Uncategorized - Mostly Archery with dustyvarmint

DEC 20

2011

dv Gear Review – Red Ram Everyday Merino Thermal Underwear

Posted by dustyvarmint

A review of Red Ram’s Everyday Merino Thermal Underwear.

Overall Rating: **+ (2+ stars of 5)

Specifications:

Breathable
Soft
Natural Fiber
Naturally odor resistant
Comfortable
Sustainable source
Merino wool
For “Everyday” use.

Performance: **** (4 stars of 5). Imagine yourself swaddled in a thin cloud. That’s how soft and comfortable these garments are. The synthetic, odor resistant light layer I usually buy is soft, but it doesn’t even come close to Red Ram softness. Their extremely comfortable Everyday Merino products are for just that purpose – everyday use. Cold at the office? Wear Red Ram Everyday Merino. Need a light layer in mild weather for hunting? Throw it on. Need a buttery soft base layer for a second pair of heavier long underwear during the coldest of temperatures? Right choice.

Above: Red Ram Everyday Merino Thermal Underwear boxers, leggins and long sleeve shirt.

With little body fat I tend to run cold. Even in early whitetail season, almost no matter the weather, I wear light long underwear for morning and evening hunts. No matter what the afternoon high may be those early morning and dusk temperatures usually are enough to make me put on long underwear so I’m comfortable. For the past several months I’ve had the opportunity to do a field test of Red Ram’s men’s leggings, long sleeve top and boxers in several states and feel confident in providing a good field test of them. I took two does this year, one in Kansas and one in Wisconsin while wearing it.

The fabric thickness is somewhere between women’s hose and standard synthetic long underwear products. I would not call it a single Midwest midseason layer unless coupled with a fleece outer garment. However, for me, it has a dual purpose. As previously mentioned a light layer like this gets worn in the early season. Then, as the season rolls along I wear both a light layer of long underwear and a mid-weight layer. This method keeps my cold butt warmer. Here’s my view of the pros and cons.

Pros:

The softest, most comfortable long underwear I have ever worn.
True to size.
It proved to be very odor resistant even when I encountered unseasonably warm weather in Kansas.
They “feel” warm. Even in the drizzly, dreary conditions the Wisconsin doe was taken in the wool felt nice.

Cons:

The boxers were a little more generously cut than I’d like, but I think they are designed that way versus boxer briefs.
The garments must hang dry versus using a dryer. As a hunter I can’t hang them in the house due to scent concerns and the weather during hunting season generally isn’t conducive to hanging them outside – frozen undies just don’t feel right no matter what they are made of.

Cost: ** (2 stars of 5). Approximately $29.99 for boxers, $57.99 for leggings and $57.99 for the long sleeve top.

Manufacturer’s Customer Service: ** (2 stars of 5). When I needed clarification about the underwear’s intended purpose and who a customer should contact for service (it wasn’t clear on Red Ram’s website) it took approximately 10 days to get a response. A company representative indicated contacting Ice Breaker from the About Us page would result in an answer to customer service inquiries.

Source: Provided by Red Ram for this review.

General notes: The Red Ram thermal underwear is nice, but the review ratings were drug down by the Cost and Customer Service categories. Again, it is the most comfortable long underwear I have ever worn and a good gateway to merino wool for those garments. They are available at Gander Mountain and Dog Funk.

happy hunting, dv

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DEC 08

2011

2011 Holiday Bowhunting Guide – dv Edition

Posted by dustyvarmint

Need a gift for your bowhunter, but don’t know what? Here’s a list that should satisfy all tastes and budgets.

Less than $20: Scent prevention soaps, both bar and shower gels, from companies such as Dead Down Wind and Hunter’s Specialties make great stocking stuffers. Wal-Mart, Dick’s Sporting Goods and other outdoor specialty stores.

$20 to ___: Gift cards or gift certificates from Cabelas, Bass Pro Shops, Keystone Country Store or his/her favorite local archery shop.

