Darron McDougal

2 weeks ago | shootingsportsretailer.com | Darron McDougal

Appeared in print as "Crossbow Sales and Trends" John Wenzel Chalmette, Louisiana They’re higher. I take phone calls from folks who want to get their kids into archery. Of course, I imagine that they’ll ask about compound bows, but then they ask what kind of crossbows I sell. Most of the kids aren’t starting out with compound bows. They’re jumping right into a crossbow. I’ve been running this business for 35 years, so I’ve seen lots of different changes and trends come and go. Years ago,...

2 weeks ago | grandviewoutdoors.com | Darron McDougal

Appeared in print as "Crossbow Report: Mission SUB-1 XR" The well-known adage, “You get what you pay for,” really rings true in the crossbow world. Sure, some models as inexpensive as $300 shoot pretty well out to 40 yards, but they’re fairly slow, a bit noisy, and lack high-quality accessories. They’re also not very compact or well-balanced. You get what you pay for, and hunters seeking the best possible accuracy and overall shooting experience should be prepared to shop with a wad of cash....

3 weeks ago | grandviewoutdoors.com | Darron McDougal

Appeared in print as "Bow Report: Bowtech Virtue" I’m blessed to call tinkering around with archery equipment “work.” The challenge, though, comes when I sit down to write. Why? Every name-brand bow manufacturer makes great bows, and it’s difficult to word each bow report uniquely, though I manage. The adjectives we’ve long used to describe bows— words such as fast, smooth, quiet and accurate — are tough to avoid and basically interchangeable from one flagship bow to another. Albeit, I...

1 month ago | realtree.com | Darron McDougal

Tom Miranda has been deer hunting for decades and remembers the tools he used during the earlier part of his bowhunting career. Photo courtesy of Tom Miranda. Innovation. Whether you compare past and current vehicles, electronics, architecture or almost any other facet of daily life, it’s clear we’ve become so accustomed to modern luxuries that we can’t fathom how we functioned without cell phones and dozens of fast-food options. Hunting equipment is another thing.

1 month ago | realtree.com | Darron McDougal

Hunting gobblers that have been called to and even shot at is a difficult undertaking, but you can improve your success odds with the seven details outlined here. Photo by John Hafner. Somewhere in Central Florida, I arrived at a wildlife management area (WMA) one hour before daylight, planning to hike more than a mile to reach a spot I’d scouted a few days prior. A dozen hunters were already in the parking lot, and more showed up as I grabbed my gear and began walking.