onX Hunt, the industry’s leading GPS hunting app and navigation platform, today announced the launch of onX Hunt Research Tools. onX Hunt Research Tools is an immersive platform designed to help hunters intuitively research and understand draw odds, tag trends, harvest statistics and more so that they can create the best application strategy to reach their goals this season.

At the end of 2022, onX Hunt acquired TopRut, helping Elite Members navigate application season and draw odds across the West. Over the past year, onX has rebuilt that experience, adding more insights and interactive capabilities to better guide hunters at a time when tags are increasingly more difficult to understand and to draw.

“TopRut was built on the industry’s most powerful dataset. We’ve taken that underlying data and rebuilt the user experience, making it more intuitive, immersive, and informative,” said onX Hunt General Manager Cliff Cancelosi. “What was once a spreadsheet, is now like the Airbnb of application season. We’ve made it easier to parse the data and understand what it means for your hunt, directly on the map.”

A “before and after” look at TopRut and Hunt Research Tools

onX Hunt Elite users can search for hunts by species, sex, state, hunt type, method of take, and date range. Interactive sorting helps narrow down the possibilities by draw odds, harvest rate, hunting pressure, and amount of public land in a unit. By clicking into a hunt, users can easily see what that unit’s terrain looks like on the map in high-resolution satellite imagery, in 2D and 3D. They can also assess public and private land opportunities, access points, and roads. For more in-depth mapping, the tool links users directly into their onX Hunt Webmap, with the ability to apply all of the app’s layers and features to each unit for further analysis.

“We wanted to design an application tool that would empower all hunters to discover access and opportunity,” explains Cancelosi. “onX Hunt Research Tools will help out-of-state hunters planning a bucket-list trip and in-state outdoorsmen and women who need a new plan after winterkill affected a herd, a unit changed, or their go-to camp hasn’t produced the same experience as years past. We’ve taken what was once a pretty tedious, confusing, and complicated process and streamlined it, making it more informative and interactive.”  

onX Hunt Research Tools Guided Research Process

onX Hunt Elite members can log into Hunt Research Tools and successfully navigate draw odds, tag trends, and harvest statistics to build an application strategy, find overlooked opportunities, and save both time and frustration throughout the application process. For 2024 Hunt Research Tools covers 12 Western states: Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, and Alaska. Plans are underway to expand into additional states in the near future.

Hunt Research Tools rounds out onX Hunt’s full suite of application services, including access to Huntin’ Fool and HuntReminder that aid users with boots-on-the-ground knowledge and application reminders.

onX Hunt Research Tools is part of the onX Hunt Elite Membership. The membership includes access to application tools, hunting tactics education, nation-wide mapping, and exclusive pricing on products and services handpicked by the onX Hunt team. To learn more about onX Hunt Elite Membership, visit: onxmaps.com/hunt/app/elite/benefits.

About onX

Founded in 2009, onX is a pioneer in digital outdoor navigation, developing software that helps inform, inspire, and empower outdoor recreationists. onX Hunt, onX Offroad, and onX Backcountry make up the company’s suite of apps that are built by explorers for explorers. Because off-the-beaten-path experiences are at the heart of what onX does, the company also leads initiatives to protect and expand access to public land. Since 2017, onX has worked with various partners to secure and improve public land access through direct funding, and by supporting key legislation with data analysis and research. 

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onX Hunt is announcing eight new features that will help hunters find more success this fall, including: A new mapping experience powered by a suite of aerial imagery, hands-free navigation, and the industry’s first trail camera integration. 

