Tech to take to the Woods for Hunting Season

Like so many other hobbies, hunting is becoming more technologically advanced. Here are our recommendations for the tech that should earn a spot in your pack.

Start With a Map You Can Use Offline

Apps like onX Hunt and HuntStand show property lines, public and private ground, terrain, and wind direction. They’ve changed how people scout unfamiliar land and respect property boundaries.

But, these maps fail if you don’t have a good connection out in the stand. Download your maps for offline use before you leave the house. When you’re out of service, you’ll get a blank screen if you’ve never saved the area to your device. Pull up the property, save it, then flip your phone to airplane mode and make sure it still loads.

Tracking the Tracker

Dog tracking collars have become incredibly advanced, but this is where the wrong purchase can really hurt your wallet.

Radio-based tracking systems like the Garmin Alpha 300i send a location straight from the collar to a handheld unit. There’s no cell tower involved, meaning they keep working in terrain where your phone shows no service.

Cellular collars like the Dogtra Pathfinder 2 route location through your phone and a cell network. They cost less up front, and the maps are easier to read on a phone screen. However, they stop telling you anything past the edge of coverage.

The question is not which one is better but which one would work better where you hunt. If your phone doesn’t work in the backwoods, go with a radio system.

A “Just in Case” GPS Unit

A satellite messenger like the Garmin inReach Mini 2 sends two-way texts and an SOS from anywhere with a clear view of the sky. It runs on a subscription, and plenty of hunters consider it the cheapest insurance they own.

If you carry a recent iPhone, you already have Emergency SOS via satellite at no extra charge, and newer Android phones added their own version. Learn how yours works before you need it.

None of that replaces the basic rule of thumb to tell someone where you’re going and when you plan to be back on every trip.

Trail Cameras

Trail cameras are one of the most popular pieces of tech to use out in the woods, and they’re only becoming clearer and easier to check. Cellular models from Moultrie and Tactacam Reveal send images to an app on your phone, which keeps you out of an area you’d rather not disturb until you’re ready to plan your hunt. They need a data plan, so price the subscription alongside the camera.

Cameras that store to an SD card cost less, need no plan, and sit outside most of the rules above. The tradeoff is that you have to walk in to see what images they caught.

Trail camera rules change by state and county, and between public and private ground. Several states have tightened them recently. Idaho banned cellular trail cameras on public land. Delaware restricted recreational trail camera use on state wildlife areas. Others limit cameras during the season or prohibit transmitting models outright.

The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation tracks trail camera policy state by state, and your wildlife agency is also a great resource. Check before you spend the money.

Feeders You Can Adjust from the Truck

Moultrie’s feeder line includes app-controlled timers, and the Feed Hub lets you change a schedule without driving out. If you manage ground an hour from the house, that saves real time and fuel.

Feeding and baiting rules are also tightly regulated by state and county, and in some states, feeders may only be used for wildlife viewing rather than hunting. Again, check with your local wildlife agency.

Electronic Calls

Digital callers from FOXPRO have a strong following among predator hunters, and the sound libraries keep improving.

Legality splits sharply by species. Many states prohibit electronic calls for deer and turkey while allowing them for coyotes, crows, or snow geese. Read your state’s rules for the animal you’re after.

Radios That Work When Phones Don’t

When service drops, handheld radios still talk. The Rocky Talkie Expedition and Midland’s GMRS handhelds both hold up to weather and to being dropped.

Know which service you’re buying into, too. The cheaper walkie talkies at the outdoor store run on Family Radio Service, or FRS, which needs no license and caps at 2 watts. General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) radios run more power and can reach a repeater, which is where the extra range comes from, and they need an FCC license. That license runs ten years and covers your whole family regardless of age.

The FCC puts the usual range of an FRS radio on its low-power channels at under half a mile, and pegs GMRS anywhere from one to twenty-five miles depending on terrain, equipment, and repeater access. Timber and hills cut down the transmission range substantially.

Coverage at the Camp, the Shop, and the Barn

Most of what we’ve listed above runs on a cell network, not on your home internet. As a local fiber provider, it’s important that we note the difference.

Where Red River Communications makes a difference is everything within reach of your buildings. That includes solid Wi-Fi at the camp house and an outdoor access point that covers the shop or the processing shed instead of quitting at the back door.

If you want coverage in your outbuildings, call us and we’ll tell you what’s possible.

One Note Before You Head Out

The poles, pedestals, and cables that carry connectivity services run through the same country you hunt. Birds sitting on the lines make a tempting target, but they aren’t one. A single pellet strike to an aerial fiber line can take service out for an entire road. Skip shooting towards the poles and pedestals, and give overhead lines a wide berth.

If you spot damage out there, call us at 701-553-8309 and we’ll get somebody on it.