Mission Statement:
Everything we use is tested rigorously in the field. Some retailers and manufacturers offer selected reviews of their products on their websites. Here at Boone's Outdoor Reviews, we offer unbiased, long-term true-to-life field tests that the retailers' sites just don't specialize in. I am an engineer by trade, specializing in manufacturing and plastics engineering. I have an extensive background in multiple fields of manufacturing including, laboratory robotics, plastic parts, plastic injection molding, and quality control. I've designed medical and pharmaceutical products for companies such as Glaxo-Smithkline, Merk, Mellinium Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, Labcorp, and many more. I've also designed and developed products for companies such as Pfizer, Yamaha golf cars, Yamaha ATV's, Yamaha watercraft, Honda ATV's, Suzuki ATV's, Freightliner, Mack, Volvo Heavy Trucks, Volvo passenger cars, John Deere, and Kubota. I've been in the manufacturing industry for 17 years and been an avid hunter since I was stumbling around the swamps of North Carolina behind my dad's coon hounds at the age of 5. I know what to expect from the gear I test and I know the difference between a company that is the best at what they do and a company that is all hype and advertising. We'll give you the straightest, most honest opinion of the gear we test.
A while back, I changed directions in my career and went from engineering manager to full-time trapper/hunter. I spend more than 250 days per year in the field. I have been on the other side of the hunting industry, weekend hunter, full-time career. Now, I'm doing this full-time. No longer do I leave home in my khaki pants and leather loafers. I get up before dawn, strap on my insulated bibs, lace up my boots and head out into the field. All of the products you rely on for successful hunting are products I rely on for my family's livelihood. If these products fail, I fail. I depend on these products to make a living, and if they are good enough for me to make a living, then they will be more than good enough for you to make a successful hunting season. I spend everyday testing these products so you don't have to guess about which ones are best for you. You, the consumer, can make purchases based on informed, educated opinions on how the gear will perform before it even gets to your door! I promise to give only educated, real-world opinions to help you make the best choice for your outdoor gear selection, or I'm not a modern-day Boone!
My wife adds a newcomer's perspective to the fold with fresh and unadulterated opinions of a new hunter and the no-nonsensical in-your-face point of view of the female hunter. Please remember that while we try to give these products as fair a "shake" as possible, these are our opinions and ours alone. We hope that in the future, you will come to trust and value them as the last word in outdoor product reviews.
-Will & Ilona Boone
All products reviewed on our
site are given rating for each catagory
in which they are being judged. The average rating of all the catagories
is the overall score. The lowest score a prodcut
can recieve is a "doe". If it's a "doe" you can bet you don't want to
touch it with a 10-foot fishing pole! If it's a "cow horn" or "3-point",
it's a product that I just can't see a
reasonable majority of people having much use for. If something ranks as
a
"monster buck", then you can be 99.9% sure you're going to love it as
much as I did! It's that simple!
Doe: Don't even bother. This one is worthless.
Cow Horn: Just a little better than worthless. Actually, the next thing to it.
3-point: This is not the type of deer we're looking for. He's not next-to-worthless, but he's all over it.
4-point: Still not what we were hoping for on this hunt, but at least it ain't adoe or a cow horn. It actually has a a small rack.
5-point: This one is middle-of-the-road. Not what more finicky hunters aregoing to want, but some who just don't know any better might be
happy with it. Still, this might be one that most folks let walk.
6-point: Now we're starting to see something of a little substance. This mightbe a nice one for a beginner. Still, the more discriminating hunter is
looking for something more.
7-point: Lots of folks are happy with this. The ones that are tired of waitingfor something better will probably be happy with this one.
8-point: Now we've got something to talk a little about and folks will beinterested. You can brag on this one a little and maybe ride around
and show it off to your buddies. Some will respect you for it and
some will be green with envy. Still, others will have seen better.
9-point: Now we really have something to brag about. We're starting to getinto the upperclassmen of the local buck herd. This guy ain't going
to break any records, but most of your buddies don't have anything
like this. Most all of them will think you are a real-time deer hunting
big-shot if you have one of these.
10-point: O.K., you've got something that only comes along every once in awhile here and NONE of your friends have one. You're a seasoned,
discriminating hunter and this is the kind of quality you seek year
after year. There is no doubt among your buddies that you are a
REAL deer-hunting professional because of this one.
Monster Buck: That's right. It's the best of the best. This is something that only comes along every once in a great while-maybe once in a
lifetime! The quality of this one is so outstanding you may
well never see anything like this ever again! If you have this
one, you can stop looking for anything better.
