Rating: 4-Star



Surrounding every great item is a secure carrying case. Or there should be at least! Cabelas offers the perfect case for the Bushnell Laser Arc 1000 Rangefinder. The case is in a camo patern and made of a brushed fleece fabric. No need to worry about loud velcro noise bcause this handy lil bad boy seals closed magnetically! And since the product your case is protecting set you back a few dollars it would be a shame to lose it. Cabelas has you covered, constructing the case with o’rings and elastic cords for a secure fit. Compact and durable, just like the rangefinder, this case is built to last a while. The only downside is that it’s not a “view through” case. Considering there’s no optic covers on the finder for protection it’s not a big deal. Only $19.99 to protect your investment!

Rating: 4-Star

I’ve purchased my share of walkie talkies over the years and have had to toss just as many. Everything from cheap $20 walmart radios to $300.00 a pair Motorolas. I’ve never been completely satisfied with any set of radios I’ve owned. Until Now! Before heading out to camp last year for opening day I broke out my year old Motorlas only to find that the rechargeable batteries wouldnt charge. Frustrated I went to Dicks Sporting Goods in search of a new set. The pair I ended up with only cost me 99.99, came with 2 radios, 2 rechargeable batteries, 2 headsets, and a charging station. The Midland GXT-650-VP1 has proved to be the ultimate radio. It features 22 FRS and GMRS channels, 121 privacy codes, 5 watt outputpower, vibe alert, silent operation, backlit LCD display, auto squelch, and has an 18 mile range. Now I havent tried them at 18 miles but I have noticed signal loss at 7 miles. Everything up to 7 is crystal clear and frankly farther than I’ll ever need. Along with the silent alert, the radios also feature 10 call tones which include 5 bonus animal sounds. I wouldnt suggest replacing you lucky calls with em’ but there a little cooler than your standard beep. When your not sitting in your stand try ot the duck, turkey, elk, owl, or goose alerts. Camo’d out in Mossy Oak, water resitant, and long battery life, all packed into one. I would definately suggest the Midland brand to anyone in the market for a quality set of ears. I liked em’ so much I now have two pair and all 4 function together perfectly! 4 stars.

Rating: 4-Star

It’s not breaking news to anyone that there are countless numbers of tree stands to choose from. Fixed, ladder, tripod, climbing…. Not to mention the many different shapes, sizes, and variations of all of these styles. A stand that’s right for one person may be totally wrong for another. A hunter can spend a lot of time and money finding that perfect deer stand. Fortunately for me, my hunting buddies back in the day were die hard Summit fans making my stand of choice easy to find!
When your thinking portability, comfort, lightweight, ease of use, and durability; Think Summit! I have personally owned 3 Summit Viper SS models. Why 3 you ask? Well the first Summit I bought someone decided they needed more than I did. O.K, so it happens but even though it was over three years old they got themselves a quality stand! My second one has lasted going on 8 years now. Although I did buy a new one for this upcoming deer season, ol’ faithful isn’t ready for the rocking chair yet! It’ll still make for a reliable secondary stand! If you are a deer hunter; bow, shotgun, or rifle, this stand might be for you. Rated for 300lbs and only weighing 20 itself, the Summit Viper SS is a great choice for all ages and sizes. If you spend as much time in the deer woods as I do then you know comfort is key and I’m here to tell you Summit provides it!
The Viper SS can be purchased at most sporting goods locations at a low cost of 239.99. Figure that over the number of years it’ll last you and they’re basically paying you for it! Be sure to check out the awesome hunting accessories available as add-ons for your new Summit Tree Stand. 4 Stars!

With so many different arrow rests available on the market I did not know where to begin when upgrading my bow for the 2009 archery season. So I set out to do a bit of research on the various different arrows rests available and share the information with our readers.

There are three primary categories of arrow rests commonly available today. They are the shoot-thru, containment, and drop-away (fall-away) arrow rests. Each of these categories comes with advantages and disadvantages. Prices can range within each category as well; with increased price comes increase adjustability. When selecting the right arrow rest you must consider which type of arrow rest will work best for your configuration.

The shoot-thru or prong style arrow rest has been a common fixture in archery for years. Most are spring loaded to allow for movement as the arrow is released. The shoot-thru arrow rests provide a very accurate and reliable setup for archers of all skill levels. There are some disadvantages associated with using a shoot-thru arrow rest. A major disadvantage is that there is no arrow containment. A hunter’s arrow can easily slip off the prongs while setting up for a shot. This non-containment forces the archer to focus on making sure the arrow stays in place and focus less on shooting technique. Shoot-thru rests have been known to damage an arrow’s fletching as well. Offset or helical arrow fletchings will create contact between the arrow rest and the fletchings resulting in undependable arrow flight and damage to the arrow fletchings.

Containment arrow rests have gained presence within the archery industry with the introduction of the Whisker Biscuit® arrow rest. Containment arrow rests are designed to contain the arrow with various designs and prevent the arrow from falling from the arrow rest. Containment can be 100% contact or designed with multiple brushes to hold the arrow in place. The arrow rests that are designed with 100% containment contact all arrow fletchings simultaneously resulting in un-deflected arrow flight. Multiple brush designed arrow rests must only be used with straight fletchings; otherwise it will result in deflected arrow flight. Containment arrow rests allow for the archer to concentrate purely on their shooting technique since the arrow is always ready. Containment arrow rests contact the arrow during the release and therefore produces a slight reduction in arrow speed.

Drop-Away or Fall-Away arrow rests have become all the new hype within the archery industry and are considered by many to be the most advanced design of arrow rests available. Drop-Away arrow rests will typically lift up when the arrow is drawn and fall out of the way to clear the arrow upon release. These arrow rests provide a clear advantage of reducing the contact between arrow rest and arrow which result in increased arrow speed. The arrow rests must remain in contact with the arrow until the arrow reaches speed and trajectory and then fall to clear the fletchings. Failing to get this timing correct will result in sporadic arrow flight and increased frustration; so tuning is best left for the professional. Drop-Away arrow rests can be used easily with helical fletchings that can provide arrows with large broad-heads more accurate flight.

To summarize I found out that there is no clear answer to the question of which arrow rest is the best available. Each arrow rests has its own set of advantages and disadvantages that has to be taken into consideration when determining the best fit for your archery setup. Rather you decide to use a shoot-thru, containment, or fall-away arrow rest make sure that you pay particular attention to the arrow design and fletching style you use as this is a large factor to put into consideration.

Rating: 4-Star

Before our last deer season I decided to step it up a notch and flipped for a Full Camo Remington 11-87 Super-Mag. Upon taking it out of the box I was SIKED!!!!! Smooth/Clean and Synthetic wow what a great combo! Of course I had to take her to the camp and put some holes in something. Bore sighted it in and I was dead on with a tight group at 100 yards. I was amazingly suprised with the soft recoil, hardly any kick. With a 3.5 inch slug I expected a bruised should at the least, maybe even a trip to the hospital with a dislocated shoulder, Haha. This 11-87 retailed for $799.99 at the time but with all of the rebates it brought me down to just under 600.00 bills. Features for the Model 11-87 Super Magnums provide long range, high power with the comfort of gas compensated recoil reduction. This versatile shotgun features a strong, weather resistant synthetic stock. The stock, receiver and barrel are fully camouflaged with Mossy Oak® Break Up pattern! Also equipt’d with a camo cantilever vent rib barrel. Awesome gun! Although I put the blades on my buck with my hoyt I filled my deep freezer with my 11-87!! I would suggest this model to anyone in the deer woods wanting true knock down drag out performance! Top Notch!