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A BlackOvis Utah Archery Mountain Goat Hunt I believe chasing your dreams is worth every bit of the chase. In fact, when it comes right down to it, chasing your dreams is often more about the chase than the realization of the dream itself. Some dreams take years to obtain, others take a lifetime, while some remain forever just outside of our grasp. Continue reading →

BlackOvis offers a variety of water filtration systems. The goal is to find the one that works the best for you. Water filtration pens, bottles, gravity bags, and pumps are a good option because there is a physical filter that removes material from the end consumed product. Some can even remove or reduce the number of chemicals in the water. However the filters on all of these have a limited lifespan and require cleaning and eventually replacement. Continue reading →

There are many different models of trail cameras these days, all with different specs and megapixels that may make it confusing when trying to choose. It’s hard to know which one is right for you and your situation. You might be new to trail cameras and just want to get something going to see what's in your area, or you might be a seasoned pro looking to upgrade your cameras cameras for higher quality images. Typically you want the most megapixels and the most LED bulbs for the best price. On all Stealth Cam models, the number in the model name represents how many LED bulbs are in the camera. If it says "NG", it stands for No Glo bulbs which eliminates the flash at night so it doesn’t spook the animals. No Glo LED bulbs are great for security cameras as well. Continue reading →

ORIGINS For years Sitka’s 90% series ruled the game in terms of comfortable and quiet technical hunting apparel. However, with advancements in textile development and consumer demand, the 90% series was overshadowed over the course of a time and consequently discontinued. Many fans of 90% were very sad to see it go and wondered what could possibly replace it. For 2018 Sitka answered that question with their new APEX series. Designed for the spot and stalk hunter who demands silence and performance out of their gear no matter what. The APEX series features the APEX Hoody, APEX Pant, and APEX Pack. All are purpose built to be extremely quiet, comfortable, and practical for hunters that prefer to sneak up on their intended quarry. I was lucky enough to put these pieces to the test on an OTC Arizona Mule Deer hunt in January of this year and I was very impressed. Continue reading →

We know that keeping up with gear can be a little cumbersome and finding out what's the latest and greatest year over year can be a little tricky. Today I wanted to go over everything Mystery Ranch for 2018 including the additions, what's going away, and why you need to pack out with a Mystery Ranch this season! Let's start with what's discontinued. Starting as of this year (2018) Mystery Ranch is going away from the Multicam pattern. While it might be an awesome pattern, Mystery Ranch is eliminating it from the Hunting lineup and is keeping the pattern focused on the Military side. They are also going to be fading out some of their small day packs like the Crest. Continue reading →

Check out the Solid.HUNTING.Gear that the staff here at BlackOvis uses and are familiar with. Thinking of buying a product but not sure how it performs? Check out if any of us use it and give us a call! Details Hunting Style: Archery Favorite Species: High Country Mule Deer Dream Hunt: Mountain Caribou Next Gear Purchase: Swarovski NL Pure 12x42 Other...

When it comes to footwear and choosing your gear for the upcoming season the single most overlooked pieces of gear is your socks. What the average person doesn't understand is that most hunting socks are built with a specific purpose. Some are made to be light and quick, some are meant to provide more cushion in your boot. One of the leading brands out there in our industry is Darn Tough, and they are the prime example of what makes a good sock. It's a story of survival, a story of hard work, a story of never giving up, and all of those things make their socks "DARN TOUGH". Below is a film that Darn Tough put together last year that dives into the history and what makes a good sock. Definitely give it a watch when you have some free time. With that being said let's dive into how and why to choose the right sock for you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0anIAZT4T8 Continue reading →

Let's face it you guys, factory fletchings is a thing of the past. Grabbing a dozen arrows off the shelf that are already pre-fletched is great and easy to grab last minute, but what if we told you that you could create a dozen custom arrows, see a preview of what they'd actually look like, and have them built and shipped within 48 hours... Welcome to the BlackOvis Arrow ID... Continue reading →

