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Hunting Gear
Ensure Your Pack is Properly Fitted This Offseason
Having a poorly-fitted pack is probably the most miserable thing to endure in the backcountry next to boots that don’t fit right. A well-fitted backpack not only distributes weight evenly but also reduces strain on your body, alleviating pinch points, hot spots, slop, sway, and noise. It allows you...
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Hunting Gear
The Best Long Range Hunting Rifles
Going into the field with the intention of taking a long-range shot isn’t the right mindset. A good hunter gets as close to his or her quarry as possible, and in the vast majority of situations, that’s inside distances most rifle shooters would describe as "long range."
However, there are situations...
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Hunting Gear
The Best Hunting Arrows for Big Game
An often overlooked piece of gear in the bowhunter’s toolkit is a reliable arrow.
Arrows aren’t as exciting to tinker with as the latest carbon compounds, but behind the bow, they’re the equipment that has the most impact on deadly accuracy. You can skate by without a stabilizer or the latest camo...
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Archery
Hunting Gear
How to Choose an Archery Release
If someone takes archery and bowhunting seriously enough, invariably, they start to tinker with their equipment. What might start with upgrading to a flagship bow progresses into an accessory deepdive, spanning everything from roving sights to stabilizers to micro-adjustable drop-away rests.
A lot...
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Hunting Gear
Photos: How to Build an Archery Target Stand
It’s that time of year again—dust off your bow and get some reps in before hunting season. While the sun is still burning with the heat of summer, it can get difficult to pull yourself outdoors and put in the practice required.
One way I stay motivated to continually practice is to change my targets...
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Hunting Gear
Has Compound Bow Technology Peaked?
In 2007, PSE released their first version of the X-Force bow. It was built and marketed mostly around unprecedented chronograph readings. With advertised arrow speeds of up to 350 fps, its launch changed bowhunters’ collective focus on what a hunting bow was capable of—and what we should focus on as...
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Hunting Gear
Why You Should Switch to a Single Pin Sight
Think about the most common excuses we use to explain away a miss while bowhunting. You’ll probably be able to come up with the best excuses without too much mind-grinding. Ranked first is the damn unseen twig that has deflected everyone’s arrow at least once, and it probably only comes in second to...
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Hunting Gear
The 4 Most Common Archery Mistakes
The old adage “failure is the best teacher” couldn’t be more accurate than when it comes to archery. Shooting a compound bow has a way of magnifying mistakes and providing nearly instant feedback. Throughout years of making those mistakes, I’ve become a student of the sport and improved my accuracy...
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Hunting Gear
How to Buy a Used Bow
Consistent bow accuracy is a puzzle that requires fitting a lot of odd-shaped pieces together. Bow fit and comfort are like the corner pieces that create the frame for filling in the rest.
These two factors, not coincidentally, are where a lot of bowhunters go wrong. A bow that doesn’t fit correctly...
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Firearms
Firearms
7 Best Air Rifles for Squirrel Hunting
These ain’t your granddaddy’s air rifles. They’ll still shoot your eye out, but they’re also deadly accurate and powerful enough to lay down a squirrel with a single shot every time. They’re quiet, cheap to shoot, and easy to use. If you’re thinking about exploring the small game woods this year...
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Firearms
The Guns of MeatEater Season 12
Woodsmanship may be a more important hunting skill than marksmanship, but it’s easy to obsess over the rifles we use and love. And why not? Guns are fascinating tools, and becoming proficient with a rifle or a shotgun can be incredibly rewarding–both mentally and from a fill-your-freezer perspective...
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Turkey
How to Pattern a Shotgun for Turkey Hunting
When it comes to turkey shotguns, modern choke-and-load combinations are capable of throwing ultra-tight patterns out to 40 yards or more. At the same time, turkey hunters should remember that a properly outfitted scattergun’s pattern is likely no larger than a baseball at 10 to 15 yards.
I learned...