Fresh Perspectives: New Aerial Imagery 

onX Hunt has launched never-before seen perspectives, while improving the overall clarity and recency of aerial imagery. The new features include:

• Imagery on Demand: onX Elite members can now order custom, high-resolution satellite images of their hunting grounds and stitch those images onto their map. These detailed perspectives allow hunters to see current conditions, such as habitat management improvements on their whitetail property, or make critical and time-saving decisions, like whether a go-to duck pond has melted in a neighboring state. On-demand images can be viewed in 3D mode, and customized further with markups like Waypoints, Tracks, and Lines. Each image costs $59.95, and will be delivered to the onX Hunt user’s account in less than a week, on average. 
• Terrain X: onX’s first proprietary 3D mapping and analysis tool allows onX Hunt Elite users to narrow in on potential hunting and habitat areas by filtering for slope aspect, angle, and elevation. For example, elk hunters can zone in on elevation bands, and look for bedding areas on mellow north-facing slopes. Furthermore, the View Shed tool helps hunters pinpoint glassing areas, visualizing what they can see from that spot, before they set out.
• Recent Imagery and Historic Look Back: Recent medium-resolution imagery gives hunters an idea of what the terrain looks like now, and what it looked like “then.” Updated every two weeks, onX Hunt Elite members can scroll through previous weeks to get a historical sense of their hunting area’s macro trends–such as snow lines, agricultural work, timber cuts, water levels, and fire impact over time.
• Leaf-Off Imagery: Available later this month to onX Hunt Elite members, Leaf-Off Imagery provides the valuable perspective of seeing a hunting area without the interference of foliage and undergrowth. This high-resolution perspective is initially available for southern and eastern states.
• 3D for iOS: onX Hunt’s powerful and immersive 3D Mode, previously accessed via the Webmap, is now available on iOS. Following suit, the 3D Elevation Exaggeration feature will also be available on mobile devices later this summer. This feature, currently accessed via the Webmap, provides comprehensive terrain analysis in places with subtle elevation changes. 

“Successful hunters need to know their terrain inside and out,” said onX Hunt General Manager, Clifford Cancelosi. “We’re investing in imagery and powerful tools that give hunters boots-on-ground knowledge they can access from anywhere, year round. This level of data and detail is only available in onX Hunt. So whether you’re scouting a new area or looking for that perfect tree stand location–all the information you need is at your fingertips.”

^{onX Hunt’s New “Terrain X” Feature}

A New Way to Navigate: In-Dash Integration

• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Integration: onX Hunt is now available in the dash of Apple CarPlay-enabled vehicles, and Android Auto will soon follow. Offline maps, public and private land boundaries, trails, lines, Waypoints, Tracks and more are accessible hands-free, so hunters can scout from their trucks while keeping their eyes on the road and surrounding fields.
• Route Builder: This new navigation feature, initially available on the onX Hunt Webmap, allows hunters to quickly create a route from point A to point B with snap-to functionality. Routes can be built in a matter of seconds on any road displayed in onX, and can be followed in-dash or on mobile devices. 

“Hunters spend a ton of time in their trucks, covering ground and searching for new spots,” said Cancelosi. “With onX Hunt now available in their vehicle’s dash, they can easily see private and public land information, as well as all their map content on the fly, without taking their eyes off the road.”

^{onX Hunt in your truck’s dash}

A Better Way to Find Game: Trail Camera Integration

onX is revolutionizing the way hunters use and manage their trail cameras. Trail cameras are a hunter’s second favorite tool, after binoculars, according to an onX research report. Yet, hunters have historically relied on a tedious process and multiple apps to manage their imagery and make sense of their data. onX is changing that. 

Today, onX Hunt members can pinpoint trail cameras on their map and directly import each camera’s imagery–storing all their intel in one app. This process is currently available via the onX Hunt Webmap and will be available via mobile app later this summer. No other hunting map application on the market allows for this seamless transfer and storage of trail camera data.

In the near future, a collaboration with industry-leading, trail camera hardware partners will take this integration to the next level. Cell cameras will automatically send imagery to the onX Hunt App, reducing digital clutter, and setting the stage for additional analysis capabilities so hunters can build a comprehensive look at the game on their property. More details on this integration will be available in August.

“Trail cameras are an integral part of hunting today,” said Cancelosi. “Yet trying to manage and organize imagery from different cameras is cumbersome. To solve that problem, onX Hunt is committed to building a holistic solution that allows users to not only organize incoming content, but also analyze and recognize imagery for the specific game they are interested in–down to ‘that buck.’ App users can combine that information with relevant weather, rut, and other data to determine when and where to go harvest that animal.”

