Using AI Heatmaps Effectively

Last updated: July 31, 2026· 7 min read

The AI Heatmap answers the question every hunter wants answered: where on this property should I be right now? This guide explains how to read the heatmap, combine it with other ProHunt tools, and use it to find stand locations you might never have considered.

Reading the Heatmap

Open the map and enable the AI Heatmap layer from the Layers panel. The map shows a colour gradient overlay:

  • Green — high predicted game activity for current conditions. These are your primary stand candidates right now.
  • Amber — moderate activity. Secondary options.
  • Red — low predicted activity. Avoid investing a full hunt session in red zones under current conditions.

The Three-Tool Decision Process

The heatmap should never be used in isolation. The most effective decision-making process combines three tools:

  1. Heatmap — tells you WHERE game is most likely active right now
  2. HuntCast score — tells you WHEN game is most likely active today
  3. Scent Cone / Wind analysis — tells you WHETHER your stand position is viable given the wind

Your optimal stand for any given day is the high-probability heatmap zone with a high HuntCast score AND a favourable scent cone. Finding the intersection of all three is the goal.

Using Heatmaps to Find New Stand Locations

One of the most powerful uses of the heatmap is discovering areas of high activity that you have not yet hunted. Process:

  1. Refresh the heatmap for prime conditions

    Check the heatmap on a day with high HuntCast score (70+) and a cold front passing. This shows you the property at maximum activity.

  2. Identify green zones without existing waypoints

    Look for green areas where you have no saved stands. These are locations showing high predicted activity that you are not currently hunting.

  3. Cross-reference with terrain and vegetation

    Enable LiDAR and satellite layers alongside the heatmap. Use your own field knowledge to work out what makes a green zone attractive: is it a terrain funnel? A food source edge? A water source? The exact inputs behind the overlay are proprietary, so treat it as a starting point and confirm with the terrain you can see.

  4. Scout on foot

    Visit the identified green zones during the off-season or midday (low-disturbance period). Look for confirming sign: trails, rubs, scrapes, beds.

  5. Add new waypoints

    Place waypoints at the best stand candidates within the green zone and hunt them on the next appropriate wind day.

Common Heatmap Mistakes

  • Hunting a high-probability zone regardless of wind. High spatial probability with an unfavourable wind still puts deer in the area — but they will smell you. Both heatmap and wind must be favourable.
  • Treating heatmaps as exact locations. A green zone may be 200 metres wide. The deer are somewhere in that zone, but the map cannot pinpoint a specific trail or food source. Use the heatmap to identify the zone, then use terrain and vegetation knowledge to find the best stand within it.
  • Not refreshing. The overlay regenerates each time you refresh the map view, so a heatmap you looked at days ago may not match today. Refresh the map before heading to the field.

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