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Hunting Gear
The Total Guide to Buying a Used Gun
We’ve all been there: You’re perusing the wares at a local gun shop on the way back from “picking up some milk” when a beautiful rifle catches your eye.
“Is it a fair price? Will it shoot? Is it a dud, or a diamond in the rough? And is it possible to intercept and destroy this month’s credit card...
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Hunting Gear
Tips on Marksmanship With a Rifle or Airgun
Practice makes perfect. This saying holds very true concerning our ability to make a good, lethal shot on an animal with a rifle. Our hunting ethics dictate we respect the animal enough to know our limits and capabilities when considering a shot.
There is no substitute to trigger time. This can...
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Optics
Hunting Gear
How to Mount a Rifle Scope and Bipod
Properly mounting your scope is an important step in building an accurate hunting rifle. This is how to level the scope, set your eye relief, and torque the mounts. Additionally, a bipod improves accuracy in a variety of different shot scenarios. This video also shows the proper way to mount the...
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Hunting Gear
Vortex Viper Line: Three Picks For Affordable Optics Essentials
From Alabama to Alaska, big game hunters rely on three types of hunting optics to up their odds of having a successful hunting season. Whether you’re scanning thick timber for a glimpse of an elk or searching a far-off meadow for a black bear, binoculars are something no big game hunter can get by...
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Hunting Gear
Small Game Hunting Binoculars
Optics aren’t nearly as integral to small game hunting as they are to big game hunting. If I had to choose between bringing my pants or my binoculars on a small game hunt I’d have a hard time deciding.
I use my binoculars to scan for small game and to identify suitable habitats at a distance. I...
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Hunting Gear
A Rangefinder’s Usefulness for Hunting
Carrying a rangefinder helps you eliminate uncertainty about distances when shooting rifles or bows. When you know the actual distance to the target, you’ll have more confidence in taking the shot or you’ll know that it’s too far away to risk it.
Angle Compensation
The best models have a function...
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Hunting Gear
How to Use Spotting Scopes for Hunting
Spotting scopes are vital for hunting open country where they have several important functions.
When I’m glassing big spaces with my 10x binoculars, I’ll make a mental note of any areas that I couldn’t quite pick apart to my satisfaction. These might include thick patches of cover, shaded areas...
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Hunting Gear
What You Need to Know About Hunting Binoculars
Good hunting binoculars should provide you a crystal clear image of whatever you’re looking at, be it 10 yards away or 1,000. They should not fog easily. They should not cause your eyes to ache after a day’s use. They should be glare free, even if you’re using them in the evening when the sun is low...
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Footwear and Clothing
Hunting Gear
MeatEater Pro Tips: Pants Layering Systems
Layering systems are a lot more important than most folks realize. There’s a particular way that I like to layer my pants depending on the conditions and what I’m able to bring along.
Take a look at the video above, I hope my system can help you out next time you’re in the market for the right...
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Hunting Gear
Putting Your Best Foot Forward: Choosing the Right Hunting Boot
Choosing the right hunting boot is one of the most important gear-oriented decisions a hunter can make. We’ve said many times in the past that the thing we see ruining or even ending hunts most often are foot problems. A good hunting boot needs to provide ample support and traction, keep your feet...
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Hunting Gear
The Best Hunting Boots for Every Season
I’ve seen more hunts ruined by foot problems than any other cause, problems such as blisters, sore ligaments, open lesions from chronic dampness, even debilitating athlete’s foot.
Luckily, most of these issues are preventable with proper boot selection and diligent foot care. I hunt across the...
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Hunting Gear
What You Need to Know About Layering for Hunting
Layering allows you to be prepared for a multitude of conditions, both in terms of what nature serves up and how your body warms and cools during physical activity. By adding and subtracting the right layers, we can stay comfortable in all temperatures without carrying too much weight.
Base Layers...
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Hunting Gear
Gear We Love: First Lite’s Uncompahgre Puffy Pant
Every year, the guys at First Lite reach out to a network of avid mountain hunters to see what products they’d be most excited to see. For a couple of years, I suggested that they whip up what I was describing as a pair of “glassing pants.” Basically, I was looking for a set of packable insulated...
