There are many tools available to help you become a more proficient hunter – including state-of-the-art smartphone mobile apps. (photo copyright Nicole McClain)
Thanks to my 9th grade World Civilization teacher, I learned the 6 P’s: Prior Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.
I’ve been sampling hunting apps for usability, accuracy and reliability. The accuracy part is to be determined, but here’s the skinny on the interface and usability for one particular app, “Hunt Predictor.”
Deer, turkey and waterfowl hunts in one mobile app
This free app can be used for deer, turkey and waterfowl hunts with a 7-day outlook on both the Droid and iPhone. I haven’t verified its accuracy during a hunting season yet, but so far it doesn’t seem clunky and it has yet to crash – all good things considering it’s a free app.
CHECK OUT DEER & DEER HUNTING’S SHOT SIMULATOR SOFTWARE
What’s your 20?
Using the GPS feature, I’ve landmarked multiple treestand locations and can view them with the following map types: terrain, road map, hybrid and satellite. With all four map options, I can see my current stand, think about future stand locations, and see the changes in the terrain of my property inside a single app. With a simple double tap on Hunt Predictor’s optimized map, you can zoom in to the exact latitude and longitude of your favorite hunting blinds or treestands – no address required.
It ranks weather conditions, pressure, temperature, moon illumination, wind speed and direction, the time of year (whether it’s peak time or not), and separates the information easily if you are a morning sitter or an evening go-getter.
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Hope for 4 to 5 deer heads (or Meleagris gallopavo)
One other bonus: it ranks each category using deer heads – so the more deer heads for a particular category on a scale of 1-5, supposedly the better your chances of scoping a buck. If you base your hunts on weather alone, you can look at how many deer heads were given for each of the following categories: pressure, weather, temperature.
Another small step for the solunar theory man
If the moon is your tactical friend, one section ranks moon illumination with deer heads, again 1-5, and also by percentage, say 52 percent one day and 62 percent the next day.
Read Nicole’s Expanded “I’m A Deer Hunter” Feature Now For More Insights!
For those of you who don’t want to get all fancy with percentages and numbers, just look at the line graph tab which draws a line on a graph telling you to camo-up or go back to bed.
Saying “the bads” is a little extreme
The only part I wish was different (I say this without having verified the accuracy of the app during a hunting season) is better usability when you are switching from one view to the next. I’ve gotten a little lost inside the app trying to navigate from one particular screen to the next, for example, switching from seeing my treestand terrain map to the weather predictions for that particular day.
What’s your favorite app
Do you have a favorite hunting app? Give me a holler on Facebook and let me know what you think of the Hunt Predictor or another app and why it’s your fave.
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Nicole is connected with brands and foundations like Pink Arrow Project, Lumenok, CAMX Crossbows, Deer & Deer Hunting Magazine, 20th Century Fox, Fight Like a Girl!, J.C. Penney, TGI Fridays, Kellogg’s, Coldwater Creek, Susan G. Komen, U.S. Elite, Pickle Press Comics, Grange Insurance, and CamoTrading.com.
Deer & Deer Hunting Shot Simulator
No more guessing – see exactly where your shot hit!
Seasoned deer hunters know it is imperative to know where their arrow or bullet struck before taking up the trail of any whitetail. For the first time ever, D&DH’s Shot Simulator allows you to take as many “do overs” as needed to get that information! In this state-of-the-art animated program, you can position the deer exactly as it was when you were hunting, “take the shot,” and then learn exactly which organs were hit. Position yourself from tree-stand height or ground-blind level and position the deer at any angle. After the shot, click on the navigation bars to peel away the hide, skin and bones to see which organs were hit. Then, use our instant trailing guide to help you decide what your next move should be. Wait 30 minutes … or wait 10 hours? We will provide you the best course of action!