Separating the hunting gimmicks from the truly warranted items is a little difficult when confronted with so many new and yet to be tried products, which promise to add to the success of every hunter. Like the new yelper call by Lohman.  I bought it; I tried it and after passing it to another hunting friend to try out her and her husband agreed I should throw it out. What a disappointment, so much for my new product purchase for spring turkey season. If they didn’t like it either, then it must be just another claim to fame that just doesn’t talk turkey.

A box call is the old stand by that my husband won’t be without and in his own words, "It’s tried and true." I recently discovered the thumb insert box call by Primos and I love it. It produces an excellent fly down cluck when the thumb is placed into the cutout that holds it in position against the moving paddle. In the southwest Missouri’ Ozarks I practiced calling with this method at dawn about the 2^nd week of April, a week before turkey season, with great results. It brought several vocal gobblers from every direction who made their way as close to my tent as they dared before giving up and moving back into the timber. What an exciting morning that was, gobbling turkey came from all around bringing our first camping trip of the year to a thrilling close. It was amazing to hear so many responses and listen to them gobble a little closer each time I called.

Another new product that caught my eye from one of the spring catalogues is the ground stand bow holder. How many times I could have used a tool like that in past hunts when trying to hold my bow in the upright position until that moment when I would draw. Not a necessity I know, but an excellent idea in my opinion for ground hunting or target practice when you don’t want to hold or carry your bow constantly. With a little forethought and a quick insert into the soil you can have easy and instant access for drawing your bow in your next hunting situation.

Thumbing through several favorite mail order issues I imagined every hunting situation from the rainy days and wet weather creeks that led me to gaze at the water proof snake boots, which I’m saving for and on to choosing a two-wheel deer cart in hopeful thought of my next deer seasons’ bounty. Well I’ve ordered the ground stand bow holder out of the spring catalog for my own use this fall and my husband has already purchased and assembled an Ameristep deer cart with the aid of catalog and in store price comparisons. Guess I’m not the only one who likes to window shop and browse through the new spring catalogs.

Along with my favorite brand name catalogs are those specialty department stores and sporting goods suppliers where I like to shop first hand for the newest items that are available for hunters. It has been several months since we traveled with friends to shop the new Cabela’s store in Kansas where we browsed the camping products and discussed the thermal safety bag options in an attempt to find the best made product at the most thrift price. That is where we stocked up on Tony Chachere’s seasonings, a favorite we have used for as long as I can remember. The rubs and injectable marinades are a tried and true staple for seasoning ground beef as well as wild game.

Another outlet, I frequently shop for hunting and fishing supplies, is Springfield’s Bass Pro. That stores’ annual Fishing Expo took place this year in March. An invitation to attend from Wanda Garner the founder of WomenAnglers and our editor at WomenHunters, afforded an opportunity to shop the fishing vendors and met the first lady of angling; Penny Berryman. I looked at some of the latest in fishing gear, bought another top water lure ( that Wanda recommended ) and chatted with these like-minded ladies about their interest in angling, upcoming events and new products they like to use. While I was there I also purchased The Better Breader I love the way it batters any cut of meat easily without the mess and for that reason I highly recommend it. Word of mouth recommendations for tried and true outdoor products sure beat the try it and see if you like it approach that sometimes ends in disappointment. Truth be told I still like to get out to the sporting goods stores with friends and get my hands on a new item now and then and I won’t deny that I like opening the mailbox to another brand name outdoor catalogue once in a while too.