Over the last 40 years, my hunting navigation has progressed in the usual way. I started with a map and compass, then moved on to a basic handheld GPS, and eventually arrived where we all are now: full-featured apps using the convenient touchscreen interface of a smartphone.
Spartan Forge
Navigation apps with hunting features have really expanded recently. Among the many hunting apps available, Spartan Forge integrates unique, AI-driven features that differentiate it from the competitors.
Mapping
Spartan Forge is fundamentally a mapping application, providing users with high-resolution imagery and a range of mapping features. Primary mapping layers include UAV, three different SAT options, LiDAR, and Topo. UAV is similar to satellite options, but with better imagery gathered through the use of drones. One of my favorite features is the inclusion of a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) layer. This technology provides incredibly detailed topographical data, revealing subtle terrain features, and even old roadbeds that would otherwise remain hidden. The extra detail in the LiDAR layer can be really useful in evaluating and identifying potential feeding, bedding, travel and cover areas.
Topo Maps
The Topo lines can be added to any base map, but there is also a dedicated Topo base map. My favorite mapping apps allow for the use of USGS topographic maps, and I personally use these layers for almost all of my hunting. I really wish a USGS topo base map layer was available in Spartan Forge.
Detail Options
Besides the base maps, Spartan Forge has a number of detail layer options including trails, roads, buildings, water, land, agriculture, public land, private land, slope angle, counties, cities, timber cuts, and fire history. The hunter can just press the button to add the information layers they want. Further, there are three presets you can set with combinations you access frequently. I really like that feature. Yet another menu of layer data is state specific, and provides overlays for unit boundaries by species. I was impressed by the accuracy of the data, and found no real discrepancies with other apps.
GPS Features
Spartan Forge includes the usual GPS features including waypoints, measure distances, and route tracking. You can even go through an import process and move data from another app into Spartan Forge so you aren’t starting from scratch. I found GPS reliability and accuracy to be similar to other mapping apps I’ve used. One nice feature is a wide variety of waypoint types including elk and deer specific labels and icons.
Blue Force Tracker
Spartan Forge has another really unique feature in the “Blue Force Tracker.” Users make a team of Spartan Forge users, designate an area, and any pins dropped in the designated area automatically update to the whole team. It is a clever system, but Spartan Forge advised me they are still refining the implementation. Hunters should be careful they are only using this type of feature in accordance with the state law in their hunting state in regards to electronic communication between hunters.
Intel Features
The Spartan Forge App has an “intel” button on the map that provides up-to-date weather information, sunrise/sunset times, predicted rut dates, and other information.
One of the most distinctive aspects of Spartan Forge’s Intel tab is its focus on research-based whitetail deer movement prediction. Leveraging years of data from GPS-collared whitetail deer, the app correlates movement patterns with weather conditions, time of year, and other environmental factors to generate forecasts. This AI-powered prediction tool aims to provide hunters with information on when and where deer are most likely to be active.
Does it work? It’s hard for me to say, but I like the science-based approach. Hunters get the information via a “Movement” and “Pattern” rating. The movement rating can be either Core Area (CA), Transition Area (TA), or Full Range (FR). The pattern ratings are Normal (NOR), Abnormal (AB), and Very Abnormal (VAB).
My Content
Spartan Forge stores the users gps waypoints, tracks, teams in the “My Content” tab. This information can be synced easily with the web version of Spartan Forge.
Journaling
The Spartan Forge journaling feature allows hunters to record activity, note locations, access points, sign, and add photos. I didn’t use this feature often, but I can see how some hunters will find this pretty useful.
Web Version
The web-based version functions similarly to the mobile app and is easy to sync. There is a fairly straightforward process for importing waypoints and tracks in the standard formats for those hunters migrating or supplementing another app. I like the Spartan Forge web version and found it a powerful e-scouting tool, especially with the high-resolution LiDAR layers. A really nice feature was the sun exposure feature, which lets you preview how sunlight will affect the landscape on different dates and at different times.
Field and Offline Use
The Spartan Forge app was generally a good performer on my iPhone 15 Pro. Everything worked smoothly in the field, from generating and finding waypoints to accurately representing my current location. Over months of use, I only had two crashes, where the app just closed out and I had to reopen it. That is similar to other mapping apps I have used. Layers switched effortlessly.
Offline use was the biggest gripe I had with the Spartan Forge App. You can select which base map and information layers you want before downloading. You must choose from ultra-low-resolution, low-resolution, and high-resolution options.
The ultra low resolution option restricts the hunter to downloading a 1500 square mile area, while the low resolution option restricts to 16 square miles, and the high resolution option restricts to just 2.25 square miles.
The ultra-low resolution option did not have sufficient information for my uses. The high-resolution area “blocks” were just way too small for western hunting. The low resolution option was what I used, but 16 square miles was still way too small, and I ended up doing a bunch of work selecting overlapping square areas to get my hunt area covered. I much prefer the Gaia GPS app, which allows me to select a resolution level and draw as large of an area as I want, as long as I have the time and phone storage to get it downloaded.
The app automatically loads the saved maps when the phone is without service. This worked well, although if I did get a hint of service, the app would try to download additional data with varying degrees of success.
Pricing
Spartan Forge offers competitive monthly ($8.99) and yearly ($59.99) pricing options. A 14-day free trial allows hunters to explore the app before committing to a subscription.
Conclusion
Spartan Forge is a really interesting option for western hunters on the market. It is clearly rooted midwest and eastern whitetail deer hunting with the unique AI-based whitetail data. However, western whitetail deer hunters can benefit from those features as well.
While Spartan Forge doesn’t have my favorite implementation of offline maps, it is workable, especially if the hunter doesn’t need large areas of offline mapping. This makes it especially attractive to midwest and eastern whitetail hunters that also make a trip out west occasionally.
Spartan Forge has a full-featured user experience and good video support on their website to get hunters up and running. The high-resolution map layers, particularly the UAV and LiDAR layers, are really class-leading in giving a high-quality experience to the hunter.
As a company, Spartan Forge is very user-responsive. Since launch, they have changed much of their user experience and are constantly evaluating and improving their product. As I mentioned, a USGS topo layer would be welcome to western hunters like me.
Integrating biological data and predictions for western species in a similar way to the whitetail data would also be a welcome addition. In particular, rut and migration data would be really cool to see. I would also put on the wishlist a more streamlined and flexible offline use system, allowing efficient base layers for large areas in low-coverage areas. Hunters in areas with good service, however will be able to get the most out of Spartan Forge, and it certainly warrants a close look for hunters looking for a quality mapping app.
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