As long as I can put in my zip and it shows me the closest place to hunt and a link to a map of that property you'll have accomplished the mission

 

DOes the App work on Blackberry?

 

Unfortunately, the Blackberry platform is not supported. It is available for iPhone and Android.

 

if I had a suggestion it would be to scale the opacity .
25% min is still to dark ,or an option to "box" the opac area.

another would be ,,if possible to update the sat images seasonaly.
summer green woods look far different then late fall woods

 

For the next version, we are looking at either 10% opacity increments or a 0 - 100 slider bar for the Opacity. On the satellite imagery, we must use the existing Apple or Google imagery which is embedded in the map API. Surveying and building custom satellite imagery layers is cost prohibitive.

 

I have not downloaded the app to date. I am just curious why the high price tag? I realize that this is something I will have for ages, but I have not been entirely happy with other apps from the state, such as the PA State Parks and Forests app, which makes me a little gun-shy about pulling the trigger on this app with the hefty price tag. I have only ever spent this much on one app before and that was the app called Docs that does word/excel/powerpoint/etc.

 

AppGuy,

This app is awsome. I've had it for quite some time and I use it regularly for image scouting game lands as well as nearby private and public lands I hunt.

Perhaps some map overlays of state/county parks and federal lands would be great. And how about some cool "stand location" markers as well as other wildlife sign markers for private study would be great. For example, if I could make custom labels, and drop pins/markers onto my map It would assist me in defining locations of areas where turkey's roost, grouse feed, rabbits hide, deer bed, buck scrape, ect ect.

Keep up the good work!

I highly recommend this app to every hunter who uses game lands and scouts from his armchair. Love it!

 

I am an independent developer contracted by the Game Commission to create and maintain the app so I cannot speak for the Game Commission officially. My take is that developing, maintaining, and updating apps is very costly. By charging for the app, the Game Commission can recoup their initial development costs and assure the apps continued funding for updates without impacting other wildlife programs.

There is no questions that the app will never be perfect and never be done either. I joined this forum to make sure the hunting community was involved and could express their wants as well as get answers to why things are designed the way they are. After all, my own income is somewhat based on meeting your needs. Of course the Game Commission has the final say on any feature within the app however I am given a lot of leeway to design the app and have been able to incorporate may user suggestions through the development process. For an app that is just over a year old, it has matured greatly.

In looking at the other apps you mention, I believe those aps were developed by an independent company. The company had built a base app that they marketed to state agencies across the US. The state share's their data and allows the company to say this is the "Official" app. The company then customizes the app somewhat and releases it at no charge to the state. In exchange, the company gets advertising revenue generated within the app. This is a different development model than the Game Commission chose. The Game Commission app is a purpose built app for Hunter's in Pennsylvania.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

As a former developer (in management now) kudos to you for putting yourself "out there" seeking feedback. It's the only way to operate!

 

a federal and state overlay would really be nice
as well as GC coop and open municipal lands.
I know of several county or municipal parcels that are public access

I currently need to use 3-4 different mapping utilities and honestly fund no 1 that covers everything

 

State Park, Forest and Allegheny National Forest boundaries are under consideration for the next release. Because of the complexities of DCNR regulations, it would not be possible to include location specific regulatory information.

County and Local data is not economically feasible at this time. It is also subject to change. I know there are apps out there that provide that information however in my opinion, I would be leery of that information. Local governments don't necessarily have the resources to keep that information up to date on an ongoing basis.

 

Any chance of seeing some integration with Google Maps? Some hunters may already have a lot of custom maps, tracks, waypoints, etc. stored in Google Maps. How about the option of downloading satellite imagery for offline use?

I have not purchased the app to date because of the price. Once I see the app mature some more and more features are added, I'll consider the purchase. Until then, I'm fine using a combo of other apps to navigate the PA woods during hunting season.

 

I assume you are talking iOS app here in terms of the Google Maps. Android already uses the Google API but we may not have it configured as you would want. One tough thing here it that the iOS version is using some features that are not available in the Google API so using Google would involve some sacrifice as well. Interesting idea with the custom tracks. We might be able to import these from Google using KML and visualize them on the map. No promises though. Smaratphone mapping has some inherent limitations as to what you can do. That is why you often need multiple apps. It just can't be crammed into a single universal app. I like the idea of caching satellite images too. Again no promises but exactly the kind of feedback we need.

 

I have downloaded the App and would love to see the addition of State Forest locations.

Also, is it possible to integrate a calendar that you can click on a date and see what is in season? It would be nice if I could say click on today's date and see what I can go hunt. (Maybe you're out in the woods and come across a critter that you've never seen in the wild before and are unfamiliar with its season since you've never seen one before you didn't bother to check if it was in season.)

 

Like others here the hefty price tag for the app is what is keeping me away. Especially since the PGC has there new GIS game lands map which snit really that helpful but better than they had before. I can use google maps to fill in the rest but if the PGC lowers the price of the app I would give it a try.

 

Joles

A calendar is tough because the species you can hunt is based on your WMU, the date, and the permits you hold. What you are really talking about is creating a calendar for every day of the year for every WMU plus every special regulation area within those WMUs. Right now, the details page covers location specific seasons for just about every critter you can hunt. All you have to do is look for that species in the list and know today's date and you'll know if you can shoot. It also tells you what permits you need to take the shot.

 

Bug Report

We have discovered a small bug in the iOS version of the app and have an easy work around should any of you find yourself in the situation. We will be issuing an update soon to resolve this problem.

When a new waypoint is created using the "Plus" button from the Waypoint List, the values of the Latitude and Longitude for that new waypoint are zero. If you try to enter latitude or longitude at that point, the app crashes. If you first tap "Use Current", this initializes the values and you can then enter the coordinates you want without issue.

It can take several weeks to get a new version through Apple's approval process and with Regular Firearms Season starting in a few days, I wanted to get the workaround out to all of you.

 

Does the app allow for exporting the SGL boundaries (.kmz & etc) for use in other mapping applications?

I'd be more inclined to pay a couple bucks for a file that has all the SGL boundaries that I can import into my existing mapping application. What I don't need is a dozen different apps for navigation.

 

What are the chances of try it before you buy it? In other words allow a download and a trial usage period.

 

What are the chances of try it before you buy it? In other words allow a download and a trial usage period.

x2
I would like to try it, but hate to spend the $, if I am unhappy with it.

 

Apple does not allow trisl periods. They require apps to be useful forever or they will not be allowed on the App Store. That goes for free apps as well so a trial is not possible on Apple. Google does allow this type of thing however implementation involves a large backbone and constant maintenance which would not be financially viable.

You can download a free Game Lands boundary KML from the link below.

http://www.pasda.psu.edu/uci/MapService.aspx?Dataset=86

Click "View in Google Earth (kml)" to download the file you want.

This will at least give you the SGL boundaries in KML but will not include parking areas or any other features included in the Game Lands app.

 

The PASDA .kml file doesn't work particularly well. The scaling when zooming is marginal at best and parcel data is non-existent. I posted a better work around on here today.

PASDA also has a parking area file and a SGL road file. The roads seem to still be in the mapping and development stage as they're not complete.

 

I was looking at a new game lands to hunt this weekend and the transparency is not working. Any one else having any issues. The app is up to date on my phone.

 

I downloaded it, for what it does i don't think it was worth the price. Maybe add the co op farms and game restrictions. I tried to add notes to a way point and it wasn't showing up what i was typing, but when i saved it it was there. Went back to edit my note and same thing happened so must be a bug on ios.