Picking a suitable GPS is a very difficult task because the GPS is a rather complex machine. The task is even more daunting if you want have a budget constraint, and you want to pick the best hunting GPS under $200. This is mainly due to the fact that there are many considerations involved when you are picking the best GPS.
In my view, hunting is one vital skill worth exploring. If you are a survival enthusiast, it would be wise for you to learn up skills that can eventually increase your survival rate. How does hunting help in this aspect?
First, hunting can help you adapt to your surroundings better. Furthermore, you will be capable of bringing down animals that are deemed dangerous. Also, you will get to keep yourself active, which is vital for good health. Besides relying on survival food kits, you can use hunting as a means to obtain food source too.
Hunting GPS devices are known to be more rugged too. These units often are more suited to be used in the outdoors, unlike smartphones which may not be able to withstand different weather conditions. If you have sufficient budget, I would recommend getting the best hunting GPS in the market. The amount of features that are included are greater coverage, more accuracy and greater number of features.
After understanding the correlation between hunting and survival, let’s delve in to some practical reasons why you need a GPS.
Also check out: Best 10 GPS Apps for Hiking Outdoors
Why do you need a Hunting GPS?
Here are 3 solid reasons why you need to get a hunting GPS.
1. Avoid getting lost
If you are an avid traveler who likes to move outside of your comfort zone, then it would be wise to get a handheld GPS for hunting.
Although this is an obvious benefit, I would like to elaborate on this further showing my take on this point.
Getting lost in the woods feels terrible. It is as if you are stuck in a situation, where you are forced to be in a situation which you dislike. If the situation is unfavorable to you, you may even get caught up in a bad weather or meet some aggressive wild animals.
There are several methods you can employ to navigate through places you are unfamiliar with. You can mark important waypoints and even write-up notes. With the marked waypoints, even in the dark, you would easily be able to trace where you need to go.
2. Contact SOS even when you are out of ‘signal’
There are 2 ways you can utilize the handheld hunting GPS to call for help.
First, most GPS units has an alarm which you can use to alert the people you trust immediately if you are caught in a dangerous situation.
Next, some GPS units is capable of sending distress signals through satellite. If your GPS unit does not have this function, you can choose a suitable Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) or Satellite messengers, where both are capable of sending out distress signals to a rescue team.
3. Improve your hunting experience
Having a GPS can enhance your hunting experience in several ways.
It can help you to hunt easily at night. During the night, your field of vision is limited. This means that treading a blood trail would be extremely difficult, unless you have the right tools to help you out. A handheld GPS is one such too.
Another way which you can utilize a hunting GPS is to find out where you should set-up your hunting stands. It’s often the case that most hunters set-up 5 or 6 hunting stands scattered around the hunting property. By saving these locations as waypoints in the GPS, you can easily navigate your way to those hunting stands when you need to.
Best 5 Hunting GPS Under $200
Moving on to the hunting GPS reviews. Here’s a list of the best hunting gps under $200.
Comparison Table for the best 5 Hunting GPS Under $200
| Product Image | Battery Life | Display Resolution | Memory Capacity | Rating | Benefits | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  | Garmin Foretrex 401 GPS | Click For Latest Price | 17 hours | 100 x 64 pixels | 3.5MB | 4.9/5.0 | Extremely durable GPS that can withstand any abuse you put to it during your hunting trips |
  | Garmin eTrex Handheld GPS | Click For Latest Price | 24 hours | 240 x 320 pixels | 3.7GB | 4.5/5.0 | Although it's one of the cheapest high-quality handheld GPS, it still contains all the essential features to effectively get you from Point A to Point B |
  | Garmin Foretrex 601 | Click For Latest Price | 48 hours | 200 x 128 pixels | 8.4MB | 4.8/5.0 | This GPS unit allows you to navigate hands- free and it's constructed with military-standard materials too |
 | Magellan Triton 500 GPS | Click for Latest Price | 12 hours | 320 x 240 pixels | 10MB | 4.3/5.0 | This unit can store huge amount of data and has crystal clear graphics for accurate navigation |
  | Garmin GPSMAP 64st | Click For Latest Price | 16 hours | 160 x 240 pixels | 8GB | 4.7/5.0 | GPS unit that has all the cool functions to make your hunting trips much more pleasant - using the ANT+ sensors, preloaded topo maps and birdseye satellite imagery subscription |
1. Garmin Foretrex 401 Waterproof Hiking GPS Review
Although this is generally considered to be a hiking GPS, the Garmin Foretrex 401 made it to the list because it’s extremely suitable to be used for hunting as well.
Overview – The Garmin Foretrex 401 is a slim GPS which you mount on your wrist. It’s made for people who wants to navigate despite both hands being occupied.
Functions – The Garmin Foretrex 401 comes with a highly sensitive GPS receiver, which is highly-receptive even in heavily-wooded areas or even covered places.
