Marking trails

[Bowguy67]

Was thinking this morning about the way I mark trails. I have lots but can remember them it seems but I still somewhat mark areas.
Wanna tell some of the folks the way I do it and see if anyone does it the same cause the airport runway light strips to stands just are a bad idea to me in so many ways.
I'm secretive about things I do. In an area where say I'm headed up a mountain I may go from a powerline stantion than up couple ridges before I even mark at all.
I'll mark a bright eye to the left and it always means go right. Once the lay of the land takes over I'll again pick up the trail with a few bright eyes.
The other thing is with so many gps apps that you can use to pin spots if you wanted you'd only need one bright eye on a stand period cause you'd be right near it when you even turned a light on.
Using different natural landmarks is way better than tacks.
Here's another idea. Say spots I'll walk down a trail or tracks and need to turn in an area. I'll take an old railroad tie or branch, something like that and mark spot inconspicuously.
By that never put it obvious, the tie can be thrown to the side, never exactly straight. To me that's obvious.
If you're afraid the log, branch you use would look like all the rest in the dark, take your knife and gently shave off a piece of bark, or a tree in an uncrossable area say 50 yards before to be unobvious. You'll see scuff mark when you look but to anyone else it's just a scuff.
To the folks that may think using phone apps may drain a battery. Ankor makes external batteries that recharge phones numerous times.
Anyone mark like this??

[Sam McMichael]

I can get lost in my own back yard, so I have always boldly marked trails. Generally, I use fluorescent orange strips about 2 feet long every 15 or 20 yards. After they have been hung a few days, deer don't pay them much attention, except those few times when I have seen deer pull them down. Cheeky buggers, I say.

[Lowrider]

Years ago I would mark my trails with the surveyors tape. I often wondered what was pulling it down.

[Bowguy67]

Yes I never saw them tear it down. Not being secretive for the deer though

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I remember how to get to where I need to go... I thought marking trails was excessive. I would mark areas if going into backcountry like trying to mark a kill site or in a dense swamp that all looks the same but never to a hunting area.

[Tajue17]

i will use bright eyes but they are on the ground looking up or at the very base of trees and shrubs because when I walk in at  dark i use a tiny styless pen light that also has a pen cap with a tiny bb sized hole at the tip and while shining at the ground to avoid stepping on anything while walking my light also picks up those cat eyes at the same time,,,,,, nobody else can see them when shining the woods because they arent 4' high for everyone to see them

[Bowguy67]

The prob w too low would be snow if it snows in your area?

[Sam McMichael]

Cyclic-Rivers, I sure wish I was as good a navigator in the dark woods as you are. Fortunately, my hunting is done on my place where I don't have so much of a problem with other hunters using my markers to hijack my hunting locations. I know how to use a compass, but I usually don't take it. After all, who could possibly get turned around when most of my stands are at most a few hundred yards from where I park the truck? Unfortunately, I can!

[Tajue17]

for me when it snows its like the woods are lit up i dont have a problem find stands in snow then of course afterwards just follow your tracks but i dont go in that far to begin with

[TooManyHobbies]

I have two spots that I know like the back of my hand, except in the dark. This morning I weaved back and forth and lit up the woods with my light. Still had to wait 1/2 hr until first light to find my stand 40 yards away. ugh.
And it's only 40 paces from a cart path, I know this because I paced them off when I got out this morning. I placed a stick leaning against an ugly tree for next time.
A flattened Busch Beer can is at another spot where I get off the beaten path. It's been run over so many times, no one pays any attention to it. Even though it's private property, dirt bikes and quads run the trails. I was going to pick it up, like I do usually, but figured it was a good marker.

[Steve D]

Night Gel,still have some from years ago,great stuff washes out after a couple of months.

[Red Beastmaster]

I've marked trails by breaking weeds, small limbs, etc. I don't break them off, just kink them over toward the side you want to walk on.

The red and white reflective tape used on big rigs makes excel ant markers. You can get it at any truck stop. It's 2" wide so I cut it down the middle then make 1" x 4" strips. Peel off the backing and fold over a small branch. It will stick to itself making a great marker that can be seen from both directions. You can really see it from a long ways with a small flashlight. It's not very noticeable in the daylight at all.

[T Sunstone]

I try to use as little markers as possible and place them at the base of the tree when I do use them. I mostly use my GAIA App on my phone or GPS.   I hate seeing surveyors tape hanging all over the woods.  Come gun season the public land I hunt looks a mess.  I admit to pulling it down on occasion.

[Texoma]

Buddy of mine went out to scout some public land one year and found a good spot and hung a stand.On the way out he marked his trail with those reflective tacks,when he got there the next morning he turned on his flashlight and the whole woods lite up,every tree around him had those tacks in them, he just sat down and waited for daylight

[DarrinG]

Just remember if you use surveyors tape, flagging tape...whatever...to mark your trail, when season is over, take it down, pack it out. Nothing worse than seeing old faded orange tape all over the woods.