When you’re out in the wild on a hunting trip, it’s easy to forget about the modern world. You have your bag full of gear, your thermos filled with hot coffee or tea, and your gun ready to shoot. But that doesn’t mean you should leave all technology behind—for without it, how will you know where to go?
Table of Contents
Best Apps For Hunting
- TerraStride Inc. / HuntStand
Overall Score: 84
HuntStand’s robust and useful feature set alone could have put it in a serious battle with onXmap’s Hunt for the title of Editor’s Choice, but the fact that it includes free parcel boundaries gave it the decisive edge.
Let’s start with the mapping. HuntStand’s system allows you to choose an array of map views, ranging from satellite aerial imagery to topographic to standard views with road names. The maps function as expected, and image quality is excellent (so long as you have an adequate cellular signal). The parcel boundaries can be turned on or off, and they provide property lines. You will encounter some areas that do not offer parcel details (of the 14 Michigan counties I tested, two did not), and the boundary lines are all you get. No landowner information is provided on the app, though the desktop version does include those details, and you can’t tell which property is public versus privately owned, which is definitely a disappointment. Still, it’s the only app I’ve found that offers parcel boundaries at no charge.
Unfortunately, a recent update to the app limits the number of parcels you can tap for details to 10 per month, and it appears HuntStand may soon charge for additional parcel details.
Still, in-field applications are many. You can record sightings of game and create map boundaries. The weather feature is handy, if a bit clumsy. The overall user interface is intuitive and easy to master. It has a useful measuring tool for determining distance between points, and you can calculate acreage. One beef: The ads are annoying. But that’s to be expected of a free app.
The desktop version has even more features, and you can sync data from the field to the desktop.
- onXmaps / HUNT
Overall Score: 78
The HUNT app from onXmaps has been the standard by which other apps are measured when it comes to in-field navigation and data management.
Prior to the creation of HuntStand , onXmaps was the only app available that allowed you to quickly view property boundaries in real time while afield. The app itself is free, but the property boundaries and parcel information layers require a subscription, with packages starting at $15 a month. The information is excellent, providing landowner information and acreage details, and it clearly differentiates between public and private lands.
The app does gobble a fair bit of data. HuntStand’s maps and layers opened more quickly than other apps tested—particularly in areas with marginal cell service. To save on data charges and for operating in areas where cell service is unreliable, you can download the maps to the app via wifi and open them at any time, regardless of cell coverage.
- Hunt HUNTLOGIX, LLC / ScoutLook
Overall Score: 76
ScoutLook made its mark among hunting apps with the release of its weather-focused app and its ScentCone system. This feature indicates not only from which direction the wind is blowing, but it illustrates how the wind may spread your scent in the area.
ScoutLook Hunting’s mapping system is similar to most navigational apps, offering satellite imagery and using the phone’s GPS signal to mark your location. What stands out in ScoutLook are the weather options.
You can choose to view cloud cover and radar views, and cater the results to the type of game you’re hunting.
The forecast is detailed and includes everything hunters need—wind direction, barometric pressure, moon phase, and so on.
ScentCone and the app’s top-notch forecasting, plus its good-enough mapping system, creates a top-end free weather app. But it falls short on other hunter-focused features by comparison.
- Quiver App Co. / Quiver
Overall Score: 75
Comparing this app to the others in the test is a bit difficult, given that its core functionality isn’t focused on mapping or navigation. But it is very much an app aimed at hunters, and thus worth including.
The launch page features a useful weather forecast. Nothing special here, really. Once you start hunting, however, the app comes into play and is pretty cool.
To start using the Quiver app, you simply tap “Start Hunt,” and the app will locate where you are, allow you to name the outing, and update the weather.
From there, you can record any activity you want, including deer sightings, and add notes, images, etc. Each time you record an event, the weather, time, and moon phase are captured. Over the course of the season, you should begin to see data trends.
Unfortunately, you need to do this deduction on your own. The app doesn’t offer any sort of analysis over time. This free app would be a lot more valuable if it had that functionality.