The ALPS Upland Vest X (Pack) is one of the best designed upland packs in the industry today. It is a well thought out pack that was built by an upland hunter that understands the needs of upland hunters. My goal in this post is to go over the key features that really make this pack awesome. - Key Features of the ALPS Upland Game Pack -   Bird Pocket: The biggest thing that differentiates an upland game pack from any other pack is going to be the bird pocket.  It’s designed to be able to easily slip a freshly retrieved bird into the large pocket from either side of the pack so you can get back to the hunt with little to no interference. In the ALPS Pack, the bird pocket is large and accessible from either side. One key feature that differentiates this from a traditional bird vest is that it has a zipper at the top so you can fully open the pocket to dump out your kill; rather than having to pull birds out one by one, or shake them out. You can also lock the zipper with a toggle to avoid it coming undone.   Hydration Sleeve: I almost missed this feature because it’s concealed so well, but the hydration pocket is right behind the back panel. You can access it from the top, and there are ports leading out both sides of the harness straps. This is definitely something you won’t find in a traditional bird vest, and is really nice to have for those longer days. Continue reading →

The Briksdal GTX was one of the new additions that Crispi US made to the lineup this year. Reason being is that they would give hunters the option of getting into a stiffer boot than the Nevada’s but not quite to the extreme as let's say..a Scarpa.  That way you maintain that comfort level that Crispi is well known for. This boot was really designed to fill the need for those hunting at extreme elevation where they need a bit of Insulation (200 g), a stiffer board last, and a boot that will take a beating in the extreme terrain without getting into a pure mountaineering pack boot. Continue reading →

What is it? AccuBow has been purging the world of social media since around late 2015 and has been peaking the interest of every and any bowhunter ever since.  What it is, is an Archery Training Device that is simple, easy and extremely effective if used right.  It really is a revolution in archery training because it can be used virtually anywhere!  We were fortunate to get our hands on one to play with for a couple days thanks to Matt over there at AccuBow and being the Archery Expert/Bow Tech here at BlackOvis, I had to see if this was worth it and what all the fuss was about.  Before I dive into my experience with using the AccuBow let me just explain my situation since it will obliviously differ from most. Continue reading →

We've teamed up with Vanguard to put together an awesome giveaway where 1 lucky winner will score the new VEO AM-234TU Monopod, the VEO235AP and the Vanguard Pioneer 1600RT Backpack! That's a grand prize worth $350! *** Thanks to everyone who participated. We have randomly selected a winner, congratulations to Daryl from Hall Summit LA! Make sure to check back for...

There has been a huge increase in the popularity and use of leg gaiters in the last few years in the hunting community. I personally had never used a gaiter until 4 years ago. However once I bought my first pair and started using them in wet and snowy conditions, I instantly realized their value. High gaiters will help prevent the bottoms of your pants from getting soaked by wet vegetation or snow while also keeping your boot uppers protected from the elements. They can also help keep out water in brief and shallow (below the top of the gaiter) stream crossings. They are not waders so don't expect them to keep your feet dry while crossing a raging river! I had the opportunity to personally go through and try out several of the most popular and newest hunting gaiters on the market and give my 2 cents about each of them. Below you'll find the features of each according to the manufacturer and then my own personal experiences using them. Some of my opinions may differ from others but they are based on my experience using gaiters while chasing everything from high country Mule Deer in the heat of August and September, to late season elk hunting in the bitter cold of January. First Lite Brambler Gaiters The First Lite Brambler Gaiters are built to take a beating with their coated Nylon straps, Cordura constructed insteps, and insanely tough seams. They will keep you dry and comfortable no matter the conditions or terrain. They utilize the same 37.5 by Cocona Technology which breathes like no other but is also extremely waterproof. They are currently only available in the Fusion camo pattern but I would like to see them in a solid color in the future. They are available in a S/M or L/XL. I have  16.5" calves and the S/M fits me perfectly. Continue reading →

