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Pennsylvania Deer Hunter Launches New Tracking App

A Pennsylvania deer hunter has turned years of hunting experience into a new app dedicated to all who enjoy the sport.

The result is TrophyTracks, which allows hunters to track observations, field notes, photos, harvests, and weather information for their hunting locations.

“I’ve been a whitetail hunter for years,” with years of experiences, explained Dan Hansel of Houtzdale, P.A. “But I have 25 deer stand locations and I’d wake up in the morning and try to decide, ‘Where should I hunt today?’”

Last fall, he hunted 23 hours at his most promising spot during the state’s archery season.

Experiences such as that one made Hansel ask himself, “Why can’t I build this into an app?”

Now available on Google Play and the Apple App Store, the application is the modern-day hunter’s new best friend. The hunter can record memories in his or her journal, predict the best days to hunt, and helps them find the right spot at the right time.

The free membership allows an unlimited number of reports but limits the number of photos you can save.

While the paid version allows for more photos, Hansel wants people to know that images aren’t the reason for TrophyTracks..

Hansel, who’s also the assistant IT director at Penn State, stated the statistics are the heart and soul of TrophyTracks.

For example, the app’s technology can look at the reports from two different deer stand locations. Afterward, it gives the hunter the statistic to decide which stand gives you the highest probability for success under the current circumstances.

The hunter can also enter those reports live while in the field or at home.

TrophyTracks: More Than Mapping For Hunters

“It’s your personal log, like hunting journals that some sportsmen maintain, but more immediate, easier to enter information and amplified with automatic map details,” Hansel explained.

TrophyTracks’ mapping function will also continue to enhance to allow capabilities for live-tracking on the hunter’s location as they hunt.

However, Hansel says TrophyTracks is more than just mapping.

“It’s more than just about the map, it’s about your observations.”

The personalized reports, compiled within the app, provide “insights into which locations are giving the best results to start patterning the deer to find the right spot at the right time.”

Additional features include allowing the hunter to input data, including game species other than deer. In the future, Hansel intends to make it adaptable to other species.

Since mid-September, TrophyTracks has garnered more than 650 users. While word of mouth has been capturing new users, the pandemic has put a hiccup in the roll-out.

The coronavirus has limited Hansel’s informational visits to gun shops, and deer processors forced him to cancel outdoor shows.