Over the years there have been tons of advancements in technology within the hunting world. We’ve seen the shift from traditional bows to compound bows, and compound bows to crossbows. We’ve seen advancements in trail cams, in gear, in arrows; every year it seems hunting in general becomes more technologically advanced. So, it stands to reason, that most hunters along with all of their hunting gear, will also be bringing along their phones. A phone is vital to most hunters to ensure they can reach help if necessary, but did you know your phone can be an extra tool as well? Here are some of our favorite hunting apps to help you take your hunts to the next level!

1. Where to Hunt. We have to say, we love this app. There is nothing worse than getting all ready for a nice relaxing hunt, only to find the location you’ve selected has an abundance of hunters. This app lets you, and any other hunters in an area, check in via GPS location so you can see how many hunters are in your surrounding area, as well as where they have decided to hunt for the day; making sure if you want to hunt in a more secluded area you know where to go. It also has built in maps so you can re-route your hiking route to avoid other hunters if you’re on your way to a particular preferred location. Prefer to hunt in a group? Us too! Luckily, this also has an option where you can enter in private party info so you and all your friends will know where everyone in the group is at all times. This app can also ease the minds of any loved ones at home by giving them the ability to check in to your location from home throughout the day. Luckily this app is also FREE!

2. iHuntJournal. Any good hunter knows that taking notes and paying attention prior, and during a hunt, are what help you find that prized animal and this app is perfect for that! You can pinpoint specific locations of interest via GPS, take and catalogue photos for different locations, and make any notes you feel are necessary for any of your preferred locales. It also lets you email this info out via a CSV, so that if you’re planning a hunt later (or planning a group hunt) you can make sure everyone has pertinent information. Unfortunately, this app isn’t free, but we feel it is well worth the extra money. You can find it for between $5.99-$8.99, depending on where it’s downloaded from.

3. ScoutLook Deer Log. This app is one heck of a handy tool! It has tons of important weather information, like changes in barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, and even has information on the tides. It uses drop down menus to help you save specific spots for just about everything; including rubs, cameras, tree stands, and blood trails. You can make logs throughout the day during your hunt and this app will automatically track ratios of bucks to does, as well as ages of deer in that specific location. This app is essentially a nifty all-in-one tool that helps to manage and organize your hunt. Best of all, it’s FREE!

4. Archery Pal. This app is a lifesaver for bow hunters! We all know having a slightly unbalanced arrow can ruin what could have been a perfect shot, and this app helps make it all fool proof. This app not only calculates your arrows speed, as well as its kinetic energy, but you can also use it during target practice to gauge your accuracy and provide the percentage of the accurate shots you’ve made. It then takes all of this info and puts them into user friendly graphs so you can help better your shots. Add in that it allows you to also put in specific locations to be saved, and you’ve got one awesome app that costs about $4.99.

5. Hunting Light and Blood Tracker. Last, but not least we have this cool app. We all love to hunt, but know blood trails can sometimes be a tricky thing. This app produces light that alternates between pink and purple. Doesn’t sound like it does much right? Well, but alternating these colors, it helps dull green shades and increase any red coloring, allowing more visibility in your blood trail on the ground. This also can double as a great emergency flashlight and has SOS light flashes in case you find yourself in a bit of trouble. This one runs between $0.99-$1.99 depending on which app store is used.

So those are our top 5 hunting apps. We love that they can help you organize your hunt, coordinate with your partners, and even aid in tracking a tricky blood trail. But don’t forget nothing replaces good old fashioned practice; and don’t forget to bring along your Pro-Tracker, tracking and recovery system so that if you’re apps fail you, you don’t lose your animal! Never used a Pro-Tracker? Well you should give it a try. Our system has a transmitter that fits into your arrow and upon contact with your animal sends an RF signal to a handheld locator that gives you real-time readouts of your animal’s location to your hand-held reciever so that if these apps, or traditional tracking fail you, you won’t risk losing your prize!

As many of you know (particularly if you follow our social media channels) hunting season started in Utah last month and is just beginning here in Idaho. We lucked out and got a coveted Muley tag for Utah, and even though we’ve been out a few times we have yet to find The One. We had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with some other hunters and after hearing some hilarious hunting stories, we mentioned our continued search for our Muley. The guys and gals then started mentioning all kinds of awesome tips and tricks to help us locate our quarry and we got to thinking that we had to share some of these with you guys! So, here are some of our favorite tips we’ve gotten from other hunters, hunting blogs, and magazines; as well as some of our own awesome know-how. Enjoy!

1. Scope Out Your Animals!

Mule deer tend to live in more broken terrain, but they do often visit the same spots to drink, eat, and bed down. If you get a high position first off (prior to dawn), you can use your spotting scope and binoculars to glass the surrounding area. Finding the Mule deer when they are up and moving makes the actual hunt later that day more likely to be a success. However, make sure to blend in to your surroundings; a silhouette is a dead giveaway to these guys!

