5 Best Hunting Dog Tracking Systems

What’s the dog tracking systems scene without Garmin? It’s most probably one of the first ones beginners have heard about. 

And rightfully so. 

This Alpha 100 from Garmin saved us the trip to the store as it had everything we needed to set our hunting dogs out. Yes, it’s that loaded. Add to that its excellent battery life, and we have our review’s Editor’s Choice. 

This GPS tracker uses both GPS and GLONASS, which gives you wider coverage and more satellites for more accurate and faster tracking.

As a matter of fact, this is one of the fastest GPS dog trackers that we’ve used in terms of connectivity to satellites. And it’s very important to us as every second counts when it’s about your dog’s safety. 

Moreover…

…it comes with a handheld device and a dog collar. Both units come with antennas, one long and one short. The cool thing is you can choose which one to use. But I prefer to use the longer one for my dog for better range and performance. 

The handheld device or remote has a touchscreen, which is really sweet. Although I think the screen is a tad bit too small at 1.53 x 2.55, it’s still better than nothing. 

The thing is, you can zoom in and out but not like how you do on cell phones where you just have to pinch the screen in and out. For this one, you have to press the + and – icon. 

Now, what’s so great about it?

Well, firstly, you can see how far your pooch has run and how fast. But those are just the basics, aren’t they?

What’s great is you can also see what they’re doing (walking, sitting, running, etc.) This may not sound very special, but if you want to track your companion’s behavior and routine, then this feature surely comes in handy. 

It has a range of up to 9 miles, which is really impressive and definitely gave us peace of mind. But aside from that, you can also set up a virtual fence or a geo-fence. Although it’s a shame that this doesn’t have a continuous alarm, it will still sound up or vibrate (depending on your settings) when your dog wanders beyond the fence you’ve set up. 

Another thing I like is you can use it for up to 20 dogs, making it really great for rescue dog trainers or a big hunting party. 

And it has a beacon light! I didn’t know how much we needed this underrated feature until our Border Collie Max got lost after sundown!

This set comes with a field bag for protection and a free subscription to BirdsEye for one year.

I admit, I didn’t have high expectations for this DogSports dog GPS tracker, thanks to its price, which isn’t very low but relatively lower than most. But boy, wasn’t I in for a surprise. 

This dog tracker has lots of features that can be found on other GPS dog tracking systems. And the range is even greater and bigger than the others, making this our review’s absolute Best Value!

Like the Garmin GPS tracker, it also uses both GPS and GLONASS and doesn’t connect to cell service, so we’re able to use it even in areas that don’t have cellular service coverage. This is an important factor if you’re using these dog tracking collars for hunting, as most hunting areas are dead spots when it comes to cellular service. 

It was very easy to set up as it didn’t come short of guides and prompts on its screen upon my first use. It also has a screen, but it’s not a touchscreen. Instead, it has a wheel as a controller. 

I’d like to get right into my favorite part, firstly…

…this thing is waterproof up to 25 feet! That seriously gave me joy because it meant that we wouldn’t have to avoid watery areas when hunting anymore. I also used to remove the dog collar on my buddy whenever he had to hunt or retrieve something from the lake or river. Now, we don’t have to do it anymore. 

This baby has 99 stimulations that are either continuous, momentary, or rising. Now, that’s a deal!

It also shows if your pup is sitting, walking, or on treed aside from your dog’s location. Just a shame that I can’t download the data on my computer for analysis.

In addition to that…

…it also has a geofence and can hold and train up to 21 dogs! Now, that’s even more than most dog tracking collars!

If you don’t mind using your phone to track your furry buddy, then this Dogtra dog tracker has really cool features to set your adventure off safely and interestingly. 

It lets you connect to Google Maps and view your dog’s location. You can also choose whether to use the normal terrain mode or the satellite mode, which is pretty cool, too. But best of all, it worked for us up to 15 hours the whole day, giving it the perfect 10 in the Battery Life metric and making it this review’s Top Pick! 

What’s better is it updates every two seconds, so you have full confidence that your pup is under your radar at all times. 

It comes with a dog collar and a handheld unit. But the handheld doesn’t have a screen, so you’d have to connect it to your phone, too. 

Now, it uses a cellular connection, which is a bit of a disadvantage. Good thing, it has a feature that lets you download an offline map so you can still track your dog even if there’s no signal. 

The thing is..

…we noticed that the app tends to drain our phone’s battery faster. So if you have an extra phone or an old phone that can install the app, you can use that one instead of your own phone. 

It doesn’t have a vibrate feature, which is a shame. But they made up for it with up to 100 correction levels! Isn’t that impressive? You can also customize the settings through the app. 

Moreover, you can also track up to 21 dogs with it and view them all at once on your map.

But best of all…

…it has a battery life of up to 15 hours! We don’t even remove it anymore. Our Timmie has it on his neck from the time we get up at 6 in the morning to his bedtime at 9 PM. This is also crucial when you’re using it on the mountain or deep in the wild for hunting.

Looking to hunt near watery bodies but don’t want your GPS dog tracker to get wet and damaged?

This tracker from SportDOG tracking system is your best bet. It has a collar and a handheld device, and the collar is 100% waterproof up to 25 feet. 

Of course, we had to test it out. 

Our German Shorthaired Pointer Timmie loves the water the most. If not hunting, he’s out frolicking in the lake. After wearing this nice red collar for a whole day outside, he came back happy and dried out from the sun, and the collar is still working like new even after Timmie swam for half an hour. 

It has a bright screen on the handheld, but it’s still not a touchscreen. No problem, as the controls were pretty simple that even our gramps loved using it to track Timmie himself. 

In addition to that…

…it has up to 99 static stimulations that can be rising, continuous, or momentary. And aside from tone, it also has a vibration mode. 

But here’s what’s nice: the handheld has a voice update feature, so you can still be updated about the whereabouts and location of your dog, even if you’re busy aiming or shooting at your game. 

Truly made for hunting and sports dogs in mind. 

Moreover, it has a compass feature that works when you move or tilt your device. And it comes with an instructional DVD, too, aside from the manual.

If you like Garmin devices but find the Garmin Alpha a little too overwhelming or jam-packed, this Astro still ticks all the right boxes for you. 

It also uses GPS and GLOSSAS, so a fast real-time map update is secured for you. It can also go up to 9 miles and train up to 20 dogs. 

And like the Alpha, it also has a screen on the handheld unit. Although it’s a bit small to my liking, it’s still better than a separate screen, in my own opinion and preference. 

What it doesn’t have, though…

…is the shock feature that Alpha has. This isn’t much of a drawback, though, especially if you’re not very keen on shocking your dog, even if it’s just a mild one. 

But it still has command notifications and sounds. What’s cooler is it can also give you a rundown of your furry friend’s performance and stats! 

What’s better…

…you can also transfer these data to your own device. And speaking of transferring of data, this Garmin Astro can be connected to devices that are compatible with Garmin, such as Garmin’s GPS navigator and Fenix 3 GPS watch so that you can see your dog’s whereabouts anytime and anywhere. 

This baby has an impressive battery life of over 20 hours. It’s a bit strange that the collar is rechargeable while the handheld needs to be inserted with batteries. But no big deal, as long as I can track my buddy more than 20 hours a day!