Like others some spots have coverage others not. Does it bother me? No, I predate cell phones. My kids know the areas I generally hunt. In the event of an emergency I try to be prepared with how I think, act and what I carry (including my phone). The best tool is between your ears.
We have decent service on our property in SE Ohio however if you get down into the valleys it can be very spotty at best. A couple stands down in there I actually found I had to raise my phone over my head to get simple texts to go through LOL.
Yes, surprisingly I have full bars of 4G service from my stand. My wife likes to make sure I made it to the stand and it's good to be able to communicate to the others hunting with me so we can time getting out of the stand or when letting them know it's time to look for a deer.
I have decent cell coverage and spotty data. Though I shut the data off most of the time. Text will be used to inform others if a deer is down and need the ATV to haul it out or if assistance tracking is needed. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
With my old provider (ATT) I did not have service, at my property or in my stands. last winter, one of the main reasons I switched to Verizon is because at least I have service up on the ridge tops. still no service down in the bottoms. it bothered me because in the event of an emergency I was isolated. I could drive a few miles up the road on top and get service, but if I was in a predicament, injured, etc., I would be on my own. Still, if I am injured in the bottom land, I'm still on my own. like others I always text/call before I go in and when I come out and when I do not I've people to come look for me... funny story time... one day last winter (before phone provider switch), I had been in the stand that morning and I hear a vehicle drive down the road & stop where I park. of course, my first thought was game warden or a hooligan trespasser... pretty soon, I see a fella tromping through the woods carrying a sack... mushroom hunter maybe but it's really not mushroom season (winter oysters maybe)? I soon see that it is my Mom's husband... I whistle and he comes toward the stand I was hunting... to bring me my LUNCH I had made & forgotten on the kitchen counter. he's awesome, but I'm pretty sure it was my mom's idea...
Rarely. This year I don't have any through my current carrier. I'm actually going to switch carriers soon so I can have service as I'll be hunting alone quite a bit and I'd like to be able to call for help if needed and Facetime my wife and kid when I'm done.
When the leaves are on the trees my service is 1 bar or nothing and is pretty much unusable. When the leaves are off I get two bars and OK service. Foliage makes a big difference in the big woods.
I hunt solo alot. My primary carrier used to be AT&T. My wife insists I have phone service as a safety precaution. She had me buy a Verizon prepaid cheapy flip phone as I was hunting in areas that AT&T didn't have any coverage in. I will say it is a good idea to have service if you hunt by yourself alot. Get seriously injured and that 1/2 mile back to the truck may as just as well be 100 miles.
Going Verizon Matt? I hunt a spot in S. Illinois that is about as remote as you can get in this state. Never have a problem.
I will be getting one of these too for hunts that will not have cell coverage. I had issues with cell service until I switched to Verizon and it works pretty well in all the places I hunt.
not to beat this into the ground but, before technology, if one hunted alone and got screwed up bad enough they likely died. a good portrayal of this being the Jeremia Johnson movie where Jeremia finds a mountain man frozen on a mountain with a note that says I was kilt by a bear. Basically the guy survived the attack but was too screwed up to take care of himself and sat there and froze to death. For me technology is simply a means to summon help and return to my family if I either do something stupid, have an accident, critter gets the better of me, or whatever. Its my ultimate hail mary. I eat, sleep, and breath hunting and can't imagine not doing it...but returning home to continue as the breadwinner for the family is priority #1. And technology, in this case a cell phone and SPOT provides the best insurance for me to continue to do this and still pursue my sport. I've gone this route as my best choice. Find the best one for you.
I chose a satellite phone over the SPOT because I figured my chances of needing to call or text someone for help with something mundane was far greater than needing actual search and rescue. Like being way out in the desert and having a dead battery or flat tire. Or my atv dying many miles up the mountain. Granted just those things can be life-threatening out here with the heat/cold/hungry critters. But I really don't want the S&R $10,000.00 bill just for that kind of stuff. Lol. Of course, the satellite phone can be used for emergency rescue as well. But it's much more flexible than the spot. Having said that, I have a dear friend who is paddling a kayak by himself down the Missouri River. From the start in Montana all the way to st Louis. He has a spot tracker and it's pretty cool to be able to follow his progress by the pings it sends out.
Christine, I applaud you for having a satellite phone. my feeling is different strokes for different folks. all that matters is that you have a plan for when things turn to crap. some way to contact help if/when you get dinged up. When I got spot I opted to pay something like 12 bucks a year for a 100K insurance policy to help pay for any search efforts conducted on my behalf. having said that, if my butt is in a sling and I need help I want the search conducted and myself and my family will figure out how to pay for it after the fact. the key is to survive the event. once one is back safe at home evrrything else can be worked out.