^{Marking and organizing trail cameras in onX Hunt}

For more information about onX Hunt’s suite of new aerial imagery, visit https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/app/features/aerial-imagery 

For more details on how onX Hunt now integrates with in-dash screens, visit https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/app/features/carplay-android-auto-in-dash 

And to learn more about onX Hunt’s trail camera integration, visit https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/app/features/cellular-trail-camera-hub

About onX

Founded in 2009, onX is a pioneer in digital outdoor navigation, developing software that helps inform, inspire, and empower outdoor recreationists. onX Hunt, onX Offroad, and onX Backcountry make up the company’s suite of apps which are built by explorers for explorers. Because off-the-beaten path experiences are at the heart of what onX does, the company also leads initiatives to protect and expand access to public land and promote stewardship opportunities. Learn more at www.onxmaps.com/about. 

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onX, a pioneer in outdoor digital navigation and owner of the industry-leading GPS app, onX Hunt, has acquired Toprut, the premier draw odds and application tool. By bringing Toprut into its fold, onX Hunt becomes a year-round tool, from pre-season scouting and field use, to finding the data needed to navigate hunt applications across the west.

Toprut is a core service that helps hunters make insightful, fact-driven tag application decisions each season. Tags in the west have become increasingly difficult to draw in recent years, so in 2021, onX Hunt partnered with Toprut to offer draw application data to its onX Elite members. Through this partnership, onX Hunt analyzed western elk data from 2018-2022 and discovered that the demand for tags in the west was outpacing supply more dramatically than anticipated:

• Resident elk applicants are up +9.28% from 2018 to 2021
• Non-resident elk applicants are up +22.68% over the past five years
• Total limited entry bull tags are down -2.49% from 2018 to 2021

During application season, onX Elite members can log into Toprut, successfully navigate draw odds, build an application strategy, find overlooked opportunities, and save time and frustration throughout the process. Starting this year, onX Hunt and Toprut will offer draw odds for 12 western states: Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, now including Alaska and Washington (Washington to be released soon). Plans are already underway to expand into additional states in 2023.

The addition of Toprut rounds out the full suite of onX application services, including the onX Hunt mapping app, Toprut draw odds, onX Elite partners Huntin’ Fool digital research, and HuntReminder application reminders. 

“A successful hunt all starts with finding the right tag,” said onX Hunt General Manager, Cliff Cancelosi. “As demand for tags increases and point creep makes quality units more difficult to draw, hunters need a tool to help them navigate western applications. It’s our goal at onX Hunt to empower hunters by providing services and products that save them time researching and planning, aid them in discovering access and game, and ultimately allow every hunter to hunt smarter. By bringing Toprut into the onX Hunt ecosystem, we can drive value for those users and continue to innovate as the leader in hunt tools and resources.”  

onX will continue working with Toprut’s network of contributors, its administrators, and the company’s co-founder Steve Cordle.

“I couldn’t be more excited to partner with onX to continue growing Toprut and the tools users need,” said Cordle. “onX’s commitment to hunters and preserving the sport is the main driver behind our decision to partner. We’re just getting started, and with the power of onX behind us, we can grow quickly and continue developing products hunters truly rely on.”

Toprut draw odds is part of the onX Hunt Elite Membership. The membership includes access to application tools, hunting tactics education, and exclusive pricing on products and services handpicked by the onX Hunt team. To learn more about onX Hunt Elite Membership, visit: onxmaps.com/hunt/app/elite/benefits  

About onX

Founded in 2009, onX Maps is a pioneer in digital outdoor navigation, developing software that helps inform, inspire, and empower outdoor recreationists. onX Backcountry, onX Offroad, and onX Hunt make up the company’s suite of apps and are built by explorers for explorers. Because off-the-beaten-path experiences are at the heart of what onX does, the company also leads initiatives to protect and expand access to public land. Since 2017, onX has worked with various partners to secure and improve public land access through direct funding, and by supporting key legislation with data analysis and research. 

