Hyde and Seek: The GPS Revolution Bowhunters Have Been Waiting For
Written By: Ryan Reading, Fall Obsession Pro Staff
Some inventions are born in boardrooms. Others are born in the woods, in the heartbreak of a rainy November morning when a father and son stood in disbelief, staring at the last drop of blood in the leaves.
This is the story of the Hyde Finder.
Not just a product. Not just a gadget. A promise. A second chance. A solution for every bowhunter who has ever whispered, "Where did he go?"
My father and I weren’t thinking about innovation when we climbed into the stand that morning. We were thinking about deer. About wind. About timing. About a wide ten-point buck we’d been patterning for weeks. When the shot finally came, it was clean. Low lung. The kind of shot that usually ends with a grip and grin photo.
But nature had other plans.
The rain came hard and fast. Within minutes, the blood trail vanished. The tracks washed out. Darkness closed in. We searched until the batteries died and the hope drained. Three straight days. We never found him. That night, soaked and frustrated, we looked at each other and said, "Never again."
That moment stayed with me. I’ll never forget the look in his eyes. It wasn’t just disappointment. It was something deeper. The burden of not being able to finish what he started. Unfortunately, I later lost my hunting partner and father in 2022.
The following 2023 season, it happened to me. I had patterned a buck all summer. I scouted him. Planted for him. Set stands for him. When the moment came, I made the shot and 100 yards later, just like that, the trail went cold. Sign grew thin. The light vanished. And I lost him. All that effort, the planning, the prep, the respect, money spent, undone in an instant. And I thought back to my father's two hunts. Years apart. Same result. Same ache
That was the spark. The moment I knew something had to change. I had to keep my promise to him. Hunters deserve better. The game deserves better. And that’s where the Hyde Finder was born.
Hyde Finder is a new, patent-pending system from Rytac Hunt Systems. At its core, it’s a collar that mounts to your arrow shaft. Your broadhead threads directly into the system, keeping the shot clean and aerodynamic. Upon impact, a miniature capsule, just 18 millimeters long, deploys into the animal and begins transmitting a GPS signal in real time.
You don't follow blood anymore.. You follow the signal.
Inside the capsule is a GPS chipset, battery and other components that activate on impact, and with a ruggedized housing strong enough to withstand muscle, bone, and impacts rated to 400 fps. The moment your arrow hits, the capsule detaches and begins broadcasting. The Hyde Finder mobile app guides you to your game with a live pin, up to a mile and a half away, even through thick timber, rain, or nightfall.
This isn’t about making the shot easier. It doesn’t help you draw. It doesn’t help you aim. It doesn’t guarantee a hit. What it does is give you a second chance at something every ethical hunter wants: closure.
When a shot lands and the trail fades, Hyde Finder steps in. No more guessing. No more gut-wrenching grid searches. No more sleepless nights wondering if you missed something.
Hyde Finder ensures that when an animal is hit, a hunter has the best possible chance of recovery. The collar is reusable. The reloadable capsules are sold in affordable five-packs. The battery lasts up to 72 hours post-impact. And the app includes terrain overlays, signal strength, capsule status, and even a community to share your recovery. We want to build a network of hunters who support the vision and understand the use for the Hyde finder.
I’ve spent thirty-three seasons bowhunting. I’m proud to be a contributing writer and staff with Fall Obsession and contributing writer with Whitetail Life Magazine. I’ve written about food plots, scent strategy, trail camera tactics, predator pressure, you name it. But this article is personal. This is about solving a problem that has haunted generations of hunters losing a buck or any animal you should’ve recovered.
The Hyde Finder doesn’t erase tradition. It respects it. Just like trail cameras and compound bows changed the game, so will this. It doesn’t replace skill. It enhances recovery. It gives hunters the chance to honor the animal the way we were always meant to.
Some say blood trailing is part of the heritage. I agree. I’ve crawled through briars with one speck of blood to guide me. I’ve seen the triumph of a recovery made by grit and instinct. But I’ve also seen the heartbreak when those tools fail. Hyde Finder isn’t about shortcuts. It’s about second chances.
This system works on whitetail, elk, hogs, bear, turkey , virtually any animal you’re hunting. It was designed in the woods, by hunters who understand the pressure, the uncertainty, and the hope behind every shot.
Every year, we spend thousands on bows, optics, stands, scent control, and food plots. We plant, scout, glass, and grind. All for a chance. But when that chance connects, recovery should not be the weak link in the chain. Hyde Finder closes that gap.
It is not a gimmick. It is not a gadget. It’s the bowhunter’s toolkit evolving. The Hyde Finder is built with one thing in mind: respect for the game and a successful recovery.
Hyde Finder will be available for preorder at rytachunt.com in the coming months. Each kit includes reusable collars, deployable capsules, and app activation. Refill capsules will be available separately. Presale orders will receive priority shipment, and exclusive access to future features as soon as it’s available. Full launch will be early summer of 2026.
This isn’t just a product launch. It’s a cultural shift. From father to son. From failure to redemption. From tradition to technology. Hyde Finder isn’t just a product. It’s a promise..