There’s even a heart rate monitor which you can attach to it, but it’s sold separately.
Furthermore, it can help you keep track of the route you intend to travel and store waypoints. Essentially, you will be able to save important locations in the memory as waypoints. With this function, you will be able to get back to significant places such as your campsite.
Alternatively, you can utilize the hiking GPS’s TracBack feature, which can help you retrace your path. With this function, you can easily retrace your steps. This means that no matter where you end up being, you will not lose your way. The Foretrex helps you to keep track of your path and displays it as a dotted trail on your screen (when you switch on the TracBack feature).
Moreover, this GPS supports dual position readout. This basically means that you can be able to know your location either through visual or audio.
Other awesome features this GPS has include displaying sunrise and sunset times, providing fishing or hunting information, and it can function as a barometric altimeter too.
If you prefer navigating with a compass, this unit comes with an electronic compass which you can use too. With this compass, you can keep track of your bearing and altitude with Foretrex 401’s electronic compass.
It’s able to share data easily too. All you need to do is to connect the Foretrex with a USB or you can send the data using Bluetooth. After your adventure, you can analyze your activities easily. You can analyze the data using a computer with internet, or you can get the analysis by sending your tracks to your outdoor device using Garmin Connect. The website allows you to see your activities on a map using Google Earth. With this function, you can explore different routes uploaded by other outdoor enthusiasts.
Specifications – The GPS comes with an LCD Display, which is designed to be easy-to-read. The Display resolution is 100 x 64 pixels, and the display size is 1.42 inches x 0.91 inches.
The GPS should be able to last up to 17 hours, provided that you use it consistently.
Tracklogs[1] are essentially the number of bread crumbs you can drop to retrace your journey, archiving where you have travelled. This GPS can store an active track log of 10,000 points.
The GPS comes with a GPS receiver which is really sensitive and waterproof too.
What you need – This GPS requires 2 standard-sized AAA batteries to function.
Tips for using the unit – Remember to keep the compass level when you are navigating to ensure that maximum accuracy is achieved.
Since the device has a total of 4.2MB of storage, with 645KB storing system memory, you can consider adding a 64 or 128 MB chip to the GPS. It will help you increase the number of waypoints you can store in your unit.
You can use the wireless sync feature would come in handy too when you want to transfer similar waypoints to several people.
What you will get – If you purchase this unit, besides getting the Foretrex 401, you will get a wrist expansion strap, USB cable, user’s manual and AAA batteries.
What to look out for – The unit tends to all apart quite easily. It may not be able to withstand surroundings which are too extreme. The electronics and machineries within the unit may fall into a glitch if it’s put into extreme conditions such as the surroundings being too hot or cold.
My Take – Hunters, survivalists and marines would likely love this GPS. The unit is small, rugged, gives out accurate information and it’s convenient to bring it around too. This unit can be considered as one of the best handheld gps under 200.
With sensitive receivers, you will be able to receive signals too despite being in thick forest or even a cave. Since the location portrayed is extremely accurate and the equipment is solid, I would say that this is an extremely useful equipment for hunters, hikers and preppers alike.
2. Garmin eTrex 30x Handheld Navigator Review
Overview – The eTrex 30x is essentially an upgrade of the eTrex 30. It has better screen resolutions which makes it much easier for people to read.
Functions – The unit comes with a preloaded basemap. Essentially, it means that the unit comes with a worldwide basemap with shaded relief.
The Garmin eTrex 30x comes with built-in sensors too, which is a 3-axis tilt-compensated electronic compass and barometric altimeter which helps sense whether the surrounding pressure has varied. This is important for pinpointing your altitude.
Furthermore, you can wirelessly transfer your waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches with other compatible devices. How do you do it? Simply click ‘send’ to share the information. The wireless connection would also be compatible with other Garmin devices, such as the VIRB and accessory sensors.
The unit supports geocaching GPX files, where you can download geocaches straight into your unit. The information that eTrex displays include your location, the terrain you are in, difficulty, hints and descriptions. There’s no need for the tedious work of manually entering coordinates.
The eTrex is known to be the first-ever consumer-grade receivers that can track both GPS and GLONASS satellites.[2]
It’s important to highlight the fact that the Garmin eTrex comes with BaseCamp, an important software that helps you view and organize maps, waypoints, routes, and tracks. With this software, you can create adventures that you can share with your loved ones or friends. Essentially, Basecamp helps you display topographic map data in either 2 dimensional or 3 dimensional format on your computer.
Do note that it does not come with preloaded topo maps for the US. Hence, you have to download them. It should be easy to upload, download or even transfer maps or tracks even when you don’t have a suitable software.
The unit comes with an alarm clock too, if you ever need one!
