something hunting related


elkoholic

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Since we have pretty much beat the covid issue into oblivion, I thought maybe a hunting related post might be a change of pace.  Actually more along the lines of hunting products.  More specifically, products that are advertised as "must haves", to make you a better hunter.  How about we list products, or innovations to existing products, that offer little (if any) benefit to hunter success.  One I've wondered about is the angle compensation feature in range finders.  For all practical purposes it is a useless feature.  If you question that statement, do the math.  Say you are 30 ft up in your favorite tree and a deer is 30 yards from the base of the tree, and that would put the line of sight distance at 31.62 yards.  Not enough to make any difference in the real world.  As the deer gets farther away the difference is even less.  Even if you are 60 ft up that tree the line of sight would only be 32.83 yards for a deer 30 yards from the base.  Now at 10 yards from the tree we get a line of sight of 14.14 yards, but the point of impact from 10 to 20 yards is probably less than 1-2 inches.  Shooting from the roof of my house (27 ft up) I can confirm that the angle makes zero difference in point of impact, but if shooting almost straight down one needs to consider shot placement on an animal.  All of this holds true with a rifle at five times the distance (300yds instead of 60).  So, after that little speech:

Do you have a product that you think is not worth the hype?

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Had kind of wondered myself about the need for the rangefinders you are talking about.  Guess if it increases a hunters confidence then that is a plus for them.  

Off the top of my head, trying to think of a product I had to have that was going to make me a better hunter.  Going to have to think on this one.  Aside from a few calls that turned out no better than any other, not having anything really come to mind.  

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Bows that shoot over 300 fps... or pick a number right around there.  I guess I could also say any new bow.  Archery innovation over the last 10 years imo has been very minimal and has been a large part in the decline in the industry.  There was a time there in the early 2000 that some things took big leaps and people were buying new bows every or every other year to get the newest and coolest feature that made shooting a bow better.  But since then there really hasn't been that much difference, most bows are pretty good quality now and even though some of the prices have went through the roof I just don't feel alot of the pricing is justified.  I'm still shooting the last Hoyt I got when I worked with Archers Choice, so a 9 year old bow - if I hadn't started working there I would probably still be shooting my Mathews Legacy.  Either one is still fast enough and quality enough that as long as they are taken care of they will be killing deer, bear, elk, etc for a long long time.

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12 hours ago, Mathews XT Man said:

Dave, range finder with ARC been around a long time;

That is true.  Also, just a sales gimmick from day one.  At least the price has come down now that every manufacturer has a model or two with this "must have" feature.

5 hours ago, need2hunt2 said:

people were buying new bows every or every other year to get the newest and coolest feature that made shooting a bow better

I think the insane prices and the realization that "must have" equipment does not put meat in the freezer or antlers on the wall are the most likely causes in the drop in bow sales.  New and improved will not make you a better hunter, but it will make your bank account smaller.

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1 hour ago, Trevor said:

How about the ozonics?

I have have one, not to get too technical I'll just say they create the smell after a good rain.  The element they create is slightly heavier than oxygen so it knocks down or blocks other smells.  I have one, I rarely take it out when I hunt (probably because I got it for free), it's not that I think they don't work I'm just not sure that it covers enough area to be worth the hassle.   If I was hunting late season food source on a big buck that I know was showing up, I would probably grab it.  As for pre-rut & rut I have a saying "Hormones kill" play the wind and for the most part you should be good.

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I can think of four things off the top of my head that will improve your results more than any other.

First: Scouting. Get your butt out there and figure out where the deer are.

Second: Practice. It makes perfect.

Third:Patience. Get out there and stay in your blind or stand.

All these products you see advertised are just designed to get you to open your wallet.

I suppose there are some small, incremental benefits to some of them but nothing like the advertisers would like you to believe.

Four: Turn off your darned television. The more advertising you are exposed to the more junk you're going to buy and the less time you'll spend on the things that actually improve your odds. 

Edited by Ultradog
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21 hours ago, Ultradog said:

I can think of four things off the top of my head that will improve your results more than any other.

I like those four things.  I might add to the second one making it "perfect practice, makes perfect" and on the third one add in perseverance.

If you are watching hunting shows and want to consistently shoot big bucks like the "pros", I suggest you acquire multiple farms of several thousand acres each and purchase thousands of dollars worth of equipment to turn them into "honey hole" hunting spots.  Also, make multiple friends who own like properties in other states who will let you hunt there.  If unable to afford the necessary  acreage, one can just make friends with those who can and hope they invite you to hunt their properties.  If you do shoot a few "monster bucks" then you can convince some of the manufactures to give you free stuff and pay you to promote it.  Of course in that scenario the cost of the products go up to others, but you got yours.  Ah....  I regress.  It is such a shame that hunting became "big business".

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On 7/24/2020 at 10:03 PM, elkoholic said:

Since we have pretty much beat the covid issue into oblivion, I thought maybe a hunting related post might be a change of pace.  Actually more along the lines of hunting products.  More specifically, products that are advertised as "must haves", to make you a better hunter.  How about we list products, or innovations to existing products, that offer little (if any) benefit to hunter success.  One I've wondered about is the angle compensation feature in range finders.  For all practical purposes it is a useless feature.  If you question that statement, do the math.  Say you are 30 ft up in your favorite tree and a deer is 30 yards from the base of the tree, and that would put the line of sight distance at 31.62 yards.  Not enough to make any difference in the real world.  As the deer gets farther away the difference is even less.  Even if you are 60 ft up that tree the line of sight would only be 32.83 yards for a deer 30 yards from the base.  Now at 10 yards from the tree we get a line of sight of 14.14 yards, but the point of impact from 10 to 20 yards is probably less than 1-2 inches.  Shooting from the roof of my house (27 ft up) I can confirm that the angle makes zero difference in point of impact, but if shooting almost straight down one needs to consider shot placement on an animal.  All of this holds true with a rifle at five times the distance (300yds instead of 60).  So, after that little speech:

Do you have a product that you think is not worth the hype?

I, um, hate math, so I'll stick with my Halo...?

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