WMU grad hopes his Android hunting app will save lives

Bouman shows off the eight-point buck he shot with a bow this October. Photo courtesy of Chase Bouman.

Aaron Fishell
News Reporter

A Western Michigan University alumnus wants to saves the lives of hunters with his new Android app.

Chase Bouman, who graduated from WMU in 2010 with a degree in Chemical Engineering, first thought of the app while hunting in the deep woods of Wisconsin.  The app is called Hunter Elite and is designed to make it easier for authorities to find hunters in need of help.

“I’ve been hunting since I was 14,” said Bouman.  “I’ve never been seriously injured or lost in the woods, but I know people who have and I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen to me.”

The app works by showing your hunting buddies exactly where you are on a map on their cell phones, provided they have also downloaded the app, so they can lead police or medical personnel right to you if something were to happen.  If your friend does not have the app it sends directions via text.

“With getting married a year and a half ago, I wanted to give my wife peace of mind when I went into the woods,” said Bouman.  “This app allows her to do that.”

In addition to the safety feature, Hunter Elite lets hunters mark rubs, kills, stands and anything else that might help them on their map so they can find them more easily the next time they are in the woods.

“We’re trying to target young hunters, inexperienced hunters that are going out to the woods for the first time,” said Bouman. “There a little bit more tech savvy, but they might not be survival savvy.”

Bouman said the app can also be used while bird-hunting to make sure you don’t get too close to your hunting partners.  Even former Vice President Dick Cheney made this mistake, said Bouman.

Saving lives is more important than expanding the company or making money to Bouman.

“We want to make sure that everybody that goes into the woods comes out of the woods,” said Bouman.

The app has been in the beta test stage and the full release is today. It can be downloaded for $3.99 from the Google Play Store.

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