Are you passionate about chasing and searching wild animals or birds with the intention of killing or catching them? If so, you can benefit from a smartwatch for hunting. While hunting in the wild, you may need to identify your location, trace your route back home, and find sunset and sunrise times. With a smartwatch on the wrist, you can easily have these, and even more, complicated features.
We have researched and analyzed the best smartwatches for hunting. Read on.
Best Smartwatch For Hunting
We’ll review eight different smartwatches for people who hunt and help you pick the one that is the best.
Quick Winner
Can’t read until the end? Based on our team’s rating scale and performance criteria, here’s the winner:
Suunto Traverse Alpha
After reviewing and analyzing different smartwatches on the market, we have concluded that Suunto Traverse Alpha is the best smartwatch for hunting.
Rating Scale
Quality: 4.8/5
Pricing: 4.7/5
Performance: 4.6/5
Skip to the reviews BELOW
Top 8: Best Smartwatch for Hunting
Suunto Traverse Alpha
Rating Scale
Quality: 4.8/5
Pricing: 4.7/5
Performance: 4.6/5
Suunto Traverse Alpha is a versatile smartwatch for outdoor activities. Whether you’re hunting, fishing, or hiking, this smartwatch will track your location, mark trails, alert you about weather changes, and determine sunrise and sunset times.
It’s the best smartwatch for hunting as the automatic shot detection technology tracks when and where you shoot. The watch also visualizes this with the help of GPS coordinates for accurate tracking of your location. Handmade in Finland and tested against military standards (MIL STD 819G), Suunto is a rugged smartwatch that can be connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth for calls and other incoming notifications.
Design and style – This round dial smartwatch features scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass surrounded by a knurled stainless steel bezel. The strap is made of a highly durable nylon textile material.
Features and benefits:
- Bluetooth connectivity for calls and notification alerts
- Built-in GPS and GLONASS to track your location and map your route
- Automatic shot detection that tells when and where you shoot
- Moonrise and moonset timing based on your location for hunting and fishing
- Weather updates and storm alerts via its barometric pressure graph
- Built-in flashlight for viewing your surrounding in low light
- Mark points on your route for easy referencing
Connectivity and use – The watch can be connected with your smartphone via the Movescount app, although you don’t require it for the features listed above. There are other smartwatches that work with MyFitnessPal, so you can use those too. The battery lasts up to 14 days before you have to charge it again via a standard charging cable. You can use it for running, hiking, fishing, hunting, gym workout, and military exercises.
Advantages:
✔️ Rugged hunting smartwatch
✔️ Long battery life
✔️ Accurate tracking
✔️ Comfortable and easy to set up
Disadvantages:
❌ Customer service needs improvement
2. Garmin Instinct Outdoor Watch
Rating Scale
Quality: 4.6/5
Pricing: 4.5/5
Performance: 4.6/5
Garmin Instinct is a military standard outdoor smartwatch for hunting, camping, geocaching, sports, fishing, running, and biking. The watch can resist water (up to 100 meters), shock, and intense heat. Unlike other tactical watches, Garmin Instinct has multiple global navigation systems like GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo. These help you provide a more accurate and advanced location and navigation features.
With this smartwatch, you can also monitor your heart rate, activities, and stress level. The smart notification system allows automatic syncing, so you don’t lose your data and progress.
Tracking feature – Multiple tracking features use TracBack to help you navigate back to where you started. You can also know how hard you are working by looking at the preloaded activity profiles for biking, swimming, running, and hiking. Tactical modes included jumpmaster, waypoint projection, and stealth mode.
Material design – The case is made of fiber-reinforced polymer while the strap is made of a fully vented silicone. The lens has scratch and stain-resistant features and can display in any lighting conditions.
Battey life – You can use this smartwatch for 14 days before you’ll need to recharge it again. However, the battery life may increase or decrease, depending on your use.
Advantages:
✔️ Multiple satellite navigation
✔️ TracBack return feature
✔️Compass and barometric altimeter
✔️ Monitors activities
✔️ Durable and rugged
Disadvantages:
❌ Maybe noisy for some people
3. Garmin Fenix 5 Plus
Quality: 4.3/5
Pricing: 4.4/5
Rating: 4.2/5
Garmin Fenix 5 is another multisport GPS smartwatch from Garmin. Unlike the previous ones that we reviewed, Fenix 5 features colored TOPO map and routing display. It also has a rugged design with stainless steel bezel and customizable bands.