About Toprut

Toprut is the premier online draw odds tool to help hunters research, plan, and apply for hunts and tags each year. It provides up-to-date information directly from state agencies on hunt quotas, applicant totals, harvest information, and drawing odds. In addition, Toprut offers unit profile information including public land boundaries, land ownership percentages, and terrain statistics to help hunters quickly evaluate their hunt options.

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The onX Hunt Elite program is a year round resource foraq whitetail hunters. Whether it’s springtime land management, mid summer-scouting, the height of the rut, or time to fill late season tags, whitetail hunters can access partnerships and gear discounts that help level up their entire experience. By adding Bushnell trail cameras to the onXHunt Elite lineup, members can make their time in the field this season as efficient and successful as possible. 

“According to hunters of all ability levels and ages, trail cameras are a critical tool to finding success in the field,” said onX Whitetail Manager, Jared Larsen. “We’re excited to help Elite members combine the onX Hunt App with Bushnell tech, putting together the perfect trail camera strategy to observe undisturbed deer behavior.”

“Hunting is all about precision, knowing where the game animals are and where you–the hunter–should be,” said Bushnell Director of Marketing, Jason Harris. “Bushnell has pioneered the trail camera industry, just as onX has led the market in GPS hunting software. With the technology advancements in both cellular cameras and precise mapping software, we hope to help more hunters have success in the field.”

Whitetails are a year-round pursuit that goes far beyond the rut, and onX Hunt helps hunters every step of the way. In addition to Bushnell Trail Cameras, onX Elite members can save 20% on The Hunting Public’s Deer School to level up their scouting, 20% on becoming a better whitetail land manager with Mossy Oak resources, 25% on Primos calls, blinds and other gear, exclusive discounts and early access to Lone Wolf Custom Gear, and more.
To learn more about these and other onX Elite member benefits, check out onxmaps.com/hunt/app/elite/benefits.

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onX Hunt is offering a brand-new lineup of Masterclasses in September, including several more advanced, “201 level” classes. onX Masterclasses are an ongoing series of live webinars that allow you to connect directly with onX staff, partners, and ambassadors to learn about a variety of hunting topics while mastering the onX app along the way.

There’s still time to sign up and level up your hunting know-how. Get an onX Hunt 201-level deep dive on archery elk hunting to learn how to use onX more successfully in the field. Headed to the uplands or Northwoods this fall? Check out webinars on e-scouting for roosters and ruffed grouse. Looking ahead to the November rut? onX is also offering a 201-level Masterclass showing how to use onX in the whitetail woods.

The full list of September Masterclasses includes:

• onX Hunt 201: Archery Elk Tactics – September 8, 2022 at 6 p.m. MDT
• Scouting for Ducks with Split Reed and onX Hunt – September 13, 2022 at 6 p.m. MDT
• Scouting for Ruffed Grouse and Woodcock with Nick Larson and Ben Jones – September 15, 2022 at 6 p.m. MDT
• onX Hunt 201: Whitetails – September 20, 2022 at 6 p.m. MDT
• Scouting for Pheasants with Pheasant Forever’s Bob St. Pierre – September 27, 2022 at 6 p.m. MDT
• onX Hunt 101: Basic App Overview – September 29, 2022 at 6 p.m. MDT

Can’t get enough? You can also go back and watch previous Masterclasses on YouTube. Some past Masterclasses include “How to Train a Retriever,” “Raising Outdoor Kids with Steve Rinella of MeatEater,” “Women’s Hunting Roundtable,” “Turkey Hunting Tips & Tactics with Mossy Oak” and more.

To sign up for upcoming Masterclasses, head over to onxmaps.com/hunt/masterclasses.

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That’s why we are committed to leveraging our strengths to help protect the access to outdoor recreation that exists and advocate for more, for everyone. With 2021 in the rearview mirror, we wanted to update you on what we’ve been working on since our three-year advocacy summary was published in December of 2020. 

Supporting Access and Stewardship Projects

By the end of 2020, our project partners had secured 14,473 acres for public access, which, due to the proximity to other limited-access public lands, facilitated improved access to an estimated 9,778 additional acres in Montana, Oregon, Arizona, and Iowa. To see where projects we’ve supported are located, check out our Completed Access and Stewardship Projects map. 

