If you can't find it, you can't hit it.
With that in mind, Joanne Dyck, sales associated at Screamin' Reel Fly and Tackle in the Donex Pharmacy & Department Store in 100 Mile House, says hunting technology is continuously developing when it comes to improving sight, and there are new tools on the market that really improve how and what hunters can see.
Dyck has been selling outdoor hunting and fishing equipment for nine years and says range finders, “Trophy Cams” and rifle scopes are getting better every year.
“The arc design takes into consideration the (trajectory) of the bullet. If you're aiming up a hill, it shows where you should be aiming at that animal to actually hit it. If you're a bow hunter and you're shooting up or down, it takes into consideration how the arrow is going to fly. Wind will come into [play], but it does give you a pretty good chance of hitting that animal.”
She adds a lot of hunters are now using “Trophy Cams” – motion-activated cameras that capture the movement of animals and can be set up anywhere in the bush.
“If you're not sure and you want to scout out an area, but you can't actually be there and watch, you can set one of the cameras up and it will take pictures and video of the animals moving around in the area. It's activated when there's movement.
"[The information] goes on a little memory card. You can take it home and look at it and check it out. It gives you a time and date stamp, so you know when the animal is nosing around and doing its thing.”
The cameras range in price – $350 and over or $200 and under – based on different capabilities, such as like how images are viewed and stored. The same goes for binoculars, which go from $25 for a basic pair and up to $600 depending on how technical you want to get.
Another change Dyck has noticed throughout her time in the outdoor equipment business is the amount of camouflage clothing available for women and children.
“I've got stuff in for boys, girls and women, rather than just men. There's more selection for camouflage shirts, jackets and pants.
A lot more younger kids and women and girls are starting to hunt now.... In the past, women had to buy men's stuff and make it work.”