By Brenda Valentine
First Lady of Hunting®
January 15, 2007

Hunters Safety System is a family owned and operated company that has been a positive influence on treestand safety and awareness. I'm proud to call them my friends and promote their products.

With hunting season only three days behind me it was time to shed the warm camo that’d been my daily uniform for the past four months and don civilian clothes for the annual Archery Trade Association show in Indianapolis, Indiana. The title “Archery Show” is a bit misleading since most anything to do with hunting except guns can be found at this dealer-only show. This is where a variety of manufactures unveil their latest and greatest products as well as where you can find all the gadgets and toys that make hunting more fun and hopefully successful.

The show lasts for three days which is hardly enough time for me to stop at every booth and examine the wares not to mention visiting with old industry friends. Without a doubt the biggest buzz was about the new Parker Cyclone crossbow, the Parker Blackhawk speed bow and Mossy Oaks’ new Treestand pattern.

One of the hottest items of the entire show was the new Parker Cyclone crossbow.

The Cyclone had lines backed up in the demo area with folks waiting their turn to shoot a crossbow unlike anything out there. The most noticeable difference between the Cyclone and other standard crossbows is the six-position adjustable stock. This makes a world of difference when shooting or cocking for shooters with short arms. The overall mass weight is an ultra light 6.5 lbs and it has a nice crisp four-pound trigger. The inverted cam technology adds three inches for a 15” power stroke that shoots a 425 gr. arrow at 350 fps. Check it out at www.parkerbows.com. While you’re there take a look at the blistering Blackhawk and the new Raptor compound bows. Either of these models is guaranteed to impress even the hardest to impress archer.

An interested dealer checks out the new Raptor in the demo area assisted by Doug Harris, Parker Bow engineer.

Mossy Oaks’ Treestand is the pattern all of us who camp out in a tree for weeks on end have been waiting for. The open pattern with large realistic branches will allow a treestand hunter to disappear against a sky background. I’m already envisioning my wardrobe making a pattern change this year. For a peek, go to www.mossyoak.com.

Here are some other products that impressed me:

• Hunters Safety System has a new hand muff designed to not only keep your hands toasty warm but to fit comfortably and hold small articles of gear.

• Wilderness Athlete has developed a line of delicious nutrition bars and vitamin supplements for the hunter.

• Dead Down Wind’s Huntress collection is what us lady hunters have been wanting. 

• Montana Decoys has added several new animals to their herd which I’m anxious to try out.

• I witnessed a Lumenok keep its bright glow overnight on the practice range which impressed me so much I brought home a package of them to try.

• One product that I’d have paid double for on my last bowhunt is the Golden Retriever designed to pick up articles dropped from a treestand.

• The Level-lok monopod is lightweight yet sturdy and has so many useful options I’m sure it will become a must-have on all those out west, open range hunting trips.

• I also brought home a Huntin’ Hoist that works slicker than anything I’ve found for pulling gear up a tree.

• I was pleased to see that Ol’ Man Treestands are back in business and still making those great climbers.

• Leupold has a unique new bino called the Switch Power with the ability to switch from a 10 to a 17 power optic with just the flip of a switch. I loved those partly because of their light weight but mostly because of their versatility.

Good friends and good food go hand in hand with the hunting industry. My friends at Trophy Rock treated us to a fine meal and lots of good hunting stories.

Of course this is only a smidgen of the new goodies I found in Indy but it’s enough to keep me content till turkey season rolls around in March.