onX Hunt: GPS Hunting Maps Reviews

by Jay Will 789

I was initially excited when I purchased OnX two years ago and found onXHunt helpful. However I will be canceling my membership and going with another service after many failed attempts to have issues corrected. I own a large parcel of land that is used primarily for hunting and fishing and often invite friends and family to hunt. I noticed the property lines on my land had switched to outdated lines from years ago. Also the land owner information was incorrect and displayed the previous owners information. I attempted to contact OnX and tried to tag the land with the updated ownership many times over the last year. It is very frustrating that after a year I have not got any response from OnX. I’m not paying for an outdated app and non existent customer service. I have found other apps that have the correct boundary lines and land owner information so I will be taking my business elsewhere. I will also be canceling the five other accounts I pay for that family and friends use. I am disappointed and frustrated that I have to start over with another app but I can’t justify paying for a service that isn’t correct.

by 86435692

Same story different version of onXHunt . The offline maps take forever to download, they don’t download at the same quality. I have major issues when I can scout from my phone or computer but download the map section (yes at the highest quality) and all I see in the field I blurry objects. It takes a lot of time and energy to download large portions of maps for offline storage and half the updates ONX comes out with deletes the saved maps you have stored. You have to turn on every layer to actually download that data which i guess isn’t the end of the world and maybe some guys don’t download all data to save room on their device? Not sure just make a button to click to download all available layers so you know your covered. I have always liked and used ONX but I could be so much better. They do a lot for land access and certainly have made a good name for themselves. Hopefully someone like basemap can put out a functional offline mapping version so those of us who utilize the offline version especially across multiple states and/ large portions of states for different species can easily download and access the data later.

by JGutch

Based on my direct experience using onXHunt as well as providing correct land owner information to OnX, they are very slow to update land ownership changes. I would venture to say that the land ownership is one of the most if not the most important map layer that hunters want to see. For the price that users pay for this subscription, this is the information that needs to be as current as possible, especially when onXHunt is showing a property as open to the public when it is actually privately owned.

I own property that was shown on onXHunt as open to the public when I purchased it nearly a year ago. onXHunt showed the property that was previously owned by a University Foundation as open to the public even though the foundation had it posted as private. I alerted OnX to this error and provided them all of the information they requested but the error still remains today. This land was never open to the public.

If this is the speed at which the company handles a critical map error, as a user I would not pay the extra for “elite” membership. Just my personal opinion as a hunter and subscriber.

by Aitch2483

App is ok. Satellite imagining is just ok compared to other apps that do the same service. Every other app is a lot cheaper also. I have been an on x user since they released onXHunt . In my opinion they pull some shady things when it comes to billing. Most apps remind you before they automatically bill you for the coming year. OnX doesn’t. They send you tons of marketing emails but nothing to remind you your billing is going to renew. On top of that, if you already have a subscription, don’t bother taking advantage of any sales or one of the discounts they offer on multiple social media/podcasts. If you’re current subscription is still active the new subscription will just replace the current one. So really you just lose months of already paid for service if you renew before your subscription is up. All of this was figured out by trial and error which is fine but customer service and or more transparency would be nice. From a long time user, who has relied on onXHunt for a lot… there are a lot better apps out there now that offer the same or more for a lot better price.

by Modizzledaddy

I love onXHunt so far, but one gripe.

The downloadable maps should be more customizable, or at least give me more options. I’m locked into low/medium/high res maps for offline use. The high and medium res maps have amazing detail, too much for my uses, and only lets me download a certain size (5 or 10 mile wide) plot at a time. If I wanted to download a 100 mile square I would have to download 10 different maps. Not the hardest thing in the world to do, but tedious when compared to other offline gps app like Gaia(this app and Gaia are very different, Gaia/off-roading navigation and this app I use for hunting).

The low res covers practically all of Colorado, and is close to detailed enough, but not quite. If they could make an offline map download option that was in between the low and medium res options, onXHunt would be everything I could hope for. I could download 4-8 maps and cover the entire state, and never have to worry about not having service when I want to check my location.

by Arizelkhunter

I have been using onXHunt now for approx. 3 years now. I have had a number of Garmin GPS units which helped to keep me on track in unfamiliar territory. None provided the amount of info that OnXmaps delivers and I was always having to work through bugs with them. I found myself using OnXmaps more and more and eventually only carried the GPS in the holder on my Ranger. Last year I found myself in a dispute on some land that was listed as US government trust land but was apparently being leased to an unnamed Native American tribe. The told me I couldn’t hunt on the land and called law is enforcement. Law Enforcement upheld my position and said that they also use OnXmaps.