Specifications – This handheld navigator is fitted with a 2.2 inches, 65K color depth screen.[3] The display is highly readable under sunlight, and has a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. The enhanced screen reolution would definitely make it easier for you to check out the information.
For the size of the unit, it’s 2.1 inches x 4.0 inches x 1.3 inches (5.4 x 10.3 x 3.3cm).
The unit has a memory of 3.7 GB, which is a considerable amount of storage of internal memory. There’s even a microSD card slot which allows you to increase the storage too. With this amount of memory, you will be able to load a variety of maps. Some maps that you can subscribe with include HuntView, City Navigator NT and BirdsEye Satellite Imagery.
With this amount of memory, you should be able to download loads of free maps into your unit.
The GPS receiver is highly sensitive, and it’s WAAS-enabled too. Equipped with HotFix satellite prediction, the unit would be able to locate your position precisely and quickly. It should be able to tell your location despite the fact that you are in a canyon or a heavily wooded forest.
Overall, the unit is lightweight and small in size.
What you need – To use this unit, you need 2 AA batteries. The unit should last about 24 hours with these batteries. The unit has rather good battery performance especially when you keep the screen dim.
Tips for using the unit – Since the unit has BaseCamp, you can transfer an unlimited amount of satellite images to your unit when it is paired with a BirdsEye Satellite Imagery subscription.
The eTrex30x can be used on bicycles, in cars and even in ATVs. This means you don’t have to stick with one mode of using the GPS, but can use it in a variety of ways.
When you are purchasing a micro SD card, make sure that it’s compatible with your unit. You can’t buy just any card with huge storage because the 32GB FAT32 formatted card is the best you can go with this unit.
What to look out for – The unit doesn’t have a ‘Lock’ function. There may be instances where you accidentally mark tracks or waypoints into the GPS.
Furthermore, you should bear in mind that the map that comes along with your purchase is basic. You may need to spend money to download maps from Garmin too.
Also, when the device runs out of memory, there wouldn’t be any signs or indications to warn you of it. The GPS unit will continue to indicate that it’s recording your track although it ran out of space.
My Take – This GPS unitis acquire your location much faster and more accurate than most units in the market. It’s generally lightweight and rugged too.
3. Garmin Foretrex 601 Review
Overview – Although this GPS unit is a little bit above $200, but it’s an excellent unit which I think must make it to the list.
The Foretrex 601 is a GPS navigator that is mounted on your wrist, which allows you navigate while keeping your hands free for other tasks. You can continue scouting for your game while you are navigating through the woods.
Functions – The unit works well with GPS, GLONASS and galileo satellite systems, to give you accurate positioning. Since the unit is compatible with all 3 satellite systems, you can know your bearings basically anywhere in the world.
One bonus feature is that it’s compatible with night-vision goggles too!
The device comes with smart notifications too, which allows the unit to receive emails, texts and alerts. Another useful feature include the automatic uploads to the Garmin Connect online fitness community, where you can easily share your outdoor experience too.
Specifications – Generally, the Garmin Foretrex 601 is durable because it’s constructed to military standards.
The Garmin Foretrex 601 comes with navigation sensors, including a 3-axis Accelerometer, 3-axis compass and a Barometric altimeter. All of these tools are necessary for the GPS to pinpoint your location accurately and it helps determine important surrounding information.
Generally, the battery life can exceed 48 hours if it’s constantly in navigation-mode, it can last up to one week in UltraTrac mode, and up to 1 month in watch mode.
What you need – This unit requires 2 AAA batteries to function.
Tips for using the unit – You may want to get a separate strap because the strap that is included may not be durable, which will not last very long.
Since the Garmin manual lacks details on how you should operate the machine, you can call the Garmin Support center 800-800-1020, where they more often than not provide helpful assistance.
Once you get a hold of the GPS unit fresh out of the box, it would be wise to update the firmware to the most-recent version. It will help make the unit perform better when carrying out different functions such as recording track logs or navigating.
What to look out for – You cannot add any SD cards to the unit. Furthermore, the adding maps to the Garmin Foretrex 601 is not possible. It’s not like the usual topographical GPS, but it can help pinpoint your location and navigate to your desired destination.
Also, some may say that the default resolution is not sufficient and it is considered to be too low-quality for anyone’s tracking needs.
My Take – This is a rugged and lightweight unit, with only 3.2 ounces of weight and it can last for 48 hours. This means that you can go out for a long adventure, without worrying the possibility of getting lost.
The fact that you are hunting, or even if you are an army infantry, the Garmin Foretrex 601 would definitely satisfy your needs. It would surpass your expectation in terms of ruggedness and performance by helping you navigate to your intended destination.
4. Magellan Triton 500 Waterproof Hiking GPS
Overview – The first GPS that made the list that isn’t ‘Garmin’! Magellan did an awesome job coming up with this GPS unit. Although it’s considered to be a ‘Hiking’ GPS because of the added functions to track pressure and altitude changes, it’s an excellent GPS to be used for hunting as well.
