Great American Outdoors Show was a big hit
Last month the family and I headed to the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pa., for the annual Great American Outdoors Show.
I saw some familiar, friendly faces among the guides from Ken Penrod’s Life Outdoors Unlimited and caught up with quite a few charter boat captains from Southern Maryland. But mostly I was there to check out the latest and greatest gear on the market. Here’s a rundown of what caught my eye this time around.
Rocky Brands has been around since 1932, but in 2016, the company introduced its own line of camo, the Venator pattern. The name Venator means hunter in Latin.
It took nearly three years of research and development, but the designers at Rocky Brands have created a hit with this go-anywhere camo pattern. It blends in whatever the terrain — field, forest, desert or mountain. And with Rocky’s signature scent-blocking technology, this camo provides stealth in any environment.
Since its debut last year, products in the Venator pattern have been flying off the shelves. Items get sold out fast and just a quick look through their website www.rockyboots. com and you can see many items are on back-order until the summer.
New this year, the Venator pattern is available in the Stratum line and later this year, Rocky will have a brand-new pattern for hunters in the extreme northern climes called Snow Venator for white-out conditions. The long-sleeved Stratum tee-shirt in Venator is $59.99 and jackets start at $109.99.
The sales staff at Diamond Archery recognized that bowfishing has been gaining popularity and that fishermen were buying bows and modifying them after-market for bowfishing So, they designed a new bow based on their popular Infinite Edge platform that is out-of-the-box ready for bowfishing, the Edge Sonar.
This bow is for ages 6 and up, with a draw weight of 5 to 55 pounds and a draw length of 18 to 30 inches. It comes already equipped with bowfishing accessories including the Retriever Pro Reel, a durable, easy-to-use reel. The available colors are Kryptek Neptune (black and blue) and Kryptek Yeti (white).
And to give their customers helpful online support, Diamond Archery has created a website, DiamondArchery. com/Sonar, with the most current information including setup instructions and bowfishing content to help shooters get the most out of their bow. The Edge Sonar with accessories retails for $499.
Some good people have come out of Scranton, Pa., including Joe Biden, the staff at Dunder Mifflin, and my parents. Now there’s a new product we can add to the list of great things from Scranton.
The creators of Heated Hunts
saw there was a void in the hunting market and filled the niche with a one-of-a-kind heated scent dispenser that replaces wacky home-engineered methods which often rely on dangerous chemicals, candles, or Hot Hands.
The Heated Hunt scent dispenser runs on just 4 AA batteries and can last up to 14 hours. The dispenser heats up to 105 degrees Farenheit and uses diffusion to expose the scent to the wind. Hunters can place the unit directly on the ground or hang it from a tree.
According to the company, “There are only two things dropping hot scent on a cold day: that doe and a hunter using Heated Hunts.”
The dispenser itself starts at $34.99, and for just a couple bucks more you can get the Hunter’s Bundle for $39.99 that comes with extra wicks. For more information or to order one, go to www.heatedhunts.com. Mirage Pro Angler Series
This final item had to go at the end of the column because I didn’t want any readers drooling on their copy of the newspaper and blurring the print before they were finished reading.
I do hope the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus get together for a drink soon and my name comes up. Surely being so good the past 40 years has earned me one of these, don’t you think?
If you like to fish (I do), and you like to kayak (I do), then imagine the best way to put those two activities together and you get Hobie’s newest kayak line for anglers called the Mirage Pro Angler Series. What beauties they are.
The propulsion system, the MirageDrive 180, is ingenious. Engineers watched and studies how penguins swim to come up with the scissoring action back and forth on the front and back stroke which yields a smooth, efficient ride, unlike anything else available on the market.
With the quick tug on a cable, the fins pivot 180 degrees, enabling the user to move from forward to reverse and back again almost instantly. And your fishing rod, phone, binoculars or cold drink will be right where they should be, in your hands.
These kayaks are everything an angler could need or want and more. Hands-free propulsion means better control for casting and presenting baits, safely fishing close to obstructions and fishing downstream while holding in current.
The top-of-the-line kayak in this series, the Mirage ProAngler 17T, comes equipped with two seats that can be positioned either faceto-face or tandem. It can also be used as a single.
The Angler kayaks are height adjustable from tall adult to child size. Optional accessories such as a livewell and trolling motor platform are available.
Delaware Paddlesports in Lewes (302-645-7300) carries the full line of Hobie kayaks and shopping is tax-free there. The Mirage ProAngler 17T retails for $5,699.