Whether you’re hunting, fishing, exercising, or playing sports, Fenix 5 will entertain you with its ability to store and play up to 500 songs right from your watch. Its built-in navigation and multiple positioning features (GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo) make it an accurate hunting watch.
Battery life and performance – The smartwatch can last up to 10 days when the standard watch mode is turned on. With GPS and music mode, the watch lasts for 8 hours. You can visualize your performance right from its dashboard to help you improve and analyze your activity.
Tracking features – The wrist based heart rate monitoring is quite accurate and can also estimate your stress level. In addition to that, you can count steps, monitor sleep, and measure calories burned. It has preloaded maps to help you navigate with ease and find the best routes and trails.
Quality and comfort – You can store and play up to 500 songs right from your Fenix 5 Plus. The band is highly customizable, and you can swap the current one with any of your choices. This smartwatch is all for comfort and premium quality with excellent features.
Advantages:
✔️Colored maps navigation
✔️ Ideal for running and hunting
✔️ Custom fitness bands
✔️ Store music
✔️ Heart rate monitoring
✔️ Multiple built in navigation features
Disadvantages:
❌ May have problem tracking runs
4. Casio Men’s Pro Trek Watch
Rating Scale
Quality: 4.4/5
Pricing: 4.2/5
Performance: 4.1/5
Casio Men’s Pro Trek is a durable and multipurpose smartwatch for trekking, running, fishing, and hunting. It features a digital compass, altimeter, barometer, and activity tracker. You can also swim in it for a short period of time as it resists water up to 50m only.
The built-in GPS and full-color mapping functionality make Pro Trek a versatile smartwatch for hikers and hunters. You can also download the maps and use them for offline navigation.
Activities – With Pro Trek, you can track snow sports, fishing, trekking, hiking, hunting, and paddle sports, etc.
GPS and mapping – You have various full-color maps that you can switch into without any complicated setting. You can also mark any points and save the location with a little voice memo for later referencing.
Extra features:
- Music player
- Reminder and notifications
- Sensors such as altimeter, barometer, and digital compass
- Sunrise and sunset data based on your location
- Realtime activity tracking
Advantages:
✔️ Multiple built-in sensors
✔️ Location memory feature
✔️ Colored mapping
✔️ Microphone for clear voice
✔️ Seamless connectivity
Disadvantages:
❌ Slow UI
5. SUUNTO Core All Military Outdoor Watch
Rating Scale
Quality: 4.2/5
Pricing: 4.0/5
Performance: 4.3/5
If you want to own an outdoor smartwatch for harsh weather conditions, SUUNTO Core All Military is your best bet. Not only can you track your vertical movement and air pressure, but the watch also updates you on weather conditions and sunrise and sunset timing, so you can stay safe and plan your activities accordingly.
For someone planning to hunt in a rough and unknown territory, SUUNTO Core can come handy. This hunting and hiking watch comes in different colors. The stylish design and versatile military features were commended by a lot of users who used SUUNTO Core.
Tracking – SUUNTO Core determines your elevation, tracks your accent, records pressure changes, and tells about sunrise and sunset timing.
Design and quality – The smartwatch has a round dial with a rotating bezel. The design is decent and looks good overall. You can also customize the straps and swap the current one with a choice of your own.
Features – The smartwatch has a countdown timer, altimeter, barometer, and compass. Unfortunately, there’s no GPS available in this smartwatch.
Advantages:
✔️ Weather condition update
✔️ Stylish design
✔️ Customizable band
✔️ Air pressure and altitude
Disadvantages:
❌ No GPS
6. Garmin Descent MK1
Rating Scale
Quality: 4.1/5
Pricing: 4.1/5
Performance: 4.2/5
Garmin Descent MK1 is an intuitive watch-sized dive computer for surface GPS navigation and full color on-screen mapping and location reference. With this smartwatch, you can explore the land as well as underwater worlds. The package comes with the smartwatch, also called MK1 Dive Computer, a 2200 mAh power bank, Wearable4U Wall, and Car USB charging adapters.
You can use the smartwatch to monitor your heart rate, steps, and lap, etc. The built-in GPS navigation with color mapping marks your route for easy and quick referencing.
