Digital Hunting Maps And How To Use Them

Digital Hunting Maps And How To Use Them

By Nick Johnson

It’s crazy to think back ten to fifteen years ago and relive the days when a very important tool for me in terms of hunting was a hard copy of the Iowa Sportsman’s Atlas. I still have that Atlas somewhere tucked away in storage, full of highlighter markings and pen notes. I started driving a handful of years before the smartphone and Google maps came about and made navigation a cinch and still remember using that atlas to get to new hunting areas. Driving with that thing unfolded in your lap, trying to follow the road lines was probably about as dangerous as texting and driving.

Fast forward to just a few years ago and the advancements in digital technology have been staggering and sometimes hard to keep up with! Some might argue that these advancements have had a negative impact on the sport. A fair argument indeed but there are two sides to every coin. For me, the advancements in digital hunting maps have revolutionized the way I hunt and even fish. Its never been easier to mark waypoints, share waypoints with friends, study topography, explore new opportunities, and the list goes on. Many of you reading this may already utilize such technology. If you are new to the digital map game, follow along and I’ll share why I feel these are such a cool and versatile tool in todays world.

What’s Maps Are Out There
There are now a couple different primary companies who provide digital mapping tools for your phone, tablet, and computer. The three primary ones that I’m aware of are OnX, HuntStand and Basemap. Most of my hunting friends use OnX so that is the one I chose since it allows us to interact and share information privately amongst each other. I personally have never used HuntStand or Basemap, but I know they are both solid options. HuntStand seems just as popular as OnX from folks I’ve talked to. They are all supported by both Android and Apple platforms.

While these maps are not free, the cost to get them is pretty minimal. With OnX, you can choose two different levels of maps. For me, I don’t do a ton of hunting outside Iowa but maybe once or twice a year, at most. OnX offers a single state option so it made the most sense for me to just get the Iowa map. A couple of my friends that do a lot more hunting outside of Iowa have their Elite map which covers all 50 states. If you simply want to check these out to see if its something for you, there are free trial options as well.

Key Features
There are many features to these maps that apply to various kinds of hunting and some are more specific and effective to certain hunting situations than others. Arguably the biggest benefit these maps offer is showing public land opportunities and public parcel ownership along with clearly defined boundaries. Quick note on this, you should not rely on these maps for exact boundary line location. While they are mostly accurate, technology isn’t perfect.

I primarily turkey and waterfowl hunt so exploring the state for public land options is one of the main things I use the map for. You also have a whole host of layers you can add or subtract from the map to show different types of public grounds. Or if you need to find out who owns a patch of public ground, these maps will clearly show the owners name of the parcel you are looking at or potentially wanting to ask permission on. This is a super helpful tool in my opinion, all at your fingertips without having to flip through a plot book and these maps are updated regularly so the information should be current.

Other key features I think are cool would be topography contour lines, the ability to set waypoints and share waypoints, and the line distance tool. I use the contour lines quite a bit when turkey hunting and the same could apply for deer and other game. They allow me to look deep into a section of ground and see the lay of the land and help me plot my navigational approach or even places to avoid, possibly even guessing how the game might use that land for their own navigation.

The waypoint feature is also extremely helpful and something I use an awful lot, especially while scouting. With OnX for example, I can set and save a waypoint and they offer a large list of icons to choose from such as turkey, pheasant, fish, deer, etc.… While turkey hunting, if I hear a bird gobble that I cannot see, I can set a waypoint where I think he is located and then use the topography from there to make my next move or just sit tight. You can always go in and delete the waypoints too. Sharing them with friends is very easy and when you click on a waypoint there’s a handy little button to share with those you select. My hunting buddies and I use this quite a bit when waterfowl hunting together if we are scouting different areas.

The line distance tool is also a cool thing to mess around with. It lets you click a start and endpoint on the map and shows you with fairly good accuracy how far that distance is. I sometimes use this while turkey hunting to tell me how far away a bird is that I’ve guessed on its location. There are many other situations where this can be helpful as well. There’s even a line area feature where you draw a full perimeter on a spot ad it shows you the acreage or square feet of that area.

Another feature worth mentioning that I haven’t used yet is the tracker tool. When you select this it tracks your path so if you like to pheasant hunt or just want to see how far you’ve walked this will follow you along and show you the distance traveled and the path you took. It can also be useful to show you which areas you’ve covered or have not covered. My friends have also used this when navigating in a boat during the daylight, so they are able to safely follow the same path in the dark. As some of you know, there are places in Iowa that can get a little sketchy if you don’t know where you are going.

Lastly something I think is helpful is the ability to use the maps offline without cell service. All you need is a clear view of the sky for the help of GPS satellites. Anything you add or subtract from the map is saved on your device and will then be uploaded to your map account once you are back in service again. There are many places in the state that have spotty or non-existent service so being able to use your device in these situations is extremely helpful and in a worst-case scenario, potentially lifesaving.

I could go into more detail on many of the other features these maps have but its probably best for you to jump online and explore them on their websites for yourselves to get a full picture. For me, this kind of mapping is not only fun to use, but it has made me a more effective hunter and scouter. There are things I can see now that I would have either had to guess on or just flat out ignored in the past. If you haven’t dipped your toes in the digital hunting map world, I encourage you to at least check them out and decide for yourself if they are a tool for you or not. I was a casual skeptic at first but now it’s a tool at the top of my list.