The only thing that kept me from giving it 5 stars is that it only works in the vertical position on my IPad and doesn’t rotate. Yes, I admit that all of the landowner info isn’t up to the minute accurate, but last time I checked I’m not right 100% of the time either. If there is a piece of property I want to hunt on that’s private, I don’t take it for granted that it’s okay to hunt on, I try to contact them. If I can’t contact the landowner, I hunt somewhere else. Simple enough.

Highly recommend. Good luck in your adventures.

by Swimmobile

I really loved onXHunt for both of the features in my title, but now only one works. When tracking, onXHunt appears to close now when the iPhone screen is turned off. It may pick up the track by drawing a direct line from where it stopped tracking, to current location. Or the track will have been lost. Shucks. I really liked onXHunt, I’m hoping the developers can figure out this issue. Perhaps it could be my iPhone, but since this is the only app with challenges, I’m guessing it’s not.
UPDATE: developer responded with tip on how to recalibrate iPhone compass, which led to discovery that onXHunt only had access to location services when using it. Changing this permission to “always” should allow it to work more consistently when it’s running in the background. So I’m happy, thanks for the response!

by ~King55~

Best hunting map by far. I really love onXHunt the only problem I have is when saving maps offline the icons stay big and you can not see pass them. This is the only reason why I gave 4 stars I will change my rating when fixed.

Update. After messing around with the layers on the map I figured out the problem. The problem is one of the layers as soon as you take it off it will make the problem go away. So you have to delete the layer with the trail and recreations. Then re add them. Solved the problem and hasn’t happened anymore. I must admit customer service is amazing and fast but they couldn’t figure out the problem. But A+ customer service. They did offer some solutions but none of them worked but greatly appreciated.

Overall this is the hunting map to get. It’s great for trying to figure out where property line start so you won’t trespass. I would highly recommend to any hunter. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ App

by Lee2476

I have been using the onXmaps program on my iPhone for over a year here in Montana. It has become an indispensable tool for me. As in many states, Montana can have some very confusing land ownership patterns. There are places where the fences and mix of private and public land are so confusing that I refused to hunt them. Now I can go there with confidence. I had an issue recently with my saved for offline use maps. It was probably my fault. Still, I couldn't resolve it so I contacted onXmaps support. Right away I got an email with step by step instructions for resolving the issue which worked. So, great product, great customer support. I have told everyone that I know about this great product. If you hike, fish, hunt, backpack, you should buy this.

Update: I have been an enthusiastic user of the hunt app for years now. onXHunt just keeps getting better and my uses for it continue to expand. I and my hunting partners have used onXHunt to scout new areas among many other uses. This last season, we hunted a private ranch that had been broken into units on which the public could hunt in limited numbers. Before we hunted there, we put the boundaries of the partitioned ranch on our offline maps. We hunted that place with confidence. This is a great product and a great company.

by Beid72

The great Support team understood what I wanted in see in their app. First, my suggestion is when the live tracking is turned on your phone, your home computer with this application of Onx should instantly see you. It’s all web based. You shouldn’t have to save tracking first to have your home computer see where you have been. It’s a great safety feature that needs to be incorporated with app. Secondly, I would like to see new tracks start with a different color when you first use it. It helps seeing easier where you started and stopped during a good week of hard hunting. Currently you have to save track and then change its color. Cumbersome.

I hope onx will listen and get these features for others to use. It’s a great app that I will continue to use. They are kind and considerate and always willing to listen to new suggestions.

by Copper614

Honestly onXHunt is great. It takes a little time to figure out some things, like adding layers so that the user can view private land ownership. I really feel that this should be a default layer that you shouldn’t have to hunt for and add since it’s one of the most important features for determining whether customers purchase it or not. Once you figure out how to add it though, things are great. I had to contact customer service twice but fortunately those guys are on top of their game and helped me very quickly: once to figure out how to add the private land layer and once because I was just a dummy and tried to log in with the wrong email address. Overall, I’m really satisfied with onXHunt . It’s useful for more than just hunting season too. I work in law enforcement and frequently have to contact land owners. onXHunt makes traveling to or calling the county appraisal district obsolete. It’s really been a handy tool.

