Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters what is the most important development for Hunters in the last 50 years.

Name one thing.No lists or seconds.What could you not do with out on a Hunt.This will be a piece of gear,not a gun or clothes.
For me it`s a Rangefinder.I have no ability to judge distance after 150 yards.

The only thing that was not common 50 years ago was the 2-way radios, and they are not important.

Huntz - W/O writing a book ONE of the most helpful things (gear) I use is a WINCH.

On a 4 wheeler or similar it simplifies moving dead WEIGHT.

Especially hoisting a carcass for cleaning, skinning, and or butchering.


Using a PBR (point blank range) of 300 yds, I don't worry about distances BEFORE a shot. I use my rangefinder for a lot of things before and AFTER a shot.

To use PBR of 300 yds>>>You MUST have a cartridge capable of flat shooting. Yes I know of mil dots and 'turrents'. Those take time to use.

I could do without it but my wife gets real upset if I don't take it... cell phone.

The internet,of course! Where else could so many "internet hunters" kill so many "trophies"!!!!! memtb

GPS

Laser rangefinders changed more aspects of hunting than any other single device.

For me, it's GPS, especially when hunting in new or unfamiliar territory.
Laser rangefinders are useful, but so are flat-shooting calibers that tend to 'flatten out' the distances one normally shoots at game.

GPS and the ability to download public land and public access on it, In SD you cannot make any mistakes about where you are at when hunting. State land is hardly ever signed, or BLM, sometimes on the Grasslands and USFS but not allways. GPS opened closed lands for a lot of us in SD. Magnum Man

For the timbered and brushy areas I commonly hunt a GPS has been the most important improvement. It has saved me miles of flagging tape.
I do have a range finder but have few reasons to use it.

Ding, ding. I'd probably have a few more critters on the wall. a 40" Dall Sheep to mention just one. And save your breath - don't bother telling me I could have been a better hunter and gotten a little close.

laser rangefinders by far.

I"m somewhat pleased too, with the advent of digital wind speed meters.

I'd definitely agree that laser rangefinders have changed hunting, or the way people hunt, the most in the last 50 years. But to the original question, "What could you not do with out on a Hunt" - nothing that was developed in the last 50 years.

A .30-06 with a 4X scope was what I started with, a compass to set a landmark to work towards, a canteen, a sharp knife and a drag rope worked then and would still work now (although dragging would be a lot tougher than it was a few decades ago!). A 4X scope with 7 MOA subtension can tell you all you need to know about range - the animal is in range or the animal is not in range.

Some things developed in the last 50 years have certainly made life easier and more comfortable, bullet development lets one use a lighter kicking rifle with equal lethality, lighter warm and water proof clothing is nice, but there's nothing that is essential.


IMO the one thing that has absolutely ruined more hunting territory than anything else is the widespread use of ATV's - I'm sure that will get a flaming.

Should probably add GIS... ability to look down into all kinds of areas saves years of walking it out...

I've found things I would have never even thought to look for in some areas, especially duck hunting. If I had no clue to even look, it would have remained hidden forever to me.

Obviuosly since I was not the only one that hunted the "new" area, either someone had passed on info or used google earth or such also....

My drone.











(Kidding)

The condom.




Travis

My drone is outside your window.........




P.S. That's not a condom.
It's wrist rocket tube....

Cheap air travel.

Barnes X Bullets.
They improved the performance of every caliber.

AGW,

Good thought. That's been the one "positively-only" contribution I can think of.

LRFs are both a benefit and a negative. The benefit is that we can now know for certain the ranges to game, and that helps with making a shot. The negative is that now too many think that because they know the range that they can make the shot regardless.

ATVs have been a net negative to hunting. The amount of land ruined, now posted, and the overall impact of ATVs on game and on other hunters has been, to me, a huge loss for hunting.