Hunting App
 

Has anyone tried the SmarterHunter app? I have used a few others but this appears to have more functionality, specifically the safety features. there is a SmarterHunter website and facebook page for more information

I looked at the Facebook page and looked at some pictures of this app. Then I browsed over it on the Google Playstore. I not exactly getting why safety is such an advertisement on a hunting app that lets you tag locations with icons. When I was a younger hunter I would draw maps of places I hunted and mark deer sightings and paths along with places l would set up. With computers that show satellite views that concept is understandable on a smartphone.

However the fact it is advertised as a safety app to be used on a fragile device that runs on batteries that cannot get wet or survive much abuse kind of makes me laugh. I once owned a marine grade GPS with a built in 3-way radio to use on hunts. The batteries in it leaked and it would never work afterwards. I was attempting to backtrack a 3 mile hike in the dark to a place I found earlier that spring from another starting point. That is when I realized it was a useless brick. I had to wait for light to find the location and navigate with a compass. I really don't want to put my life on electronics after seeing what can happen with them.

Hunting app! Is that what we have reduced hunting to, an app on an electronic devise! How about we learn orientating skills so we can navigate in the woods without some battery operated device? The battery doesn't go dead in our brains but if all you have to navigate in the woods to find your way in and out is some stupid app, sooner or later you will regret you didn't learn outdoor skills instead of depending on a device. It would appear this is the age where we surrender our learned skills to some damn machine!

LOL ...OT you are truly from my generation. Nice to see others who think like I do. My most cherished hunting "app" is my silva hanging around my neck. No batteries and backed up by a second unit in my pack.

I use a hunting app all the time. I use the Trimble GPS HuntPro but I also can work a map, shoot an azimuth, explain contour lines, etc. I use an app because one it is way faster. Instead of focusing on the map I can focus on the hunt, two a lot of the hunting apps have weather, moon phases, sun rise and sunset etc. Three when I shoot an animal and find blood I can mark it on the app and see which direction the animal is going (general direction) if I happen to run out of blood. I still carry a map as a back up.

Hell skills aren't taught in school anyways. Anything to deal with the outdoors, map reading, starting a fire, nothing. Hardly any schools teach finance classes, time management, home repair, general auto repair (oil change, breaks), credit, how to find a job, or really anything useful in life. I didn't learn my map reading until I joined the Army at 18. Didn't learn anything about money management or credit until I worked at a financial institution.

So what is your point? If you want to learn skills you find someone to teach you. School isn't the place to learn outdoor skills, where did you get the idea they were. Did you ever hear of rugged individualism? It is what made America great. I learned how to use a compass in the boy scouts and I expanded my knowledge as I got older. Learning outdoor skills is your own responsibility. I had a GPS on my boat but I before I had one, I learned how to use a nautical chart and to run a course with a compass, those skills don't need batteries or an owners manual. You must be part of the generation that wants everything delivered to you on a silver platter. Your post is one of the lamest thing I have read in a long time.

I teach NJROTC in high school and we have an orienteering team. So we do land navigation, map reading and compass skills. We also have a marksmanship team and we shoot air rifles competitively. Schools still teach stuff like that but you have to get in the right program.

As to the "app". I don't have a smart phone, I don't need a smart phone and I don't want a smart phone. So, NO I haven't used it.

That's what I have always used toilet paper for. I wonder how handy that app would be if I have to take a dump?! <laffin>

I guess you could say that idea was part put in my head when I lived in Colorado 4th grade I was able to take a 270 to school and teach the class mates how to clean it that was in 2002 (under certain circumstance, dad took me and picked me up) or how in Alabama we had archery in PE. But out of all the schools I have gone to those were the only two to offer such programs besides NJRTOC. Apparently you didn't read my post correctly. I wasn't being a dick to you I was agreeing what you were saying. Yeah this generation is geared toward the machine. That is why I provided examples like finances, general home repair and car repair etc, stuff that was done before a machine. Yeah you can say I want everything delivered to me on a silver platter when I work 50 hours a week, 12 credit hours a semester for college, and also part time military. Yeah you can say that..... What I was explaining in my post before you went off in your dick head post was a lot of general knowledgeable skills are not taught in school or offered. Finance classes, credit, nothing like that. Mainly it is state wide tests that the school focuses on and of course common core to make every kid equal. Besides NJROTC, a lot of school do not offer what gets you ready for society or could help you once you leave to go to society.
I know my school had the same as yours with the NJROTC but any other classes offered to get you ready for society itself not so much. NJROTC didn't ring a bell when I made that statement.

