The cool tools for this fall’s hunting season are now in stock at local sporting goods stores with some amazing new features and technologies.
Lone Butte Sporting Goods owner Mark Roseboom says the latest trends this season include a wider range of women’s gear, from the Savage Arms Lady Hunter rifles sporting pink “Muddy Girl” camouflage and a shorter stock to Rocky hunting boots as durable as the toughest men’s styles.
“There is a lot more availability for women hunters. We have better technology in the boots; better waterproofing.”
Trail cameras have taken off with compounding technology upgrades that leave early models in the dust, he explains.
“We have a new one out this year [made by Uway] that actually texts pictures to us on our cell phone.”
That one has been selling out as fast as he can bring them in, but Roseboom says all the Uway trail cams he carries are popular for taking strategic pictures and video day or night in the bush.
The Moultrie Panoramic 150 offers super-wide-angle detection area with three motion sensors and a silently rotating camera, while the D-333 model’s infra-red has a motion-freeze feature that takes the sharpest nighttime images.
Whether it’s an upgrade or a first-time trail cam, there is a model tuned for every hunter’s needs.
He also carries metal security lockboxes to protect a trail cam from theft or damage.
Roseboom notes science and technology have even improved the latest generations of hunting backpacks, which now come with a lifetime warranty – almost unheard of in the past, for something most folks are used to replacing every year or two.
The Badlands backpacks he stocks include one with a lightweight back frame that holds up to 200 pounds; but whatever the size, he says they also hold up to the wear-and-tear on the trail.
Roseboom notes the electronic and optic technologies offer so much more today, gaining the edge they need to excel has hunters are also turning to new scent-killers that mask the smell of humans.
“They are getting better and better as technology is catching up.
“It’s the same with firearms. You don’t have to buy a $2,000 firearm anymore; you can buy a $400 firearm and it’s going to shoot just the same. It’s just not going to have all the bells and whistles.”
When you’re out hunting for new gear this year, don’t forget to check out the latest spotting and rifle scopes, as well as the latest rangefinders.
Roseboom notes another of the coolest new products is an adapter for the Vortex spotting scopes that captures the images with the camera on your iPhone or Smartphone.
