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"Game Changer" Products

1-Wool crusher full brim hat. Keeps the sun from burnin' me up, & the rain from going down my ears & neck.
2-First Lite Merino wool. NOTHING keeps me cooler when it's hot, or warmer when it's cold.
3-Knee pads. Been wearing them EVERY time I go out, for the last 25 years or so, whether I'm climbing or hunting on the ground...there's a story behind why, but not important. Also, they ALWAYS keep my arthritic knees warm!
4-Binocs that include a rangefinder. 1 less thing to haul around & worry about dropping!
5-Thermacell- even here in PA (and OH,) it's an early season "must have!"
6-PacSeat...I can't stay more still when hunting on the ground than I can when sitting in that thing!
 
A tension release for off season practice. There is no hiding your mistakes.
A quality pack. It’s something you don’t know until you know. 70+ pounds makes you honest.
Quality binos. I was a non believer and went through the entire spectrum. Yes there is a huge noticeable difference.
The internet has made information available. People can now plan and hunt new animals and areas without being a total disaster.
 
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thedutchtouch said:
I'm not arguing that lighter isn't better, but when talking "game changer" dropping a few lbs off the sticks doesn't do it, you're still doing the same things/climbing the same way, just maybe walking a bit further or sweating less. I'd argue most people that have them don't walk any further than whatever they used before. I know I don't with lighter gear, I just sweat less getting there.
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This is a highly subjective topic. I don't doubt that an ultralight stick could be a "game changer" for some. That would depend on their current setup and methods and how they perceive a significant difference from the new gear.

Sometimes staying in the game is what's necessary. For example:

I used to carry a Sit and Climb with a backpack and outerwear lashed to it for certain hunts. Four or five years ago while I was a few miles in that shifted on a downhill causing me to twist my knee pretty badly.

I hunted the same area this past season with a 10lb climbing platform and saddle that I carried in a frame pack. It was a lighter overall setup and carried more efficiently and left me in control.

Could I still have slipped and twisted my knee, sure. But that risk was substantially reduced and my confidence and dare I say ability to continue to hunt as I had was restored.

Even greater peace of mind might be adding a PLB, especially with chat/talk function. That's not going to make killing deer any easier, but I'm realizing the need to make changes to continue to do what I have. I'm hunting alone more and more and still want to go deep and try spots where nobody knows exactly where I'll be (including me until I get there).

In an obscure way, staying in the game is a game changer...when others are giving it up. Gear, individual care, safety measures, etc., can all help there. Then, when it's just not possible anymore, adapting, actually changing one's game, is the next step that I envision. Increasing knowledge of deer, habitat, and hunting opportunities is probably going to carry the most weight then.
 
Going from hunting out of a climber the last 20 plus years, to the having the mobility of lightweight sticks and a saddle is a total game changer… my ebike getting me 2 plus miles deep without sweating and in a fraction of the time is game changing…. The ability to see what’s in the woods with cell cams while being hours away from them is game changing… not many things fit that description.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Not to get all mushy with you guys. But this site has been the most game changer for me.
Even though I primarily hunt private. I would still be hunting the same trees over and over like before where historical I saw deer. I picked up lots of ideas on here, from where and how to hunt on here. So this site has been the most "change" to my hunting.
 
1. Being more mobile due to saddlehunting.
2. Onx Hunt and Garmin GPS…. I have way more confidence in going in deeper and going in earlier and coming out later because of it. Simple math and probability your odds increase because of it.
3. YouTube and podcasts related to bowhunting.
4. This forum bar none!! I’ve learned a lot from this site it’s quite priceless to me.
 
BTaylor said:
Pretty close for me too most of the time. I just wont normally go to the tree with one that is getting close to empty. Messed around and let one run out about 45 minutes before dark once. Wont ever make that mistake again.
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the first time I went Sika deer hunting in the marsh was my first experience with a thermacell. I used it all weekend and kept the thinking everything that I had heard about mosquitoes must have been people being over dramatic. Then the last evening my thermacell ran out 30 minutes before dark ….wowzers! Never again will I run out when hunting down there.
 