by Hamfe6

Now I will add to my review, that after posting this initial review I received an email response instructing me how to perform a task I didn’t know was possible. And I noticed a newsletter email detailing the same information. It is obvious the OnX company is devoted to doing their best work. Thanks OnX, please never go away.

onXHunt eliminates the necessity of a handheld unit for a lot of people. And the ability to share everything is tremendous. I can send tracks & waypoints to a guide who has never been to my ranch before and trust they’ll find their way. The OnX company constantly looks for ways to improve and innovate. I thank y’all very much for this. onXHunt has allowed me to do my job more efficiently and to explain things to existing and new landowners more thoroughly. Thank you. My only request at this point is to have a desktop version. But I understand that’s not really what onXHunt was built for. Anyhow thanks for the great product. Please keep up the good work. Seriously recommend for anyone wanting to setup a hunting ranch, or use for their own hunting or adventures.

VERY IMPORTANT! Some people believe Google Earth is better. I have used Google Earth for 14 years. I still am forced to use it for some of my work. However Hands down OnX has changed the game. GOOGLE EARTH’s app never works half as good and doesn’t have near as good location capability.

by AZ Nikko

Almost a year ago I had the opportunity to try OnX at a reduced rate annual subscription and figured that as an avid outdoor enthusiast I could not go wrong.

Since then, I have made OnX my premier map interface solution for ANYTHING outdoors. Whether I am hiking or driving, OnX allows me to chart the path, or if I am feeling bold, explore new territory which complete confidence of where I am and who owns the property I am on. Setting up waypoints and tracking my travel could not be easier or more customizable than what OnX offers. I am able to share my information with others to allow for geolocate tools or cross-reference to finer detail in Google Earth.

What makes OnX really shine is the ability to download areas directly to your phone for non-service use. All smartphones have built-in GPS that allows for satellite (not daw tower) usage to continue tracking your location. This is critical when you are in areas where service is unavailable. In addition to this are overlays unique to your area based on a plethora of data sources. This could be fire history, drought history, etc.. The layers are nearly endless, but each add a unique value that can be toggled on or off.

There are dozens of incredible features and functionality that surely one person couldn’t even take full advantage of in one year. I am still learning more and more about onXHunt through their Live Q&A sessions. You do not want to pass on this one!

by Nubbbbb

This is my first review. Ever. I have been using OnX Hunt for a few years now. I cannot stop recommending onXHunt to everyone I talk hunting with. I mark everything. Trails, tracks, rubs, scrapes, roosts, kills, sightings, treestands, blinds, trail cameras.... everything. At first I used it to keep inventory of my gear and where it was left. Now I share a few hunting spots and hunt some friends ground as well. They are now able to see where the trail cameras, stands and blinds are and can hang theirs accordingly. If I need or want them to check a cam? No problem. I can show them exactly where it is. From satellite and topo maps I am able to scout a lot from the air before I ever step foot on the property. And having landowner info is AWESOME when bow season is over and we change gears and start predator hunting. I measure, figure areas, scout, drop waypoints for everything. Best. App. Period. I will continue to pay for onXHunt and will continue to recommend it to anyone that truly takes their hunting seriously. Thank you for creating an app that is, in my opinion, one of the best tools a hunter can have in his pocket.

by Mr. Frantz

The versatility of onXHunt is second to none in regards to the realm of conservationists.
Being able to see all public, private, leases, wilderness areas, weather reports, etc. all from one app AND being able to ping places you’ve hunted so you can remember them for the next time is just too handy. That paired with the unbelievably reasonable subscriptions there truly isn’t anything to complain about, a service like this I was expecting to pay $$$/ month.
The customer service is beyond exceptional. I originally got signed up in Texas and use only the Texas OnX maps, I am now moving to Wyoming and when reaching out to support to see if I could get my states changed over there was no hassle. No, “well we can’t really do that” no, “well you have to pay a fee” no nonsense. I asked if that was something they could do and within 5 minutes they emailed me back politely letting me know that my request had been completed. Every conservationist in my family uses this, I would and do recommend onXHunt to every conservationist I come across.
Thanks for the awesome service OnX!

