Unlike most kids that watched cartoons on Saturday mornings, mine were a little different. There was a TV involved, but instead of cartoons my Dad and I would watching hunting shows. Most of them revolved all around the whitetail deer. An animal I’ve wanted to hunt for quite some time. And now I’m going to get to do just that.
It is undeniable that hinge releases have grown in popularity for bowhunting. What is also undeniable, though, is that many of us thrive on the DIY mentality. So, when it comes to buying your first hinge release, this often translates into not properly learning how to use the release from the get go and trying to figure things out on our own. In light of that, I’m going to lay out my 3 favorite methods to using a hinge release. These are all what I believe to translate the best to hunting and what have given me the most in terms of accuracy and feel.
Hey, everyone! Man, I can’t believe it’s already almost November. Time has been flying by this season. I hope you’ve been out there crushing your goals in the field and living it up. Hunting season only comes around one time a year, so make the most of it. With that said, I need a favor from you.
My history of using hinge releases to shoot a bow has been somewhat brief. It is that way, not because I didn’t like using a hinge. I actually really enjoyed shooting them. It was brief because I’m primarily a bowhunter and I didn’t believe that hinge releases were practical for bowhunting. So, I have shot an index-style release and thumb button release for that application the past 10 years or so. My original opinion of hinge releases has been influenced to shift in a different direction and it’s all because of the Evolution Outdoors Ibex. A hinge made for bowhunters by bowhunters.
So, I’m going whitetail deer hunting. This may not sound like a big deal to many of you, but I’ve honestly never done a legit whitetail hunt. This November, though, I’m heading to CO to hunt with a buddy on some ground that he’s got a ton of experience on and manages. This will be a treestand hunt and I’m thrilled about it. With that said, this all called for a different clothing system than I’m used to.
Now, keep in mind, I’m mainly a western hunter. I do mostly backpack hunts, so my normal clothing system reflects that. Everything is based on effectiveness and efficiency with weight and packability in mind. The system I’ve picked down below for my whitetail deer hunt is more about staying warm and quiet. Here goes nothing. A whitetail deer clothing system through the eyes of a western hunter.
Everything mentioned here is made by Sitka Gear. I’ll be doing a full review on BlackOvis.com about my experience with everything after the fact as well as a follow-up video. If you want to save money over there use the code DIALED10 and you’ll save 10% off sitewide.
I’m not going to get much in the weeds at all here with this stuff, because I don’t have an honest opinion about it yet, aside from just first impressions. And first impressions across the board are THIS STUFF IS COMFORTABLE. I love my western system, but everything here is so warm and soft. Of course the packability is extremely limited, but that’s not the point or goal of this system based on the style of hunting.
I’m new to this whitetail deer thing. So, if you think I missed anything here that would be of value, please let me know! I’ve got my western system pretty dialed, but this is a new world to me and I’m stoked to dive in.
There it is! Everything fits great and feels great. My bow is shooting absolutely awesome too. Now, all there is to do is wait for November to come. Thankfully, I’ve got a fall bear hunt here in AZ coming to help pass my time until I head to CO for whitetails. Can’t wait to share everything with you all. Thanks for tuning in.
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Sheesh, I can’t believe I’m already writing a start of the Fall hunting season update. Feels like spring was just here a few weeks ago, but here we are. At this point in the season, I’ve had two hunts. A black bear hunt in Arizona and an elk hunt in Colorado. Both landed on the rough side, but both held their own lessons.
If there is one thing true about sighting in a bow sight, it’s that there is more than one way to skin a cat. I recently acquired the Spot Hogg Fast Eddie 5-Pin and had to of course get it all sighted in and ready for season. While I was doing this, my buddy was also tackling the same task with the same sight and had some questions. So, I figured if he had questions, there are others that do too. Naturally, I decided to make a video of the process, as I think this is way easier to digest visually than through reading.
Eagerness flowed through my veins as I stared through the steam of my coffee. It was January in Arizona. A beautiful time of year to be a bowhunter. Bucks were rutting does like mad and I couldn’t wait until the sun climbed its way up the horizon. At this point in my bowhunting journey, I hadn’t yet touched an animal with my arrow. I had a lot to learn back then some 10 years ago from now. One lesson that sticks out the most to me, which was a turning point in my success, was falling victim to paralysis by analysis. From my experience, the biggest mistake of new bowhunters.
I made shirts! This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and finally got around to it. At the moment I have two designs, but there is more merch to come. So, keep you eyes out for that. Until then, let me give you the skinny on the Dialed in Hunter Shirts available now in The Shop.
At the time of writing this, it’s late July 2024. This time of year always makes me think of one thing, besides the unrelenting heat in my great state of Arizona. It’s Fall black bears. Our archery season starts at the end of August and I just returned from my first scouting trip of the year.
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