I still use the toilet paper. Every time I shoot a deer and find blood but when you hunt in deep stuff where you can only see about 10ft in front of you a GPS or an app on your phone comes in handy.

I was just makin a joke....
and in the words of larry the cable guy,

"That was funny,
I don't care who you are!"

My apologies. I was tying up and essay and checking on here so the sarcasm shot right over my head. :s3:

That's alright,...
I always aim high!
<grin>

Yep just fall back on the electronics, that is what replaces skill to the unskilled. In 2002, I already was far beyond needing electronics. You can't back out of you nonsense post. Your words " if I happen to run out of blood. I still carry a map as a back up". Only one D----head post, it belongs to you. We are rapidly approaching the point where people will not be able to do anything without the help of an electronic device, we are already at the point where people can't make change in their head, they need a machine, they can't find their way off a trail and back, they need a machine to do it for them. I do not have a phone that takes apps, I will not own a phone, tablet or any other portable device that uses apps. I have more pride in my ability to do things myself without an electronic crutch then to use one, specially for hunting. Electronic are not a replacement for skill, something people will find out when their batteries go dead. BTW, none of the outdoor and survival skills I have were taught in public school when I was in school.

Ah come on Oldtimr, lets don't be bitter about the present. We both know there ain't nobody plows with a mule anymore. Hell not that many folks even plow at all anymore. We can all get our beans out of a can now days.

I don’t fall back on electronics I use it based on ease of use. I can still do land navigation just fine. In 2002 I was 9 years old, I was just providing an example. Now Oldtimr, before just picking out what you want to, state the whole part I listed in that sentence “Three when I shoot an animal and find blood I can mark it on the app and see which direction the animal is going (general direction) if I happen to run out of blood. I still carry a map as a back up.” Then I ended it with a period and stated “I still carry a map as back up” for if something does crap out on me.

I never said electronics were a replacement for skill, what I was stating are schools and the curriculum do not teach stuff that will help you out once you reach society. Granted the outdoor stuff was exaggerated most of all my outdoors stuff was taught by my father. But stuff in general that help any person out in society isn’t taught in schools. Neither my school nor any of my friends’ schools taught how to build a resume, personal finance management, credit, how to interview, nothing. It is more they taught math, English, and a little bit of science and that’s it. PE was just a class offered as an elective and that was it. So it is to only be expected with my generation and the ones after mine. Actually most of the population in general has started to become mindless sheep. It is now only to be expected as technology increases…. Which is a disappointment.

But in turn since we are talking about a mobile app for hunting and how that is a crutch, we could also state the same thing about optics, range finders, pins on bows, release aids, e-callers. Those few I listed take a lot of skill out of the equation.

Well Brandon, when you were 9, I was already teaching hunter safety classes, and outdoor survival skills and I still am. Those skills come with no batteries required and will not fail me or the people I taught and don't require a back up. I sincerely believe that in a couple of decades, perhaps less hunters will not leave the safety of their vehicles unless they have some kind of electronic guidance system. Battery operated devices are taking the place of our brains and not for the better. There is a big difference between a better sighting system or release aids that help make a clean humane kill and a device that is used to take the place of basic outdoor skills, clearly that is the case. as a matter of fact, from what I have seen over the last couple of decades, more and more hunters never get more than 100 yards from a trail or logging road for fear of getting lost. As far as the ability to track a wounded animal well I won;t even open that door, sufice it to say a great number of hunters are entirely unprepared to go afield. That is a sad commentary on hunters and hunting, and society in general. And while the younger generations won't leave home without them, electronic devices are dumbing down our country and making generations of lazy people who are perfectly content to allow a machine to think for them. I assure you, if this country lost electric power for a month or more and after people got done fighting for the batteries that were still on the shelves, there would be a panic like you have never seen. Hunting and outdoor skills such as tracking and orienteering, knowing how to find edible things in the wild and making food is one of the few things left that attaches some of us to the past and I really find it repugnant for someone who couldn't find their way out of a three sided room at high noon with a flashlight in hand to call themselves hunters and outdoors men. Now you can get your knickers in a twist if you want over what I am saying, I really don't care as it is the truth.