Early in 2021, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation finalized an agreement between a landowner, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and the Bureau of Land Management to create a new public access point to the Raymond Mountain Wilderness Study Area. With support from onX, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, 32,900 contiguous acres of public land are now accessible from the southwest side of the Sublette Mountains. Check out the new access point in the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation layer in the onX Hunt app. 

A few months later, we decided to set an ambitious pair of goals: by 2023, we will help secure or improve public access to 150,000 acres of land for public access, and we will help restore, secure, or build 150 miles of trails. You can track our progress towards these goals on our Access Initiatives page.

In order to meet these goals, we opened our new Access + Stewardship Grants program to land trusts, trail associations, and other organizations working to preserve and expand outdoor recreation opportunities. In the first two rounds of grant reviews, we received more than 55 applications from 25 states.

From those applications, we selected eight new projects to support around the country. Since many land acquisition and trail projects take years to finalize, we’ll be announcing details of the projects we selected in 2021 over the next two years. For now, we are pleased to announce two of the projects selected for our Access + Stewardship Grants:

• The Richardson Property in Northfield, Massachusetts, permanently preserves a stretch of the New England National Scenic Trail, as well as a mixed-use trail to the viewpoint on Stratton Mountain. For decades, the landowners dutifully cared for the 38 acres and built trails, a hiker’s cabin, and tent platforms but recently decided it was time to sell. Luckily, Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust was able to purchase the property and will ensure the land continues to be enjoyed by day hikers, backpackers, hunters, skiers, and horseback riders. Because of the property’s location adjoining state forest land, the project will maintain a critical access point to hundreds of acres of public land and dozens of miles of trails.
• The C. Ben White Memorial near Conner, Montana, consists of 97 acres of riparian habitat and upland forest along the Bitterroot River. The Bitter Root Land Trust recently purchased the property and transferred the land to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. The location of the site affords the public with a new access point to the river for fishing, launching rafts and paddleboards, and walking along the water. The property adjoins National Forest land and a new trail is being constructed up a rugged mountainside to give hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders, and hunters a convenient access point into a vast network of forest roads and trails. The new trail and trailhead area will be completed in spring 2022.

Progress Toward Our 2023 Goals

The acres of land and miles of trails these projects secure mean that in total, since 2018, our project partners have increased or improved public access to 59,400 acres and 39.4 miles of trails.

In addition, we began to invest in stewardship initiatives in 2021. During Great Outdoors Month in June, proceeds from the sale of onX Backcountry went to the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. This donation raised awareness of the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace as summer recreation ramped up, and a portion of the money will help support the Center’s Hot Spots program. 

New Data in onX Hunt

Supporting new access and stewardship projects may be our passion, but our business is also focused on providing the best navigation information for outdoor enthusiasts. For that reason, we began integrating public easement data held by the Bureau of Land Management and the United States Forest Service into our Hunt App. These are road and trail routes across private land that the public can utilize to reach adjoining public land. In the Fall of 2021, we added location information for routes in Montana and Idaho that reveal access to 29,600 acres of otherwise inaccessible public lands, meaning that without these access routes, these public lands would be landlocked.

Many more easement records are currently only available in paper files stored at the land management agency offices. As the agencies continue to digitize these records, onX will add the data to our Hunt App across more areas of the country, potentially revealing several thousand more acres of public land that are open to the public even though they are bordered by private land. For the full history, as well as some important things to keep in mind when utilizing these easement routes, check out our story: Easement Data Unlocks Public Land.

New Analyses and Perspectives

From 2018 to 2020, much of our focus was on bringing awareness to “landlocked” public land—public land parcels that are surrounded by private property. But last year we began to think about public access in new ways. We interviewed the directors of two programs that provide financial benefits to private landowners who open their properties during hunting season. Programs like the Montana Block Management Areas and the South Carolina Wildlife Partnership keep private land on the local tax rolls, provide a financial benefit for the private landowners who voluntarily participate, and provide hunters with more opportunities to find game, a win-win-win.