Tracking features – Originally made for divers, this smartwatch is automatically activated when you hit the water, giving you current depth, dive time, and water temperature, among many other things.
Battery life – The battery can last more than a week on a single charge. Many users tested the battery life, and even with an always-on display, the battery life still lasted for up to a week.
Uses – While scuba divers, frequent swimmers, and those who do water sports can most benefit from this smartwatch, it can also be used for hunting, hiking, gym activities, and intense sports.
Advantages:
✔️ Advance features
✔️ Rugged and durable
✔️ Water-proof
✔️ Long battery life
✔️ Always-on display
Disadvantages:
❌ May be difficult to set up the first time
7. SUNROAD Smartwatch for Hunting
Rating Scale
Quality: 4.2/5
Pricing: 4.1/5
Performance: 4.2/5
SUNROAD is a multi-purpose smartwatch that can be used for mountain climbing, hunting, hiking, swimming, running, and cycling, etc. The military style design with a stainless steel dial lets you experience a full display in all lighting conditions.
You can use it to find altitude, distance, sunrise and sunset times, and track other fitness activities. The colored, bright display can record ten sets of values such as countdown, stopwatch, alarm, steps, and altitude, etc.
Design – The round dial smartwatch is designed for hiking, fishing, and hunting, etc. It has a stainless steel dial with a band made of nylon material. The case has a 50-meter diameter and 1.27 case thickness.
Tracking features – It has a barometric sensor, step counter, calories tracker, and altitude calculator. These features help you navigate without any information omitted.
Battery life – This fitness smartwatch requires a Cr2032 battery that can last for up to 6 months before you would need to replace it.
Advantages:
✔️ Long battery life
✔️ Sunset and sunrise features
✔️ Waterproof up to 50 meters
✔️ Tracks daily activities
Disadvantages:
❌ No GPS support
8. Casio Pro Trek WSD-F30 Smartwatch
Rating Scale
Quality: 4.3/5
Pricing: 4.0/5
Performance: 4.0/5
WSD-F30 from Casio is an update to its previous version, the one we reviewed above. This new model has an OLED display for clear visibility. It also has a new timepiece mode. The smartwatch is a touchscreen with a magnetic charging terminal for easy charging.
Like its previous counterpart, this one also has various color map types and the ability to mark and trace back your previous location. Besides these, you can also track skiing, snowboarding, cycling, hunting, and fishing, etc.
Sensors – This smartwatch has three different sensors, such as altimeter, barometer, and digital comfort.
Reminder and notifications – You can set reminders and notifications. For example, if you need to mark a specific point on your route, you can do so easily.
Battery life – The smartwatch has average battery life. It can last up to two days on a single charge.
Advantages:
✔️ Colored routing for navigation
✔️ Built-in GPS
✔️ Durable casing
Disadvantages:
❌ Poor battery life
❌ Some users received defective units
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What’s a hunting watch?
Hunting watches are smartwatch devices used to help hunters chase and search wild animals. These smartwatches can track a hunter’s location, terrain, weather condition, and much more.
What’s the best smartwatch for hunting?
The best hunting smartwatch is Suunto Traverse Alpha. It can be used for hunting, fishing, and catching wild animals. This choice comes after our team’s rigorous research into the most sophisticated and great performance smartwatch.
What makes a good survival watch?
Survival watches need to be durable, quilty-built, and reliable. Not only should these be water-resistant, but they also have to have advance GPS and tracking modes to get the most out of in the wild.
What’s the difference between hunting watch, survival watch, and outdoor watch?
There are slight differences based on the purpose of activity. For example, a hunting watch is usually used for hunting and killing wild animals. Survival watches are used to get out of an emergency situation by keeping yourself alive, and minimize danger. Outdoor watches are the ones used for outdoor activities like biking, skiing, hiking, hunting, and fishing etc.
Conclusion
Smartwatches have dozens of different purposes. Whether it’s daily fitness activity, workout at the gym, hiking a trail, or hunting in the wild, a smartwatch can be used for more than one purpose. Based on that, the best smartwatch for hunting is Suunto Traverse Alpha. Moreover, hunting requires a lot of effort, energy, and determination. You would need to ambush your prey in the most unexpected hours of the day. Whether it’s cold or hot, you have to make sure you’re ready for any situation. Also, a thorough knowledge of the area will help you navigate much easier and without guesswork. Keeping in mind these tips will improve your hunting skills.
