Guys,

My buddies and I like to have a way to communicate from the stand if need be while hunting. It's helpful if someone needs help retrieving a deer, 4wheeler breaks down, etc.... that being said, we cant seem to get walkie talkies to do the job. All of our stand are within 1200-1500 yards from one another, but even the best walkie talkies just dont get it done. We were thinking of possibly installing CB radios in the deer blinds as well as at camp to achieve this...Is this legal? Im seeing on some sites that people are questioning the legality of them. They would not be used in assisting the killing of game, just for communication when in need of help. Thanks.

Used to hunt on 20,000 acre ranch in Shackleford County and we used cb radios all the time to communicate. Not illegal as far as I know but times have changed a lot too, this was 23 years ago though. We never had any issues using walkie talkies in the past though either around Brady. They always picked up pretty good.

Why not use a phone to text? A cb seems like a pita to me. Hell at that distance I'd just yell HEY I'M BROKE DOWN.

Its legal, In the 60s-70's, they had more laws regarding CB usage (had to register and get call sign). Now it's "plug and play". I used CB on the farm, in the tractors, barn, trucks and a base in the house. CB's have got real cheap for low end units and the reach will far outdo most of those retail "walkie talkies". Even portable handheld CB's have become reasonably priced.

Me and my son will use walkies with the ear piece that also has a mic. They work great. That way the deer can't hear, and you can wisper into the mic. We use midland walkies with 25 mile range. They go for a little over $30

Ive always used midlands. We keep them turned off unless we hear a gunshot.
Lately we just txt each other though

yea, i should have prefaced it with all of our stands dont have cell coverage. one stand in particular has zero cell reception and is in a pretty isolated portion of the lease. we text when we can, but need something a little more reliable. we have tried some of the best walkie talkies on the market, and they just dont get the job done.

if i wanted to put a CB in each stand out there, what size battery would you guys recommend running it with?

Also, do the handheld CB radios get as good of reception as the consoles do? similar? Those would be alot easier to try than console units.

Range on cb radios suck pretty bad. That is unless you want to drop some serious cash. I drive a tractor trailer and i dont bother wit them anymore.

I had one portable, range was realistically about 1 mile, flat range conditions. Think they come as 2 watt, but you can find folks that can "beef" them up. They run on 12v DC and I think you would do great with a marine grade battery. Mobiles with a battery would be a pita though, but you could use a solar panel to keep the batteries charged.

If you have electricity at the cabin, a decent base would be able to reach most of the stands with a good antenna, but some may not be able to respond with enough power depending on how far away they are.

Shop around, a couple of portables and you will get and idea if you want to pursue it further, if not, keep them in your truck for traveling.

BTW, you can usually use an antenna with a portable as well, give you much better range. I figure a $100 bucks a stand, maybe less.

We use the VHF marine handheld units and they can be used with earpiece for quiet. Designed for use on boats and therefore have longer range and they start around $90. Cabela's and everyone carries them. Plus you can get weather info. Tried the walkie talkies but some stands they didn't work. Don't have that problem anymore. Never tried CB's though.

The law is that you cant use coms to triangulate deer or warn others of their path of travel

I'm sure I heard this from an unreliable source, but isn't there something that states you can't use marine handhelds if you aren't communicating with a boat?

Yes, that's true, but I doubt you'd face much enforcement if you were well inland. We've used them in llano before. not many boats around there that you'd be stepping on.

You could always get your amateur radio license. They all you guys could get a radio and not only talk across the lease but world. It is an easy test to pass and it only costs around $15 bucks. There are lots of clubs in almost every town and they would be glad to help. It is also a great option for emergencies if someone gets injured or during spring storms. All the SkyWarn (Storm Spotters) are all amateur radio operators.

MajorJeff
W5JNP