Less than $50: A 3-pack of premium, proven broadheads such as the NAP 2-blade Bloodrunner or the Slick Trick Magnum offer the bowhunter on your list an opportunity to try something different. Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shops, local archery shops.

Less than $100: Give a gift and protect a loved one from an accidental treestand fall with the Hunter Safety System Ultra Light Harness. Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shops, Amazon.com.

Greater than $100: The ultimate in realism Dave Smith Decoy’s standing hen turkey is sure to please any turkey hunter, bowhunting or otherwise. Direct from Dave Smith Decoys and better bowhunting shops.

Greater than $300: Lone Wolf Hunting Products Alpha fixed treestand or the Lone Wolf Sit and Climb climbing stand. Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shops and better bowhunting shops.

happy hunting, dv

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SEP 19

2011

Giving Whitetails and Hogs Your Best Shot

Posted by dustyvarmint

Sharing some of the better anatomical pictures of whitetail deer and feral hogs I’ve seen and an important season reminder.

So you’ve practiced all year, I hope, and you’re ready for that perfect whitetail shot to present itself. These anatomical representations of whitetail deer are two of the best I’ve seen so I wanted to share them with you.

The bone structure.

The vital structure. Notice the wide-open window directly above the leg. In South Africa they said to, “Aim mid-body straight up the leg.” Pretty much the same applies here. I do like to lean a little closer to the bottom in case the deer hunkers down at the shot.

How in the world Woody Sanford, Magnus Broadhead’s technical dude, did this I don’t know, but it is quite interesting. Again, notice the window above the leg even though the front leg is splayed out.

Since I’ll be visiting Fair Chase, Ltd in Texas, see my last review here, to pursue feral hogs and javelina again in January I also thought I’d throw out this excellent feral hog anatomy picture from the great folks at Shiloh Ranch Hunting Camp, see my 2007 trip review here.

The tendency with hogs to shoot “mid-body” can be problematic as a high shot can end up in the loin vice the critical zone. I know.

And another handy reference. Again, notice how going high into the loin can be problematic.

See how the vitals sit lower overall in the body.

AND, one final reminder: Get out there and shoot your broadheads BEFORE heading into the field. Once you put wings on the front and back of your arrows you never know where those things might be headed. For more information see Broadhead Flight Means What?. With my Strother Infinity 100-grain 2-blade NAP BloodRunners hit consistently with my field points out to 60 yards. However, 100-grain Slick Trick Magnums and 100-grain Wasp Jakhammers hit consistently high. I wouldn’t know that unless I had shot them before heading afield.

Different points of impact for different broadheads.

happy hunting, dv

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SEP 12

2011

dv Gear Review – HME Seal Tite Scent Dispensers and Drop Wicks

Posted by dustyvarmint

Probably two of the top ten “great” products I’ve encountered over the last couple of years; this week I review HME’s Seal Tite Scent Dispensers and Drop Wicks.

Overall Rating: ****+ (4+ stars of 5)

Specifications: These excellent little scent dispensing devices boast a lot of features in little packages:

The HME Scent Dispensers in both colors. Note the heavy duty clip on the stealth olive version (“V” for Vanilla).

Scent Dispensers:

Compact size
Available in hunter orange or stealth olive with optional reflector strips for easy finding in the dark.
Attached spring clip for easy hanging
Sandblasted, non-glare finish
Tightly sealing attached lid for low mess with easy opening projected tabs
Replaceable felts

The HME Drop Wick, open (the rain hood has been removed to make it more compact).

Drop Wicks

Compact size
Available in hunter orange or stealth olive with optional reflector strips for easy finding in the dark.
Large molded hook for easy hanging
Textured finish
Double O-ring design seals tightly for low mess, but opens easily
Appropriately sized wick holder separates easily from container allowing easy dip into scent bottles for no mess scent refresh.
Replaceable wicks
Rain-proof design

The HME Drop Wick closed. Note the reflective strip for easy finding in the dark.

