How do I use Offline Maps?

We know your hunting adventures take you to some pretty remote places so far off the beaten path that cell service is just non-existent. That’s why we built Offline Maps into DeerCast, to help you get ahead of your game, no matter where you go! With Offline Maps you can download your maps and all the other items you’ve placed on them before you leave service! Follow the directions below to learn how to download your maps for offline use and how to access them once you're out in the field. 

How to Download Offline Maps

1. First, go ahead and navigate the map to the area you want to save. Then tap the Tools button. It’s
   the plus sign in the DeerCast hexagon on the right side of the screen.
2. Swipe over until you see “Offline Map,” then give it a tap.
3. Next, you’ll notice a red square with a reticle at the center. This indicates the area DeerCast will
   save. The default is a square mile, but you have the option to save five or 10 square mile areas,
   too. The level of detail is the same, the only difference in selecting a larger map is that the file size
   is larger. Really, your only limitation here is the amount of available storage on your mobile device.
4. Once you’ve decided on the area you want to download, tap, Save Map. A save modal will pop up
   confirming the size of the area to be downloaded. It’s here that you’ll enter a name for the map and
   if you’d like to include parcel data with the map.
5. Once all looks good, tap Save and DeerCast will begin downloading your map information. You’ll see a status bar indicating the progress of your download. Swipe the modal down and out of the screen to background the download and get back to using DeerCast.
6. While your maps are downloading, you can background the app, but shutting down DeerCast
   completely will halt the upload and you’ll need to restart it, so leave DeerCast running while you’re
   downloading an offline map.
   • Pro Tip: You’ll get the speediest map download with a strong Internet connection.

How to Access Offline Maps

1. Offline maps are considered a Layer, so get to them via the layers button. That’s the stacked
   squares in the hexagon located in the upper right corner of your map screen. Tap Offline Maps to
   turn them on.
2. When you do, you’ll be presented with on-map text asking you to select an offline
   map. Tapping that reveals a list of any offline maps you currently have on your device.
3. From this list, you can update your map, (as long as you still have Internet access), edit the name of the map, or remove it. You can also see the file size of each of your maps.
4. Select the map you want to work with, then tap Done in the upper right to enable it.
5. Now you’re free to navigate around the map, add waypoints, measure distances, anything you’d normally do if you were connected to the Internet. You can also enable most layers on an offline map, with the exception of radar and rain stations, since those rely on real-time data to function.