by JimMarcantel

Being that I am, from time to time, technologically challenged, it come to me as no surprise that I often cause myself trouble. A week or so ago, I noticed two separate charges to my credit card for OnX Hunt. After sending an email asking about the nature of this double charge, I promptly received an email clarifying that I was charged twice because I had created two accounts; one account subscribed to Elote services on a monthly basis, and another account subscribed to elite services on an annual basis. Acknowledging that the error was mine, I replied thanking the technician for helping me understand the cause of my problem, and asking them to please cancel the lesser used account, which was the annually renewed account. To my surprise and satisfaction, not only did the technical staff cancel the account, but they refunded my annual fee for the account I cancelled. Even though the error was my own doing, they refunded my money. Besides that, onXHunt is great when outdoors, whether hunting, fishing, or just being in nature. I never leave home without it!

by Dccycleworks

I was hesitant to try onXHunt after some other ones came up very short, but after a few friends recommended it I tried the free trial. I was hooked the first time I used it! For once there is an app that actually does what it advertises. Just today it was well worth the yearly subscription, I had hiked about 7 miles into the woods along a game trail and it was getting very hot and I was very tired, I decided to open OnX to see how much further I had to go if I stayed on the trail to intersect the road, when I opened onXHunt I saw that I had just started paralleling the road but the intersection was another two miles away, but as the crow flies I was only a half mile from the road, so I just hiked the half mile and was back on the road I had parked on saving me probably a couple hours.
Also customer support is great! I was having an issue with onXHunt when off grid sometimes, I emailed them about it and they responded quickly stating they were aware of the issue and it had already been fixed in the update that got released that same day, I updated onXHunt and it has been flawless ever since! Best app ever

by Hunt&FishVA

I’ve used a couple other apps in the recent past that were recommended by friends, but none of them were really user friendly or had all of the options that I was looking for. Then I found OnX. SO much easier to use than the other apps. It’s now my go-to-app when I’m at home looking at my maps or in the field marking game sign and scouting new areas for stands or blinds. I’m sold for life; OnX is perfect for my hunting map needs. Highly recommended!

**Update after 4 months of use**
The onX app continues to be one of the most useful hunting tools in my arsenal! I have completed mapping our 1200 acres of private hunting land using onX, including mapping all of the trails and marking locations of more than 110 tree stands. Throughout the process, I have learned more about the land that we hunt than I ever could’ve imagined. Thanks to onX, learning the (complete) lay of the land was so much easier than I thought it would be. I’ll definitely have onXHunt open every time I go in the woods! Being able to share way points with friends has been super helpful. If you’re considering trying out onX, do it with confidence! onXHunt is great!!

by CDiAKing

I have been using OnX for several years, both as a scouting tool and as a live tracker/GPS in the field. As an app I have never been disappointed in its performance nor have I had any need to reach out to their support staff, which I hear is world class. onXHunt has only ever been a powerhouse for me in times of need and I lean on it heavily.

OnX truly has become indispensable to any outdoors trip I do. The battery usage in offline mode is very reasonable, and the features they add with each update make it continue to improve on itself over time. It makes navigation in the dark significantly easier, has extremely detailed maps with customizable overlays and pins, locates your position with pinpoint accuracy, and you can take meticulous notes from every situation.

In fact, I consider it so important to my loadout that I also carry a sizable power bank to ensure that I can keep the GPS working, in case a trip takes a negative turn. I solo hunt often and OnX is my constant companion in the wild. I am glad to renew this service yearly as well as to support the team behind this incredibly useful app. Great product and thank you from a grateful customer.

by Hurleybird Johnson

Absolutely wonderful when compared to all other apps in its market segment, and although 3D maps are becoming a thing I’ve found them to be very slow and not so useful (topo tells the same story and doesn’t lag like most 3D maps do; I still just use Google Earth if I want a quick look). The only thing I notice between all apps is a less-than-accurate trails layer, and this is across all of them. But I know that’s asking a lot. MVUM and local hiking trails maps are still your best bet for accurate info there. The onX Hunt is the best all-around and most reliable app of all, meaning when you go offline you don’t suddenly have issues with the layers not being there or things of that nature. The only thing it could improve on is a layer that shows springs/creeks/rivers. Would help narrow down a place quickly. To date, there isn’t a one-stop-shop when it comes to e-scouting, but onX is by far the closest thing to it. I still use onC and goHUNT and Google Earth, but all my Waypoints are saved using onX & it’s the one I use when in the backcountry. This is a rapidly-evolving market segment however, so we’ll see what 2022 brings to the table.