- Powderhook Inc. / Powderhook
Overall Score: 67
Powderhook’s concept is simple: You need a place to hunt and fish; the app helps you find one. At its core, PowderHook is a mapping app that includes public land boundaries. It’s a simple function, and one that the app does well.
You can choose typical map overlay styles, including satellite imagery. Add public land boundaries and you can see at a glance where the nearest public ground is in relation to your location. Tap on any piece of public land and you’ll learn the name of the area and the available acreage, and you’ll be offered a link to the area’s online information. That’s essentially the extent of the app’s functionality as it relates to in-the-field mapping and data management.
The app does offer a social media component that allows users to connect and share information and content in a Facebook-like fashion.
Overall, it’s a solid app for locating public land, but it offers little else in terms of mapping features or in-field applications.
Best free hunting apps
HuntStand
Price: Free / $5.99-$19.99
HuntStand screenshot 2022
HuntStand is probably your best bet for an all-in-one hunting app. It features maps for easy navigation along with important information like property lines. The app also comes with tracking features, weather reports, and even some small social elements. You can personally customize maps for your needs, sync between devices, and edit your maps from within the app. There really isn’t much that it can’t do aside from shooting the animals for you. You can pay a nominal fee to remove the ads. You can pay more for additional features as well.
onX Hunt
Price: Free / $14.99 per month / $29.99-$99.99 per year
onX Hunt screenshot 2022
onX Hunt is another serviceable map provider for hunters. It has maps for all 50 U.S. states in various formats. That includes topographical, aerial, and others. The app also provides property boundaries and dedicated hunting zones in every state. Some of the app’s other features include GPS support, tracker and waypoint markers, and easy tracking. Many of its features are available offline as well. You can get maps for an individual state for $29.99 per year or, alternatively, the whole country for $14.99 per month or $99.99 per year. Obviously, we only recommend this app for people who hunt very frequently and can justify the cost. HuntWise (Google Play link) is an alternative if this one doesn’t work for you.
Vstd hunting apps
Price: Free
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Vstd is a developer on Google Play with several decent hunting apps. Well, technically they are animal call apps. You can use them for hunting purposes, though. Each app has various calls from various species, including deer, elk, moose, duck, coyote, goose, and Turkey. The app design for each one is a little basic, but the calls are relatively decent. There are premium versions of each app. However, we weren’t able to tell a discernible difference between the premium versions and the free versions, so just go free for now.
Zello PTT Walkie Talkie
Price: Free
Zello screenshot 2020
Zello PTT Walkie Talkie is arguably the best walkie-talkie app on mobile phones right now. You can keep in contact with your hunting group, even if you’re not right next to each other. The app features both public and private chats with both PTT (push to talk) and text functionality. It works over even spotty data connections and it also features push notifications in case you are otherwise occupied. Of course, phone calls and texts work too, but a good old-fashioned walkie-talkie can certainly help communication within your hunting party. Plus, the app is free.
Bonus: Weather apps
Price: Free / Varies
1Weather is one of our favorite weather apps. The app features a no-nonsense design, a 10-day weather forecast, current conditions, a radar, humidity readings, and even sunset and sunrise times along with moon phases. There is also a 12-week weather prediction engine that is sometimes accurate and sometimes not. An app like this can help plan trips and you can keep an eye on major storms that may ruin your hunting trip. There are a bunch of good weather apps, though, so we linked our best list at the button below. Check it out if you want a seriously good weather app.
Bonus: Survival apps
Price: Free
Offline Survival Manual – best nature apps
There are a lot of decent survival apps out there and a few them might be good for hunting. For instance, the Offline Survival Manual app has a number of tips on hunting, fishing, cleaning your catch, and cooking your catch. Additionally, there are American Red Cross apps in case you run into an emergency, a compass in case your breaks, etc. These are usually fairly simple tools that won’t help every time but may come in handy eventually. We have our best list linked up at the button below if you’re interested.
Conclusion
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