The Trail Pro Intel Blog
Scouting guides, hunt forecasting strategy, gear breakdowns, and trail-cam workflow tips from the field — written for whitetail hunters who pattern their property year-round.
2026 Rut Predictions, State by State
Peak breeding dates and the exact week to hunt for every state — Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, and more. Start at the national hub and jump to your state.
- 012026 Whitetail Rut Predictions: State-by-State Peak DatesField Manual
- 022026 Rut Predictions by State: Your Whitetail Rut Map for Every StateField Manual
- 03Trail Pro Intel vs onX Hunt: The Free onX Alternative in 2026Comparison
- 04Georgia Deer Season 2026-27: Dates, County Rules & What to KnowField Manual
- 05Best Free Hunting App 2026: What's Actually Free in 6 AppsComparison
Indiana Deer Season 2026-27: Dates, Zones & What to Know
Indiana's 2026-27 deer season opens Oct. 1 for archery; firearms season runs Nov. 14-29. Full dates, reduction zone rules, and license basics.
How Much Does HuntWise Cost in 2026?
HuntWise Pro costs $59.99/yr ($19.99/mo) and Elite $119.99/yr ($39.99/mo) on the App Store; the site shows $4.99–$9.99/mo billed annually. Full 2026 breakdown.
Kansas Deer Season 2026-27: Dates, Units & What to Know
Kansas' 2026-27 deer season opens Sept. 14 for archery & early muzzleloader; regular firearms run Dec. 2-13. Full dates, unit caveats, permit basics.
Minnesota Deer Season 2026-27: Dates, Zones & What to Know
Minnesota's 2026 deer season opens Sept. 19 for archery; the firearm opener is Saturday, Nov. 7. Full dates by permit-area series, plus license basics.
Illinois Deer Season 2026-27: Dates, Permits & What to Know
Illinois' 2026-27 deer season opens Oct. 1 for archery; firearm season runs Nov. 20-22 and Dec. 3-6. Full dates, county caveats, and permit lotteries.
Missouri Deer Season 2026-27: Dates, Portions & What to Know
Missouri's 2026-27 deer season opens Sept. 15 for archery; the firearms November portion runs Nov. 14-24. All portions, dates, and permit basics.
Wisconsin Deer Season 2026-27: Dates, Zones & What to Know
Wisconsin's 2026 deer season opens Sept. 12 with archery & crossbow; the nine-day gun hunt runs Nov. 21-29. Full dates, zone caveats, license basics.
Iowa Deer Season 2026-27: Dates, Seasons & What to Know
Iowa's 2026-27 deer season opens Oct. 1 for archery; Shotgun 1 runs Dec. 5-9 and Shotgun 2 Dec. 12-20. Full season table, license and tag basics.
Pennsylvania Deer Season 2026-27: Dates, WMUs & What to Know
Pennsylvania's 2026-27 deer season: archery opens Oct. 3, 2026; firearms run Nov. 28-Dec. 13, Sundays included. Full dates, WMU notes, license basics.
How Much Does onX Hunt Cost in 2026?
onX Hunt costs $34.99/yr for Premium (1 state), $49.99/yr for two states, or $99.99/yr for Elite ($14.99/mo). A free Basic tier exists. Full 2026 breakdown.
Ohio Deer Season 2026-27: Dates, Zones & What to Know
Ohio's 2026-27 deer season opens Sept. 26, 2026 with statewide archery; gun week runs Nov. 30-Dec. 6. Full dates, DSA rules, and license basics.
Georgia Deer Season 2026-27: Dates, County Rules & What to Know
Georgia's official 2026-27 deer season dates haven't been posted yet — WRD's new guide lands in late July. Here's the adopted framework, last season's confirmed dates, and what to expect for archery, primitive weapons, and firearms.
South Carolina Deer Season 2026-27: Game Zone Dates & What to Know
SC's deer season windows are fixed by law: Zone 3 opens Aug. 15, Zone 4 guns Sept. 1, Zones 1-2 in October — all closing Jan. 1. Game Zone table and tag rules inside.
When to Hang Trail Cameras: Summer Buck Inventory Guide
Early July is the window to hang trail cameras for summer buck inventory — velvet bucks are on predictable bed-to-feed patterns. Where and how to set up.
Texas Deer Season 2026-27: Dates, Zones & What to Know
Texas' 2026-27 whitetail general season runs Nov. 7-Jan. 3 (North Zone) and Nov. 7-Jan. 17 (South Zone), with archery Oct. 3-Nov. 6. Full TPWD-confirmed dates by season and zone inside.
The free plan now includes unlimited locations
The 3-location cap is gone — map as many properties, spots, and trail cameras as you run, free.
