Privacy Policy
Effective October 13, 2026. This explains what Northwoods Investment LLC ("we") collects when you use the Puddle Duck Finder web app, formerly called Marsh Finder (the "App"), where it's kept, and how to delete it. Contact: [email protected].
The short version. Your location and the places and trails you record stay on your phone unless you turn on backup. Your bird log is saved to your account so we can test the map. We keep only what the App needs, we never sell location data or share it for advertising, and you can delete your backups or your whole account at any time.
Location and movement data
- Your GPS position is used on your phone to show where you are, to record a trail and to run Guide me. It leaves your phone only as part of something you choose to do, listed below: a spot search from "My location" (which sends your position as the search point), a bird-log pin, places and trails if you turn on backup, and weather and tide requests.
- Places and trails ("My places"): the places you mark (location, type, name, note, date) and the trails you record (the GPS points along the way, and when) are stored on your phone only, by default. If you turn on Back up my places and trails to my account, a copy is kept with your account so you don't lose them if you change phones. You can turn backup off at any time; doing so deletes the copy from our server (your phone keeps its own). Backed-up places and trails are private: we don't review them, use them to test or train the map, show them on our admin page, publish them, or tell anyone where you go.
- Bird log: the pins you save (the spot, what you saw, your note and when) are copied to your account when you're signed in and have signal. We review bird logs, together with other hunters' logs, to test whether the map points to places ducks use. We never publish your pins or tell anyone where you hunt.
- Hunt journal (Pro): the outings you log (kind, place, ducks seen and taken, hours, note, and the weather and moon added when you save) stay on your phone only unless backup is on in My places; then a copy is kept on your account, and turning backup off deletes it at once. Only you see it: never a hunt party, never the admin page, never used to test the map.
- Hunt Party (Pro): if you start or join a party, its other members see your account name, your bird-log pins only if you turn "Share my bird log with the party" on (off by default), and only the places you tick "Share with my hunt party" (which needs backup on). Leaving the party, unticking a place or turning backup off stops sharing at once. We keep the party's name, code and members.
- Searches: an address, town or coordinates you type is passed through our server to the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and OpenStreetMap's Nominatim service to find the place; we don't keep a log of what you typed. When a Free account searches for spots, we keep the centre of each search (rounded to about 100 m), at most 5, for as long as the account exists, so we can count your 5 free searches and let you reopen a past search without using another. Starter and Pro searches aren't stored. Your last searched place is also kept on your phone so the map opens where you left it.
- Weather, tide and solunar (Starter and Pro): your phone asks the National Weather Service and NOAA directly for the forecast, alerts and tides at the place you're planning. Those are U.S. government services; we don't see or keep those requests. Solunar times are worked out on your phone; nothing is sent for them.
- Map tiles come from the U.S. Geological Survey (base maps) and from us (duck habitat and spots), so those servers see which map areas your phone loads. On Pro, the tiles and spots you've viewed are also saved on your phone for offline use.
- Tapping Drive opens Google Maps with that destination; Google's privacy policy covers what Google does with it.
We never sell location data, and never share it for advertising. The App has no advertising or cross-site tracking.
On your phone and on our server
| Kept on your phone | Kept on our server (Cloudflare) |
|---|---|
| Places and trails; a trail being recorded (point by point, until you save or discard it); your bird log (so it works offline); your last search; your plan status; on Pro, viewed map tiles and spots for offline use | Your account; your bird log; places, trails and hunt journal only if backup is on; Hunt Party membership and sharing choices; Free search centres (up to 5); your acceptance of the access disclaimer and of the responsibility box; your plan and refund status |
Clearing this site's data in your browser deletes what's on your phone.
Your account
- Your email address, the name you give, and your password, stored only in scrambled (hashed) form that can't be turned back into the password. We also record when you joined and last signed in, which invite code you used, if any, and the link you arrived by, if any.
- Access disclaimer records: before showing spots on private land, the App asks you to accept the access disclaimer. We keep the version you accepted and the date and time, with your account, so we can show you've seen the current text and ask again when it changes. If you accept before signing in, it's kept with a random ID in a cookie on your phone and copied to your account when you sign in; that record is deleted after 5 years.
- Responsibility box: when you create an account (or, for older accounts, once at the next sign-in) you tick that you're responsible for the laws, seasons and land rules wherever you go and for identifying any animal before taking it. We keep the date, the wording and the version of the Terms with your account.
Payments
If you buy a plan, your email and payment details go to Stripe, which processes the payment. We receive your email, your Stripe customer ID, your plan, its status, whether you've used your refund, and the version and time you ticked our Terms; never your full card number. Stripe's privacy policy covers what Stripe does with your data, and Stripe keeps payment records as financial law requires.
Other services we use
- Cloudflare hosts the App and our server storage; like any host, it processes your IP address and the files your phone requests, and may keep short-lived technical logs.
- Stripe for payments; the National Weather Service and NOAA for weather, alerts and tides; the U.S. Census Bureau and OpenStreetMap Nominatim for address search; the U.S. Geological Survey for base maps; Google Fonts and unpkg deliver the App's fonts and map library; and, if password emails are switched on, Resend sends them.
We don't share personal information with anyone else except when the law requires it.
Cookies
The App sets a cookie that keeps you signed in, one that remembers your plan if you buy on this phone, and one with a random ID that holds your disclaimer acceptance before you sign in. There are no advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.
Deleting your data
- Places, trails and hunt journal backup: turn backup off in My places; the server copies are deleted at once.
- Hunt Party: leave the party in the Pro tab.
- A place, trail or bird-log pin: delete it in the App; it's deleted from your account the next time your phone has signal.
- Everything: email [email protected] from your account's email address and we'll delete your account, bird log, backups, search centres and disclaimer records, except what we must keep by law (Stripe's payment records).
Children
The App is not directed to children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their information.
Changes and contact
If we change this policy in a way that matters, we'll note it in the App. Northwoods Investment LLC. Questions: [email protected].