5 Common Methods for Marking Your Hunting Trail
David Williams
You have a place to hunt, you have scouted it and found the perfect spot for a stand, now how do you find that spot again, day or night, without spooking you quarry? Finding and marking a good route to your stand is as important as finding a good spot for your stand.
There are five common methods for marking your trail; permanent markers, flagging tape, marking flags, marking tacks and GPS.
Common Trail Marking Methods
Permanent Markers
If you own the land or get permission from the landowner you can mostly mark at will. Permanent markers are usually paint markers on trees, posts, or whatever. Special marking paint that has reflective properties is available, but basic spray paint works well.
Pros: You are probably sitting on a great piece of land with few others able to hunt on it.
Cons: We don’t all have that land access.
Flagging Tape
We have all seen flagging tape as it hangs high from tree limbs. Blaze orange marking tape is common and works great. It will last a few years and can be easily removed.
Pros: You can readily follow the trail, it can easily be hung and later removed, Orange tape is good for all sorts of useful things, not just trail marking. Flagging tape is also good for temporary marking while tracking a downed animal.
Cons: Everyone else will see it, even the unethical hunters poaching off your spot. Also, flagging tape last forever and is hanging off trees across the land and over time it gets ugly. It's not reflective.
Marking Tacks
Marking tacks are basically larger thumb tacks that have a reflective finish. They come in many colors, white, orange, and brown being the most popular. When you shine a light on them at night, they light up like cats eyes.
Pros: They are usually reflective, sold in multiple colors and easy to install.
Cons: They are difficult to see in the daylight, not as easy to remove and yet again drive by hunters can pick up your trail.
Marking Flags
Marking Flags also called stake chasers and ground whiskers are highly durable 6 inch plastic whiskers when combined with either a lightweight non-rust stake or hard ground galvanized stake can be driven into the ground to mark a position.
Pros: Okay, these are our favorite and we are biased, but marking flags are easy to carry, can be easily deployed, easily repositioned, and eventually easily removed. Like flagging tape, marking flags can be used at home, in the garden and on the worksite. Other hunters are not going to be easily able to find them.
Cons: They are not reflective and if you don’t know where to start the trail, they can be hard to find. Also, heavy snow areas will cover up the whiskers after a 6” fall.
GPS Tracking
GPS tracking is much more time and cost intensive and often considered the least effective option. Most GPS units allow you record the path you have taken. Follow your trail with your GPS recording your path and then you can refollow your trail. Unfortunately, most GPS units can be off by 15 to 30 feet. Which can be the difference between your trail and a swap bottom.
We Vote for Marking Flags, the Whisker Type
Marking flags also know as Stake Chasers or Ground Whiskers perfect for marking hiking trails, hunting locations, survey points, ground hazards, garden layouts, landscape designs, athletic fields, running courses, social events and more. Unlike flagging tape and wire flags. Marking flags are highly visible, rugged, reusable, impervious to dirt and will blend into most ground vegetation while still being easy to spot.
Marketing flags, such as Trail Chasers® brand are available in eight code colors including orange, blue, white, green, pink, yellow, red, and purple.
Happy Trails!
www.TrailChasers.com
