasonably well, turn off the GPS and navigate the old-fashioned way.
Orient a map, find your location, and pick a bearing to where you want to go. Do that a few times in familiar terrain, and you’ll be ready to get yourself to safety the next time your phone runs out of battery.
by Clay Hayes, Traditional Bow Hunter and Wilderness Expert
