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what do you guys use for a backup gps (if anything)? I use garmin dc40s now with no backup but am thinking about getting something in case they have an issue in the woods. I dont know if it would even work, but can you put two garmin collars on one dog (in case one breaks) or will the signals interfere w each other. Thanks

I have never used a back up. Have had garmin for about 5 yrs. never lost a dog due to garmin failure, hunt 1-2 times weekly year round. They are well used. that being said, will probably have all kind of problem on next hunt.

i have on alpha I take with me and I leave one in the truck hooked up to a tablet. Im not really using it for a back up, its more of a convenience not to have to hook and unhook from the tablet every time but my alpha has fallen out of my pocket twice this year and if I ever get back to the truck and don't have it, I will at least be able to get in the general area of where I lost it

The biggest problem with the Garmins is the poor battery life. If your dogs are out overnight, your collars will probably be dead by morning. I still throw on a 16000 hr Johnson collar on my dogs. These collars last about two years. However since using my garmins, I've never had a dog out over night yet.
My partner had three dogs out over night in some rough country. Garmin collars were dead in the morning. We got the dogs back 8 days later.

I also run double collars Johnson or Wildlife Telementry collars. I had quit running Telementry collars for a while until I had a DC 30 collar quit working. I lost that dog for 3 days. This fall on a bear race that crossed a river several times I had a TT 15 quit working. Checking the collar it had 3 missing screws. I got more screws from Double U. I figure water got into the screw holes of the collar.

Dean, Did those dogs come out on there own? You Before Garmin collars I would loose dogs for several days even with Telementry collars when they layed up due to bouncing signals. After Garmin collars came out I solved the layup problem real quick. Dogs learn real quick laying up is not worth a whipping. In my experience it takes up to 3 to 4 days for layed up dogs to starve out but sometimes it takes over a week.

Years ago i had a dog lay up on a kill for over a week..... Came out lookin better than when he left lol

Just curious how whippin a dog would teach them not to lay up, when the whippin would come after they came out? Its been my experiance a dog that lays up is do to being confused or lost or just pure worn out. If they are doing it just from lazyiness they aren't keepers. Andy

No whenever I whipped a dog was when I had to go get it. Since the GPS collars came out I never had to leave a dog out unless the collar quit working. It has been several years since I had a lay up problem. Layups are bad habits that can be broken just like trash running. I have many times sat in the truck sleeping and waiting while I had hunting partners up on the mountain getting there dogs out that were up there screwing off or layed up while my dogs were in the box. It depends on what you are willing to put up with. Same as having to drag your dogs out of trees on leashes when you can break them to hunt without leashes. A dog laying up because it is worn out is no excuse I only ever had to carry a dog out once that was to worn out all other times they followed out on there own power when I went to get them.

My buddies dogs went into a huge wilderness area. It's about 20 miles wide and very steep and rugged. Hiked up the canyon the next day and still didnt find them, collars were dead of coarse. 8 days later, got a call that a backpacker camped in the middle of that wilderness had them come into his camp. All still together, smelled like they were eating something rotten. They were skinny. They followed him out the next day so he put them in his trunk and called us.

Beep beep collars. Will never turn a dog loose without one. I know the garmin collars are gettin better and better all the time and I know the beep beeps have their faults. But when it takes a garmin collar around 24 hours to die, and a telemetry collar 16000 hours to die, its pretty clear that if youre concerned about losin dogs that telemetry is the best backup there is.