Inserting the Drop Wick felt into a scent bottle.

Performance: ***** (5 stars of 5). Man, I like these little guys. HME stands for Hunting Made Easy and these two products are proof of that. Prior to discovering them I primarily used felt wicks which deposited plenteous amounts of the scent on my hands every time I used them. And since my nose frequently leaks in cold weather I’d end up with plenty of scent on it too….

Pros:

The specifications for both items are simply true, no marketing hype.
Both the Drop Wicks and the Scent Dispensers provide a compact, leak-proof, clean hand way of dispensing scent.
Very well-designed and manufactured.
Economically priced.

Cons:

I just can’t think of any.

Cost: **** (4 stars of 5). $6.00 per pack of 3 Scent Dispensers and $7.00 per pack of 3 Drop Wicks.

Manufacturer’s Customer Service: ***** (5 stars of 5). When I couldn’t find either of these products in stealth oliveor a particular HME bow holder in local stores I contacted HME directly. They made sure I got what I needed.

Source: Purchased, retail, from Mill’s Fleet Farm.

General notes: As noted above I held off from buying these until I could get them in stealth olive versus orange, but since that time I’ve purchased more and don’t care what color they are. They are simply great hunting products. I bought both the Dispensers and Drop Wicks as I didn’t know which I might like better. After more than a season’s use I still don’t know which one I like better. They are both great. You’ll notice in my pictures that the “rain proof” collars on the Drop Wicks have been removed. Not wanting the extra bulk associated with this feature and not being worried about the rain I cut them off. I typically carry three Dispenser s and two Drop Wicks that are deployed in a line perpendicular to the wind direction and up-wind of my stand. One of the Dispensers contains vanilla extract vice deer scent as a curiosity attractant.

Loyal Reader Bonus: The first person to leave a comment, below, will receive an HME Blind Organizer. Good luck.

Be the first to leave a comment and win this HME Blind Organizer Accessory Bag.

happy hunting, dv

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JUL 26

2011

Multimeter – A Handy Bowhunting Tool

Posted by dustyvarmint

By now you are saying, “Huh?” Read on please.

I know what you’re thinking bowhunter. Does that 1.5 volt rangefinder battery have 1.1 or 1.63 volts? Well, you’ve got to ask yourself, “Do I feel lucky?” Well, do you? The same thing applies to your headlamp, your game camera or point-and-shoot camera for that once-in-a-lifetime trophy photo. Do you feel lucky enough to hit the field with a piece of equipment without knowing it’ll support you during the adventure? Is it your piece of gear malfunctioning or are the batteries you’re putting in it bad? Want to build a DIY solar panel and auxiliary battery for your game camera or feeder? Is the internal plug portion positive or negative?

With a five dollar multimeter a bowhunter can test his or her batteries before hitting the field and can trace wires out too. Now, just to be clear, I’m no electrician or electronics dude. If I need to mix a multimeter with household electricity I call my step-father. However, with just one setting I do test my batteries out before putting them in my gear. That way I’ll know what to expect. An inexpensive multimeter can be purchased from your local Harbor Freight for between three and five dollars.

Testing a battery for juice.

To test batteries place the selector knob in the DC range on 20, hold the red probe on the positive (+) end of the battery and the black probe on the negative (-) end of the battery. The digital read-out should indicate at least 1.45 volts. Anything less and I won’t use that battery in the field. Sometimes they’ll read as high as 1.63 volts. I’ve never encountered a problem with that.

Testing a game camera battery pack plug to see which is positive and which is negative.

To trace a wire on a game camera system make sure battery power is going to the system. Place the red probe in the internal portion of the plug and place the black probe on the external portion of the plug. If the reading you receive on the readout is positive then you know internal is positive and external is negative. If the reading you receive is negative then you know internal is negative and external is positive. That’ll tell you how to connect or solder wires for your DIY solar panel or auxiliary battery.

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Jerry Long

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