I have the Nikon Aculon and it’s been great so far. Compact and gives quick reads which is important in crunch time. Only $150. No illumination, but I have never found an illuminating one in the lower price range. I’ve mostly used it archery hunting, and have also used it at the rifle range out to 330 with no issues. No experience beyond that range, though. Great for the price.

If you can drop more $ on a rangefinder, definitely go with the Vortex Ranger like Bob mentioned. My buddy has it and it’s sweet, plus the lifetime warranty is legit. He had an older discontinued Vortex model that broke, and they replaced it with the newer Ranger 1800.

Great deer and impressive work fixing the 2nd one. Can’t even tell! Appreciate all the info!

Thanks Jeremy. Will definitely check out the showroom.

Here are some pics:

Attachments:

1. 

   Image-2.jpg
   

2. 

   Image-1.jpg
   

I have been a fan of the Cabela’s Wooltimate stuff. Got the jacket, gloves, and hat, and they have been great. Not expensive at all either for what you get. No experience with the pants. I have some older Cabela’s ScentLok bibs that are very solid, too.

That being said, I have a few early/mid season Sitka items and if you can stomach the cost, they are totally worth it. Big “if” though, and the lighter stuff I have is a lot cheaper than the late season gear, which is why I got the Cabela’s stuff for cold weather.

I’ve had an original Ion for a few years and it’s been great. I would recommend for sure. Very light to carry, quiet, and always works. It cuts through just as fast as any of the cheaper gas augers I’ve used (until you get to 20″+ of ice). I’ve done 40-50 holes no problem during early ice.

The things I don’t like are you have to keep the battery warm to get a full charge. Also, once the ice gets over 20″, I can only get 20 holes or so on a single charge. That’s fine if you know where you want to be and set up for the night, but running and gunning is tough once the ice gets that thick.