There's little question those who hunt now benefit from some great online apps and services that improve their potential for success. It seems gone are the days when all you need spend every year is the cost of a license, a box or two of ammo, and maybe a new coat on pair of boots.

Here's my own short list of apps and online services hunters might choose to pay a monthly fee to access and there's no doubt many others. And the list doesn't include the cost of Internet and cellphone service needed to access them.

Cell camera subscriptions
Location Services that include property owner information 
Member subscriber fees for YouTube and other social media channels
Satellite phone service
Shooting range memberships

I only got a 2.5% COLA this year so I can`t afford all the perks you high rollers get. I even make my son pick me up and take to the deer lease and use his gas he gets for free in his company truck.

I don't know if my cell cams are improving my chances of success or just pouring salt into my wounded pride...

We don’t use any of the things you listed. Hoping to start hunting outside of texas and will subscribe to onX and maybe a few other things.

You literally need none of those things to hunt in Texas and be successful.

The only thing I use I need a subscription for is Inreach. And that’s just so I can text, call in an extraction

Don't have any of those things except a mapping software, but I use that as much for other ranch things as I do for hunting.

Satellite service is all I "need" and that's simply a safety matter. Having said that I have a subscription to Gohunt as well. Though I could cancel Gohunt and be equally unsuccessful.

I have subscriptions to GoHunt, InReach, and OnX. I think they are all well worth it if you hunt out of state.

OnX is the only paid subscription.. we used it extensively this year when planning and executing a week long elk hunt in northern idaho..

I maintain basic (free) photo packages for all of our cameras on the E TX deer lease..

Ive thought about doing the InReach thing, but havent committed.. We typically hunt internationally at least once a year (sometimes twice), but are usually in more developed places like Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, etc. and have competent guides/PH's with us.. so I havent been too concerned with emergency extraction or medical, etc.. For domestic hunting in remote places (like our place in Southern Colorado, the place we hunted in Idaho, etc), Ive got one of the Starlink Mini's that I put up in camp which gives us phone/email/etc capability pretty much anywhere we go..

Almost my exact thoughts.

You don't see cell cameras as a tool that can increase your chances of success? Granted, the same information can be obtained from a traditional game camera but only days or even weeks later. I've killed hogs the next day after seeing them appear on a cell camera.

Running surveillance on a property may or may not increase your chances.


I prefer the element of surprise. Not everything on earth has to be videoed or photographed

Agree.

It depends on your definition of 'success', I suppose. Is success taking a particular deer, or just a legal deer that you're happy with? A cell cam can tell you when and if a particular deer is coming to a feeder; but even then that's no guarantee it will be there when you are. But you can do the same with a card camera, just walk down there and pull the card. A lot of guys will be limited to one stand anyway. Are you going to sleep in if he's only showing up in the evening or are you going to go hunt your stand and see what shows up? Why are you out there - to kill one deer or to enjoy all the other aspects as well? Cell cams can certainly make you a more efficient hunter, if that is your goal. But again, how do you define success?

onX was great for our Colorado hunts and to keep blind locations updated. With 5 ranches, cell cams are immensely helpful to stay connected and try to figure what's up where and when.