Tag Archives: hunting

Shooting Sports

Maxdone Solar WiFi Trailcam

https://youtu.be/kP8mCtHqMIg

The Maxdone 4K incorporates a solar panel can keep the unit powered day and night. Over a 2.5 week test, it captured footage through multiple overcast days in direct sun as well a 2-day test mounted under a bush with limited direct sunlight. If the unit can not be mounted in a location that receives direct sunlight, is has a USB-C port, which allows it be powered or recharged via an external battery or solar panel.

The unit’s LED lamps that allow it to capture nightvision footage. My package came with a 32GB SD card and the unit can accomodate 256 GB cards. The cam can be accessed via WiFi and Bluetooth using a downlodable phone App. This is vital in aiming and positioning the camera and allows you to review captured footage.

This solar powered trailcam solves the biggest issue I’ve had with trailcams: the battery pack. AA powered trailcams I’ve tested in the past failed because the batteries never lasted as long as needed or worse, corroded and destroyed the internals of the trailcam. The Maxdone camera is light weight and priced at under $60 on Amazon.

By the way, why researching this article, I discovered that trailcams aren’t aren’t a modern invention. They are nearly as old as film cameras themselves. I discussed it on my TMI livestream show.

SHOP

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQTYHRZW?ref=t_ac_view_request_product_image&campaignId=amzn1.campaign.1B2SPJ9783IJB&linkCode=tr1&tag=moondogindu05-20&linkId=amzn1.campaign.1B2SPJ9783IJB_1787168639763

2-Piece Solar Trailcam https://amzn.to/4gnc3Uc

SPECS

PH9702

Lens FOV: 100 degrees

Max Image Resolution: 64MP

Max Video Resolution: 4K

Frame Rate: 30fps

Video Format: MP4

Nightvision: IR up to 65 ft.

SD card: 32GB

Max storage: 256GB

Opperating Temp: -20°C to 60°C

Dimensions: 2.76 x 1.97 x 5.51 in.

Weight: 9.9 oz.

Waterproof: IP66


Shooting Sports

Arken Outrider 2-12×42

Just before its official release, Arken sent me an Outrider, their new traditional hunting scope. This new scope was not something I was expecting to come from Arken. It’s not tactical. It’s Fud.

Arken shook up the firearms industry with their SH4 and EP5; long-range scopes for half the price of the competition. Scopes with oversized turrets, zero-stop, and a first focal plane reticle with a detailed tree and fine subtensions. Scopes made for PRS competition shooters or counter-snipers.

The Outrider is the antithesis of tactical. It has a traditional hunting scope: second focal plane duplex reticle, capped low-profile turrets, and a fixed 100-yard parallax focus. It has a small fin that you can screw into the magnification ring, but it feels unnecessary as the ring turns butter smooth.

But the Outrider isn’t a step backward in quality. It has Japanese HD glass delivering a sharp and color-accurate image. It has an LPVO’s fiber optic center dot that is daylight bright and an unusual 2x low end providing an exceptionally wide field of view. It has a good eyebox and is pretty lightweight, especially compared to Arken’s other scopes.

The Outdrider may be a traditional hunting scope, but it has Arken’s trademark quality optics, robust build, and affordable street price (~$300.)

BUY

https://arkenopticsusacom.sjv.io/QYxrxA
Discount code: Moondog2A

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4g4E8Q7

RESOLUTION

Group -1 / Element 1

SPECS

Outrider

Magnification: 2-12x

Objective: 42 mm

Tube Size: 30 mm

Eye Relief: 3.5 inches

FOV: 58.3 – 9.73 ft @ 100 yards

Click Adj:  1/4 MOA

Focal Plane: Second

Elevation Adj. 90 MOA

Windage Adj. 80 MOA

Parallax: 100 yards

Weight: 22.4 oz

Battery: CR2032

Shooting Sports

SHOT 2025 Leupold VX HD Gen2

At the Leupold booth in SHOT Show 2025 I was brought into their meeting room to see just one scope. But this scope was the Gen 2 update of their flagship VX hunting line. The VX HD Gen2 features ED glass and a newly redesigned tool-less resetable turrets. These turrets have a lever which sits flush into the circular turret, which swings out to release the turret top to reset the zero.

