Natrona County's FREE BackcountrySOS App Will Help Save Your Life

Natrona County Sheriff John Harlin encourages anyone that is going hunting or hiking in the backcountry to download the BackcountrySOS app to your phone. The Backcountry SOS app is another tool that can help save your life if you get lost or hurt while out hunting or hiking and it's free.

On Episode 5 of Wyoming Hookin' & Huntin' Outdoors (On Demand Now), Sheriff Harlin, Wyoming Game & Fish's Janet Milek and Brian Olsen shared the importance and added level of safety this tool adds to your survival if you become lost or injured. The app is free to download, uses very little power and needs only a small amount of cell signal to work to allow first responders to locate you quicker and more accurately.

The app was put into play by the Teton County Search and Rescue. Not every county in Wyoming has the luxury of the BackcountrySOS app, as a matter of fact, only 5 counties in Wyoming and 1 in Montana have the app at this time. When Natrona county secured Text To 911 in April of 2020, this new technology became an option.

With hunting season here, many will be heading out for a trip to harvest big game here in the Cowboy state. When you head out, you always make sure you're taking the proper food & gear that you need to ensure your safety. Not everyone has the extra money to buy a Sat phone for that extra level of security, but the BackcountrySOS app is free and easy to use.

Sheriff Harlin emphasized that the app doesn't track you location at anytime other than when you use the app to receive help, the same as calling or texting 911.

Pictures of the Stunning Popo Agie Wilderness Area in Wyoming

The Popo Agie Wilderness rea is part of the Shoshone National Forest and is located in the mountains outside of Lander, Wyoming. The trail shown in this picture is closed to motor vehicles, the only way to see these sites is to ride in on horseback or hike in.