Day three of the 2015 ATA Show was our favorite day of all. Not necessarily because of the products we saw, but due to the fact we were able to spend a considerable amount of time sharing experiences and telling tales with fellow die-hard bowhunters.
 
Bowhunters are a unique breed and for the most part they’re a band of brothers. A deep understanding of what unites us is what made spending time at the 2015 ATA Show so rewarding.
 
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On day three of the 2015 ATA Show I was joined by two of my sons. Although I had several meetings to attend before the end of the day, my boys enjoyed a day filled with making new friends and talking to outdoor personalities such as Fred Eichler, one of their favorite bowhunters.
 
As we made our way through the booths we hadn’t had time to visit previously, we continued to find great products. We located the first of many at the Havalon Knives booth.
 
A few years ago we started using Havalon Knives and haven’t looked back. These small but exceptionally sharp knives have field dressed, caped and quartered numerous deer. And while a traditional mindset still prevails among hunters, which requires packing a bulky 6-inch blade when hunting, this notion couldn’t be any further from the truth.
 
Havalon Knives showcased their expanded line of razor sharp hunting knives at the 2015 ATA Show, including the new Piranta Stag. The Piranta Stag offers a good looking and durable Zytel handle, which has been uniquely contoured for a more solid grip.
 

 
Also highlighted at the show was the all-new Havalon (still in development but will possibly be named, the Hydra) two-blade knife. By featuring both a 2 ¾” Piranta blade and a 5” Baracuta blade this knife design offers the best of both worlds.
 

 
An additional feature of the Hydra is its ability to convert to a saw. Simply replace the Baracuta blade with the new Baracuta Bone Saw blade and you have everything needed to property take care of any size game.
 

 
Although I’ve found the Piranta series ample for whitetail, a longer blade would be nice when trimming game meat. While still in its prototype phase, the Hydra if so named, will provide a compact all-in-one knife for any type of hunting.
 

 
Anyone who’s visited this site for any amount of time knows I like organization—especially when in a treestand. And few companies are as ingenious at developing treestand accessories as Hawk Hunting.
 
At the 2014 ATA Show Hawk Hunting launched its brand along with a variety of treestands and treestand accessories. Now for 2015 Hawk Hunting is promoting even more unique treestand accessories, which are sure to create interest among avid treestand hunters.
 
One of our favorite Hawk products featured at the 2015 ATA Show was the Tactical Trio Hybrid Tree Hook. This innovative hook provides a ‘swing arm’ design allowing for full right to left adjustability. The Trio Hybrid Tree Hook is also constructed of solid metal and is overmolded with a SilentGrip finish.
 

 
Another item we saw at the Hawk Hunting booth was the new Rock Solid Tree Arm. This all-new, all-steel bow arm extends to 24” and is as it has been named—rock solid. The Rock Solid Tree Arm also features three accessory hooks for additional organization and allows quick accessibility of bowhunting gear.
 

 

 
Last but not least was the Hawk Speed Retract Hoist Reel. Incorporating 30’ of anti-tangle line, a gear system providing 5X faster rewind and Hawks easy twist GearTie attachments, the Speed Retract Hoist Reel is just one more treestand accessory that is sure to keep both your pack and hunt organized.
 

 
While having lunch with an acquaintance who writes for Bowhunting.com, he mentioned a unique product located at the Black Widow Lures booth. It sounded like something I had to see, so I decided to make it a priority and check it out.
 

 
While I’ve heard of these polymer beads (water beads) being used for various applications, I’d never thought of using them for hunting—how ingenious. (The 2015 ATA Show was definitely a place where I shook my head and asked, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’)
 
By soaking what Black Widow Deer Lures is calling ‘Scrape Beads’ in deer urine, these super absorbent beads retain and release odor as needed. Made from a polyacrylamide which can adsorb up to several times their weight, the Scrape Beads can be placed into a scrape in order to distribute scent for a considerable amount of time. This product is also in the development phase and Black Widow Lures informed us they were very surprised at the amount of interest in this product. It remains to be seen just how this product will be developed and the myriad of uses it will provide.
 

 
While in no way did we expect to cover all the products featured at the 2015 ATA Show, these updates contain a handful items we believe will provide benefit to any bowhunter. Stay tuned as we finish up with our favorite item from the 2015 ATA Show. Read 2015 ATA Trade Show Update – Day 1 and 2015 ATA Trade Show Update – Day 2 here.

Day two of the 2015 ATA Trade Show began by shaking off a heavy dose of weariness. After a host of meetings and a late night made 4am seem to arrive way too early. After a few cups of strong coffee we headed to the Indianapolis Convention Center for another day at the 2015 ATA Show.
 
After attending the Target the Heart Prayer Breakfast we made our way over to Elite Archery so we could shoot a product video with the one and only Darrin Christenberry. When we arrived, the Elite Archery booth was filled with curious buyers wanting to know more about these ‘shootable’ bows that are quickly growing in popularity.
 
Elite Archery’s shooting station was also filled with those wanting to experience the ‘shootability’ of the 2015 lineup. It was here we found our good friend Mark Huelsing of Sole Adventure, and as one would expect, he was doing a stellar job at pointing out the unique features of each individual bow.
 
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After a necessary detour, my son Austin just had to see Cameron Hanes, we continued our search for interesting and ‘out-of-the-box’ products featured at the 2015 ATA Trade Show.
 