We also analyzed what exactly we’re missing on the 15 million acres of inaccessible land in the West, including hundreds of mountain peaks, water bodies, and geologic features. If these places weren’t landlocked, they would offer opportunities to hike, ski, fish, camp, swim, climb, backpack, and pursue or watch wildlife. And while there are many more millions of public land acres that are accessible, and many thousand more peaks, waterbodies, and geologic features the public can get to, the most accessible places are increasingly overcrowded. Not only does overcrowding negatively impact the flora and fauna and ecological processes of a place, it also negatively impacts our own health benefits of being in nature. This is why everyone who enjoys the outdoors, not just hunters, are impacted by landlocked public land.

What’s Next in 2022

This year, we will continue to provide funding to lands trusts, trail organizations, and others working to increase public access and lead stewardship efforts. We are well on our way to supporting 150,000 acres and 150 miles of trails, but we have a long way to go. In addition, expect to see more data analyses and new perspectives, as well as more new data on our maps. Get ready to be informed, inspired, and excited for your next adventure!

P.S. If you haven’t already read our Advocacy Philosophy, check it out here.

The post Access and Stewardship Initiatives: A Quick Update appeared first on onX Maps.

DeerCast leverages predictive analytics that combine multiple meteorological factors and the phase of deer season to forecast localized deer movement. By bringing together these scientific insights with 70 years of in-field expertise, DeerCast is an unparalleled resource. 

“While onX Hunt helps users understand how deer use their property and where to set up, DeerCast Elite increases their chance of being in that right place at the right time,” said Jared Larsen, onX Whitetail Marketing Manager. “DeerCast lets hunters maximize their time in the stand, especially if they have a limited number of days to hunt this season.”

Through this partnership, onX Hunt Elite members will also get free access to DeerCast Track, a revolutionary tool that allows users to recreate their hit on a deer, then get a customized recovery plan based on that shot. DeerCast Track delivers in-depth analysis from real-life scenarios, interpreted by professional deer trackers, to aid outdoorsmen and women in determining the best timing and way to recover their deer.

“DeerCast Track may be the most valuable tool an archery hunter can have at his or her disposal,” said Jared, “where an inch can make the difference between a quick recovery and a long-sleepless night.” By using DeerCast in tandem with onX’s Waypoints and Tracker features, users can access clear information on where the deer went and other clues to increase chances of recovery.

On this partnership, Mark Drury added, “onX Hunt and DeerCast are the two most used apps I have on my phone. Together, they help me formulate the where, how, and when of every hunt. Partnering them up like this just makes sense for any whitetail hunter.” 

DeerCast is the newest brand to join the onX Elite Benefits program. This program grants onX Hunt Elite subscribers access to exclusive pricing on products and services handpicked by the onX Hunt team. In addition to DeerCast, the onX Hunt Elite Benefits program recently announced a partnership with Toprut, giving members access to draw odds in eight key Western states, and a collaboration with Huntin’ Fool’s vast digital hunting resources. 

onX Hunt Elite features nationwide coverage for $99.99/year. Premium and free app users are encouraged to sign up for Elite to enjoy access to DeerCast and various other industry opportunities.

About onX 

Founded in 2009, onX is a pioneer in digital outdoor navigation, developing software that helps inform, inspire, and empower outdoor recreationists. onX Backcountry, onX Offroad, and onX Hunt make up the company’s suite of apps which are built by explorers for explorers. Because off-the-beaten path experiences are at the heart of what onX does, the company also leads initiatives to protect and expand access to public land and promote stewardship opportunities. Learn more at www.onxmaps.com/about 

About DeerCast

Since 1989, Mark and Terry Drury have been helping outdoorsmen and women hone their craft and become better hunters. Whether through their original VHS hunting videos, DVDs, television shows, YouTube, or social media, the goal has always been the same.

DeerCast carries on in that tradition by encompassing 70+ years of the Drury’s in-field, real-world experience into one revolutionary app. With DeerCast, hunters get an education from Mark and Terry on what makes whitetails move. They also get tools like the DeerCast Track to improve their odds of laying hands on their deer and every single video in the Drury Outdoors library!

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