By: Ted Nugent
Oh, how things have changed! Well some things at least. The overall spirit of my hunting life, and life in general hasn’t really changed one whit, but Lord have mercy when it comes to gear and technology, especially archery gear, it is a whole brave wild new world out here.
When my dad and I would hit the north Michigan deerwoods in the 1950s and 60s we just had our old yew and Osage longbows and cedar arrows in a backquiver.
There were no camo hunting clothes to be found back then and nobody I knew had ever heard of a treestand or commercial groundblind.
We wore standard plaid wool shirts and jackets and earthtone corduroy pants with lace up leather boots.
We would sneak through the timber and find a trail where we would put together a rough and tumble ground nest made from limbs and forest debris. Sitting on a stump or the ground, we would wait patiently hoping an unsuspecting whitetail might just wander by.
There were no bucklures or gruntcalls. There were no giant big box sporting goods stores.
The whole procedure was rather primitive and we winged it slowly but surely learning the ways of the wild as we went.
I loved every minute of those early experimental formative years but I must admit I truly love how the hunting world and hunting industry has exploded in my lifetime. I also must admit that I very rarely hit the mega sporting goods stores since I have all my gear shipped to my doorstep.
When it comes time for the hunt, I approach it very much the exact same way with the exact same excited mindset and attitude as I did in my earliest years. Technology might have changed but the spirit of the hunt is as pure and primal as ever when we approach it with the proper reasoning predator attitude.
Regardless of any and all the phenomenal technological advances in equipment and gear, I still scout all year and I still get up well before dawn everyday of the season and sneak carefully to the best stand site based on wind, sun, weather and critter observations.
Gear selection in the hunting world has always been a very personal touch, and just like when it comes to guns, guitars and trucks, we all have our own little preferences and unique demands.
I work diligently all year long experimenting and fine tuning all my gear to make certain I can be the deadliest, most efficient predator I can be when the opportunity arrives.
Through eternal and never ending experimentation, trial and error, I constantly test everything out there to find the sweet spot stuff that maximizes my ultimate quality outdoor fun and effectiveness.
As I organize my killin’ gear for what will certainly be the best season of my life, I get all excited about the thrilling hunting adventures to come.
I encourage everyone to take their individually chosen gear very seriously and let your ultimate inner-predator spirit run wild!
Here’s what I have amassed for huntseason 2018!
I wear Mossy Oak ScentLok clothing and shoot a Mathews Triax bow at 50#.
My Nuge Gold Tip 400 arrows with a DeadRinger Butcher broadhead and Lumenok weigh in at right around 400 grains.
My target of choice is Morrell.
I like Conquest and Docs lures.
I wear LaCrosse and Dryshod boots and use Bushnell optics, flashlights and trailcams.
I often wear HECs undergarments and often use an Ozonics ozone unit.
I hunt from Shadow Hunter and Primos Double Bull blinds and use Primos gamecalls and attractants religiously.
I always wear my Hunter Safety System fall restraint vest whenever I am in an elevated ladder or treestand.
I carry a small backpack with water, 1st aid, flashlight, toilet paper, fire starter, rope, extra knife, saw, sharpener, small file, lures, calls, binos, rubber gloves and a couple of small screw in hangers for my bow and quiver.
On the front of my Polaris is a killer Ox Rack unit for lifting and carrying game and on the back is a Harvant corn feeder.
I use a Cannon Feeders throughout my properties.
My firearms and ammo choices are quite extensive and varied, but I do prefer handgun hunting with my Glock Model 20 10mm and old reliable S&W Model 29 .44 magnum.
The important ingredients for a quality, gratifying hunt remain the same; stealth, attentiveness, dedication, practice, patience, a higher predator level of awareness and a fine-tuned sense of time and place and of course a good dose of luck.
I am happy to celebrate that there is no bad gear out here these days, and we should all salute the geniuses, mad scientists and entrepreneurs who have continued to experiment and design all this amazing gear that is available to enhance our individual outdoor experiences to such a great degree.
Find that gear that is best for you and have the greatest hunting season of your lives. Make that extra effort to introduce some new people into this incredible outdoor hunting lifestyle and doing so will make your season that much more gratifying.
Aim small, miss small and say a prayer for the wildthings, and hunt hard like you mean it. May your backstrap dreams go wild and may The Great Spirit be forever at your side!