Technology‬

I had the opportunity to teach another Georgia Hunter Education course last month. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been teaching this for more than 20 years. It gives me great joy to think back at all those who have gone through these classes in that time and are now safe and successful hunters.

One of the pictures that I shared during the course was of a Native American hunter standing over a downed buck with his bow in hand. It’s a great slide that really depicts how far we have come as hunters, at least as far as technology in the field is concerned.

That native hunter was wearing buckskin pants, moccasins on his feet and paint on his face. Now as we go to the field in the fall of 2024, what do we have available? Let’s start with clothing.

There is an incredible amount of camo choices these days. From early types of military camo, to colors resembling tree bark to branches, sticks, leaves and more. Footwear choices include those you wear to work to those with Gore-Tex to keep your feet warm and dry.

Earlier hunting was done from the ground, but today getting elevated with ladder stands, tree saddles, climbers, box stands and lock-on stands is popular. Just a few decades ago, the use of a safety harness to protect against a fall was unheard of. Don’t forget to use one every time when hunting above the ground from a tree. How much is your life worth?

Bowhunters have enjoyed a huge leap in technology, from the long bow to the recurve bow to the modern compound bow that enables the shooter to pull back and hold the draw weight. Bow sights have fiberoptic pins that enable shots in low-light conditions, and some of them have built-in range finders that can accurately show the distance to the target.

Arrows evolved from wood to aluminum to carbon fiber. What about broadhead tips? Some are fixed blade, some are expandable, some are a hybrid of both. Ask 10 hunters what they feel are the best and you may get 10 different answers.

Firearms have also evolved. Arguably the tried-and-true lever-action 30-30 model has taken more whitetails than any other. Today, there are many cartridges available to hunt deer with a wide variety of rifle types, including AR-style platforms.

Let’s not forget crossbows and air rifles that meet specific criteria that are also used in the field. Throw in the plethora of scents, lures, attractants, supplemental foods, etc., and we have quite a lot to offset the wary whitetail.

However, remember that the Native American used his wits, his ability to understand wind direction, read trails, rubs and scrapes, knew water and food sources and kept still. Those things afforded him shots that ultimately fed his family. Those still work today!