OnX vs Everything Else

[danhuntingmi]

I switched to go hunt this year and it's a hot mess without the hot part.

I'm not even talking features here I'm talking about mind boggling issues.

1. Automatically logs you off outside cell reception rendering app useless until you drive back to town.

2. Asks you to enable notifications every...time...you..open...it. I've literally pushed do not enable notifications thousands of times.

3. Layers do or don't work at random. Property layer didn't work for a month straight until I reinstalled the app. Contacted tech support who was slow and unhelpful.

4. App constantly freezes or features like measure distance won't work until you click a bunch of times or restart app/phone.

5. Property features are very slow to come up with a lot of delay compared to other apps.

6. Just got an email saying they are raising rates so now it's an even more expensive non hot mess.

Pretty much the only thing that seemed to be more reliable was the tracking feature to measure distance you walked on a trail so I'll give credit when it's due.

Otherwise, onx and basemap have their quirks and problems but both very much preferred to go hunt.

 

[Gila]

I have been using Onx for quite a few years and have hundreds of waypoints set for my home state anyway. Most of the places I go around here are off the grid. I even had to install my own cell antenna on a 25 ft pole. So offline maps must work well or my maps are worthless. There have been minor issues over the years but this last year it seems that major changes are more frequent and impact functionality more often than what I have been used to. My compass has been buried in the bottom of the pack but it is now in a side pocket next to the in-reach.

The research tools for New Mexico are basically worthless to me. GoHunt and HuntFool aren’t much better. They are only as good as the data they get from the state. Garbage in - garbage out - right? I am going to hunt other states because NM residents have such low draw odds that some don’t get drawn for any species for many years. There are shithole units where the bulls and bucks have all but been shot out that a resident could draw. Other than that if you are resident you won’t be drawing very many worth while big game hunts in New Mexico. Toprut is history so I need another app to replace it…Looking at possibly Eastmans to get me going in other states. Anyone have experience with Eastmans Taghub?

 

[iflyskyhigh]

I let my trial expire last spring.

I didn't get drawn for anything this year and over the counter tags were non existent.

I got an email. They are running a BF sale, but I have no reason at this point to subscribe.

Maybe next year...

 

[Gila]

I will continue to use OnX maps. I was on a remote mule deer hunt a couple of weeks ago and Onx functioned rather well. I was able to get where I wanted to go. All of my waypoints were there. I also recently bought a pair of Revic Acura BR10 binoculars. I can drop pins on targets and migrate those waypoints to OnX offline maps which is a huge capability for me during scouting. Also will help to track downed animals. The private property boundaries are quite accurate. As far as the maps are concerned, I think OnX is a very good product…

 

[hunthikecamp]

... the hunt app will probably have downloadable 3d images by next hunting season, their Onx backcountry just got that feature.

This is great to hear, I'm in the same boat as most. GoHunt for hunt research and OnX for mapping. My main gripe with OnX is that offline mode kills 3D mapping so hearing that this may be changed by next season is exciting.

 

[iflyskyhigh]

Anyone used the Garmin Outdoor Maps+?

I can get a Garmin GPSMAP 67i through my work discount for $480.

Looks like the Outdoor Maps+ offers pretty much everything OnX, GoHunt, and the other competitors do in terms of mapping. And it has hiking trails. I think you have to pay for a different subscription on OnX Hike if you want hiking trails?

I know you don’t get the hunt analysis, but you get units, ownership, land types, etc, etc.

I’m guessing Garmin mapping is pretty good? Just wondering if anyone had any real time experience with it?

 

[wapitibob]

Anyone used the Garmin Outdoor Maps+?

I can get a Garmin GPSMAP 67i through my work discount for $480.

Looks like the Outdoor Maps+ offers pretty much everything OnX, GoHunt, and the other competitors do in terms of mapping. And it has hiking trails. I think you have to pay for a different subscription on OnX Hike if you want hiking trails?

I know you don’t get the hunt analysis, but you get units, ownership, land types, etc, etc.

I’m guessing Garmin mapping is pretty good? Just wondering if anyone had any real time experience with it?

That $480 is about 6 years of OnX elite when you let it expire and use a promo code.

 

[iflyskyhigh]

Does anyone actually carry a dedicated GPS anymore?

 

[wapitibob]

Not me, sold my Garmin Montana last month.

 

[iflyskyhigh]

Does OnX Elite show you hiking trails or am I correct that that's a different subscription?

 

[wapitibob]

I haven't walked on one of their marked trails to verify.

 

[iflyskyhigh]

Any discount codes floating around? Guess I'll try it out

 

[wapitibob]

they have a 7 day free trial or used to
should be a bunch of codes
RANDY
ROKCAST
ELKSHAPE
BHA

 

[eddielasvegas]

Any discount codes floating around? Guess I'll try it out

Call their CS, They will give you 30% or 40% off just for asking.

Eddie

 

[iflyskyhigh]

Great. Thank you.

 

[tcook7]

As mentioned above, OnX customer service is the Chic-fil-a of mapping


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[Fireflyfishing]

ONX. It just works.

 

[Poser]

Does OnX Elite show you hiking trails or am I correct that that's a different subscription?

Both premium and elite OnX Hunt show hiking trails.

 

[Brendan]

Haven't seen them mentioned here in this thread even though there was another one just like it recently, but I've been using Gaia for years, and have never been able to get myself to make the switch, even with trying out some of the other platforms. (Have an OnX subscription this year, so giving it another try again...)

Yes, it's part of Outside+ and owned by a non-hunting company now. I would not advocate it for the free platform. But, I get Gaia, Trailforks, and a bunch of other stuff for like $60 a year so it's worth it for me.

And at the end of the day - I think it works better than any other platform I've tried. Other than sharing waypoints with other OnX users, but that's the only thing I can think of.

I started a thread here way back in 2020 that tells you how to add Google Earth as a layer too - that's still working for me.

 

[Poser]

Having messed with all of these apps in the past, OnX is the smoothest, least frustrating interface experience by far. If you want to throw in for public land and hunter specific advocacy, then it is also the clear winner. The CEO of OnX sits on the board of the Theodore Roosevelt Foundation, for example.

In backcountry skiing circles, it would seem that CalTopo/Gaia are still the predominant mapping solutions and, when I'm out with people who are using them, I often have to whip out OnX Backcountry because those apps are too slow to populate location, too clunky with the layers and end up leading to frustration and confusion. I'm not standing around trying to get the location signal to calibrate direction every time I whip it out of my pocket. It seems clear to me that these apps have not sunk the proper investment into their software infrastructure. I've spent at least a couple of hours of my life having navigational arguments in the field with Gaia and CalTopo users where I end up whipping out OnX, being like, "Look, this is stupid simple: here we are and we're going that way" meanwhile, they stubbornly have their heads buried in those clunky apps trying to "understand what the issue is." Its just the better solution. Ya'll trying to make a Kia a reliable vehicle when you could just buy a Toyota instead.