The GPS Advisor

Verdict: The Perfect GPS for Hunters - No Question!

GPS dog tracking systems for hunters is a fairly new product category in the rapidly expanding GPS marketplace - and what a huge bonus for today’s hunters.

Although old-school hunters like to hang bells on their dogs, a new breed of hunters are looking to leverage technology to enhance their hunting experiences.

The Garmin Astro 220 GPS is just the ticket for the modern hunter and is definitely the best product out there. We love that you can use it as a regular GPS, as well as add more dogs by buying more collars.

The Garmin Astro is the Top GPS Dog Tracking System

We have chosen the Garmin Astro 220 as the GPS Advisor’s Pick for good reasons. Never before has there been a merging of high technology with the traditional experience of early morning bird hunting with your trusty dogs.

No other product combines top-end GPS dog tracking capability with a huge array of hunting-specific features in a solid portable package. Back that with the industry leading company that tops the lists of product reviews in every category.

We are, of course, smitten with the Garmin Astro 220 dog tracking system - and why not - with such a comprehensive package?  As you will see in this post, the features for protecting your dog and improving your hunting experience are quite impressive.

The Garmin Astro Bundle Comes With Everything You Need

When you buy the Garmin Astro 220 Bundle, you get a durable handheld GPS unit that has a very durable case and a brightly colored screen. The handheld unit is about the size of any standard GPS device that you would use for hiking, etc.

If you are an avid hunter (especially a bird hunter), and need to keep track of your hunting dogs, look no further than the Garmin Astro 220 GPS receiver paired with the Garmin DC 20 tracking collar.

The Garmin Astro is a unique GPS system that pinpoints your dog’s position and shows you exactly where he is, even when you can’t see or hear him. This is one of the differences between the RoamEO system and the Garmin Astro – the Astro is not dependant on line of site.

Track up to Ten Dogs with Extra Collar Units

The bundle comes with one or more Garmin Astro DC 20 Collar units - which is a VHF wireless transmitter that is mounted to the included neoprene harness or an existing one inch collar. I think that it is best attached to your dogs back using the inlcuded harness, as the transmitter could get caught in the brush if on his collar.

With the DC 20 collar unit prominently protruding from the top of your dog’s back, it reminds me of Astro on the Jetsons - maybe that is why Garmin named the product that way.  It will definitely impress your hunting buddies, as you dog will look like something out of the 25th century.

You can get replacements or additional collars if you lose one or want to add more dogs to the mix (shop Garmin Astro DC 20 collars here)

Dramatically Improve Your Hunting Experience with the Astro

You can actually use the Garmin Astro 220 to tell you where you have been hunting. Suppose you were hunting in a large space, and wanted to make sure you covered the best spots. The Astro will show you where you have been during the day, allowing you to make better decisions on other locations to cover.

Before you go out for the day, you can actually set waypoints into the GPS unit for your favorite hunting locations, as well as for hazards that you want to avoid (especially for the dogs). This can make the difference between a good and a bad hunt.

Long Range GPS Dog Tracking in a Lightweight Package

Your fellow hunters will also be jealous that you can track up to 10 dogs at a range of 5 miles. So while they are out calling their dogs home, you can be sipping a brew, because it is so easy to locate your dogs after the hunting is done.

The Garmin Astro Dog Tracker screen has a compass pointing to your dog’s location as well as his current status – whether he’s running, sitting, on point or treeing.

On Point Alarming Features with GPS Accuracy

We like the ability of this unit to allow you to set the collar alarm to sound off only when the dog is on point.  For certain birds, the hawk-scream sound will cause the bird to freeze in their tracks and allow the hunter to holster the GPS unit and prepare to fire – all the time knowing where his prized hounds are located.

The Garmin Astro transmits your dog’s position to the handheld GPS as often as every five seconds so you can see his current location and a trail of where he has been.

Garmin Astro 220 Extensive Bonus Features

Actually, this advanced GPS handlheld device also has all of the features that you would get from any Handheld GPS - thus, you can use it for hiking, biking, ATVing, or any other activity. That is a bonus!

If this is not enough for you, the Astro includes an electronic compass, barometer, and altimeter features to help you navigate and keep track of that weather front that may be moving in to put a damper on your hunting adventure.

To upload and download data, the unit sports a handy SD memory card slot – allowing you to have unlimited expansion and software possibilities as well as more sophisticated mapping options.

The Astro is also compatible with Garmin topographical Maps, which can be a great help in planning your hunting experience.

Oh yeah, did we mention it will do the dishes and vacuum?  Well, maybe not, but we think these features warrant the cost of the Astro by themselves for someone who wants to improve the hunting experience with technology.

Wow…that is a lot to take in! The Garmin Astro 220 has a huge array of functions and uses for the hunter and general backcountry enthusiast. It is a bit pricey, but then we think of all of the different ways the unit could be used, and that makes the price worth it in our opinion.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 14th, 2008 at 1:41 pm and is filed under GPS Dog Tracking, GPS for Hunters, Garmin Products. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.