Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Thoughts on onX maps

Anybody using the onX gps mapping app? Input would be great.

Thanks, MILFhunter

I use it. It works very well, especially for showing boundaries of public and private lands. It shows land owner information, delineates public lands such as USFS, BLM, Park Service, tribal lands, etc. There are mapping layers available that show previous burns. You can drop and name waypoints. There's a 3D version in beta testing now, works similar to the 3D feature on Google Earth which really brings out the topography. Best thing to do is download detailed maps/satellite images of the area you plan to hunt into your smart phone. There is no extra cost for doing that. Doing so allows you to use GPS map navigation on your phone without a cell signal. On-X is worth the cost IMO.

I’m transitioning away from traditional GPS in favor of OnX for both work and play. On my backcountry elk hunt this year I just brought a spare battery charger for my phone, left the phone on airplane mode, turned it off at night, turned work phone on for the alarm, and I had plenty of battery for 6 days with teens and twenties at night. Lived the ability to look at the hybrid satellite map with contours on it, measure distances and all that stuff practically instantly.

I have it nationwide. Makes it so easy to go up to Wyoming, over to Utah or Kansas or wherever

I use it on my phone. I also have a Garmin Montana with an OnX chip. I use the phone the most because I already have it with me but for detailed mapping, I find the Garmin to be considerably more accurate. I've used it a little for geocaching and it's accurate within 3'. My $200 Motorola phone isn't nearly that accurate, maybe 10' or more, and occasionally it's 10 yards off. Hopefully your $1000 Iphone will be better.

I have been a fan of On-X till my last 2 trips.

The first one, my offline maps did not work. I had used the maps multiple times previously with no problems. When I got back home I tried updating/refreshing the maps with no luck. I finally had to delete the app, reload the app and then was able to refresh all my offline maps. I know of a few others that had the same problem. I now check the maps before I leave WIFI service.

My last trip it was extremely slow updating my current position on both mine and my sons phones, again, never had the problem in the same area. The Garmin was not having the same problem. Was frustrating as the area is tricky navigating due to a lot of private.

Hopefully it’s not an ongoing issue.

I have used it weekly for the last 5 years and am sold. Fantastic app. They have a free week trial period...

Very few technology "advancements" related to hunting interest me or truly improve the experience in my opinion. On X is an exception. Easy to use, more user friendly in the field than a paper map and compass, and lets you know land ownerships clearly indicating public from private.

I've used it for six years now and wouldn't be without it.
Just make sure your phone has a lot of storage to save off line maps. Without having your maps saved the app is pretty much useless in most back country. It also allows you to keep your phone on airplane mode to conserve your battery. My iPhone has 256 gb of storage so I can save a lot of maps. It takes a long time to download maps even with a good wifi connection.

I started using it this past year. Love it.

Main reason I picked it up was to check property lines on some land we were looking at. It took me to 5 different survey stakes that would have been extremely hard to find on land that had been clear cut ~12 years ago. I didn't know those stakes were there. Great piece of software.

That's my problem. I often have to delete maps of other areas to make room. I suggested to them to set it up so you could store maps on an SD card but so far they haven't done it. That would be a huge improvement. With that I could store vast areas in the highest resolution.

I use OnX daily. Best thing to come along in the hunting gear world in along time....

I'll ask a quick question on this. Most places I can see in very nice resolution, both on my computer and phone. One area I hunt is very close to a state line and also close to a place where road construction is going on (~1 mile +/-). On the computer I can see this sharp and with good resolution. On my phone it's fuzzy with a haze that looks like fog from either the state line or the road construction. Heavy on the suckage......suggestions on how to deal with it? I can go straight topo and everything is ok but anything with satellite (on or off line) is hazy.

Have you tried signing out and signing back in on the app? Assuming you are using the app.

Like I mentioned, I was having weird stuff like you mention and finally had to delete the app and reinstall, now everything is back to normal.

I can't figure OnX phone apps out. They're way too complicated for this village idiot.

I still slum the Garmin GPS and chip. It works fine for staying off private property or unit boundary ridgelines and such. I have watched friends get actual overhead pictures on their phones which shows timbered areas and open areas, which is REALLY useful.

Try it sober sometime, you’ll like it.

I have the same problem sometimes. If I give it enough time, it'll clear up. I think some areas are just slow to fully load on the phone. As I scroll, each new place on the screen has to take time to load. It can get a little frustrating but it comes around eventually.


I have Garmin with an OnX chip. For satellite, I can download a birdseye view. The problem is that after a few downloads, you have to pay extra for it.

Oh, OK. I thought maybe it was the dick in my ass that was causing me grief. You mean it's the Bacardi?

No way I am going hunting sober. WTF dude? Why even ask?

Dude..grin

If I can master it, anyone can trust me.....

It's a genuine game changer IMHO....

I use it but there is no substitute for a 7.5’ map.

I would never suggest anyone hunt sober.

Learn On-X sober, then it’s easy.