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Backcountry Hunting Gear
Hunting Gear
Ask MeatEater: What's On Your Backcountry Pack List?
Every day, fellow MeatEaters send us more than 100 emails regarding hunting, fishing, cooking, conservation, and more. So, we decided to publish a series dedicated to our favorite FAQs. Ask MeatEater is powered by onX, creators of the best digital mapping tool for hunters and anglers.
I geek out on...
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Hunting Gear
Ask MeatEater: What Do You Carry in a Mountain Hunting Pack?
I’ve often been accused of carrying a lot of stuff going into the mountains for all-day or multi-day hunting adventures. But I’ve never once been accused of being unprepared.
Every elk or mountain muley hunter exists on a spectrum of comfort—and associated pack weight—ranging from spartan to cushy...
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Hunting Gear
Ask MeatEater: What’s In Your Hunting Pack?
One of the questions fans ask us most frequently is what we carry in our hunting packs. The simple answer is it all depends on what kind of hunt we’re on. But there are items we always carry, no matter the hunt. Then there’s other things we put in our packs based on whether we’re just out for the...
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Hunting Gear
What You Need to Know About Homemade Fire Starters
For a large chunk of the year, I live in a small cabin by the river. While it doesn’t have the comforts of running water or electricity, it does have a wood stove and solar panel to keep us warm and lit. In the summer and fall, I cook on an outdoor fire before moving back indoors to cook on the...
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Gear
How to Prepare for Backcountry Hunting Risks
The risks of a backcountry hunt include all of the normal risks associated with a typical hunt, plus many more. These risks are compounded by the physical distance that separates you from emergency assistance. For the unprepared hunter, a simple puncture wound can turn into a serious infection.
A...
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Hunting Gear
Hydration on a Backcountry Hunt
Hunting in the backcountry requires extreme amounts of knowledge. Two very basic things that anyone going into the backcountry should know about are, water and fire. Without water you won’t be able to stay hydrated. Without fire warmth will be hard to maintain, making it incredibly hard to stay...
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General
Hunting Gear
The Ultimate Truck Camping Setup
Hunting whitetails in the backyard is awfully fun, and going to family deer camp is a blast. But my absolute favorite place to return to after a long day of public land hunting is a DIY truck camp. The combination of sleeping quarters, gear storage, and transportatability make this the ultimate...
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Gear
Outdoors Businesses Suffering and Adapting Amidst Pandemic
Cancelled bookings. Non-essential business status. Halted manufacturing. Closed boat ramps. No customers coming in the door. With quarantines and shelter-in-place orders in effect throughout the country, many outdoors businesses—from guides to gear shops to booking agents—are hemorrhaging cash just...
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Hunting Gear
The E-Collar Conundrum
Dog owners and trainers are divided into two camps regarding the use of electronic shock collars for bird dog training. The first group heavily employs e-collars to round out a dog’s education and send a reminder when obedience starts to slip. Many other trainers and hunters view e-collars as...
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Hunting Gear
Necessities for Your Upland Kit
A good upland gun dog kit should have a bit of everything: basic medical supplies, extra parts, tools, extra shells, extra gloves, and anything vital you might find yourself needing on a bird hunt.
This preparation might save you hundreds of unnecessary dollars at a vet, or save your hunting trip...
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Gear
Carrying Gear While Hunting Small Game
I once met a guy who bragged that he’s been hunting small game for 25 years without ever needing to wear backpack, as though being chronically ill-prepared was something to be proud of.
I like to carry with me everything that I need to stay comfortable in the woods for as long as possible – at least...
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Hunting Gear
The Basics of Blade Tools for Small Game Hunting
When it comes to blade-tools, a small-game hunter can get by in the field quite nicely with nothing but a quality multi-tool. A folding or sheath knife might be nice for cutting a block of cheese during your lunch break, but in a pinch your multi-tool’s blade will do the job just as effectively...
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