We at WesternHunter.com wanted to give you our "after-Christmas" list of tried-and-true, field-tested products that you may want to consider. We have found all of them to be useful and durable in the field, well made and sound in quality, a good value for their price, and most of all, their use can make a great difference on how you view the success of your hunt.

The #1 pick of the year was the Zodi Products' self-contained camp shower. As one of my hunting buddies stated after peeling off his snow-sodden clothes and spending 10 minutes scrubbing down under the constant flow of hot water from this compact and convenient unit, "This is the best thing I have ever used in a hunt camp!" I would be hard put to disagree. The Hot Tap model I have is a dual-burner, self-contained, unit that provides 100-degree water in less than 20 seconds. Two bottles of propane and 4 D-cell batteries which power the pump provides at least forty 5-minute showers before you need to consider replacing them. (I used the shower daily for more then five weeks of hunt camps this season, and still have the original propane and batteries in the unit.) Zodi makes both camp showers and camp heaters to fit any budget or method of camping. They are available at most good outdoor stores, or by contacting Zodi at www.zodi.com.

In the field, your eyes are taken to brutally harsh limits everyday, and most hunters don’t give their proper care a second thought. But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the two beady red orbs looking back at you from the mirror after several days in camp aren’t getting the best of treatment. Harsh winds and bright sunlight dry out and sear your eyes, leaving you squinting and far more tired than you should be. Your hunting performance suffers greatly after awhile! Panoptix has developed its windless eyewear which will keep your eyes dust-free and moist until the sun starts to set, and beyond. (Night riding lens models are available) The polarized Vapor model we tested had a filtered vent aperture that keeps dust, snow, and pollen from the eye while allowing the eye to "breathe." Long hours of glare on sage-covered mountains, windblown rides out to hunting sites on 4-wheelers, sitting in the back of the truck on a dusty road as we headed out to a distant ridge to do a deer drive — all of the dust and other things blown about in these conditions were mitigated by Panoptix' fine eyewear. What fishermen have known about the benefits of protecting their eyes and seeing their game better as a result, hunters are just now finding important. You won’t find a better performing eyewear for hunting conditions than those manufactured by Panoptix. Contact them by calling 1-877-PANOPTX or at www.panoptx.com.

Tigersharp Knives offers a full line of folding and sheath knives. So what, you think — so do a hundred other companies. This is true, but Tigersharp Knives are unique in that they are very durable knives that allow for the easy and quick replacement of the blade. Their razor-sharp blades are as keen and durable as any other on the market yet, as any hunter knows, the task of cleaning game can dull-out a knife quicker than we wish. On large animals like moose and bear, one knife may not get you through the job. But, with Tigersharp, you simply pop out the dulling blade and quickly slide in a new razor-sharp one. I have taken the Tigersharp TS315 with me to Mexico for fishing, and all throughout the Western woods while hunting this fall, and the convenience of instantly having a razor-sharp knife at all times was great. The dulled blades can be quickly honed back to a keen edge at your convenience and the rugged frame of the knife is made for easy cleaning after your work is done. Contact TigerSharp by calling 888-711-8437 or see them at www.tigersharp.com.

THINK A GOOD THOUGHT!

Frank Medicine Wolf Springer

Next Issue — Part II