As long as HuntAddicts.com has existed, we’ve strived to help DIY hunters find success in the field. For some states, we’ve provided some information on how to apply and start getting tags in other states. Since our start in 2009, there have been several companies that have developed software applications to shortcut research and unit information to help hunters find more hunting opportunities in new states. Two of the most discussed applications are GoHunt Insider and Eastman’s TagHub. Both are priced individually at about $150 per year. But is their information good and are they really worth it?

Nothing is going to replace your own hunting experience in a unit. However, someone familiar with these units is making suggestions on each of these units, whether it be in-house staff or locals who know the units. I think the information given is pretty accurate for the most part, but there are no secrets shared. All of this information has been available in the past, but it took much longer to acquire. Today it’s curated and delivered in a filter-based geo application that shortcuts your way into a lot of information that used to take many hours to acquire. Of course, the secrets, blooming units, and other information are pretty difficult to glean from these applications and everyone with $150 is going to be getting the same information that you are.

So is it worth it? If you’re looking for new opportunities, or starting from scratch in a new state I think they are. I currently have a GoHunt subscription and use it to learn more about trophy potential and draw odds in many states and units that I know nothing about. I prefer GoHunt to TagHub personally, but some of that rests in familiarity with the application and tradition. But, I’ll still stand by the fact that being familiar with a unit that you have hunted before is the best information you can acquire, the more recent the better.

If you’re looking to expand your seasons, add new hunts, and learn new areas, these applications can be a great tool. But use them in conjunction with a few of the “old-fashioned” ways of gaining information about units. Call biologists, talk to other hunters who have recently been in units, and do some pre-season, off-season or off-year scouting to see if it’s really an area you care to burn your points in or to start hunting in. Out-of-state hunts are a huge time and money investment, so make the most of it.

To Learn more about GoHunt, click the link below.