SWHouston Tiger

I'm sure you know this and i'm sure it's probably already been said, but Don't skimp on rings/mounts.

I've had nothing but good luck with Leupold and Vortex.

You may want to check out Athlon scopes as well. I have an Athlon Helos BTR GEN2 4-20x50mm APRS6 FFP IR MIL that i've been extremely happy with. I think Europtics has a few demo's for $490-500 that should carry their lifetime warranty.

Under the Rainbow

Awesome mount. Did you use a taxidermist in the Houston area? If so, who if you don't mind me asking.

if you want a cheaper option, look for used handicapped port o potties with the urinals stripped out. take it to car wash, power wash it, bleach it a few times, then paint it. cut windows as you want them. i have two of these and they're awesome. The octagon shaped ones are the best. you can find them used on facebook marketplace sometimes and sometimes you can find waste companies that are getting rid of older ones.

Please let us know how you like that Athlon. I've got an Athlon Helos on one of my deer rifles and have been really impressed with it.

Yellow H&H has always been my go to for ponds, creeks and small lakes for bass. I've had luck with all colors, but i seem to have better luck with yellow. hard to beat.

another vote for oklahoma. other than the out of state total now at $700 for licenses its a great state for deer. i'm on a lease in the south central part of the state and have a healthy deer population on our lease along with turkeys and hogs.

My personal preference has always been a fixed blade drop point hunter or something similar. Definitely not saying they are better than others, just my preference. I use all of the knives below in my rotation. I typically just use one knife per deer even if some of the knives will hold a good enough edge to process a second or third deer.

I'm a big fan of the Fallkniven knives. They are solid knives with a thick blade that hold a really sharp edge. This is one of my favorite knives.
Fallkniven R2 Fixed Blade Knife Black Polymer (3.2" Satin)
MSRP: $237.95
Our Price: $169.95
bladehq.com

This has been a great knife. i use the gutting part of the blade the most.
Outdoor Edge SwingBlaze Drop-Point Skinner/Gutting Knife (3.6" Satin) SZ-20N
Online Only
MSRP: $74.95
Our Price: $64.99
bladehq.com

Another great knife for the price
A. G. Russell Professional Hunter $75ish

Probably my favorites of all of my knives. I have several of these and love them all. Not sure i'd say they're any better than cheaper knives for skinning though, but they are great knives.
Bob Dozier Drop Point Hunter and other styles - probably north of $200, but you can find the ocassional one on sale. These are awesome. A bit harder to sharpen because of the steel (D2), but hold the edge longer than most of my other knives.
dozierknives.com

This is another great knife for the price. It doesn't hold an edge as long as some of the others, but definitely long enough to get through a deer or hog.
RUIKE Hornet Fixed Blade Knife Orange G-10 (3.25" Stonewash) F815
Online Only
MSRP: $61.95
Our Price: $54.95
bladehq.com

Fallkniven F1 VGWolf Steel Fixed Blade Knife Black Polymer (8.5" Satin)
MSRP: $221.95
Our Price: $149.95
bladehq.com

I'm also a big fan of the Buck 110 as others have mentioned.

I love my Lew's Team Lite's and Tournament Pro's. I have 2 of each and they've held up really well in the salt with just a light rinse after each use and annual servicing. I think the Team Lite's were replaced with the Tournament Lite.

I also use a Fishing 13 Concept TX2 and Concept C2 that so far have been great reels. The first generation C's had some issues with paint/finish bubbling up but i haven't had that with the C2, but have only used it in salt about 10 times. The TX2 has been solid. I believe they were bought out by Rapala. I think there are some really good deals out there because of this, but not sure how the customer service will be in the future.

The Team Lite's are my absolute favorites of them all.

Good luck.

I have several of these and they're awesome for the price.

Wurkkos HD10 Mini Angle Flashlight,USB C Rechargeable 14500 Headlamp 1200LM on Clearance for $14.99
Reg.$31.22


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