New free tool: the best time to hunt today
A free, public page with today's solunar windows, moon phase, and a 0–100 hunt score for any state — no account needed.
Clubs: an events calendar, invite emails, and harvest photos
Three upgrades for hunting clubs — a shared events calendar, invitations that email your crew, and photos on the kill log.
Clubs are now free for up to 3 members
Run a small crew free — up to 3 members on the full club app, no trial clock. Grow your whole lease by upgrading to $349/yr or $39/mo, with no member limit on a paid club.
Hunting Club Software: Run Your Whole Lease in One App
Hunting club software that runs your whole lease — stand signups, a shared kill log, dues tracking, and an AI-tagged trail-cam feed for the crew. Free for clubs of 3 or fewer; one per-club price after, members always free.
2026 Rut Predictions by State: Your Whitetail Rut Map for Every State
The 2026 whitetail rut map, state by state — every state's peak breeding dates and phase-by-phase timeline in one place. Tap your state for its full rut prediction, or its daily solunar calendar to time your sits.
Best Free Hunting App 2026: What's Actually Free in 6 Apps
Best free hunting app 2026: six apps ranked by what you actually get without paying. Most free tiers are trials or ad-walled teasers — here's the honest cut.
Pick Your Species and Your Forecast Range
The hunt forecast now follows the animal you're after. Switch between whitetail, turkey, elk, waterfowl, bear, coyote, and hog on the Overview and Weather screens, and set a 3, 7, or 10-day outlook (Pro) that sticks across the app.
Trail Pro Intel Clubs — One App for Your Whole Lease
Run your hunting club or lease in Trail Pro Intel: stand signups, a shared AI trail-cam feed, a kill log, dues, and a food-plot schedule — one subscription for the whole crew. Free for clubs of 3 or fewer, then $349/year (or $39/month) for up to 15 members — members always free.
Resources Hub, Product Docs & a Public Changelog
We launched a Resources menu, a /docs hub for how-to guides on every feature, and a /changelog that lists what shipped — without the bug-fix noise.
Trail Pro Intel vs Spartan Forge: Built for the Backcountry
Trail Pro Intel vs Spartan Forge in 2026 — the full hunting workflow built for the backcountry vs a $79.99/yr AI deer-prediction specialist. Pricing, trail cameras, offline access, and where each app wins.
Michigan Deer Season 2026: What Actually Changed (and What Doesn't Until 2027)
A plain-language read of Michigan's largest deer-regulation overhaul in years — Wildlife Conservation Order Amendment No. 6 of 2026 — including which changes hit this fall, which wait for 2027, and what hunters need to plan for.
Best Wind for Deer Hunting (with a Free Wind Tool)
The definitive guide to wind direction for whitetail hunters — how to read wind for every stand, why wind speed and thermals matter as much as direction, and a free wind tool to visualize your scent cone before every sit.
2026 Whitetail Rut Predictions: State-by-State Peak Dates
State-by-state 2026 whitetail rut predictions — peak breeding dates plus pre-rut, chasing, lockdown, and post-rut windows, with strategy for each phase.
How to Scout Deer Online: The E-Scouting Playbook
A complete e-scouting playbook for whitetail hunters — how to scout deer on public land from your couch using aerial imagery, terrain, wind, and pressure analysis before you ever set foot in the woods.
Trail Pro Intel vs HuntWise: What HuntWise Really Costs in 2026
HuntWise pricing in 2026: Pro is $59.99/yr ($19.99/mo) and Elite is $119.99/yr ($39.99/mo) on the App Store — the site advertises $4.99 and $9.99 per month billed annually. See how that compares with Trail Pro Intel, the free hunting app with AI trail-camera analysis.
Trail Pro Intel vs DeerCast: Forecast Plus the Full Workflow
A practical 2026 comparison of Trail Pro Intel and DeerCast — real DeerCast pricing (Elite $29.99, Elite+ $49.99, Unlimited $74.99 per year), forecasting, trail-camera analysis, and mapping. See which app fits your season.
Trail Pro Intel vs HuntStand: The Free Alternative
A practical 2026 comparison of Trail Pro Intel and HuntStand — Pro is $34.99/yr and the old Pro Whitetail is now HuntStand Ultimate at $99.99/yr. Compare property mapping, trail-camera analysis, and offline performance.
Trail Pro Intel vs onX Hunt: The Free onX Alternative in 2026
Looking for a free onX alternative in 2026? onX now has a free Basic tier — without property lines or offline maps — and its AI trail-camera analysis sits behind $99.99/yr Elite. Trail Pro Intel's complete app, including AI trail-cam analysis, is free.