As a duck dog trainer most of my articles deal with dogs, dog training, duck hunting or duck hunting gear. However duck season in Texas is a month away and bow season is in full swing. As some of you may or may not know I am a passionate bowhunter and bow hunt year round. This passion began when I was in high school and it has continued to grow stronger each year. Between the wild hogs, Axis deer, and whitetail the season in The Lone Star State never ends! Through the years I have seen many advancements in the gear that we use as bow hunters and many of these have definitely contributed to greater hunting success. Here is my list of essential bow hunting extras.
The first advancement is relatively new to the market and is still in its infancy stage. In fact I just started using this product one week ago and now I can not imagine hunting without it! This product will completely change bowhunting forever! The Ozonics odor destroying machine. I’m no scientist to be sure but apparently ozone is God’s way of cleaning the air and this battery powered machine creates ozone and blows it over your odor so animals can not smell you. I was a skeptic but it works! I have already had countless animals straight down wind that never sensed I was around. I did an experiment by turning the machine off and almost instantly I was detected! This device will go to my blind every time from now on!
The next game changer for me is extremely important during the warmer months and it is a ThermaCell. This handy device keeps the bugs away and is great for all types of hunting. It does put off an odor but the deer don’t seem to mind. Without this device hog hunting at night in Texas is almost unbearable. I recommend not one but two incase you need a spare!
Third and equally important would be the laser range finder. This piece of equipment tells me exactly how far it is to my target and can even adjust for the angles. Judging distance has always been a challenge for Bow hunters and this takes the guess work out. Simply range the animal first then aim accordingly!
Number four is the pop up ground blind. In the past it was hard to be mobile especially when hunting areas that didn’t have many trees to climb. These handy blinds set up in seconds and provide a spacious area to hunt from that will conceal your movement and help contain odor. Depending on what and where you are hunting it may be a good idea to brush the blind in a few days to a few weeks prior to your hunt. These blinds are an absolute game changer if you bow hunt turkeys!
While my number five pick may not seem as important and necessary it has made a huge difference to me…performance clothing. By this I am talking about the many lines of clothes that are light weight and are part of a layering system. The clothes if worn properly will keep you cooler in the heat, will allow maximum range of movement, and will keep you comfortable on cold days while still being able to shoot a bow. The more comfortable you are the longer you will hunt and the longer you hunt the luckier you will get!
While there have been many other advancements in the archery world from the bow to the arrow and beyond, I believe these five essential bow hunting extras have really changed the game for me! Happy hunting and remember… aim small miss small!
