How We Test Gear for Whitetail & Big-Game Hunters
North American Deer Hunter was built on the idea that gear reviews should reflect real deer hunters’ views and opinions, real conditions, and real in-field situations. Big Game hunting is a gear-heavy pursuit: trail cameras, rifles, bows, blinds, scent control, boots, optics, clothing, packs, and every piece of equipment impacts a hunt in some way.
Our review process is designed to be transparent, trustworthy, and grounded in real-world field experience rather than sponsorships or editorial agendas.
Independent Experts, Independent Results
Every piece of testing content on this site comes from a subject matter expert, someone who lives and breathes the topic of their articles. Click on their names in the article bylines and read their bios about who they are and their experiences to see why they are uniquely capable of offering opinions grounded in reality. That structure matters for one important reason:
It keeps our writers completely independent.
Since no one is asked to follow a company line or support sponsor priorities, their reviews reflect their true experiences. And because deer hunters vary widely—public-land hunters, saddle hunters, tree-stand hunters, Western mule deer hunters, big-woods trackers- it’s not uncommon for two writers to disagree about the same product.
That’s valuable.
It reflects the real hunting community and creates dialogue that inspires learning.
Where Our Gear Comes From
Products We Purchase
We routinely buy gear to ensure unbiased experiences—from boots and clothing to optics, blinds, packs, and weapons.
Products Sent for Review
Manufacturers send trail cameras, rifles, ammo, scent control tools, clothing, and other items. But receiving gear does not control the review:
- We do not promise positive coverage
- We do not promise rankings
- We do not promise inclusion
- We do not hide flaws
Results come from the field, under actual or simulated hunting conditions.
How We Test Hunting Gear
Season-Long Testing
Writers use products across multiple phases of the season:
- preseason preparation
- summer inventory camera checks
- early-season sits
- rut hunts
- cold late-season hunts
- post-season scouting
Environmental Stress
Actual in-field uses expose gear to:
- rain
- snow
- heavy brush
- mud
- sharp temperature swings
- long hikes
Only real-world environments reveal which products truly hold up and perform as intended.
Side-by-Side Comparisons
We often evaluate gear against similar products:
- trail cameras tested on the same property
- boots worn on the same terrain
- clothing used in similar temperatures
- optics glassed through at the same time of day
- packs tested under identical load-outs
This approach highlights differences you can actually feel in the woods.
We Update Rankings as the Market Changes
New gear launches every year: cameras with faster triggers, better battery life, improved cellular transmissions. Quieter clothing systems, sturdier saddles, sharper broadheads, clearer optics.
When something new outperforms an existing winner, we update the category.
Our commitment is to accuracy, not tradition.
The Bottom Line: Field-Tested, Hunter-Approved
Deer hunters depend on equipment that works when the moment of truth arrives. Our review processes ensure that every product we recommend has been tested long enough, hard enough, and honestly enough to know whether it’s worth your investment.
We work for the reader, not the manufacturer, and that will never change.