Which makes you a whopping 22 now! In 2002 I was at sea on the USS Nashville LPD-13 in the Persian Gulf hauling the 24th MEU to Iraq. Your generation, maybe not you personally, but your generation would be lost without the newest electronic doohickey. Speaking for myself, I hate the things!

I also use have a dumb phone. Those who rely on those smart phones that can lead you into deep caca will some day pay with their life in some cases.

My brother asked what he needed when He came to my UP deer camp to hunt one year. I told him 2 compasses one easy to get at to read and one incase the other was dropped or lost. He shows up with a brand new GPS unit and no compass. That evening myself and hunting partner went to the area he was supposed to be hunting in. Wit whistles we carried we were able to get him to come to us. Said he had been going in circles for a while and couldn't figure out why that GPS unit kept him doing so. Once back in camp he changed and went into town and bought two compasses.

When I was growing up I can't remember any schools in a 100 mile circle that offered any form of hunting or other out door skills. You learned those things from your dad and uncles who hunted.
There was shop class in school and ag shop. Shop class you learned wood working things. Ag class you learned how to over haul an engine from a lawn mower, car, truck or tractor and once we even worked on a combine engine. You learned how to use a arc welder, tig and mig along with gas welding. Also some black smiting skills but

NO APP for that.

:D Al

Modern technology advancements are something that won't stop. Unfortunately many of the younger generation rely on on them more and more without learning the basics. I own a GPS and use it as a tool but don't use it as my safety net. That is where the dual compasses and maps come in especially when hunting wilderness areas that I am unfamiliar with. I also have a smart phone and use that as a tool mainly to assure my wife I am headed home and safe when out on the lake. It also comes in handy when I see some dark clouds on the horizon and check out the weather radar to see whether I should get off the water. Having that technology has saved quite a few fishing days. I installed a popular nautical mapping software to my phone which shows in great detail the bottom contour of my favorite fishing lake. All these modern advancements can be helpful if used properly. Technology isn't the enemy as long as it is backed up with some practical knowledge.

I spent 21 years in the Army as an Infantryman, so I know how to use a compass ( I use a Silva), map, GPS and a firearm. I am not a tech guy but if technology (easy to use) can increase safety, then I will take a look.

I used to use ScoutLook. It was a good app to use when i was putting out trail cameras. Over the last two years I have acquired over 35 of them. The app really helped when i had to go back and retrieve them all because there were plenty of times where I i left the woods with 32 cameras and i couldn't recall exactly where the last 4 or 5 were. But as far as safety goes. Like these gents are telling you, an electronic device is not nearly as reliable as a compass and familiarity with your surroundings.

Take a phone out into the wilderness and it will drain the battery looking for a signal. Even if you have reception, a phone will not last half a day if you are playing on an app. Keeping a phone turned off for emergency calls only and stashed in a waterproof container is the best way to ensure it will be useable when you need it. Anyone who has spent any time in the field should know this. How can a phone be out in elements, using data and GPS, and be expected to be operable for a day or two to keep you safe. We have a generation of people using electronics as a crutch as well as pretending they know what works in situations they are not prepared for because they have an app.

Due to my work environment I still use an older style flip phone. So Apps and what not are not available to me.

I will say this tho, In my earlier days I would go to the library or county court house and dig through the filing cabinets (the latest generation may not even know what those are) looking for aerial photos and topo maps of the places I wanted to hunt in an effort to improve my hunting knowledge and skills.
I would make copies or buy the ones that I needed. I still have them laying around with tattered corners from years of use. Pencil marks on them, X's here and there, little notes made. I still use them when I need to.

