If you're wondering where the best spots are for hunting and fishing in New Jersey, you now can check your smartphone.  The Department of Environmental Protection has launched a new mobile phone application designed to provide information and technology to guide users hunting, fishing and wildlife watching experiences.

Fishing in NJ (Flickr Photo via Jaimiekop)
Fishing in NJ (Flickr Photo via Jaimiekop)
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"This is part of the Christie Administration's continuing effort to bring more people into our state parks and wildlife areas, to enhance offerings and make it easier and more convenient for our residents to enjoy the great diversity of fish and wildlife and outdoor recreation opportunities in New Jersey," said DEP Commissioner Bob Martin in a news release.

Mobile App Has Public Access Spots

The free Pocket Ranger® New Jersey Fish and Wildlife application is a mobile app that provides on-the-spot information on the state's fish and wildlife species along with the extensive mapping of public open spaces, showing and providing site information on access points for hunting, fishing, boating and wildlife watching.

Pocket Ranger has social networking capabilities and has a map feature that allows users to continue to navigate even when their mobile phone is lost.  It also has advanced GPS technology that allows users to keep track of where they are and how far they've gone.  They can also mark favorite hunting spots, fishing holes or wildlife sightings.

It also allows users to keep track of the location of friends and family and provides and alert feature that notifies contacts of your GPS coordinates in the event of an emergency.

"This exciting new app, along with the State Parks app, provides our residents and visitors with great tools to make their outdoor experiences even more enjoyable and memorable," said Dave Chanda, DEP's Division of Fish and Wildlife director.  "This application has features that are valuable to anyone interested in the outdors in New Jersey from the novice sportsperson learning how and where to hunt and fish to the most seasoned wildlife watcher looking for rare species information."

The app is compatible with both Apple and Android mobile devices.  Links for downloading the app can be found here.

“Our expectation is for the Pocket Ranger Fish and Wildlife Guide to encourage a new generation of users to explore and discover all that New Jersey has to offer in the way of fish and wildlife related recreation,” said ParksByNature co-founder and program coordinator Brett Melillo. “This robust mobile app will enhance the outdoor experience, raise awareness about New Jersey’s incredible outdoor resources and help maintain the license revenues necessary to maintain and improve the state’s fish and wildlife populations.”

The DEP will receive a portion of advertising revenues generated by the application, which is being provided to the Department at no cost.

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