5 onX Hunt Tools Every Deer Hunter Should Know

After a few raps on the door, the landowner opened, and I quickly referred to him by name. The familiarity seemed to put him at ease and we started talking about his farm and life. Ten minutes later, my son and I climbed back in the truck with fresh permission to hunt some of the finest deer ground in the county. Were we lucky? Maybe. But it’s a tactic I’ve used throughout the years to score permission many hunters won’t work for.

Thanks to onX, it’s a lot easier to gain new permissions than it used to be. While most hunters use onX to better understand public and private hunting access, there’s a host of other features that make it an excellent tool beyond just e-scouting.

Whether you’re planting food plots, hanging treestands, tracking a wounded buck, or looking for new hunting permission, here are five onX Hunt tools every deer hunter should know.

If you plant food plots, spray herbicides, or manage habitat, you need to utilize the Area Shape tool. Instead of guessing the size of a food plot or field, simply use the tool to draw the boundaries of the area you want to measure with your finger. Within seconds, you’ll know exactly how many acres you need to prep for.

This means you won’t over-calculate seed requirements, fertilizer rates, lime applications, and herbicide needs. It’ll save you money and time in the long run.

Hunters are notorious for misjudging distances. Luckily, the Compass Mode feature helps eliminate the guesswork. With a quick look, you can accurately determine distances to terrain features, field edges, pinch points, rivers, bedding cover, and even potential shot opportunities. This can be especially useful when you scout unfamiliar ground or need to plan stand locations.

Knowing exact distances allows you to make more precise decisions when it comes to setting up for a hunt. Bow and rifle hunters will both appreciate this feature when it comes time to hang a stand within bow range of a trail or on the edge of a long field.

Treestand sites, bedding areas, scrape lines, rubs, food sources, and trail camera locations are all locations deer hunters need to remember. The Mark My Location feature allows you to save these spots with a simple tap. You can easily organize them and return to them anytime you need.

And one of the most underrated benefits is the ability to share these locations with friends and family (the ones you trust, of course). Need to show your hunting buddy exactly where a stand is located? Want your son or daughter to find a stand without getting lost? Simply share the waypoint. You can ditch the outdated (and haphazard) directions.

It’s also a valuable safety feature. Sharing your exact hunting location with family members ensures someone always knows where you’re hunting should an emergency arise.

Like its name implies, the tracking feature records your movement as you travel through the woods, creating a digital breadcrumb trail. For starters, it’s a tremendous aid for blood trailing a wounded deer. It’s easy to lose the trail during a recovery. Tracking allows you to see exactly where you have and haven’t been.

You can also use it to find your way back to the truck, especially on an unfamiliar property, in the dark. Because it tracks your distance, you can monitor how far you walk during scouting trips, shed hunts, or preseason habitat work, so you can know just how many miles you’ve covered.

Landowner information is key when you’re trying to score new hunting ground. This feature removes a ton of guesswork and allows you to connect the dots as you prepare for the big ask. Instead of burning gas, you can identify who owns a parcel before ever knocking on a door.

There’s something personable about using someone’s name, rather than starting the conversation with, “Do you own this property?” It’s a way to show landowners that you’ve put in some level of effort and respect in doing so. Those little details can go a long way when you’re trying to gain hunting permission. It doesn’t always work, but it certainly helps.

If you have onX, take a few minutes to explore these features if you aren’t familiar with them. You may discover that some of the most valuable hunting tools you own aren’t in your pack—they’re in your phone.