BUY

Amazon Leupold VX-6HD Gen 2 3-18×44 https://amzn.to/3QQjwyM

Shooting Sports

Maven S.1A 25-50×80

Maven is a new optics company that is arguably makes the most stylish premium sporting optics available. They sent me their top of the line spotting scope to test. The S.1A is an angled 25-50×80 spotting scope with a removable 5x eyepiece. The checkerboard texture pattern on its focus and power rings, look like the fine workmanship of vintage European photographic lenses from the 1950’s.

In my testing this scope checked all of the boxes for a premium higher end spotting scope. It was clear and bright and exhibited only a moderate amount of chromatic aberration. On the USAF-1951 chart the S.1 was able to resolve details comparable to a 60x scope. Its large eyepiece provided a generous eyebox for a spotter. It can be swapped out for either an MOA or MIL reticle tactical eyepiece for spotting in long range precision shooting.

The standard model comes with a grey rubberized armored body with black or orange metal accent rings that form the joins of its body sections. The body armor and accent rings can be individually customized on the Maven website to allow the buyer the widest possible aesthetic selection. No other optics company or sporting good maker comes close, not even Nike.

While this customization may seem like a gimmick, if you’re going to spend around $2000 for a scope, why shouldn’t you have a say on how it looks? Given that most major brand scopes in this price tier perform remarkably similar (eg. Vortex, Leupold, Nikon, Kowa, etc.) aesthetics may be the most significant differentiator.

AFFILIATE RETAIL LINK

Maven S.1: https://alnk.to/8tOMbpp

Amazon (Angled body): https://amzn.to/4ccrJGe

Amazon (Straight body): https://amzn.to/3VBFmt1

RESOLUTION

Element 6 / Group 1

SPECS

 Magnification Range25x-50x
Obj. lens diameter80mm
Exit pupil3.2mm / 1.6mm
Field of View (FOV)2.2° / 1.6°
Apparent FOV (FOV x Power)55° / 80°
Field of view (ft/1000 yds)115ft /84ft
Brightness10.24 / 2.56
Twilight factor44.7 / 63.2
Multi Position Eyecups Y/NYes
Eye relief17mm – 18mm
Eye piece construction5 group 7 element
Near focus5m
Dimension WxHxD14.9″x6.3″x3.9″
Weight64.5 oz
Prisms typeSchmidt-Pechan
Prism reflective coating typeDielectric Coating
Phase correction coatingYes
Lens coatingOilphobic + flat multi
Pressure tested to what pressure1m for 30min. (IPX7)
Storage temperature-40°~158°F
Functional temperature-13°~140°F
Frame materialAluminum / Polymer / Magnesium
Internal gas purgedNitrogen
Objective filter thread82mm
Focus systemVari-speed focusing system
Lens typeFluorite glass
OriginJapanese components assembled in the US


Shooting Sports, Social, Travel

DC Predator interview at Arken

DC Predator is an Instagram and YouTube channel of Scott Morris, his brother Ken, and son Kamron; a family of hunters from Arizona who have posted some of the most cinematic hunting footage this side National Geographic. Cam Morris is the primary cameraman for the channel and he brings his photo and videography experience to his family’s coyote hunts. And in case you’re wondering, I asked. DC is not a reference to our nation’s capitol. DC stands for “Death Clap”, the sound of a varmint going down.

Product Reviews, Shooting Sports

Athlon Saddle Mount

Athlon scopes are some of the best values in sporting optics. But they make more than optics. Athlon make some of the most robust carbon fiber shooting tripods. But it wasn’t until this year that they’ve made their first heavy duty shooting saddle mount.

