Welcome Elk Finder & win 1-year access

[Npike4040]

Very interesting, as long as too many people dont use it. It could congregate too many people in a certain area thus defeating the purpose. Archery all day!

 

[JimTom]

Welcome, looks like an interesting product. I’d love to see a video before committing. Archery/rifle.

 

[eod.tek]

Looks really cool! May give it a shot if I draw/hunt anywhere I'm not intimately familiar with this year in Idaho! I'm a rifle and archery guy, and do both to maximize my season!

 

[LCguy]

$50/year for something you could do with Google earth and a little free time for free is a bit steep, no?

 

[Jon Olson]

$50/year for something you could do with Google earth and a little free time for free is a bit steep, no?

You are welcome to try that out, I did it and was not satisfied with the accuracy, lack of resolution (NDMI vegetation moisture specifically) and slowness.

My website is very transparent on what the data is. As a software engineer with 20 years experience, I built it in 6 months. If your time is valuable and you spend $800 on an out of state tag and $1000 in gas, $50 is nothing for my app.

 

[TNHunter18]

Welcome and rifle for me.

 

[NealS02]

Looks great. Any tag I can get!

 

[bergie]

Well I didn’t initially see the value in it as I hunt elk around home and know where to find them…then you mentioned an out of state NM hunt which I apply for and the wheels began turning.
I hunt with a bow exclusively unless I don’t tag out then I pick up a muzzleloader to fill the freezer in late season. Welcome!

 

[180ls1]

Bow. Does this work for Tule elk? I finally drew a tag. My dad drew NM as well.

 

[Jon Olson]

Bow. Does this work for Tule elk? I finally drew a tag. My dad drew NM as well.

Yes, California is included. Tule elk use different country than Rocky Mountain elk, so I wouldn’t call it a dedicated Tule elk model yet, but the core layers of moisture/feed, access, pressure, and public land can still help narrow down areas.

 

[BigDog00]

Archery! Interesting product

 

[Hnthrdr]

Hey there interesting concept ya got. what happens when the 200 guys who are hunting the same unit all have this app and show up at the same spots? Haha

 

[eddielasvegas]

As the self-appointed chairman of the welcoming committee, it is my privilege to extend a laurel, and hearty handshake (virtual, of course) to our new sponsor @Jon Olson and his app, Elk Finder.


Eddie


P.S. No excuse for this delayed welcome, but I do have an explanation. I was in Lost Wages getting my be-hind kicked in the WSOP the week you joined. Best of luck with your Elk Finder.

 

[The_Jim]

Hey there interesting concept ya got. what happens when the 200 guys who are hunting the same unit all have this app and show up at the same spots? Haha

I was thinking about subscribing so I’d know what to start avoiding

 

[Jon Olson]

Hey there interesting concept ya got. what happens when the 200 guys who are hunting the same unit all have this app and show up at the same spots? Haha

This is a fair criticism. What surprised me the most was just how many potential good spots there are. We also over estimate how many hunters hike 1/2 or more miles away from roads where there’s no trail/trailhead. (That comment might vary between units but it applies to mine).

There are three new really large outstanding looking spots near where I archery hunt in the Idaho west mountains. 32a is a small unit and only one of those three new spots is within a mile from a road. The other two would require hiking 2 hours in the dark or backpacking in to see what the action is like at first light. There are dozens more really good spots. What I am saying is, even right where I archery hunt, I will not have time to hunt all the great areas because I already have good spots where I understand how the elk move. Those other spots in Elk Finder will serve as good backup spots.

Another thing to keep in mind is that I just launched the app. Even if thousands of Roksliders signed up before the season starts, the odds of running into another hunter using the app is very low given all the GMUs. If you’re reading this and plan to hunt elk this season, the app is a sleeper for this year at very least.

 

[Hnthrdr]

This is a fair criticism. What surprised me the most was just how many potential good spots there are. We also over estimate how many hunters hike 1/2 or more miles away from roads where there’s no trail/trailhead. (That comment might vary between units but it applies to mine).

There are three new really large outstanding looking spots near where I archery hunt in the Idaho west mountains. 32a is a small unit and only one of those three new spots is within a mile from a road. The other two would require hiking 2 hours in the dark or backpacking in to see what the action is like at first light. There are dozens more really good spots. What I am saying is, even right where I archery hunt, I will not have time to hunt all the great areas because I already have good spots where I understand how the elk move. Those other spots in Elk Finder will serve as good backup spots.

Another thing to keep in mind is that I just launched the app. Even if thousands of Roksliders signed up before the season starts, the odds of running into another hunter using the app is very low given all the GMUs. If you’re reading this and plan to hunt elk this season, the app is a sleeper for this year at very least.

Fair enough, just a silly thought that I had. My experience in Co (archery at least) is you would be surprised at where most guys are willing to go. I figured this was coming one way or another with AI modeling info and map overlays. Good luck with your product.

 

[MichiganMan25]

Archery Elk! That app sounds really interesting

 

[Eldoradotim]

I'm Jon's buddy and hunting partner and have gotten to see this develop over time and give some feedback. That out of the way....

I was impressed when it started bulls-eyeing pretty much the exact spots where I/we've seen and heard and killed elk in central Idaho. I've also seen how there were some spots it predicted that were off and missed others, and then how he's improved it over and over and now it seems pretty spot on.

I think it shows plenty of locations to get someone going in a new area and lots of new places to check out even if you really know a unit. The fact that its shown a hotspot at every location (that I've checked so far) where I've personally known elk to be makes me pretty confident in it.

Honestly, at first I was like "you want to share this with other hunters?!". And selfishly I still might prefer to keep it private haha! But I hope it can help others out, especially those traveling from out of state with limited local knowledge and time, I know how rough that can be because I used to be one.

 

[whoop]

great timing! now that cell cams and thermals ore a no-go, ill have to lean on more tech to find elk.