Timberline Pant Since Sitka Gear came out with the Timberline Pant it has become a tried and true favorite with a vast number of hunters around the globe. The Timberline Pant was created as a super durable and highly technical pant that can be used from mid-late season. The 4-way stretch material makes this pant extremely comfortable and allows full range of motion when climbing up a steep incline and crouching, crawling, or sitting. One of the coolest features is the waterproof/breathable nylon ripstop knees and seat. When you have to kneel down or sit and glass on wet or rocky ground you will really appreciate having it. The pant also features removable knee pads which are well designed and they will conform more to your knee as you wear them. They are available in solid colors as well (Lead and Moss) and the Optifade Open Country camouflage pattern.   For 2016 Sitka did some refining on the existing design. They developed a softer and lighter removable knee pad, articulated the knees, did away with the old integrated belt so you can use most climbing style nylon belts, and moved the cargo pockets to a better position on the leg. The material is also new which adds to the comfort and overall performance of this already great piece. For those of you who prefer suspenders they include their comfortable and well designed suspenders with this pant. They are easily removed if you'd rather wear just a belt also. Continue reading →

1st Time Archery Elk Hunt | The Growth of Unsuccess By: Chris Neff    A couple weeks back I had the chance to go on a fully guided archery elk hunt up in Colorado with our warehouse manager Jason Stein.  Jason actually had quite a bit of experience hunting elk and I was able to learn a lot by watching him on this hunt but the coolest part is that Jason is hearing impaired. Let me just start by saying that Jason is a hunting idol of mine now.  Picture hunting without being able to hear a single sound. How and where would you know where to hunt besides what you see?  Every year he gets it done and he can even bugle way better than I can.  Try making a sound that you have never heard before and can't even hear yourself producing... It's pretty insane.  At first I was a little worried about how we were going to communicate but luckily we had an eight and a half hour car ride and he was able to teach me a bit of ASL and let's face it, when you're hunting there is little talking anyways and a lot of hand signs.  I was taught countless tips and techniques for hunting elk from both Jason and our guide Kyle and quickly realized that it was a completely different ball park then hunting mule deer, which I knew but I decided to keep a journal and record the events every day to share that with all of you.  Pardon the novice writing skills but feel free to kill some time and dive into my experience and how our hunt unfolded in Taylor Park, Colorado!  **For the sake of the Outfitters Privacy and Respect, I have changed the names of all the areas that we hunted** Continue reading →

Why the Hype? For those of you that have gutted a dear or field dressed an elk, you know that a sharp blade is really nice to have. Recently there has been an emergence of the 'Replaceable Blade Knife'. Havalon was the first to come out with the concept for the hunting and outdoor industry, but many other players have jumped into this arena to compete and bring their own flare to the concept. The other 2 designs that we have chosen to bring on so far are from Gerber and Outdoor Edge. We'll be reviewing the comparable knives from each of those brands. The concept of the 'Replaceable Blade Knife'  has really changed the way that people field dress their game. For centuries, hunters have used fixed and folding knives, or sometimes a series of knives to gut, skin, and bone out meat from animals. Almost always, the blade starts out sharp and gets more dull with each cut made. The idea of having a fresh blade throughout the process has hunters migrating towards this concept. Many people say it's a game changer and we're happy to take your feedback in the comments section below. Features & Differences In order to make an apples-to-apples comparison, we took the standard knife from each of the 3 brands, the Havalon Piranta Edge, the Gerber Vital, and the Outdoor Edge Razor Lite (Blaze). Each of these are really the standard edition from each brand. All three brands have other replaceable blade knives in different shapes, sizes and styles you can check out on our site, but for the purposes of this comparison, we would like to stick to the basics. All 3 knives are folders. The Havalon has a liner lock, whereas the other two are lockback folding knives. The Havalon and the gerber have 2-3/4" blades that are nearly identical. They are a #60 blade and both are made from 420HC Stainless Steel. The Outdoor Edge uses a proprietary blade that was specifically made for their knives, and made from 420J2 Stainless Steel at a longer 3-1/2 inches. The difference between the 420HC and the 420JC is the carbon content. The HC stands for 'High Carbon' and contains about .5% to .6% carbon, whereas the JC comes in around .3% to .4%. All that means is that the 420HC is going to ve a little bit more hard, a little more brittle, but will hold an edge and sharpen a bit better than the 420JC. All of these blades are crazy sharp. For the Piranta Edge and the Vital, they are literally a surgeons scalpel so be very careful when 'testing' how sharp they really are. Continue reading →