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How do you choose hunting optics without spending money on magnification and features you don’t need? I break down how to choose a spotting scope, binoculars, and a laser rangefinder for western hunting and whitetail scouting. From angled vs. straight spotting scopes to 10x vs. 12x binoculars, I explain the tradeoffs behind my glassing setup and what I’d look for before upgrading. I use my Maven S3 spotting scope, B6 12x50 binoculars, and RF1 rangefinder to demonstrate, but the buying considerations apply across optics brands. · Angled vs. straight spotting scopes—and why I switched to angled · Choosing spotting scope magnification to complement your binoculars · Why I prefer 12x50 binoculars for western hunting and whitetails · When higher-power binoculars might replace a spotting scope · Tripod mounting, binocular diopter adjustment, and digiscoping adapters · What rangefinder distance ratings mean for different targets · Angle compensation, brightness controls, and field/forest modes Subscribe to Drawn West and leave a rating and review. Sign up for the newsletter through the link below, and follow @getdrawnwest on Instagram. For the hands-on demonstrations, watch on YouTube or Spotify. Stay drawn.

Last Day to Win a Custom Bow! Enter at: https://www.getdrawnwest.com/giveaways And get 10x entries when you shop Drawn West Apparel! https://www.getdrawnwest.com/shop Your broadhead might work great when everything goes right. But what happens when an elk turns, your arrow catches a shoulder, or the blood trail disappears? I sit down with Dr. Ed Ashby to talk arrow penetration, single-bevel broadheads, and building a hunting arrow for more than a perfect broadside shot. I’ve followed his research since I started changing my arrow setup for elk hunting, and I brought out a box of broadheads to ask the questions I’ve always wondered about. We get into the Natal study, why structural integrity and arrow flight come before chasing high FOC, and what the roughly 650-grain heavy-bone threshold actually means. I also push on the other side of the equation: if my arrow already passes through, could a wider cut help me recover a deer in thick Minnesota cover? Ashby shares his perspective on blood trails, bleeder blades, and why breaking through bone doesn’t guarantee lethal penetration. What we cover: · How four unrecovered whitetails sparked Ashby’s arrow-performance research. · Lessons from testing 32 broadhead designs during the Natal study. · Why you shouldn’t sacrifice arrow flight for higher FOC. · How tip shape, ferrule design, and single bevels affect penetration. · What the 650-grain threshold does—and doesn’t—tell you. · Cutting width, blood trails, and recovering animals when the hit isn’t perfect. If this gives you something to think about before your next hunt, follow the podcast and share it with someone working on their arrow setup. Follow @getdrawnwest on Instagram to keep up with what we’re doing.

Trucker hats are live! Shop the most comfortable blaze orange hats and build some extra entries for the ARC! https://www.getdrawnwest.com/shop First focal plane vs. second focal plane scopes does not need to be complicated. The right choice comes down to how you hunt, how far you shoot, and whether you want a simple point-and-shoot setup or more options for dialing and precision.

Shopping for a new box blind and wondering if the upgrades are worth it? I sat down with Kile from Maverick Hunting Blinds inside their brand-new XLV to get an unfiltered first look at what changed this year — nearly double-sized windows, fully pre-assembled panels, and a patent-pending 7-bolt system that builds the whole blind in about 20 minutes. What we cover in this episode: · What's new on the XLV: bigger windows, pre-assembled panels, and a redesigned insulated door with full overlap. · The patent-pending 7-bolt assembly system and how it locks together in about 20 minutes. · How scent-tight the blind really is, including where the sweet spot for deer downwind seems to land. · Maverick's new adjustable platform — 5 to 10 feet in six-inch increments, including leveling on a hillside. · Hunting with a newborn and young kids, plus a shotgun-to-rifle debate on deer herd quality.

GIVEAWAY: $4000 Mathews Arc Pacakge! Enter Now: https://www.getdrawnwest.com/giveaways Ever wonder why almost nobody in bowhunting content talks about bare shaft tuning — even though it might matter more than any broadhead you'll ever buy? I sat down with Troy Fowler, better known as Ranch Fairy, who's been in on hundreds of archery kills on hogs and whitetail and has helped test broadhead terminal ballistics on Cape Buffalo. We get into why bare shaft tuning gets skipped by almost everyone, why mechanical broadheads lose their cutting edge on impact, and why mass — not speed — is what actually breaks bone. We walk through the real difference between single bevel and mechanical broadheads, how much arrow weight you need before a broadhead can call itself a "bone breaker," and why blood trail distance comes down to shot placement more than broadhead choice. Troy also breaks down lessons from Ed Ashby's terminal ballistics research, including why a blunter, single-bevel design outperformed sharper designs on Cape Buffalo. There's a bonus code word in this episode worth 50 giveaway entries for the Mathews ARC giveaway. What we cover in this episode: · Why bare shaft tuning is the one step nobody talks about, and why Troy himself still avoids it on his own arrows. · Single bevel vs. mechanical broadheads — why mechanical blades take on damage the instant they deploy into hide, hair, and bone. · Why you need 600+ grains of arrow mass before a "bone breaking" broadhead actually breaks bone · The vital V approach for shortening blood trails in thick cover, and why aiming close to the crease matters more than broadhead choice · What Ed Ashby's Cape Buffalo terminal ballistics testing revealed about broadhead shape, penetration, and pass-through rates. · Why time-of-flight at 60 yards is roughly equivalent to a 600-yard rifle shot, and why that changes ethical shot distance. If this helps you rethink your arrow setup, subscribe to the podcast, leave a rating and review, and follow @getdrawnwest on Instagram. And go enter the Mathews ARC giveaway at getdrawnwest.com/giveaway — the code word from this episode is worth 50 entries!