By Huntress View founder, Andrea Rothove
Trade show season is an exciting time of year…reconnecting with old friends, meeting new people in the industry and best of all...checking out all the new archery and hunting products! Although this year was still a bit slower with many brands deciding not to attend, I, along with Huntress View team member Courtney Ogden were still able to hunt down some great new products at the 2023 ATA Show in Indianapolis. Here are a few of our favorites!
Browning Trail Cameras - Defender Series Trail Cameras and Long Range Antenna
For 2023, Browning Trail Cameras has added a couple of exciting new cellular cameras to their lineup…The Defender Vision Pro and Defender Pro Scout Max Extreme! Each camera offers different specs in regard to picture size, flash, etc. but they all have the top-notch quality we love in our Browning Trail Cameras, can be used with either AT&T or Verizon, and include GPS Tracking in the event your cameras get stolen. One other exciting new addition is a Long Range Cell Antenna that can be used with the Defender Vision Pro. Look for these to be available in stores and at www.browningtrailcameras.com Spring of 2023.
· Defender Vision Pro – 20 MP, GPS and AI tagged images, External Port to connect a Booster Antenna
· Defender Pro Scout Max Extreme – 22MP images, Upload high quality video clips via the Strike Force Wireless app, GPS and AI tagged images, an autodetect function to pick the cellular carrier with the best signal on your hunting property
· Long Range Cell Antenna – Compatible with Defender Vision Pro, includes 10 ft of cable and can be mounted above obstructions to get the best cell signal possible in remote areas
Redmond Hunt – Trophy Rock Block
Trophy Rock is an all-natural attractant that is mined in the USA. I have used the original Trophy Rock for years on multiple properties and I can honestly say that it is the only mineral that I’ve tried that the deer loved and consistently used year-round on each property. A few years ago, my county in Missouri put a ban on mineral and feed due to CWD precautions, but prior to the ban I also tried their Four65 and Apple Bomb with great results.
For 2023 Redmond has come out with a new 44 lb Trophy Rock Block in Candy Apple and I can imagine that it will be the best of both the original Trophy Rock and Apple Bomb, being both long lasting in the field and a long-range attractant for deer.
Learn more at https://redmondhunt.com
Redmond Real Salt – Re-Lyte Electrolyte Mix, Seasonings and Smoked Salt
It feels good knowing that you are using healthy ingredients in your food and what’s even better is these are absolutely delicious! I have been cooking with Redmond Real Salt for years and the quality and taste are both top notch, so I was excited to see that they added some new seasonings and smoked salts to their lineup this year.
The Re-Lyte mix is also great when you need to rehydrate. I have tried the Lemon-Lime and the Mixed Berry flavors but check out those new Pina Colada and Strawberry Lemonade flavors!
· Smoked Real Salt – Cherry, Hickory and Chef’s Blend. Great for grilling, on a salad, slice of melon & more! Made with ancient, unrefined Real Salt (aka “Nature’s First Sea Salt®”) and no artificial flavors, colors, or additives.
· Real Salt Seasonings – Chili Lime, Taco, Red Rock BBQ, Wasatch Steak. Keep your cooking and grilling game on point without compromising your clean values! Carefully sourced combo of organic spices and unrefined ancient sea salt.
· Re-Lyte Electrolyte Mix – Available in a variety of great flavors without any sugar. Created with a team of healthcare and fitness experts. Restores key electrolytes your muscles need to function well.
Learn more at https://redmond.life
DIRTY Outdoors – Fresh Earth Shampoo and Conditioner
As women, keeping our hair healthy and manageable during hunting season isn’t always possible with some of the scent control hair products on the market not being moisturizing, having harsh chemicals and not being salon quality.
While strolling through the Innovation Zone, we were super excited to see this new brand, Dirty Outdoors! These products are color safe, paraben & sulfate free and designed for every type of hair including straight, curly & natural. A bonus – most scent control shampoos and conditioners are completely scent free, but I was pretty excited to see that this one is my favorite outdoors scent, Fresh Earth!
Learn more at www.dirtyoutdoors.co
Wicked North – Field Kits
Also from the Innovation Zone (which is my favorite section at ATA by the way), Wicked North! They make handy field kits that are compact, lightweight and include everything you need for field dressing big game, field dressing turkeys, and even for when nature calls…You know it happens, ladies!
· Big Game Field Dressing Kit – Includes shoulder-length gloves with elastic cuff, wrist-length powder-free nitrile gloves, two branded freezer meat bags, two large wet wipes and a 10” zip tie for site tag.
· Turkey Field Dressing Kit – Includes blood containment head bag to help keep blood off of pants, gear & vehicle, removable black zip tie to be used with head bag, nitrile game-cleaning gloves, freezer bag, white zip tie to attach hunting site tag, and a carcass bag.
· Nature Calls Kit – Includes roll of toilet paper, large pre-moistened wiping towelette, hand wet wipe, single glove (in case things get messy), and a waste bag. Perfect for when you’re on the hunt, camping, hiking, or just when nature calls! (And I won’t lie, this sounds like something that my husband needs to keep in his truck as well.)
Learn more at https://wickednorthgear.com
Bowhilt™ - Heated Bow Grip
We first discovered the Bowhilt™ Heated Bow Grip in the New Products area at ATA 2022 and had to check out their booth in the Innovation Zone to get the details. For 2023 they updated the design of their grip to make it easier and more comfortable to use. The prior grip was designed to replace your current grip on your bow and also had a couple of ridges on the outside where your fingers should go, however that wasn’t quite as universal since everyone has different sized hands and it didn’t work well for us, having smaller hands.
The new design seems like it will work better for everyone, as it isn’t a solid grip, it is a flexible material with heat elements in it. You place that over your current grip and wrap it with the enclosed grip tape. And don’t worry, the tape isn’t sticky at all and will only stick to itself so you won’t have any issues if you decide to remove it.
This patent-pending bow grip is universal so it can be used on any compound bow and heats up to 130 degrees. The grip does require an external battery, which is super lightweight and can be mounted to your bow with a rubber attachment, if you wish. Or you can simply charge it before you go to the field. This can be purchased from Bowhilt as well.
Team Member Courtney Ogden has Raynaud's Syndrome so she was excited about this product. She purchased the bow grip and battery at the show and will be testing it out. Look for a full product review in the future.
Learn more at Home - Bowhilt™
Bow Shop Bible – Most Advanced Compound Bow Tuning App
Due to many bow retail shops closing, whether it be due to Covid, the economy, etc, there is a greater demand for assistance with tuning and setting up your bow online. The folks at Bow Shop Bible have years of experience in expertly tuning compound bows and have you covered via their app from archery knots to final tuning techniques. I would say that the only downside is you do have to pay for the app, however you would be expected to pay a bow retail shop in person anyways to do this and these prices seem to be more affordable. A Monthly subscription is $3.99 per month, Annual subscription is $29.99 per year, and a Lifetime subscription is $149.99
Learn more at https://bowshopbible.com
All-in-all, we had a great time at ATA 2023 checking out the new products and gear for the upcoming hunting seasons from our favorite brands, as well as new brands that we can't wait to try!
Andrea Rothove is the Founder and CEO of Huntress View. Follow her on Instagram at @andi_rothove