Not long ago, someone left a comment on our Top Hunting Apps post, mentioning the new Quiver App. I had recently bought a new iPhone, so I started getting some new apps and remembered Quiver.
Quiver is a free mobile hunting journal that allows you to log events during your hunts. You can log deer sightings, take notes, add photos, mark shots taken, and when a deer is down. You can as much or as little detail as you want.
The Quiver Hunting App is built by bow hunters who know what works. The team has been building this app on their own, and it’s clear they are passionate about it. They know what is important in an app and what is a gimmick. Now that I’ve used Quiver for an extended time, I wanted to share what I found.
Contents:
What I like Best
Documenting Hunts – This is perhaps the best thing about recording your hunts. You are creating a digital diary of your day. It ends up being really fun to be able to go back to relive your best hunts, blow by blow. I find that adding more photos can really make the logs come to life.
Spotting Weather Trends – You can see the detailed weather data time-stamped at different points during the hunt. This is really useful as you log more hunts and start to see patterns of deer movement with the weather activity.
Great Interface – I love the ease of use of the app. In a few short steps, you confirm your location, give your hunt a name and you are off and running. Make sure you allow the app access to your location, for it to work properly. Adding an ‘Activity’ is as simple as tapping the + and choosing the type of activity you wish to log. Then you slip the phone back in your pocket until something else interesting happens.
iPhone Stability – I had always been an Android user, for no reason really, other than iPhones were expensive. Phones are getting bigger to the point of ridiculousness (Android phones, I’m looking at you). So, when it was time to get new phones, I didn’t hesitate to get an iPhone SE, while my wife got a 6S. We have both been extremely pleased with them. Apps simply work better on iPhones. They are more stable and far more reliable. The Quiver team was smart to start out with an iPhone app.
Feature Wish List
As solid and polished as it is in its current version, there are a few things I would like Quiver App to add in the future. These things would take it from a really good app to a great app.
Share to Facebook – Sharing a hunt to Facebook is an awesome idea. The problem is, like the big buck approaching my stand, is the app only gives me one shot at doing it. If I’m out of service range, I’m out of luck to share my hunt.
I would like to see a share option on all past hunts. Say I’ve been patterning a trophy whitetail over the season; it would be fun to be able to share a previous trip with a photo to show people what I’m after. That would be great fun to see my friends chase and take an elusive trophy.
Editing Hunts – In the excitement of heading out and climbing my stand, I sometimes forgot to start my hunt right away. I couldn’t find a way to edit the start and stop times of the entry. I’m sure the guys at Quiver will be able to do something about that in future versions.
Data/Analytics – It will be great if (when) the app can take all your previous data, crunch the numbers, and give you recommendations for when and what stand might be most likely to be active for that day. I don’t expect it to do all my thinking for me, but it would be neat to see how the data aligns with my ideas.
Trail Camera Integration – I’ve got a lot of trail cameras in my kit, and it would be nice if there was a way to integrate the photos into the app. Not necessarily as a photo management system, but more as a way to see what deer have been visiting the stand I’m in, while I’m there.
Final Thoughts
After using Quiver App a few times this past season, it has become a must-have app for me. I plan on using it extensively on all my scouting and hunting trips. Being able to look back at any day, and having it right there in my pocket is an advantage. It also helped me realize the more data I can collect, the smarter hunter I can become, and at the end of the day, that’s what I want technology to do for me.
