Digital navigation/GPS mapping company onX launched its Hunt app as its flagship product in 2009, and it’s seen tremendous growth and updates ever since.
Today, millions of hunters trust it to help them know where they stand, increase their success and get home safely. While the company recently expanded into the offroad, ski and trail markets, hunting is still at its core.
Colorado Hunter caught up with marketing manager Matt Seidel for an inside look at where the app stands.
Colorado Hunter: Why is onX so good for hunters?
Seidel: onX Hunt is an app built by hunters, for hunters. That means it puts everything a hunter needs at his or her fingertips, including the most accurate land ownership data in the industry. This includes 975 million acres of public land, 10,668 unique hunting units, 421-plus map overlays and 100,000- plus weather stations. The app’s features include fast downloading and reliable offline maps and the ability to add custom markups and tracks — meaning users can plan better hunts, navigate even when they are outside of cell service and get home safely. onX Hunt is the No. 1 hunting GPS app on the market, trusted by millions of users and 5,000 game wardens across the country.
Colorado Hunter: What percentage of your business is hunters?
Seidel: onX Hunt is our flagship product, and has been on the market since 2009. Customers have enjoyed the app and its evolution for 12 years, which is a decade longer than our other two apps. Given this history, onX Hunt leads our business.
Colorado Hunter: What new features make their lives easier?
Seidel: For the 2021 hunting season, onX Hunt has added the following new features:
1) Updated 3D: Our 3D maps are now richer with new functionality, including the ability to create, edit and see custom markups (tracks, waypoints, lines, and area shapes) in 3D mode. Users can also see private and public land boundaries, hunting units, and other layers in 3D. By overlaying this information on the terrain, users can get a better and more accurate understanding of the land and different boundaries when e-scouting.
2) Crop Layer: We identified 19 crops that have the biggest value to hunters. Spanning over 320 million acres, these crops are the main food sources for wildlife species like deer, turkeys, waterfowl, upland birds, and more. Each crop — from corn and soybeans to grain and wheat — can be turned on and displayed individually on the map, and are uniquely color coded. By understanding the geographic placement of food sources, hunters can better plan for and have a successful hunt this season.
3) Forest Layer: Similar to the Crop Layer, this new feature will help users plan their hunts by showing forest age, structure, deciduous vs. coniferous forests and tree species identification. This layer will help identify food and bedding areas based on the needs of the species users are hunting.
4) Folders: Users can now create folders for their custom markups (tracks, waypoints, lines, etc.). Customers have asked for a way to organize all the content they’ve created over time, or group markups together. This lets them do that. For instance, they can now hide all their turkey season waypoints during deer hunting season, and streamline their mapviewing experience.
Colorado Hunter: How does the Colorado market stand as far as sales?
Seidel: Colorado is home to more than 23 million acres of public land, and it’s a premier elk state in the U.S. onX helps both residents and traveling nonresidents who head to Colorado every year, helping them stay safe, legal, and have a successful hunt. It is a mecca for outdoorsmen and women and is one of our top states for our hunt app sales.