2. Look for the Magpies!

One tip we got, that while it seems odd is entirely accurate, is to look for groups of Magpies. Magpies love to hang out near, and on, Mule Deer in order to make a quick snack of any insects or lice on their coats. So if you keep your eyes peeled for any Magpies making frequent trips from the bushes down towards the ground, more often than not you’ll see them making a pit stop on a nice Mule Deer.

3. Think Stealth!

Thanks to the large size and shape of the Muley’s ears, they have very sensitive and acute hearing, so you’ll want to take extra care to keep quiet. Take an extra minute or two to scan for any errant branches, twigs, or brush that might cause unnecessary noise and make sure to step gently so you remain as quiet as possible. You’ll also want to leave any windbreakers or other noisy clothing that tends to rustle at home; otherwise they might cost you’re your prize. They’re hearing is so acute, that depending on how cool it is outside, you may even consider stalking them in socks, crawling, or creeping up on them on your belly to get into range for your shot.

4. Make Sure You Are Well Equipped.

Hunting Muleys is definitely physically taxing; you can track these guys for miles before you find The One. Mule deer are by nature travelers and can cover several miles of terrain each day between their preferred feeding spots and the area they like to bed down in. Since these guys also tend to prefer more uneven terrain, plan for a harder hike over several miles each day. This is where those Getting into Hunting Shape tips we put up come in handy. Last, but certainly not least, this is the perfect type of hunt to use your Pro-tracker system! Our system will help guarantee that once you’ve found The One that you don’t lose your prize due to uneven terrain. You can still track using the traditional methods, but you’ll be able to rest easy knowing that if the trail runs cold, our Pro-Tracker tracking and recovery system will be there to keep your trail hot!

5. Don’t Always Think High!

Many hunters like to aim for the higher country, expecting the bucks to seek shelter to avoid the mad rush of the opening of the season and all of the noise that entails, but that is not always the case! More often than not, you can find tons of beautiful bucks that opted for smaller brush coverage (like sage) in the lower areas or basins. Depending on where the majority of hunters seem to be heading, we would recommend heading the opposite direction. Not only will it be quieter with fewer hunters out and about, but you’ll have a great chance of spotting that Muley…just remember to keep your eyes peeled!

So, those are some of the great tips we’ve both used and been told about. So, what other tips and tricks do you guys have?

We here at Pro-Tracker are always excited about hunting, but this fall is one quite a few of us are anticipating more than others. Why you ask? Because this fall some of us are allowing our kids or grand-kids to tag along on their very first hunts. For anyone that loves to hunt, taking a young person along  for the first time is a memory neither of you will ever forget and may only be trumped by the first time they take their own animal. There is nothing better than watching the excitement light up their expressions when they spot a deer or elk or the focus they exhibit as you explain how to clean and prep the animal after the shot has been made. Now whether your kids are going on a hunt for the very first time, or just tagging along, there are certain things we think are important for you to remember.

1. Mistakes Happen

Kids are kids and mistakes can happen anywhere, however on a hunt mistakes can be dangerous. Make sure that you go over all safety rules prior to the hunt and ensure your young sidekicks understand the The why here is incredibly important. Young people as a whole are much more likely to pay attention and follow safety precautions if they understand why they are necessary and any potential consequences.

2. Keep Things Interesting

Take into account the attention span and requirements of having a child tag along. Not all children will appreciate hiking around in extremely rough terrain, or looking for game in inclement or extremely hot weather. You should also remember that children don’t have the attention span to sit out all day like an adult would, so try to pick hunts that are shorter in length to help keep up their interest level. You’re goal is to make hunting fun and educational, and taking into account the personality (and attention span) of your young travelers is absolutely essential in making this a good memory filled day.

3. Take Snacks

Little people tend to have enormous appetites, and nothing can sour an excited kiddos mood faster than being hungry. Kids generally run on high unless they are asleep, and that means their metabolism runs on high as well. Add in all the hiking required for most hunts, and you’ll have one hungry kiddo. We recommend packing a good high protein trail mix (with m&ms, because they make all trail mixes better) and some jerky. Just make sure your packaging makes as little noise as possible so that snack time doesn’t cost you your dinner.

4. Bring Protection

Don’t forget the sunscreen and a good hat. Nothing will sour a kid’s opinion of hunting faster than associating it with a bad sunburn. Your goal here is to make sure the outing is enjoyable and sunburns are definitely not!

5. Be Patient

Kids learn by observation, but also by asking questions. Be prepared to be peppered with every question under the sun during your hunt, and also be prepared to answer those questions. We know that hunting is generally a quiet sport, with minimal conversation, but when you’re introducing it to a young person conversation is essential. On that same note, don’t be afraid to be the one direction the conversation. You can pre-empt a lot of questions and make the trip much more educational and enjoyable if you’re an active conversational participant.

