BlackOvis MTN Journal

As a mountain hunter, I am constantly searching for gear that works and I am not opposed to buying different brands and designs to find out what works best for me.  This approach can get expensive, but it’s the only way I know to find solid gear that truly meets my requirements.   Continue reading →

Good, quality gear is supposed to make our outdoor pursuits more comfortable, easier, and more efficient.  Most hunting gear is designed with a specific use case in mind, so as we embark on different adventures and our needs vary slightly (or drastically) from one trip to the next, we’re going to accumulate lots of different types, brands, sizes, and weights of gear items.  One of the huge benefits of modern gear is that it does what it is designed to do very well, but it may only be good for accomplishing that one task or filling that specific niche.  Finding gear that can be useful in multiple scenarios for different situations and tasks can save you money, space, and weight in your pack. Continue reading →

When I first began hunting the river bottoms of Iowa with a shotgun at an early age, the whitetail rut is something I did not know about. As a clueless youth hunter, I simply only knew about deer drives and that was it. For those of you who don’t know what a deer drive is, it is when a group of hunters walk into a piece of land in hopes of pushing deer towards other group members that are strategically set up to shoot. Now, I am guilty along with many others that obsess over hunting the whitetail rut with a bow. Continue reading →

Earlier this year, Sitka introduced a new jacket and hoody called the Ambient Collection.  The thesis behind this new piece of gear is to use it as a mid-layer insulation piece, that breathes well, and manages moisture in active situations. This was interesting to me and got me thinking about the difference between active and static insulation. My hunting style lends itself more toward activity rather than sitting for long periods of time, so the focus of this article is to define those terms and give a full review of the Ambient Hoody that I have been testing this past summer and early fall. Continue reading →

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to this comparison. I’ve spent roughly seven years in the whitetail woods with a bow and can honestly say both types of sights are equally effective. The majority of whitetail shots happen between 20 and 30 yards. This is coming from my midwestern perspective, now if you hunt whitetails out west for example, that may be a completely different story. Here in Iowa most whitetail bowhunting is done from a treestand, ground blind, or elevated box blind. Whether you are setting up on a nearby trail or food source, you generally are banking on that easy chip shot. Continue reading →

With hunting season just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to make sure you have all the gear you need for a successful hunt.  One of the most important pieces of gear, in my opinion, is picking the right boot for your specific hunt. With years of experimentation on dozens of different brands and types of boots, I had settled on the Uninsulated Crispi Nevada as my go-to boot for hunting Elk here in the West. However, this year, Crispi introduced a new boot in their line-up which is basically an exclusive BlackOvis version of the Nevada with a few improvements, in my opinion.  It is called the Kenai GTX.  I’ve been testing this boot for a couple months now and wanted to share my initial impressions.   Continue reading →

Going on your first elk hunt is both exciting and intimidating. Being from the midwest, the only knowledge or intel I had about elk hunting came from various internet sources. Many different people online were saying “You just need to go out and fail”. Now that is definitely not what any first time hunter wants to hear. I wanted to be successful of course, I mean who wouldn’t? In this article I will dive into a few different subjects that have stuck out to me the most and have been the biggest learning lesson. Keep in mind, I am from Iowa and have hunted Colorado OTC Archery two times. Continue reading →

With Elk season right around the corner, I wanted to share a few tips that have helped the Skousen Bros be more successful elk hunters.  These nuggets of wisdom have been learned and relearned over years of spending a lot of time in the elk woods.  Hopefully you can relate or at least consider some of these tactics for your upcoming season. Continue reading →

My search for a new hunting sight was intentional but what I ended up with was a result of not being able to get the original sight I thought I wanted.  I had a spring Alaska bear hunt coming up in May and I needed an immediate solution. The sight I wanted had been on order for 4 months and got delayed again due to supply chain issues.  I was explaining my dilemma to a good friend and hunting mentor, and he told me to check out the CBE Trek Pro Sight.  I’m glad I did.   Continue reading →

The archery industry is a constantly revolving door of new products and trends, where many fade in and out in a short number of years. Here at BlackOvis, we seek out products and brands that are here to stay and that we ourselves believe are truly solid hunting gear. Over the last year, several new products have been released that stand out above the rest and deserve to be recognized. The products that are highlighted here have all been put through the paces and have earned a spot on our bows. Continue reading →

I have been intrigued by archery since I was a little kid. My first few setups were recurve bows and mismatched arrows. The birds, squirrels, and hay bale targets in my yard were generally pretty safe but I didn’t care. I just loved watching the arrows fly. As I got older my desire to hit what I was aiming at gradually caught up, so at age 10 or 11 I finally graduated to a compound bow with a set of matched, store-bought arrows! That first setup was a pretty simple flipper-style rest and single-pin sight, but it was the start of a journey with bows and arrows that has led me throughout life. Watching arrows fly is still a thrill for me.  Continue reading →

When it comes to pants, there are so many options for a hunter to choose from. A lot can depend on your location and your tolerance to types of weather. The ESW (Early Season Whitetail) Pant from Sitka Gear has become my favorite pant that I own. Now if you are unfamiliar with Sitka’s Early Season line, it entered the market a couple of seasons ago. It launched with the intention to accommodate for those early season hunts when temperatures can be on the warm side. Let me dive into why I love this pant so much and think it’s the best thing since sliced bread. Continue reading →

The "6 S’s" to comfort in all conditions: Skin, Shell, Stack, Shed, Season, Situation Continue reading →

My brother Jeff recently wrote a review on Midweight pants. I will use the same format he used. Most of our scouting and hunting is done in the early season when temps are a little warmer. On an early season archery elk hunt, in September for example, temps can range from 30 degrees in the morning to mid 70’s and 80’s in the day. Choosing a pant that is lightweight and breathable yet still durable is key to making these hunts more enjoyable. I had the opportunity test and put the following lightweight pants through the ringer. Continue reading →

I love the off season because it’s a chance for me to test gear in preparation for next year’s hunting season.  For the past several months, I have been testing three, high-quality, midweight pants. Continue reading →

The team at Crispi, both here in America and in our Italian factory is constantly looking to improve, update and innovate our boot line. The lessons learned while hunting all across North America create ideas that can turn into new updates, improvements, and designs. We are in a unique position here at Crispi US to take the ideas and feedback we gather throughout the year directly to our Italian designers to influence design decisions and directly lead to improvements and changes. With that in mind here are the new and updated boots in the Crispi line for 2022. Continue reading →