With the summer days starting to cool off and darkness coming a little earlier each evening, a lot of us are getting that itch to put the hounds back in the woods.
Before you load up and head out, I’d like to take just a minute to make sure we all get started off on the right track—no pun intended.
If your coon hunting gear has been sitting for a while, now is a good time to pull everything out and make sure it’s clean, charged, updated, and ready to go when you need it.
Give Your Equipment a Good Once-Over
One of the first things I do before getting back into the woods is go through all of my equipment.
I start by giving everything a good cleaning with soap and water where appropriate and using alcohol wipes where needed. While I’m cleaning everything up, I also give it a good once-over and look for anything that may need attention.
Check your handheld, tracking collars, chargers, antennas, hunting light, and the rest of the gear you depend on. Look for damaged cords, loose connections, worn straps, or anything else that doesn't look quite right.
It’s a whole lot easier to take care of those things now than when you're getting ready to turn a hound loose.
Charge and Test Your Garmin Equipment
Next, charge everything completely and turn it all on.
Make sure your Garmin handheld and dog tracking collars are powering up, connecting, and working like they should. If they’ve been sitting for several months, let them run for a little while instead of just turning them on long enough to see the screen light up.
Make sure your collars are connecting to your handheld and everything is doing what it’s supposed to do.
It’s a whole lot better to find a problem at home than after dark when you’ve got a hound in the woods.
Don't Forget Your Garmin Software Updates
Last—but certainly not least—check your Garmin dog tracking equipment for software updates.
This is one of those things that's easy to forget, especially if your equipment hasn't been used in a while.
The way you update your Garmin equipment depends on which handheld or tracking collar you have. Some Garmin equipment uses Garmin WebUpdater, while other collars and Alpha handhelds use Garmin Express. Newer equipment may have additional update options.
If you’ve never updated your Garmin equipment before—or you aren't sure which program you need—don't worry. We have Garmin updating instructions available right here on the Red Fern website.
And if you're still not sure, give us a holler. We'll help you figure out what you need to do for the equipment you have.
Check the Rest of Your Coon Hunting Gear, Too
Your Garmin equipment isn't the only thing worth checking before your first night back in the woods.
Charge your hunting light and make sure it's holding a charge. Check your leads and collars for wear. Make sure your boots and hunting clothes are still in good shape. If there's something you've been meaning to replace since last season, now is a much better time to remember it than the night you're ready to go hunting.
You don't need to make it complicated. Just go through the gear you know you'll depend on and make sure it's ready.
A Few Minutes Now Can Save You Trouble Later
None of this takes very long, but it can save you a lot of aggravation once you're back in the woods.
Clean your equipment. Charge everything up. Turn on your handheld and collars and make sure they're communicating. Check for software updates. Give your other hunting gear a once-over and take care of anything that needs attention.
And if you run into trouble with your Garmin equipment or just aren't sure what you need to do, give us a call at 918-822-4067. A real person will answer, and we'll be glad to help you figure it out.
That's Service the Way It Used to Be.
Get everything cleaned up, charged up, updated, and ready to go—
and we'll see you in the woods.
Red Fern Hound Supply