6. Let Them Help

If you want to make sure hunting makes a positive impression, along with being an active conversationalist, let your kiddo help out! Kids absolutely love to feel useful and feel like they are a part of something. Don’t get so caught up in explaining that you forget to let them take part. Kids are generally good at spotting things with their young eagle eyes, so let them help you look out for animals or their tracks. Let them help by carrying some things in their own pack, setting up attractants etc. The more they participate, the more fun they will have and the more they will learn. This means a positive experience for everyone and also a longer hunt time for you since they are engaged.

We hope these tips help out anyone else getting ready to take a young person out for their first adventure into hunting. We wish every young person a wonderful first trip out and hope they have memories that will last a lifetime. We also must wonder if there are any tips we missed. If you’ve got some tips we haven’t mentioned, let us know! Happy hunting everyone!

Year round we all watch people buzz in and out of the talking about making sure they are in shape for summer swimsuit season or an upcoming wedding, but we love to work out for a whole different reason: to make sure we’re ready for big game bow hunting season. Many people who are new to archery or bow hunting are learning precisely how exhausting the sport can be. Many people assume you just stand and shoot, but that is definitely not the case. You need your body to be ready to track your elk up hills, down slopes, over ridges, and also be prepared to follow the signal on your Pro-Tracker, ultimate tracking and recovery system, for miles on foot. Which is why it is so important to maintain good physical shape year round, but it is especially important as we approach the big game season. So, in order to help make sure you don’t huff and puff your way through your fall hunts, here are some of our favorite ways to make sure you’re in shape for the big game season.

The First Month

Some people may say that it is still early to worry about getting into shape for the season, but as with all exercise it is important to give your body time to adjust and to not rush getting it ready. Most people recommend giving yourself at least 12 weeks prior to your first hunt to start getting ready, but we feel like the more time you give yourself the better. One sure fire way to help your body get into gear is actually by walking. Walking is the primary way you maneuver out on a hunt, so the more ready you are for a good long trek the better off you will be. A brisk walk for 45-60 minutes 3 times a week is a perfect way to jump start your metabolism; want to get more out of your walk? Then add in hills of varying sizes. Once you’ve gotten into a good walking routine (after 1-2 weeks), then it’s time to add in strength days. You want to make sure to do core work every strength day complete with crunches and planks, then alternate your arm and leg days. Having good arms is incredibly important when bow hunting, but having a strong core will make sure that your bow is held steady during your shot.

By 3-4 weeks into your routine, you should be feeling quite a bit better, which means it’s time to step things up again. This is a perfect time to increase your walks to jogs and to also start doing some interval training as well. In order to optimize your workout, we recommend jogging for 1-2 minutes, walking for a minute, and then jogging again. After 10 minutes or so, rather than walking add in squats or lunges for 5 minutes; after 10 minutes return to your jog/ rest combination and repeat each set twice. You’ll still want to maintain your strength training, but now you’ll want to make sure to include your core workout (and planks) every day. Now is where things start to get tricky, you’re going to want to find one steep hill and once a week jog up the hill, then walk down; and repeat for at least 20-30 minutes. This is going to make you extremely tired, but we guarantee that come hunting season, this will make hilly terrain a breeze.

Add Some Weight!

Now a month has gone by and we are really cooking. You should feel much better, fatigue less and be showing a good amount of strength throughout your body; which means it’s time to keep cruising. Remember, when you hunt you also get to tote a pack with you and you also may or may not need to pack your animal out. So, bust out your hunting pack and load it up with either your gear or weights that should approximate your normal load. Now that you’re all strapped up like a pack mule we’re going to go head out and do the same workout you’ve been doing. We should mention here that due to the pack, you will get tired and you may not be able to complete your normal routine. That is perfectly okay! Do as your body asks and rest when needed. If you need, go back to your earlier workouts with your pack and build up your endurance to where you can do your intervals, hills, and jogs with your pack. The goal here is to be able to move your normal routine up to a steady jog/run for about 45 minutes at a time and to be able to sprint up your hills when you encounter them.

Don’t Forget to Shoot

If you keep up this routine you will be in tip top shape, but there is one more thing (besides crunches and planks) that needs to be done every single day without fail to get you ready: shooting. You’ll want to take your bow out and practice for a good 30 minutes or more every day. Not only will this help to perfect your aim, it will ensure your shooting muscles are up to snuff. When you start out, focus more on just shooting that perfecting your aim; once your muscles are strengthened and your muscle memory is solid, perfecting your aim will become the main priority. Don’t forget to take a rest day once a week and remember to stretch! We look forward to seeing all of you looking great and ready to hunt come fall!