anyone use a gps for scouting

[jg]

thinking it would be great for scouting pre season as I live 3 hrs away from where I hunt

[Timmer]

Absolutely!  I note where I find sign, roost sites, potential strut zones, etc so I can check them when I come back to hunt.

During the hunt, I mark where I've set up, where turkeys came from, etc.  It's also super helpful if you lose something and need to go back to a spot to look for it...unless of course the item you lost is your GPS

[grayfox]

Been using one for 4-5 years now.  Started with a Magellan & now I have 2 Garmins.  I use mine for turkey & deer hunting & also when I go on vacations.  Really a handy tool to have.

[jg]

i am looking at the garmins and might go with an etrex 20 unless i get some better advice

[Struthunter]

Gps yes garmin etrax is good Add Topo maps works well even in dense swamps after it connects with satellites you might have to stop and wait for initial signal 
Smartphone good with signal/data. bad without, kills battery very fast

[bammerslammer 50]

i am looking at the garmins and might go with an etrex 20 unless i get some better advice

I would advise you to go with one with the 3 axis tilt compass it it. I dont think the etrex 20 has one. I believe the 30 does though. I use the 62 but im not sure they make them anymore. That feature allows you to get a true bearing without having to hold the unit level or be in motion. i would also advise that you do not get one with the preloaded topo maps on it. The money you'll save there will get you a better map card. The 100k maps just aren't that detailed. Get the 24k map card. Good luck.

[imp]

I use a Garmin e30 Trex. With the amount of BLM and National forest in Cali its imperative to have. You can even download areas with satellite view, terrain, and boundaries. Plus the way-points, active tracks and POI's. I even have a map that is specific to BLM which layers over the other maps. I can load that into my little gps that we keep in the car and it shows public property boundaries while you are driving down the road. My phone is a LGg2 and doesn't come close to the capabilities of a GPS.

[jg]

are there maps you can load to it for free or will i need to buy a card and just put it in the gps?

[bammerslammer 50]

You'll have to buy them