I use Basemap in the mountains of Utah with excellent results. You can save your hunt area to your phone so you don't require a cell signal to use it (in airplane mode). My battery has lasted the entirety of a ten day hunt this way. Additionally, it's very intuitive so you'll be able to figure it out in short order.

TOPO map of the area I'm hunting and I carry 2 SILVA compasses. I dont care for that high tech stuff and I found it confussing.

Decided to give the onX a try. Put it on my phone last night and tried using the various core functions during my 3-mile walk with the dog. Seems simple enough to use and does the 2-3 things I need it to do very well. Will try it again today when I go out to pull trail cam cards on the farm where I normally hunt.

A surprise capability, which is actually probably one of the reasons a lot of people use it, is that it identifies the "landowner" of property and the boundaries at a very detailed level. It will be a very helpful function on my upcoming hunt where the boundaries of the property I will be hunting are not clearly identified on the ground with fences, roads, rivers, etc. What the landowner identification tool also means in practical terms is that I now actually know the names of many neighbors I have been saying hello to every day for the past 7 years I have lived here in PA. I have always known their dogs' names, but never theirs. Then of course I can punch their name into Facebook or LinkedIn and I suddenly know a ton of information about them. Very helpful, but also very problematic on so many levels. That being said, we "crossed the Rubicon" with respect to social media more than a decade ago; now we just have to manage the risks.

I have navigated large complex Canadain lakes on foggy nights with canoe trips, to avoid big winds during the day, with a map and a compass and hit the portage trail heads on the spot. Last year a gentleman stopped and examined my beagle pup, he wanted me to train it for dog shows, he is handsome little fellow, but no. Then he stated that he was following his GPs on his BMW suv, going from a town NE of here to the next town SW of here. It told him to turn here and then turn there, and then he couldn't figure out where he was. Why his GPS had him coming past my yard made no sense. A choking yarn from a friend that lives in NE Iowa. the GPS on his devise had him taking the shortest route back to his car. He siad he knew he punched all of the numbers in right, but when he looked for the shorter route in the dark with his device, that route took him to a cliff south of New Albion. It was correct that was the shortest route back to his starting point.

I'm about the last person that would suggest jumping on the latest hi tech make life easier gimmick. I learned to use a compass and or map when a kid and continued using them when in the Army and for years afterwards so I have the ability to use the compass.

Saying all that ONX on your phone is light years ahead of anything else available, it's not even close. I've had Garmins gps etc. not even remotely close, even the most expensive gps cost more for less. You can download a map of the area you want to hunt(which is about as easy as any thing) put your phone on airplane mode while in the woods so your battery doesn't drain down, and you have instant use of the map with or without cell service. That's satilite photo, topo map or a combo topo overlain onto areal satilite pic. You can set the track mode and leave a dotted line of yourself on the map etc. It's absolutely dummy proof. If you were able to navigate yourself to this forum you have more than enough skills to operate ONX. I can't imagine how Garmin stays in business? Unless your being dropped off in trackless wilderness in interior Alaska there's not another better option than your phone and ONX. Common sense would tell you you need to at least keep up with your direction incase a rabid coon takes your phone away from you, so you can use the compass to get back to the truck. But other than that 99.99% of what hunters need the phone will suffice.

And it's all touch screen and in color. Ever spend time scrolling thru a Garmin GPS in black and white with 5 different buttons to get to the screen you can barley see? I have

I have an old Garmin that I have used for many years that has many tracks, wallows, and camp location saved. Very small screen and old technology but still useful. When I am hunting where there is cell coverage I use Maps the free driving gps. I change to the satellite view that shows an aerial photo of where I am and the country around me.

Always carry a paper map imo and a good compass, even if you decide to try the digital stuff. Nothing better for an overview of wider terain. Can't go wrong.

I have been using BaseMap for 3 seasons now. I chose it over ON X because I hunt several states each season and the membership covers the entire US. I'm not very tech savvy and even I find it pretty easy to use. And I like not having another device to carry since I will always have my phone with me. Download the maps before you go so you can still use them when out of cell service.

This should be an interesting topic!

I have not used any aps on my phone when hunting back country because power and signal are usually in short supply. I keep my phone turned off mostly.

I have an old garmin. It takes forever to aquire sattelites and the screen is so small its not really helpful except to point the way-ish back to camp.

I'm looking forward to hearing how newer technology works. Knowing how to get where you want to be is key to low stress successful backwoods adventure.