54 BOWHUNTER /// SEPTEMBER 2019
Of course, Google Earth has been available since long be-
fore map-based hunting apps came along, and it certainly has
helped many bowhunters connect the dots to trophy deer.
However, map-based hunting apps are tailored specifically
for hunting. More pointedly, they have
features that apply to specific types of
hunting. That means you can harness
technology to the fullest extent and im-
prove your success rate.
Let’s take a closer look at a coupleof
different hunting-app options that I feel
are crucial components to any traveling
whitetail hunter’s arsenal and discover
how they apply to public-land hunting.
OPTIONS
Of the available map-based hunting
apps, onX and HuntStand are perhaps
the most popular. For that reason, we’ll
focus on these two as we move ahead. It
should be noted that ScoutLook, anoth-
er popular choice, recently merged with
HuntStand.
Josh Dahlke, previously of ScoutLook
and now the VP of content for HuntStand
Media, believes the merger was a great
move. “ScoutLook has officially merged
with HuntStand to create the hunting
industry’s single largest mobile platform,”
he said. “This is a full merger, meaning all
ScoutLook users will be migrated into
HuntStand by early October, and the
ScoutLook app will be shut off.
“This merger has a lot of implications,
all of which are very positive,” Dahlke
noted. “Most importantly, from the user’s
perspective, all accounts, stored loca-
tions, and information will remain intact
when users transition into the HuntStand
ecosystem. All the same tools (weather
forecasts, wind maps, etc.) will be there
to harness for planning successful hunts,
but users will find that HuntStand has
even more to offer as we join forces!”
To help whitetailers more effectively
navigate their road-trip hunts, onX has
also made some notable changes this
year. “We’re really focused on making
improvements to onX Hunt that will help
hunters organize their waypoints and
app content,” said Zach Sandau, Hunt
marketing manager with onX. “After
listening to user feedback, we developed
various new organizational features. First
to be introduced are colored waypoints/
icons that give users greater management
of their hunting areas. This means hunters can now use differ-
ent-colored icons to note sign found on different days.”
With the basic introductions of these apps out of the way,
let’s get to the meat and potatoes of what each offers you, the
DIY whitetail hunter.
FEATURES & FUNCTIONS
Beginning with onX, let’s look at features and functions
that can help you individually decide if one app will serve you
better than the other, or if you’ll gain merit from both. With
onX Hunt, the top features for hunting whitetails on public
land begin with private and public landowner information,
which can help you find new hunting lo-
cations. The wind and weather forecast
feature helps you plan your hunt around
weather events and wind directions.
Multiple tools help you stay organized
and mark locations of treestands, trail
cameras, and deer sign — among other
things — with waypoint icons and col-
ors. And, a line and shape tool can help
you measure distances and acreage.
HuntStand is also rich with features
and functions directed toward whitetail
hunting, and the app’s Lanford Hol-
loway explained them to me during a
recent conversation. “HuntStand does
several things very well,” he shared. “It
provides free nationwide access to our
parcel layer. Unpaid users receive 10 free
parcel queries per month. Of course, us-
ers can upgrade to get unlimited parcel
data for $19.99 annually.
“We also have a public-access layer,”
Holloway continued. “It denotes all
publicly-owned property in the United
States. Once you zoom in, it becomes
a topo map, and if you zoom in even
closer, it becomes a very clear satellite
image. HuntStand is very data-dense, to
give users as much valuable information
as possible.
“HuntStand has many exceptionally
powerful map tools,” Holloway added.
“And most are available in the free ver-
sion, but with limits. We want the free
version to be incredibly feature rich
and exceptionally useful to hunters, of
course with the option to upgrade for
even more features and functions.
“We also provide useful weather
tools,” Holloway noted. “Our forecasting
is very detailed, including the patented
HuntZone tool, which shows exactly
where your scent will blow for up to
three days in advance. The 72-hour fore-
cast appears at the bottom of the screen.
When you slide left with your finger, it
shows exactly where your scent will go,
hour by hour, throughout that 72-hour
window. On one simple screen, Hunt
Zone helps hunters effectively plan their
hunts a few days in advance.”
Additionally, HuntStand has solunar
information complete with peak activity times. To boot, users
can mark-up parcels on the app with very detailed informa-
tion related to stand locations, access routes, trail cameras, etc.
“We recently started offering ultra-high-res printed maps
to complement our digital app,” Holloway told me. “I startedPROMISED LAND
Trail Cams:
Are They Worth Using
On Traveling Hunts?
Common use of trail cameras looks
like this: A hunter places them at various
locations long before hunting season and
captures hundreds, if not thousands, of
shooter-buck images. On a traveling hunt
across state lines, few folks have that
luxury. Instead, we traveling hunters must
weave cameras into scouting and stand-
hanging treks when we arrive to hunt.
Many question whether the data you’ll
obtain in only a few days is worth the
trouble. I’ll argue it is. You see, during a
traveling bowhunt, you’ll have maybe two
or three very good stand locations. And if
you’re hunting during the rut, you’ll spend
all daylight hours in only one of those
locations. While you’re hunting one stand,
trail cameras can “hunt” the others. Even
one or two days’ worth of data can tell you
which stands are most productive.
In one instance, while hunting Kansas,
I had a few unproductive hunts from one
of my stands, and I really felt that I was
wasting my time there. I hunted some
other stands with similar results. But
after a card pull I learned that four large
bucks — including one giant eight-point-
er — had been at my first location, twice
during daylight hours. The data told me
not to give up, and while I didn’t score,
it proved a valuable lesson that trail
cameras indeed have a place on road-trip
bowhunts.Trail cameras might be a hassle on a week-
long road-trip whitetail hunt, but they can
provide invaluable information.