bigmike23 said:
I saw a company use those words recently and it got me thinking. We all know those words get thrown around far too loosely anymore. Vary rarely is something we buy actually game changing, but what have you tried over the years that actually is for you. I have a few.
TSS ammo for turkey hunting. The performance of this ammo is nothing short of extraordinary. I shot a turkey last year quarting to me directly is the body. First time in a long time my nerves got to me and hit him poorly. He was 35 yards away. He went down immediately but was disgusted by the thought of how many pellets of #9s I was gunna find in his breast. When I filletd him I couldn't find a single pellet in either breast. They blew through his right wing bone, through the right breast, through the breast bone, out of the left breast, and only a couple lodged into the left wing bone. I'll never use lead again.
And two probably switching to climbing sticks. I like the ease of climbers but there's simply no telephone trees to hunt where I'm at.
And finally nice clothing. If you don't wanna spend huge money on Sitka I get it, but I dreadfully remember the days of seeing freezing weather coming up and not wanting to go out because of freezing to death. Not caring what the weather forecast is and going out to capitalize on the weather is as game changing as it gets
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TradBowGuy said:
1-Wool crusher full brim hat. Keeps the sun from burnin' me up, & the rain from going down my ears & neck.
2-First Lite Merino wool. NOTHING keeps me cooler when it's hot, or warmer when it's cold.
3-Knee pads. Been wearing them EVERY time I go out, for the last 25 years or so, whether I'm climbing or hunting on the ground...there's a story behind why, but not important. Also, they ALWAYS keep my arthritic knees warm!
4-Binocs that include a rangefinder. 1 less thing to haul around & worry about dropping!
5-Thermacell- even here in PA (and OH,) it's an early season "must have!"
6-PacSeat...I can't stay more still when hunting on the ground than I can when sitting in that thing!
Click to expand...
You SOB.....just when I had convinced myself I was going to shoot Long beards
 
Nosaj said:
You SOB.....just when I had convinced myself I was going to shoot Long beards
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Long beards pattern great, but they are wildly inconsistent with that resin. Lot to lot variances are crazy. Some lots shot superb. Others half the resin doesn't break so you get a slug of shot and a couple flier bbs coming out. I just patterned my guns the other day and at only 30 yards some bbs from the long beard failed to penetrate a empty cardboard box. I won't touch em anymore. I forgot the rangefinder so I cannot verify this was 40. Considering the ridiculous # it was probably just under 40 but it was 40 long steps away. TSS 9 out of my fathers SP 10 ga. 873 10 in circle. And each #9 hits like a freight train 20230308_233705_compress96.jpg
 
bigmike23 said:
Long beards pattern great, but they are wildly inconsistent with that resin. Lot to lot variances are crazy. Some lots shot superb. Others half the resin doesn't break so you get a slug of shot and a couple flier bbs coming out. I just patterned my guns the other day and at only 30 yards some bbs from the long beard failed to penetrate a empty cardboard box. I won't touch em anymore. I forgot the rangefinder so I cannot verify this was 40. Considering the ridiculous # it was probably just under 40 but it was 40 long steps away. TSS 9 out of my fathers SP 10 ga. 873 10 in circle. And each #9 hits like a freight train View attachment 82552
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I'm going to shoot my modified. It seems I either have them at 15 yds or 60 yds
 
When I really stop and think about what a true “game changer” is, IMO it is something that directly contributes to putting more deer on the ground. I mean that is the “game” isn’t it. Oh yeah, I know…it’s the “experience, getting out, etc., etc., but let‘s face it, if you weren’t out to put game on the ground would you still be out strolling around the woods just for the “experience, getting out, etc,.? Prolly not. Most stuff falls under the categories of nice to have, makes me more comfortable, makes it more enjoyable, etc., vice actually helps me kill more deer.

With that in mind my vote goes on three things: GPS or similar nav aides that opens up new areas and new opportunities for most folks. The excellent choice of clothing available today. Can’t kill them if you won’t go because it’s cold out and you know you will freeze to death. And lastly, gear that promotes mobility. Got pushed out of my trusty permanent stands once upon a time and ended up on a 5 gallon bucket. I killed more deer off that bucket then I ever killed out of those “trusty” stands. Being able to stay mobile and still get up a tree is a little slice of heaven.
 
woodsdog2 said:
1. Being more mobile due to saddlehunting.
2. Onx Hunt and Garmin GPS…. I have way more confidence in going in deeper and going in earlier and coming out later because of it. Simple math and probability your odds increase because of it.
3. YouTube and podcasts related to bowhunting.
4. This forum bar none!! I’ve learned a lot from this site it’s quite priceless to me.
Click to expand...
Truly going mobile, has been the big, game changer for me.
 
1. ASAT camo is a game changer, especially when hunting from the ground.
2. A good grunt call like my old Knight and Hale EZ grunter.
 
There is only one game changer product in my mind that is worth mentioning.

Land.

Since only approx 20% of all deer are harvested on public land. I'd put money on the idea that I can harvest any size or quality deer regardless of the equipment I use IF I have the land. That is why I, and many like me, will never shoot a quality whitetail in a lifetime. It's not a poor mans sport anymore.
 
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