This mount is made of a solid block of aluminum for strength but with numerous lightening cuts to reduce its weight whilst retaining clamping strength. The clamp has a built in ARCA/SWISS compatible base, with both 1/4″ and 3/8″ screw mounts for direct attachments to photo tripods.

The walls of the clamp are slightly canted inwards to better seat traditional hunting rifle handguards. The walls of the clamp are covered in textured rubber padding to provide grip and protect wood from marring even under heavy recoil.

AFFILIATE RETAIL LINKS

Amazon: https://amzn.to/49Ppzux

Shooting Sports

Leupold BX4 Gen2

Leupold has updated their entire BX4 line. These scopes still offer the exceptional optics we’ve come to expect from Leupold. The Gen 2 offers a lighter optic, enhanced non-slip skin, and eyecups.

This scope is available on Amazon
10×32 BX4 binocular https://amzn.to/3OEk4ar
10×42 BX4 binocular https://amzn.to/3wfOfOR
10×50 BX4 binocular https://amzn.to/3wfOx8p
12×50 BX4 binocular https://amzn.to/4bzb3ct
8×32 BX4 binocular https://amzn.to/3UDZlHC
8×42 BX4 https://amzn.to/3OKi7Jv
Spotting Scope https://amzn.to/42IiHx5

Shooting Sports

Huskemaw Optics at SHOT 2023

Perhaps because I’m not a Western Big Game hunter, but I wasn’t familiar with Huskemaw Optics. They’re a hunting scope maker based in Cody Wyoming that makes some of the most unique scopes I’ve come across. By chance I stopped by their booth at SHOT Show on the very last day of the show.

These scopes are purpose built for Western style hunting of big game, where distances are typically beyond 500yrds in high country with sustained cross-winds. These scopes are also pricy but high quality, built in Japan using German or Japanese glass depending on the model. These are the kind of scopes for well heeled hunters who hire guides or go on package hunting lodge trips in the Western high country.

I was struck by the unusual dragonfly shaped double-diamond reticle design of their scopes. And after striking up a conversation with Jim at their booth, I discovered the uniqueness doesn’t stop there. They have a two part elevation turret which is calibrated for wind holds of 10mph. An extra set of “wind hold” numbers at the top of the turret inform you of the number of minute/sub-tensions you’ll need to hold over to compensate for a cross-wind.

Gadgets, Shooting Sports

Athlon Midas 1 Mile Laser Rangefinder

Years ago I bought a cheap $50 golf laser rangefinder. It does the job, measuring distances out to 500-600yrds but I’ve always envied the hunters and shooters who had laser rangefinders that could call out distances to +700 yards. That’s why I was excited when Athlon sent me their Midas 1 Mile Laser Rangefinder to test out. And I’m sure with the start of hunting season in much of the country, others are eager as well.

My first impression of the unit was that it felt lighter than my golf rangefinder, while feeling far more solid though both have plastic bodies. The Athlon has a textured brown body with thicker rubberized panels at your handholds to provide a more secure grip with wet hands or wearing gloves.

The viewfinder has a fixed 6x power magnification. Sadly not to the level of Athlon’s 6x scope optics but par for the course for a range finder (or a dirt-cheap budget binocular). The image is clear-ish and I was able to differentiate car sized objects about a mile away.

The unit comes with a single CR2 lithium battery housed in a battery compartment with a coin slot screw cap. The cap has a rubber o-ring to keep it water tight. The manufacturer claims it is “rain resistant” which means it is not “water proof” or submersible. But remarkably it is covered under Athlon’s No-Fault Lifetime Warranty.

The menu options are visible through the viewfinder in a projected display. You can choose measurements in meters or yards, and it has a golf or hunting mode (the later displaying the distance in a furthest of target in a group). The unit can also be set to display vertical, linear, and horizontal distance to your target.

Available on Amazon through my affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3f9b12D