BaseMap: Mapping Your Way Through the Seasons

GPS mapping is a feature I’ve come to rely on quite heavily in the last few years. For a long time I almost always hunted alongside my husband, so getting lost wasn’t really a concern of mine. Then, at four months pregnant I ventured out elk hunting with my dad and learned a tough lesson. I wasn’t quite as savvy at navigating in the dark as I thought. I’d been saving some GPS markers on my Google maps, but a few days before my hunt the app notified me it was time to update, so I did. Long story short, my markers disappeared. I didn’t realize it until opening morning when I was trying to navigate my way through the brush. I got lost and separated from my dad. I couldn’t find my blind and I couldn’t find my truck. I got enough service to get a message to my husband who was 30 minutes away. Eventually, I was able to find a road and started walking in the direction I thought I’d left my truck. I found it after I’d been lost for about an hour. That night I downloaded OnXMaps and never looked back.

In 2019, I started to hear a lot of buzz about BaseMap. Friends were raving about its ease of use and innovative features, so I decided to give it a try. Instantly I fell in love with all the app has to offer.

Here are some of my favorite features…

Offline Maps: Offline maps allows you to download information about your favorite spots and use the map when you don’t have cell phone service. For most hunters I know, this is a must. Not only is it convenient when you are finding/dropping waypoints while scouting, but it also helps you in the field when you find sign or need to navigate to a certain ridge. Checking out the terrain ahead of time allows you to choose the best travel route.

Subscription includes all 50 states: As someone who loves to hunt the Pacific Northwest I love that I have access to all the states in my surrounding area in one place.

Take photos of locations: You can take photos in the field and post the photos of the locations in the app.

Hunting seasons and harvest reports: I’ve used this feature to check out different units to determine if I want to put in for the tag or not. And, also used the hunting seasons feature to quickly double check my tag information without logging on to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

In-App location sharing: This is a great feature if you’re in an area with cell service. You can actually share your location with others who have the app.

No matter the season, I use BaseMap to find my way, track animals, check season information and collect data. For me, it’s a running log of all my adventures. I love going back and looking at the places I’ve been.