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Just wanted to try this...have you purchased any "new" gear or tried a new model or brand of something that you like or dislike? Whether it be blind bags, calls, boats, guns, shells, waders.....anything! Lets discuss the pro's and con's of new gear...if one person doesn't like it for a certain reason, than another is prolly going to dislike it for the same reason!

Wife got me the MCalister late season shirt jacket(wind proof and water prooof) and a pair of the cabelas micro wader pants for my birthday and I used them both this weekend. Loved them both!

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=74218

I'm still wanting a new a pair of waders like this kid got.

'ESP' elite analog hearing protection - I can hear a duck break wind at 300 yds, now. I'm not the last person that knows there are birds overhead, now. I can actually hear'em before I see'um. My wife is going to get fitted for her own set o' plugs.

Only drawback I've encountered thus far is they are hard to put 'in'....but that'll improve with more use. I can blow a duck call with these things in - and pretty-much tell what's coming-out the other end. Watch-out for 'jay-birds' or piliated woodpeckers that sneak-up behind you.....they can really cross your eyes if you're not expecting them. I can hear a candy wrapper rattling at 60 yds too. Yet, I never know the gun went-off except for the recoil. Great improvement for a guy that's lost some of his hearing.....and a good thing to have if you want to have any hearing left, later in life. 'Wish I'd gotten them 20 years ago.

Tried out a Zink Power Hen 2 call recently...immediately got one ordered. Say what you will about double reeds, but that thing sounds like pure duck!

BradBynum wrote:Wife got me the MCalister late season shirt jacket(wind proof and water prooof) and a pair of the cabelas micro wader pants for my birthday and I used them both this weekend. Loved them both!

+1 on the wader pants. Nice and cozy in 28 degrees last Saturday.

Anatidae wrote:'ESP' elite analog hearing protection - I can hear a duck break wind at 300 yds, now. I'm not the last person that knows there are birds overhead, now. I can actually hear'em before I see'um. My wife is going to get fitted for her own set o' plugs.

Only drawback I've encountered thus far is they are hard to put 'in'....but that'll improve with more use. I can blow a duck call with these things in - and pretty-much tell what's coming-out the other end. Watch-out for 'jay-birds' or piliated woodpeckers that sneak-up behind you.....they can really cross your eyes if you're not expecting them. I can hear a candy wrapper rattling at 60 yds too. Yet, I never know the gun went-off except for the recoil. Great improvement for a guy that's lost some of his hearing.....and a good thing to have if you want to have any hearing left, later in life. 'Wish I'd gotten them 20 years ago.

I've been sayin' this for a while now, but these are the absolute next purchase I make. There are a lot of things I can do without in life, but hearing isn't one of 'em....

Got me a new FUBU camo jacket. after seeing chris were it I HAD to have one.

Anatidae wrote:'ESP' elite analog hearing protection - I can hear a duck break wind at 300 yds, now. I'm not the last person that knows there are birds overhead, now. I can actually hear'em before I see'um. My wife is going to get fitted for her own set o' plugs.

Only drawback I've encountered thus far is they are hard to put 'in'....but that'll improve with more use. I can blow a duck call with these things in - and pretty-much tell what's coming-out the other end. Watch-out for 'jay-birds' or piliated woodpeckers that sneak-up behind you.....they can really cross your eyes if you're not expecting them. I can hear a candy wrapper rattling at 60 yds too. Yet, I never know the gun went-off except for the recoil. Great improvement for a guy that's lost some of his hearing.....and a good thing to have if you want to have any hearing left, later in life. 'Wish I'd gotten them 20 years ago.

I had ESP's pre-Katrina, and EAR's now. I wish I still had the old style ESP's. The EAR's are awsome as long as I am not calling. No matter how I mess with the dial on the EAR's, they want to clip/compress the duck call. They are near about perfect for any kind of hunting where you don't blow a call, and you can hear ducks much earlier with them.

Anatidae wrote:'ESP' elite analog hearing protection - I can hear a duck break wind at 300 yds, now. I'm not the last person that knows there are birds overhead, now. I can actually hear'em before I see'um. My wife is going to get fitted for her own set o' plugs.

Only drawback I've encountered thus far is they are hard to put 'in'....but that'll improve with more use. I can blow a duck call with these things in - and pretty-much tell what's coming-out the other end. Watch-out for 'jay-birds' or piliated woodpeckers that sneak-up behind you.....they can really cross your eyes if you're not expecting them. I can hear a candy wrapper rattling at 60 yds too. Yet, I never know the gun went-off except for the recoil. Great improvement for a guy that's lost some of his hearing.....and a good thing to have if you want to have any hearing left, later in life. 'Wish I'd gotten them 20 years ago.

I want a pair of those things just so I can hear a duck fart!
I've worked in a noisy environment all of my life so I need to protect what is left of my hearing...

An example of how good these things are:

......the other morning at first light, I heard a drake in the air. It took me about 2 seconds to pick him up through the trees - he was about 90-100 yds out and around 75 yds high, coming toward me. I wondered how much distance he covered in those 2 seconds......and how far away he was when I first heard him. They've restored the thrill of duck hunting that I've missed in the last 5-6 years.....i.e. hearing wings and vocalizations.

Don't have any yet, but I've heard really good things about Longleaf Camo. Looks like Longleaf really put some thought into the design of the clothing; they placed the pockets in different spots than on normal shirts, pants and jackets for easier access while hunting. Patterns look good too, especially the new Fatal Flight duck hunting pattern. Can't wait to get some and try it out.