Art Lander’s Outdoors: Here are some must-have accessories for the 2016-17 archery deer season

Today’s archery deer hunters have many more advantages than bow hunters of a generation ago.

Bow seasons are longer, bag limits are more liberal, but most importantly, archery gear is vastly superior. Bow hunters of the Baby Boomer Generation, who first went afield with recurve bows and wooden arrows in the late 1960s and early 1970s, must be in awe at how far the sport has come.

Today’s gear gives hunters a better chance to be successful, enables them to shoot more accurately, and judge distances more effectively when hunting from an elevated stand, or over uneven terrain while hunting from the ground. Archers can hunt in comfort so it’s possible to hunt longer, and track the shots they make at deer in low light.

Here are three must-have accessories for the 2016-17 archery deer season:

Scott Release

Bill Scott’s legacy lives on in the company that bears his name — Scott Archery. An archery innovator, Scott invented the mechanical release in 1980, a product that revolutionized the archery industry.

A popular model of the Scott dual caliper release is the Shark, which has green jaws and trigger, and is available in black or Realtree-Xtra ($79.99 to $84.99)

A tool and die maker and tool designer by trade, Scott made his first caliper release, with a roller sear trigger, in his garage in Clay City, Kentucky.

Strapped to the archer’s wrist, with jaws that attached to a loop on the bow string, his triggered mechanical release ensured a smooth, consistent shot, which greatly improved accuracy. The Scott Caliper Release, the first of many styles of releases the company pioneered, changed the way millions of archers shot their bows, and made the Scott brand the industry leader in releases for over 35 years.

A popular model of the dual caliper releases that I highly recommend is the Shark, which has green jaws and trigger, and is available in black or Realtree-Xtra ($79.99 to $84.99).

The release I’ve hunted with in recent years is the Mongoose XT, a single caliper release, available in black or Realtree-Xtra ($109.99 to $119.99).

Scott releases are a local product with a legendary reputation in the archery industry. For more information, or to shop online, visit their website.

Halo Laser Range Finder

It is hard to imagine not having a laser range finder.

The Halo Laser Ranger Finder model ZIR8X is a small, easy to use range finder packed with all the features archers need, including the ability to compensate for slope when determining distance. That means no more guesswork when making a tricky uphill, downhill or side slope shot (Photo Provided)

This piece of vital gear helps archers become more confident when sighting in, practicing pre-season, and in the field hunting. It’s a quick and easy task to range the distance as a deer approaches.

My choice is the Halo Laser Ranger Finder model ZIR8X, a small, easy to use range finder packed with all the features archers (and gun hunters ) need at a value price (about $160.00).

Features include a maximum range of 800 yards, 6X magnification, and a dusk/dawn display mode.

For treestand deer hunters, the most desirable feature is its ability to compensate for slope when determining distance. That means no more guesswork when making a tricky uphill, downhill or side slope shot.

The range finder is precise to plus or minus one yard, is water resistant, comes with a one year warranty, and includes a CR2 lithium-ion battery and nylon case.

You’re just a push button away from added confidence when you prepare to take a shot, using a Halo Laser Ranger Finder model ZIR8X. For more information visit their website.

Ameristep Arcane Ground Blind

Readers of this column know I enjoy hunting from the ground for a number of reasons.

There’s plenty of room to take a friend or family member along to share the hunt or film the action. Hunters can sit side-by-side, which makes ground blinds deal for mentoring a youth or someone new to hunting. In the dark interior of the blind a hunter can relax, drink coffee, eat a snack, and get away with whispered conversation or subtle movements.

And ground blind hunting is exciting too, there’s nothing like being face-to-face with a deer at close range.

I’ve been hunting from ground blinds a lot in the past eight seasons. I’ve tried several brands of ground blinds, and highly recommend Ameristep ground blinds for their quality, value price and customer service. When a violent wind storm snapped two fiber poles in one of my Ameristep blinds, it was fast and easy to order replacement parts.

This season I’m hunting from the Ameristep Arcane Blind, new for 2016, and selling for $199.99.

I like it’s Realtree Xtra camouflage pattern, HD mesh and Edge ReLeaf wall construction, which allows maximum visibility and concealment. The leafy exterior really helps to break the outline of the blind when it is tucked away in the shadows, and brushed in with a few limbs.

The roof design keeps out the rain, and the shooting windows are easy and quiet to use. The blind, which weighs just 17 pounds, comes with a carrying case, stakes and tie-down rope.

Setup is fast and easy, and there’s plenty of floor space for my swivel chair, and head room to draw my bow, since the Arcane is 75 inches wide and 67 inches tall.

In the Arcane I’ll be fully concealed and comfortable, and able to hunt longer. That will increase the chances of seeing deer in bow range.

For more information on Ameristep Ground Blinds visit their website.

Art Lander Jr. is outdoors editor for NKyTribune and KyForward. He is a native Kentuckian, a graduate of Western Kentucky University and a life-long hunter, angler, gardener and nature enthusiast. He has worked as a newspaper columnist, magazine journalist and author and is a former staff writer for Kentucky Afield Magazine, editor of the annual Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide and Kentucky Spring Hunting Guide, and co-writer of the Kentucky Afield Outdoors newspaper column.