With that said, with todays technology I can have the entire world at my finger tips in digital high definition satellite imagery. I can zoom in, zoom out, slide over three or four ridges or even to the next county and never loose site of what I'm looking at. All of this while I'm hunting or fishing in real time if I choose to.
I can over lay topo lines, mark stands, way points. Weather forecasts and dang near anything else imaginable all with a device that will fit into the same pocket as my map and compass.

That's pretty neat stuff in my book.




.

I use the ScoutLook app. It has a Log feature that allows you to take notes and it will automaticlly attach the date, time, current weather, moon phase, etc to the note forever. So next year on October 30th, i can go back and see if i saw deer or not and what the weather and moon phase was at that time. i think it's great for helping pattern deer and deer movement.

also, for the all the guys bashing using technology with hunting...here you sit on the interent, using an electronic device, trying to learn more about hunting. hmmmm

I wouldn't rely on the phone in the wilderness, so really a different topic. I trained my kids to hunt and enjoy the outdoors using the basics. But to say technology is not driving hunting, fishing, and any other outdoor activity is a little short sided.

Get some of he small portable recharging units that also act like an external battery and you can extend the life of your phone. I have two that are no bigger than a small flaslight so I have us of my phone all day if I want. I also put it into air mode to stop the constant searching for a bettr signal. Understanding the device and how it works will extend its us.

The last 4 posters have all made some valid points. There is no stopping technology and we all have the option of accepting it or not. I for one have really benefited by some of the newer stuff but never will forget my basics.

Oldtimr there is no difference they both take the skill out of it. An optic lets you see farther at greater range and a range finder judges the range for you versus learning how to field judge. Do you use trail cameras? That takes the aspect of spending more time in the woods scouting. Compound bows take the as aspect to having to learn instinctive shooting. A lot of modern equipment you or I use every day takes a lot of skill out of the equation. All I was just stating is what I experienced in school. Yes you are right If this country lost electricity there would be a huge panic in general. Since you brought up losing electricity. Say it was down and stayed down for a while. How many citizens can’t plant, can’t hunt, is not physically fit, will need medication because the fact they aren’t physically fit nor take care of themselves diet wise, can’t purify water, etc. The fact is you, I and everyone else lives in the machine and embrace it on a daily basis. My knickers aren’t in a bunch I was just stating the obvious about schools and today’s society.

I know my generation and the ones coming up after would be completely lost. If they never find a way to mediate the use but from what I see everyone's wold is in smart phones. Actually honestly it has came to a point where most of the population in general has become sheep. Just walk around and watch how many people walk while looking at their phones.. It amazes me that people have no idea on what goes on around them. I work in the IT field for now (going to school for Environmental Engineering then trying to get into wildlife management). Technology can be bliss and a pain in the butt at the same time. I enjoy the apps but will not forget what I was taught. Both of y'all might dislike the technological advancement but from how I am seeing it looks like there is plenty of enjoyment.:barmy: :s4:


The outdoor thing was exaggerated and something I don’t know why I related it to school. Maybe because some schools I went to actually offered stuff I associated with being in the outdoors. But in the end a lot of equipment we use in hunting is a crutch and in life in general. We might not see it but it is a crutch or not a crutch but makes it more ease of use so we can enjoy the hunt more... Just depends on the way the individual looks at it.

good discussion; I am using the premium version of the app for this season and will see how it goes. hard to beat the data package for the price.

So..we condemn the use of electronics to navigate in the woods heh?

What says you old salts about the 40-50k $ worth of electronics on boats?

Give me a muth efin break.

I have woodsmanship...and I teach my son the same. I also teach him about modern technology

I do not trust my phone as a GPS to get me home safe.

However I use huntstand light to mark my stands, deer beds, rub and scrape lines and it links with weather to tell me where my scent is going at different times of my hunt. I like it.

