With all the tech savy gadgets used today in bowhunting. I just wanted to ask you all what happened to the bare essentials? all this gear weighing you down. I wanted to know your alls thoughts about bowhunting today as appossed to 15 years ago also what would be all the equipment you would have taken with you back in the day. thanks Joshua
Things have pretty much stayed the same for me for the last 20yrs. I do switch it up and hunt with recurves also My recurves My longbows This is probably my most technologically advanced piece of hunting equipment. TradTech 15" Black Onyx ILF riser with Windstorm carbon recurve limbs
A few points, which I'm sure some will disagree with: A lot of bowhunters say they enjoy bowhunting because it's more challenging than other forms of hunting, but then buy every gadget they can to make it less challenging. A lot of hunters complain about the rising prices of hunting equipment, but contribute to the problem by buying unnecessary crap for inflated prices. Overall, I think hunters have regressed and are a lot less skilled than hunters used to be before all of these gadgets hit the market. That being said, hunters have become better deer managers today than they used to be.
Technology is what it is...a great hunter will always consistently out hunt a great outfitted person hunting. PERIOD, no doubt in my mind. Consistency is what separates hunters, and all of the most consistent hunters I know would still kill big deer whether they had to utilize a recurve instead of a compound, a long bow instead of a recurve....yeah perhaps one or two fewer here and there but they would still deliver.
My 2008 compound bow weighs a lot less than my 1990-ish compound. Newer bows are even lighter. My arrows are a bit lighter. Binocs are smaller and lighter these days. My old bushnell rangefinder is a good 1/3 bigger than my newer range finder. Cold gear is tending to get lighter and less bulky. I carried a knife back then... still do today. (and it's lighter than my old one) My LED flashlights are lighter than my old beloved maglites. Not really seeing all the 'weighing down'.
Would you include scent control products in that assessment? I would. But I'm not sure many could admit that after having spent as much time and $ on scent control as many hunters have.
I would to an extent, there are many a hunter out there that doesn't buy over the counter "scent control" products but do an immense amount of work and put forth a ton of effort to control and/or mask human odor.
Great point. I still wash my clothes with baking soda and try to take a shower before hunting. But after seeing the results of some guys who don't do anything but use the wind, I'm just not as convinced that it's worth it anymore. Baking soda is cheap though, so I'll keep doing that.
Anyone can and will kill bucks and at times Big Bucks. A lot goes into killing mature deer consistently, and the guys I've hit the field with or done off season scouting with or read their books or websites all use immense scent control steps to keep the odds in their favor. The question is not is it necessary to kill bucks and even big bucks...the question is those guys that do nothing and have had some success; could they have had more if they did more? It is a question not a single person knows the answer to and never will. Me, I like to do as much as I possibly can to up the odds when I hit the field, some say I'm extreme and others that do more call me lazy still :D ....the beauty of deer hunting is you can do however much or however little you desire to do and in the end you have no one to blame but yourself if you weren't successful or lucky (and yes there is a difference between those two I believe).
The most technological thing I depend on to hunt is the carbon tech in my bow. Everything else is either tech I use to manage deer or hard earned experience from years of studying deer. When it comes right down to it, my experience is still the only thing I really rely upon. I would be just fine without my phone, cameras, fancy stands, fancy feeders, fancy tools...I just couldn't do as much as safely as I do now as one person. Part of the fun of the entire hobby/job is buying new equipment.
I carry mostly what I need in my back pack. 1 hand warmers. 2 feet warmers. 3 pen 4 led flash light 5 head lamp 6 towe rope 7 rain gear 8 a warmer jacket just in case. 9 wind checker 10 two releas aids. 11 first aid kit.
I personally don't think that bowhunting has changed all that much, especially in 15 years. Here is what I can remember being different 15+ years ago to now: - Went from prong rests to whisker biscuits and dropaways - Went from aluminum arrows to carbon - Went from feathers to small vanes - Rangefinders have gotten a lot better - Bows are faster, lighter, smaller - Tree stands are lighter, quieter and more comfortable As for all the sent control and other gimmicks on the market, I don't use them. I wash my clothes in vinegar, hang dry and hit the woods.