Functions – The GPS unit comes with accurate bearings. It’s a user-friendly, 3-axis electronic compass that can deliver stationary heading and bearing at any altitude.
You can see weather predictions with this unit too. There’s an embedded barometer that allows you to track pressure and altitude changes.
The maps that comes with the unit is fairly detailed. The pre-loaded base maps and third-party maps are capable of identifying major rivers, lakes, cities, and other geographical boundaries. This feature can be beneficial for you to locate and navigate through areas which you are unfamiliar with.
Specifications – The unit can store huge amount of data – taking in additional maps, tracks, terrain and geocache easily. There’s even an SD card slot which allows you increase the memory capacity.
Furthermore, the Magellan Triton 500 has crystal-clear graphics. With a 2.2 inches (5.59cm) (diagonal) screen, with full-color display, it can provide you a clear view of what
What to look out for – The average battery life of the Magallan Triton 500 is 12 hours. This means that it may not be suitable for long hours of hunting or hiking. If you want to use this units for long hours, you need to consider bringing spare batteries because it will likely run out of juice.
My Take – All in all, this unit is amazingly easy to use, and it is able to lay out the map with sufficient detail. It would be great for outdoorsmen, especially those who would like to navigate more visually.
5. Garmin GPSMAP 64st
Overview – This GPS unit has a price that is slightly above RM200, but it’s still a worth-while unit to dwell on. The value that you get from this unit would definitely be worth it. Do note that there are a few versions for this GPS, but I am picking the GPSMAP 64st TOPO U.S. 100K because it’s more convenient to get a unit that has pre-loaded maps for the United States.
Functions – You can receive smart notifications when it is paired with the optional ANT+ sensors, heart rate monitor, temperature sensor, speed/ cadence, or use to control using the VIRB action camera (which is 64st).
The unit comes with a 3-axis compass with barometric altimeter, which helps with indicating to you your position too.
The unit comes with both GPS and GLONASS receiver, equipped with quad helix antenna which is highly sensitive. You will definitely be amazed at how quick your GPS unit can acquire signal.
Furthermore, the Garmin GPSMAP 64st comes with 250,000 preloaded caches, which is suitable for paperless caching.
Specifications – It comes with a 2.6 inches color display. The screen can read really well under the sunlight too.
It has a battery life of 16 hours, which means it can be used for long hours of outdoor adventure. With a water rating of IPX7, you can be sure that the GPS unit is made for withstanding different weather conditions including rain.
The unit comes with a 8GB expanded internal memory, which shows that it’s highly capable of storing maps and waypoints. There’s even a microSD card slot too if you find that the amount of storage is insufficient.
With a Display Resolution of 160 pixels x 240 pixels, you should be able to view the maps with great clarity too.
Also, the GPS unit is compatible with both high-speed USB and NMEA 0183, which makes it really easy for transferring files. You can even upload your data to Garmin Connect wirelessly and view the files on your smartphone. Plus, you can share the activities which you are doing when they are happening. This means that your loved ones would be updated with the ‘latest information’ and see what you are seeing.
The wireless connection is done through Bluetooth technology or ANT+.
Generally, the unit is considerably lightweight too, with only 8.1 ounces when it is equipped with batteries.
What you need – To use this unit, you need to put in 2 AA batteries. The type of AA battery that works best are Polaroid AA batteries. You can even use the rechargeable NiMH battery pack, which can be charged while inside the device.
What you will get – The unit comes with a worldwide basemap with shaded relief, and it is preloaded with TOPO 100k, which basically covers the whole of the United States. There’s even a 1-year BirdsEye Satellite Imagery subscription, which is a great addition for hikers.
What to look out for – The user’s manual for the unit only provides minimal information, being only 18 pages long. You may have to source out useful information from the internet or other means.
My Take – You can be sure that this is a reliable GPS unit, which can serve its purpose effectively. It’s suitable for long adventures too (4 – 5 days) if you are using the unit for 8 to 9 hours per day.
In Summary
If you love the outdoors and travel to places you are unfamiliar with, it would be prudent to get a hunting GPS. There’re a total of 2000 people who get lost in the woods each year.[4]
There are some tips that you need to keep in mind too after getting a GPS unit. Remember to get software updates so that the GPS unit can work smoothly.
Some GPS units allows you to set backlight too, where you can have different settings in different lighting conditions.
I
hope my review helped you decide which GPS unit would be a good fit for you. Most
of the units are the best gps under 200. If you have any thoughts or comments
you would like to share, feel free to do so below!
[1] https://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/tracklog.htm
[2] https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/43815/glonass
[3] https://sites.google.com/site/gideont/Home/color_depth
[4] https://www.littlethings.com/how-to-survive-in-the-woods/