Thousand dollars worth of navigation equipment isn't going to help you if it goes down, so anyone who does not know how to read a chart and navigate by using time and speed and a compass may as well save their money. BTW, I owned big boats, you can equip a boat with radar and GPS for one heck of a lot less than 40 or 50K. I still maintain electronic gadgets and gizmos are being used as a replacement for skill and I am correct. How many people on land or on water using a gps have the skill to navigate themselves out of trouble if their equipment goes out? Not very many percentage wise. We live in a time when learning the basics is too much trouble, rights of passage are tossed aside in order to get instant gratification and you can see the results every where you look. Why learn anything if a gadget can do it for you. I suspect if we could live long enough we would see the human race devolve to the point where the brain would fit into a golf ball.

If you do not like new rechnology then do bot use it. To condemm and try to villfy others for using it s just showing that it is your way or the highway and that is not very sportsman like. If it is legal then who are you to condemm others for using it. This type of discussion is getting so regular for some and shows true disrespect to other hunters especially up and coming new hunters. Don't like it to bad go back to your cave and hunt with your spears. Each one of us have used what was considered new at one time or the other. Get over it.

Well put!!! Old people can't get used to the new wave of technology.

Vapa, that is my opinion, if you don't like it, I don't much care! Unsportsmanlike because I prefer skill over gadgets, give me a break.

newsflash: a compass is a gadget. a compass is technology

So now we are unsportsmanlike if our opinion differs from others, LOL! That may be the biggest bunch of BS I've read here in quite a while! This is a forum for discussion just like others on most hunting websites and just because some opinions differ on this or any other subject sure as haydes doesn't mean a person is unsportsmanlike. In this particular instance the subject is technology and there is nothing wrong with that, but our member is merely trying to state that if a person tries to only rely on modern gadgets with no knowledge of the skills that a lot of us old timers grew up with it may cost you your life! Heck, I'm 68 and use a modern GPS with a microchip that designates property boundaries and land ownership and that can't be done with a compass. However, I also carry a compass my Dad used in WW II and I know how to shoot an azimuth to get out of a place if I have to without using that battery operated GPS. Most of you youngsters probably don't even know what shooting an azimuth is, and all I will say is that it isn't a 4 legged critter!

90% of the younglings nowadays wouldn't know what taking a heading of 218 degrees is without the use of Google. I too enjoy using a GPS as it does make life in the big woods a hell of a lot easier. I hunt in places where few humans have stepped foot on in centuries. A GPS does make navigating such places much easier but I sure as heck do NOT depend on the devises. Batteries die, electronics fail. Plain and simple. Hunting the places I have hunted is extremely different than your back yard hunters of today. But the problem doesn't so much lie in our youth but in our own generation for not passing on the skills required for survival and woodsmanship in the wild. Courses such as those that Flags stated are so few and far between they really aren't worth mentioning. The fault lies solely on our old shoulders folks. I taught my kids woods craft. The same as I was taught. I also taught several other children and even some adults. But there are few people out there that were willing to teach these brats of today just as there are just too few brats today willing to learn.

That is so funny us old people teaching young people out door skills.
My grand daughter came to spend a week with gramps and grams. She was so glued to her smart phone and its need to be hooked to the charger it was hard to get her out of the house for a little trip around the lake in a canoe. Ya that was the extent of our out doors together. Yet I walked the dog every morning thru the woods for an hour and again every evening.
She had to keep checking her face book, twitter, e mail, text and all the apps she had on her phone. If you said some thing to her she would reply what did you say because she was so engrossed in her phone.
I even phoned her and she got upset because it was a voice call.

:D Al

So I think we are all in agreement that technology isn't the enemy. Coupling that with practical experience and common sense makes for a better mousetrap. Some people embrace change while others don't. I guess if this thread accomplishes anything it will be to give people unacquainted with the old school basics a hint that they should learn about them just in case the technology fails. Dead batteries or falling and breaking the unit whether it is a GPS or smart phone could prove disastrous especially when one is in a wilderness or big woods setting and a storm hits blocking out reference to the sun. On the flip side for those who hold onto the old ways change often comes hard. Trying something new might open some new opportunity and enhance the experience. When we first started our cross country elk hunting trips we relied on an atlas with mixed success. Along came the garmin and life got much easier. But....we still keep the atlas in the map pocket behind the seat.