In todays high tech, extremely competitive hunting gear market it's often hard to keep up with all the constant improvements being made.  With that being said I covered a few of my favorite boots earlier this year from the ATA show (Danner and Lacrosse) as well as the premium offering from onX.  I wanted to go back and give you all a few updates.

LacrosseThe Alpha Burly Pro's have been my go-to boot for treestand whitetail hunting for years now.  Finally, with Fall arriving they are officially available in Sitka's Optifade Elevated II.  If they live up to my previous experiences with Lacrosse boots you're gonna want to take a look at these.

Danner

I've had Danner boots along with me on every elk hunt so far.  Finally, after seeing them at the ATA show, the Powderhorn is now officially available.  I've not had a chance to try these but I can say my previous Danners have not disappointed me.  I believe they step up their game with this boot so you just might find yourself in the mountains sporting a new pair of Powderhorns in the near future.onX The team at onX has been busting their butts to bring you an update to their already fantastic product for what my inside sources tell me has been a few years in the making.  They have improved their offline usage abilities (I've already downloaded 5-mile x 5-mile maps of my two most used hunting spots on my smartphone) so you can take onX with you even when you don't have cell service. 

What they also did was spend more time on their topo maps (see above photo) adding every two track and trail while giving it a fresh new look.onX added several new layers but the three that resonated most with me were the Roadless Layer, USFS Timber Cuts, and Historic Wildfires Layer.  The Roadless Layer tells you exactly where the elk are...the furthest point from us.  Generally, that means they are as far away from roads as they can get.  The photo below shows you by varying the intensity of the purple shading the furthest points from humanity.  The timber cuts and wildfires are going to show you where the best food sources are.  There's nothing better for fresh new browse than knocking down old timber growths and letting some of that precious sunshine in.  onX gives you the years of the cuts and fires along with the location so you plan your hunts when those areas are most prime for elk to be there.  I just wanted to let you in on some of the upgrades from onX as well as let you know there is still time to get some new boots broken in before that first hunt.  If you have any questions please feel free to let me know and if I don't know the answer I bet I know who can get it for you.  Don't forget, MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!!