by Steve_TN

Loaded On X on my iPhone, want to use it to mark our property lines with deer season coming up. Since we have marginal / no cell service I downloaded a high resolution map of the area. Started it up in the house, blue dot was frighteningly close to the spot in the room where I was standing - awesome! Put the phone in airplane mode and set On X to off line. There are a couple corners I hadn’t been able to locate so was hoping On X would get me within metal detecting range. Walked along the first line, app seemed to track nicely. Got to the first unknown corner, looks good, put a flag to come back with the detector. Then I proceeded to watch the blue dot just wander around, even though my phone was sitting on a stump. Was moving a couple hundred feet randomly - not comforting. Started on the east line, which runs around 1/4 mile, seemed to be tracking nicely, got to the corner and again saw the dot move randomly. Started to move again, noticed that the blue dot was not responding when I moved, walked quite a ways, no change. So I hiked back up to the ridge where there is a little cell service, exited airplane mode and set On X to on line. Started tracking again, I went around 500’ and noticed that the blue dot wasn’t moving. Gave up at this point - any idea what was gong on?

by Noel Hastings

I looked online and read reviews like most before getting onXHunt. Started with the 7 day trial and was blown away. The review is mixed due to confusion and some some support issues. After using onXHunt for several days on iPad and iPhone I loved it and planning multi-state trips in future I opted to buy the “Elite All States” annual membership. I soon upgraded my old GPS to a new Garmin 66st and was excited to try out this data on my GPS. I also bought a large SD card to accommodate the data but soon found no way to load the data. After some more research it was clear that you *cannot* use the data on anything but an iPhone or the web without their branded OnX Hunt chips which cost $120 for every state! So an annual membership and roughly 5 states would cost you nearly $700!!! I contacted support who told me that they would sell me a discounted chip as I already paid for the annual membership but when I called during business hours, as instructed, I got an answering message stating they were closed. I am now conflicted. Even with a hefty discount it seems to truly use this on my GPS I will need to buy several more chips and since I can’t get through to support I am not sure what that discount will even be. The data and format are amazing and I would give that 5 stars but the support and value thus far are around 2-3 stars. I will update with more as I get a better sense for what they can do and what it will cost me.

by Dogcoyhunter

So far I do like onXHunt . I’m only in the trail period, but so far it’s been a little slow to respond and their are a lot of times their has been blank spots, in other words white spot blocks all over my map when I move in or out. Sometimes they go away after a very long time or they stay and I don’t know what is behind them. The layers have been ok, sometimes a little hard to follow. I wish the whole app would rotate, not just the map. I’m more the likely to get onXHunt . But before I do I will be taking it out and doing some of my testing. But the biggest thing I’m worried about is the slow loading and big areas of white spots. I’m using onXHunt on my iPad.

Update: the white spots have improved a lot. Still a little slow in loading. Now it’s the speed it’s way off or it freezes. It mostly shows the speed faster then I’m going or it’s why below what I’m going. I still would like to see the whole app rotate. I like my iPad in landscape. It’s much easier for me to see it.

by Cgiven94

If you hunt public land, big country, national forest, or if you just want to look and mark things on your own property onXHunt os perfect! I downloaded a map of national forest and me and a buddy took it to the mountains (Miles and miles away from service) and we hiked 10 miles after we left the truck and came to a rock cliff. On the way back down we wanted to avoid the rock cliff in the dark so we swung right and accidentally went 2 draws over and started down the wrong hollow. Pulled out my phone (still no service) and looked at my downloaded map and walked to the truck which i had marked. Not only that but i was able to mark specific sign and leave notes on the map to remind me whats going on for next season to have a game plan. Highly recommend onXHunt to everyone! Only downfall is i wish you could pay for more than 1 state, but not pay for 50 states when you might only need 1-4 states.

by Brinton Cary

I've used the one state app as a Premium user for my home state of Oregon for a few years. Recently, I upgraded to the Elite package and have used the Offline feature extensively on several out of state hunts this year.
Backcountry is one thing but I may be searching out access near private lands close to town where suddenly I lose service and have found I am saving these maps no matter where I hunt. It could be me, but the opacity/transparency is darkened many times making it difficult to see my layers. That's my only issue.
I suggest watching podcasts featuring the OnX guys to glean more info on getting the most from onXHunt .
After seeing one such episode, I learned about the layers for wildfires and timber harvests where you can see what year and whether it was a thinning or clearcut. This is vital info for hunters in the logging country of the PNW.
Overall, onXHunt has become an essential tool for all of my hunts.