A Michigan hunting company has launched an app that features an algorithm that tracks whitetail deer movement as well as mapping features.
Grand Rapids’ Sportsman Tracker, a hunting and fishing toolset that allows users to locate, log, report, and predict their activities, has launched HuntCast 2.0. The new app is powered by data and artificial intelligence and is the company’s second app. The first is HuntWise.
The company has teamed with Jeff Sturgis, biologist, habitat design specialist, and founder of Whitetail Habitat Solutions. Sturgis has worked for more than 30 years as a biologist and developed the algorithm.
A mid-September report from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources indicated that overall participation in deer hunting was up nearly 27 percent compared to the same time the previous year, and overall participation in hunting was up 121.6 percent. The DNR has reported similar increases in other states across the country.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to team with HuntWise to launch HuntCast 2.0, which goes beyond weather by combining tech, science, and 30 years of insight, knowledge, and experience, to create the most powerful deer prediction algorithm the market has ever seen,” says Sturgis.
Sportsman Tracker introduced HuntWise in 2017. It is used by more than 1.5 million hunters and offers peak hunting time predictions for popular North American game.
HuntCast 2.0 has further innovated the technology to cover public and private land boundaries for all 50 states, unlock 3-D mapping options and more than 350 state and federal map overlays, and include downloadable options such as offline maps, peak movement times for more than a dozen North American species, and hunting land-owner parcel and contact information.
“We designed HuntWise to help hunters improve their success in the outdoors by utilizing advanced species-tracking technology and mapping as well as connecting them with a community of dedicated sportsmen to seek and share advice,” says Jeff Courter, CEO of HuntWise.
“We continually strive to pursue innovation and new ideas as we work to deliver the ultimate outdoor toolset, especially with the post-pandemic growth we’ve seen across this industry. We believe the launch of HuntCast 2.0 brings us even closer to this mission, and we’re excited to help revolutionize the way we hunt in our communities and across the nation.”
