ElkNut vs ShedGuide
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ElkNut
Master elk calling and hunting with expert-led video tutorials and audio guides. Learn to produce realistic elk sounds, understand their meaning, and apply proven hunting tactics. Practice your calls with recording and comparison features.
- Expert-led video tutorials
- Realistic elk sound guides
- 22 common bull and cow elk sounds
- 12 included hunting sequences
- 22 expert hunting tactics
- Audio practice and comparison
- On-device recording and analysis
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ElkNut is the ultimate elk hunting training app, built by experts for hunters who want to improve their calling skills and field tactics. Whether you're learning your first cow call or chasing a screaming bull at last light, ElkNut gives you the tools and expert content to be more successful in the field. TRAINING CONTENT • Elk Calls — a deep library of bugles, cow calls, estrus calls, and more, with pro audio and video. • Tactics — proven hunting tactics and strategies from experienced elk hunters. • Sequences — step-by-step calling sequences for specific hunting scenarios. • Video Training — professional video on calling techniques, field setups, and hunt strategy. • Tips — quick, educational tips to sharpen your game. PRACTICE & AI CALL COACH (free) • Record yourself calling and play it back on an interactive waveform. • Score your call with AI — get 0–100 feedback on pitch, cadence, realism, and tone, plus coaching tips. • Build a personal practice library and share recordings with your hunting partners. HUNT TOOLS • Calling Trainer — practice bugle & cow-call cadence with timed drills. • Rut Calendar — track elk rut phases and daily activity windows. • Pack-Out Calculator — estimate boned-out meat weight and pack trips. • Harvest Log — log harvests and scouting notes with dates. • Draw Tracker — draw-application deadlines, reminders, and bonus-point tracking. • Weather & Wind — live conditions, wind, and forecast at your location. • Compass — bearing rose with a wind overlay for setups. • Season Dates & Official Seasons — state-by-state openers and closers, by year. • Barometric Pressure (PRO) — pressure-trend graph with elk-movement insight. • Moon & Solunar (PRO) — feeding periods, moon phase, and best hunt windows. • Scouting Journal (PRO) — log rubs, wallows, bugles, and sign in the field. • Offline Map (PRO) — pins, trails, and downloadable offline tiles. • My Locations (PRO) — save spots, wallows, and glassing points (free up to 3). • Measure (PRO) — distance and area measuring on the map. • Trail Cameras (PRO) — manage cams, card pulls, and photos. FAVORITES, SEARCH & OFFLINE • Save your favorite calls, tactics, and sequences, and search everything by keyword. • Offline field mode: download calls, sequences, and videos and use the app with no signal in the backcountry. • Light, dark, and auto themes. PREMIUM (subscription) — start with a 7-day free trial • Unlock all premium calls, tactics, and calling sequences, plus the full premium video library. • Premium tools: barometric trends, moon & solunar, offline maps, measuring, scouting journal, and trail cameras. • Unlimited saved locations, unlimited offline downloads, and unlimited AI Call Coach scoring. Download ElkNut and start training today. Good luck out there.
ShedGuide
This app provides detailed terrain maps and shed hunting predictions for mule deer and elk in the Mountain West. It focuses on private data and offers tools to identify high-priority search areas, while ensuring user contributions are anonymized.
- 10-meter terrain data
- Mule deer and elk search areas
- Private shed locations
- Import shed waypoints (GPX, KML, KMZ, CSV)
- Always-on elevation contours
- Fixed prediction areas
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Read the mountain before you walk it. ShedGuide turns private shed history, licensed field evidence, and 10-meter terrain data into focused mule deer and elk search areas across the Mountain West. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Your shed locations and saved areas are visible only to you. • Shared models learn from accepted contributions without showing another hunter's points or hunting areas. • Searches, notes, selected areas, and map views never train the shared model. • ShedGuide does not collect photos or record background routes. BUILT FOR SHED HUNTING • Switch cleanly between mule deer and elk terrain. • See your private shed markers above the prediction surface. • Import reviewed shed waypoints from GPX, KML, KMZ, and CSV files on your phone. • Read always-on, labeled elevation contours across the map. • Create fixed prediction areas sized for your membership. • View each area's highest-priority terrain instead of an overwhelming statewide heatmap. SAME PREDICTION, DIFFERENT TOOLS Standard and Pro use the same shared prediction and 10-meter score. Pro adds larger prediction areas, greater area capacity, selected terrain-driver layers, and advanced map controls—not a more accurate model. CONTRIBUTE WITHOUT GIVING AWAY YOUR SPOTS Real members agree to license accepted mule deer and elk shed coordinates to a restricted training corpus. The shared model may use terrain characteristics and a protected, low-weight spatial pattern. No other member can retrieve your coordinates, saved areas, searches, or map history. Annual subscriptions are available through the App Store. Selected states lock for the subscription term, with one support correction allowed within seven days. Restore Purchases, subscription management, account export, and account deletion are available in the Account tab. Terrain Match Percentile and Shed Terrain Priority are planning tools—not a calibrated probability, navigation, access advice, or a guarantee that a shed exists. Always verify land access, regulations, closures, weather, and field safety independently. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: ElkNut at 4.3 against ShedGuide's 3.0. ElkNut also leads on ratings volume (260 vs 2) and device support (4 vs 1). ShedGuide's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. ElkNut sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year and ShedGuide sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
ElkNut holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ElkNut has 260 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
ElkNut ships an update every 3 weeks, ShedGuide weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ElkNut | ShedGuide |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (260 ratings) — better | 3.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 62.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 260 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 54 MB | 83 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | GOT GAME TECHNOLOGIES, LLC | Calvin Daniel Nowicki |
Customer experience
ElkNut
ShedGuide
Bugs and requests
ElkNut
Reported bugs
3 issues- Recordings randomly deleted from the app
- Menus and settings not fully functional
- Inconsistent performance and content availability
Requested features
4 requests- Bring back looping playback feature
- Improve offline content access and reliability
- Offer both subscription and one-time purchase options
- Provide better communication and support for customers
ShedGuide
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ElkNut
- Unlock Pro Content$14.991 Year
- ElkNut Pro$14.99
ShedGuide
- Standard · 1 State$19.991 Year
- Standard · 2 States$39.991 Year
- Standard · 3 States$59.991 Year
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- Pro · 1 State$59.991 Year
- Standard · 4 States$79.991 Year
- Pro · 2 States$79.991 Year
- Standard · 5 States$99.991 Year
- Pro · 3 States$99.991 Year
- Pro · 4 States$119.991 Year
- Pro · 5 States$139.991 Year









