Without exaggeration my mailbox is inundated with no less than 100 outdoor sporting goods catalogs, pamphlets, sale flyers, ads, and brochures each and every year. I’m certain my address alone is responsible for the demise of a fair-size wood lot. Along with the full line of catalogs that offer a wide variety of outdoor gear, I get specialty versions dedicated to boating, clothing, reloading, fly fishing, muzzleloading, waterfowling, four-wheeling, footwear, and on and on.

Perhaps I should feel guilty about the receding forest and overburdened postal workers affected by my stream of wish books, but I don’t. In fact I can’t wait for the next one to arrive so I can peruse each and every page. There’re always new and improved items to enhance and augment any outdoor experience.

The innovation of certain items amazes me and I’m in awe that someone was able to come up with such a wonderful idea. It’s as if they knew I was sitting home waiting and wishing – in need of their life-altering product. Apparently there are scads and bounds of sportsmen who want to be warmer, dryer, safer, better hidden, more accurate, longer casters, and dozens of other enhancements, because we spend a bazillion dollars on outdoor gear each year.

All kidding aside, there are certain products that are so beneficial, and produce such remarkable results, that they need to be recognized. Each fall I select a handful of items – pertaining to hunting that I have personally tried and tested, and benefited from – to review. Perhaps one or another of these products will improve your outdoor ventures, too.

Final Approach

If you’re a duck, goose, or turkey hunter who has tried to hide in plain sight with only marginal success, the Final Approach ground blind is for you. This long, narrow, low profile lay-out style ground blind is so comfortable and blends into any cover so well, it could be used effectively by deer, moose, and bear hunters, too.

Beyond completely concealing a hunter or photographer in semi-reclined comfort, these blinds allow excellent visibility and quick, easy relocation to a shooting position. Manual or spring-loaded trap doors easily flip open, offering unrestricted movement and gun handling.

As important as concealment, Final Approach blinds offer comfort and protection from the elements. Rain, snow, muddy, wet ground, and biting winds are no problem once a hunter covers up in the camouflage mini shelter. A waterproof double urethane coating combines with 3/4-inch closed cell foam to assure head to toe comfort and protection from wet and cold conditions.

Rustproof aluminum frames make each model rugged yet lightweight. Some blinds flatten and fold while others collapse and fit into all-weather carrying covers for easy transport and field mobility. Special features include side flagging holes, a padded headrest, a stubble strap system for vegetation attachment, detachable shell pouches and gear holders, gun rests, and an adjustable mesh face cover.

Fully extended these blinds average 38 inches wide by 85 inches long by 16 inches height and range from 15 to 26 easy-to- carry pounds. The inside cockpits are very roomy in all models. I selected the largest model, the Legacy, which is three inches longer and six inches wider than standard models, and my 6-foot-3, 260-pound frame has plenty of room. Models range from $250-450 and come in four camo patterns. A wide range of extras, such as a carrying case, interchangeable blind covers in camo or snow patterns, and synthetic grass for a more realistic appearance are also available.

Check your local sporting goods store for Final Approach products or check your next mail order catalog. For more information check www.finalapproachblinds.com on your computer. No matter what you hunt, Final Approach has a blind for you.

Navigate anywhere

One of the top three technological advancements for sportsmen in the last 25 years has to be the hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS). Outdoorsmen can return to their car or camp from the deepest woods by the shortest route in the dead of night if necessary by simply programming one of these hand-held devices. Remote ponds can be located, back roads discovered and prime fishing holes on large lakes revisited. You never have to worry about being lost again: in the woods, on the fog-enshrouded ocean, or even in the middle of a strange city.

Thales Navigation has leaped to the forefront of the GPS industry with the Magellan SporTrak Color, a full-color hand- held unit with a three-axis, electronic compass. This unit is lightweight, yet rugged and compact, and fully weatherproof, as well a floatable. The 16-color, high-resolution screen offers a crystal clear display even in bright sunshine. Hikers, hunters, anglers and boaters will appreciate the built-in barometer that apprises them of changing, perhaps dangerous weather conditions.

Magellan’s SporTrak features 32 MB of memory with a 9 MB built-in database containing North America’s highways, interstates, major roads, waterways, parks, airports, and even marine navigation points. Three-dimensional topographical data for any specific region can be added. Nine navigational screens are available, offering accuracy within three meters.

Whether you’re in the woods, on the water, or in the city, the SporTrak is invaluable, and in some cases can truly be a lifesaver. Learn more and get a closer look on www.magellangps.com or call 1-800-669-4477 for customer service. Many accessories are available from DC adapters to computer cable hookups to a wide variety of add-on map software. At $400 the Magellan SporTrak may be the most beneficial piece of outdoor gear a sportsman can purchase for life and a lifetime.

Let there be light

As far as I’m concerned, an outdoorsman can’t have too many lights: headlamps, lanterns, spot lights, pen lights, and flashlights for the camp, knapsack, truck, suitcase, boat, and many other locations where you can suddenly be in the dark. I own no less than a dozen lights in every shape, size, and style, but with my purchase of the Surefire E2 tactical light, all the others became obsolete.

The only way to describe the 120 lumen lamp intensity is blinding. It turns dark to daylight. Rugged polymer construction and a tempered Pyrex window make this light waterproof, pressure proof, and almost indestructible.

Surefire E2 has a constant and momentary on/off switch, Hexagon head to prevent rolling from a set position, and infrared (night vision) and blue (blood illuminating) lenses. Don’t let the $70 price tag deter you, the light has a lifetime guarantee and as soon as you handle and use it for the first time, it will be apparent it’s the finest flashlight you’ve ever held.

Check out the Surefire E2 online at www.surefire.com or call 1-800-482-3062 for more information or to order. This unit really will light up your life, and you’ll never travel afield and afloat without it again.

Great geese

A number of years ago while on a Maryland goose hunt I had the opportunity to hunt over stuffers, which are multi-posed, taxidermied geese. Though fragile and requiring special care, no other decoy will attract live geese like a stuffer – until now. I’ve used silhouettes, shells, inflatables, and full-body decoys, but none offer the realism of Hard Core goose decoys.

These full-body plastic, solid-form decoys feature hand airbrushed feather detail, flocked heads that mimic tiny black feathers and motion stakes that utilize even the slightest breeze. What truly adds to the realism of Hard Core decoys are the life-like poses and head positions. Active feeders, super sentry, relaxed sentry, and resting body forms just aren’t found in any other full-body decoys.

Available in greater and lesser Canada goose packages, as well as snows and blues, boxes of six range from $160 to $270. Before you think too much about the price, consider the excellent workmanship and realism that means 24 Hard Core decoys will outperform 50 of any other style. Pull up www.hardcoredecoys.com and check these birds out, or call 208-344-0161 for questions or orders. These decoys are available in several catalogs and local sporting goods stores can order them as well.

Finding your way in the dark or out of the deep forest, trying to hide from geese or make them come closer, these four products will help. New items do their job when they make your outing more productive, more enjoyable, and safer.

Outdoor feature writer Bill Graves can be reached via e-mail at bgravesoutdoors@ainop.com