By Guest Contributer: Mike Reeber
I’ve been shooting the Oracle for the last month and I must admit that I’m as impressed as the day that it was installed by my local bow shop. For whatever reason, your intuition as a shooter is that technology will fail you at some point, but this one proves otherwise. After shooting the new setup at several different yardages and consistently hitting my mark, the Oracle’s accuracy and reliability has impressed me. Even in the worst case scenario, the Oracle has a bunch of fail-safe features in place to keep you operating in the field, should something go awry.
Confidence and ethical shots
Up until recently, my confidence with other sights was always rock solid right about to 40 yards. Really, this was only due to the fact that I had a 20, 30 and 40 yard pin setup on most of my bows. Even though I’ve been shooting for decades my confidence at a distance where I had no set pin was very weak, and I’m not afraid to admit that. I believe in ethical shots and humane kills. No matter what your archery experience is, the unfortunate reality is that sometimes a shot will present itself and it might be at a distance where you either don’t have a pin or it’s just out of your comfort zone. The Oracle eliminates this exact scenario and gives you the right pin every time that you hit the button. Not only is this a confidence-builder for the shooter but it’s also a much more ethical way to hunt. No more floating pins and no more guessing, simply range the target, concentrate behind the shoulder and send the arrow.
The summer season
With turkey season now well in the rearview mirror, my focus in the summer turns to the world of exotics and hogs. We’re seriously blessed as hunters in the great state of Texas to have the ability to continue our passion of hunting and conservation throughout the summer months. This also makes us better hunters for when whitetail season arrives on our doorstep, come September.
But as we all know, summer hunting is a whole different beast. It’s different weather, different vegetation and the animals are acting entirely new it seems. What might have been a “hot spot” last fall has gone dormant and you might not be able to figure out just why.
My pop-up summer home
With the temperatures reaching well over 100 in much of the state, heat is a major factor when considering your summer setup and game plan. Where I hunt in South Texas, we’re lucky to have a number of water holes scattered across the property and with the rain being as plentiful as it has been thus far, this will be one of my main tactics to seal the deal with an exotic. Waterholes make for great all day setups, but many times pose a challenge of having limited areas to place a blind. So to battle this challenge and to remain concealed, I’m using the Rhino Blinds 600XL pop-up tent. Last year I was introduced to this setup when I was hunting Antelope in Wyoming. Since that hunt, I bring my Rhino with me everywhere I can.
The 600XL might as well be called “Tex” because it’s so big. It’s an absolute brute of a blind and is made of some seriously tough material that is reinforced and is completely UV protected. In the field, this blind is up and running within seconds. Yes, that’s right, seconds. Because the interior rods are already integrated within the tent, it’s one less thing on your to-do list. Plus, it’s significantly more sturdy and wind resistant once expanded.
As a bowhunter, extra room is something that I cherish. Between my pack, water jug, bow and the rest of the sports store that I bring along with me, having plenty of room to shift around is a real plus. This blind is literally large enough to fit an entire Superbowl party inside. With a 72×72 inch footprint and a 6’6” ceiling height, this can be considered a camouflage weekend home. But what I think really sets it apart is the design of the windows in this unit. How many times have you hunted out of a blind where your target was caught between two windows and you didn’t have a shot? This blind essentially has one extremely large front window that spans the width of the tent. Pair that with adjustable shootable mesh and this blind won’t ever limit your shots.
As of today, my blind is out becoming one with the brush of South Texas and is on standby for my next hunt.
Mike’s Summertime Gear List:
- Mathews Chill with GAS Bowstrings
- Burris Optics Oracle Sight
- Easton Axis 340 grain carbon arrows
- SEVR 100 grain Broadheads
- KUIU Kutana Pants and Peloton long sleeve shirt in Verde 2.0
- Elusive Wildlife Piglet HD bow light
- Rocky Snake Boots
- Rhino Blinds 600XL pop-up blind
- Chama chair
- Bushnell Trophy Cam
- Hunters Kloak Rut Rouser System(for scents and bug control)
- YETI Rambler ½ gallon jug(gotta stay hydrated!)
- Dead Down Wind scent spray
- Buck TTHA knife set