One of our first stops was to see our friends at Dead Down Wind. As usual, an impressive array of new products lined the shelves. After getting a first hand look at their all-new UV Guard and how well it performed, I saw something even more impressive. (I was impressed because it puts money back into the bowhunter’s pocket.)
 

 
For 2015 Dead Down Wind is offering a $5.00 mail in rebate with each bottle of Evolve 3D+ scent elimination spray. It’s their way of saying thank you to those who have continued to support them over the last ten years. What an ingenious way to retain loyal customers.
 

 
Day two of the 2015 ATA Show also found us checking out what new products Wicked Tree Gear had brought to the show. We weren’t disappointed.
 
For 2015 Wicked Tree Gear is offering an Ultra Light version of their pole saw. The Ultra Light Pole Saw offers a removable head which doubles as a hand saw. Available in both a 10-foot and 14-foot version, the 10-foot version will retail for $99.99 and the 14-foot for $149.99.
 

 
Wicked Tree Gear also showcased an all-new attachment for their original pole saw that will be a great addition for any serious bowhunter—its called the Wicked Utility Hook. The Wicked Utility Hook attaches securely to their Wicked Stick or Wicked Tough pole saws and is the perfect attachment when needing to push or pull a small tree when hinge cutting. Leave it to Wicked, they sure know how to climb above the competition. (Pun intended!)
 

 
With a penchant for displaying antlers I wanted to stop by and see what new items Skull Hooker had brought to the 2015 ATA Show. Offering a unique way to display both skull plates and European mounts, Skull Hooker continues to offer innovative products year after year.
 
For 2015 Skull Hooker has released their Pedestal Mount. The Pedestal Mount allows a trophy to be displayed on a tabletop or desktop in classy fashion. Available in brown or graphite black finishes the Skull Hooker Pedestal mount is a great addition to any man cave or trophy room.
 

 
Once in a while you see a company that breaks the mold. And while I don’t use Slick Trick broadheads they do have a reputation for quality. Furthermore, today’s broadhead companies could learn a lot from their packaging. For 2015 Slick Trick is offering a Pro Pack, which includes 10 ferrules and 12 blades. How ingenious. It’s about time someone realized there’s no law that says broadheads have to be sold in packs of three.
 

 
In the world of bowhunting bigger is often better. So to make sure your vacuum sealer won’t overheat when processing game, Weston Products has released the all-new Pro 1100 Vacuum Sealer. The Pro 1100 Vacuum Sealer is fan cooled, offers a fully adjustable sealing timer and even offers a manual mode that allows you to control vacuum pressure when sealing soft foods such as fish. The Weston Pro 1100 can seal bags up to 11-inches wide and comes in stainless steel for easy cleaning. This is a must have for anyone who’s in the market for a quality vacuum sealer.
 

 
The 2015 ATA Trade Show was filled with dozens of conversations centered around family, business and bowhunting. And while it was easy to spend a considerable amount of time getting caught up with friends we hadn’t seen since last year, we did manage to see more cool products on day three. Stay tuned for more updates and a summary of what we felt were our favorite products at the 2015 ATA Show. Read ATA Trade Show Update – Day 1 and ATA Trade Show Update – Day 3 here.

The 2015 ATA Trade Show commenced with excited archery enthusiasts waiting to gain entrance to a world of innovative and recently developed products.
 
Beyond the entrance of the Indianapolis Convention Center was a variety of booths containing archery equipment, bowhunting accessories and just about anything relating to archery.
 
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Day one of the 2015 ATA Trade Show was spent perusing booth after booth in search of unique products we believed would benefit the bowhunter. Here are a few of our favorites.
 

Badlands Silent Series Packs

For 2015 Badlands offers the bowhunter a new line of ultra quiet hunting packs. Not only does the Silent Series provide a much quieter outer shell, but to insure these packs are the epitome of quiet, Badlands has used magnets and proprietary fasteners in place of buckles and zippers. The Silent Series packs are sure to be a favorite among hunters who understand the advantage of owning gear that’s just as stealthy as the game they pursue.
 

Lone Wolf Stick Quiver

For the bowhunter who packs in his climbing sticks and treestand, Lone Wolf now offers a unique solution to quietly transport those climbing sticks. By simply ‘snapping’ the sticks into their designated ‘holders,’ the hunter is guaranteed a quiet entry and exit to and from his or her stand site. Designed for both durability and ease of use the new stick quiver is sure to be a favorite at the 2015 ATA Trade Show.
 

 

First Lite Sanctuary Pant

The First Like Sanctuary Pant provides the last piece to a long overdue system for bowhunters who desire a warm and quiet pant when hunting late season. The Sanctuary Pant is offered in a bib design with heavy duty suspenders, full length zippered legs, articulated knees and the quality First Lite is known for—what more could you ask for in clothing? (More on these pants later.)
 

 

Hunter Safety System Crow’s Foot

They say reinventing the wheel is impossible, but it would seem Hunter Safety System has been successful. Unlike traditional gear hooks, the all-new Crow’s Foot by HSS offers a three-in-one solution for organizing gear while in a treestand.
 
Not only does the Crow’s Foot fold into a small and lightweight package, but an additional feature of the Crows Foot is its recessed auger tip, meaning the screw-in point folds back into the Crow’s Foot leaving no sharp or exposed points to tear your pack or hunting gear.
 

 
We’re excited for day two of the 2015 ATA Trade Show, for it is sure to introduce us to more innovative products. Stay tune for more updates and feel free to follow us on Twitter for additional show coverage. Read 2015 ATA Trade Show Update – Day 2 here.