Tip 1:
Define the “Problem.”
The definition of a problem drinker is someone for whom drinking causes problems in their life. It doesn’t matter how much, when, or where – if it causes problems, then you have a drinking problem. Carry that concept to other parts of your life. Is the objective of your hunting to connect to nature in the most basic way possible? Then go as far as making your own arrows and recurve bow, and heading to the field in a loincloth. If electronic devices are interfering with your reason for hunting, get rid of them. If they enhance your hunting experience, don’t worry about it.

Tip 2:
Don’t Go Nuts.
Hunting is about the experience, not the toys. Just as with any other purchase, evaluate the potential benefit compared with the total cost. Trail cameras have upgraded from film to digital, which provides better images and more data. That might be a smart upgrade, but an older digital rangefinder still performs its basic function well, even if the newer models are smaller and have more features. I’m sticking with my old rangefinder for now.

Tip 3:
Do Your Research – Online.
I love books, and magazines, and newspapers. I also love the internet. Learn to use the internet effectively to expand your base of information. There is a lot of junk out there, but there is also an amazing amount of solid knowledge. Learn to separate the wheat from the chaff, and quit spending all you time watching YouTube videos of idiots falling off roofs.

Tip 4:
Get Smart.
I was late to the smartphone revolution. It’s not my fault – they wouldn’t sell me one (we live in a digitally-deprived area of the country). I got an iPhone a couple of months ago, and I’m amazed. “Apps” is shorthand for “Applications,” programs that run on smartphones and do everything from calculating sunrise and sunset, to finding the closest Cabela’s and what they have on sale today.

Tip 5:
Favorite Apps.
One app finds gun shows. I have ballistic calculators for Hawke scopes and Winchester ammo, two apps that teach me to tie knots, several recipe books, and an app for all those membership cards that every retailer now offers. I have an excellent digital compass, and of course a GPS, two weather apps, and an internet connection.

Tip 6:
Favorite Digital Devices.
The Kestrel weather meter enables me to say definitively that my hunt in south Texas was 105 degrees, and my night on a frozen Minnesota lake was –28 with wind gusts of 34 mph. A Bushnell Backtrack GPS keeps me from getting lost, and a Wenger analog-face watch with a build-in digital compass is a perfect backup. A Bruton solar charger keeps power supplied in the field.

Tip 7:
Have a Backup.
Technology is great when it works, and it makes your life miserable when it doesn’t. Don’t depend on it completely, and have a Plan B ready for when it fails (because it will fail).

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