One of the most distressing trends I see in hunters these days is the increasing affinity of so many of them to supplement, or even replace, their hunting skills (and luck) with technology and gadgets. Take a peek at any Cabela's catalog, and you'll see what I mean.

Contrary to what so many might think, I don't believe the use of so many of these gadgets is due to hunter laziness. Instead, from what I can see, it is due to their impatience. So many these days seem to schedule their hunting experience into such a narrow gap of free time that they feel compelled to take every advantage they can to ensure success, and quickly.

So, today as we spent the entire day in a meeting of 15 of us, discussing, debating and arguing about the hunting seasons we will propose for this fall, it was oddly refreshing to hear about yet two more technological gadgets that have entered the hunting market.

Devices that, if actually used and employed, may bring greater success to reducing the number of skill-less hunters from the ranks than any ranting about the decline in hunting skills.

First of these was mention of a "bear cub distress" call.

Now, quite a few hunters use calls to trick their prey in for a closer shot. Almost all bowhunters pursuing elk will try to bugle like a bull, or "talk" like a cow or calf. Most of these do it by hand, which requires considerable practice to sucker a real elk. I don't think I've actually met any that use tape recorded elk calls, but I'm sure there are some that do.

Coyote hunters are also skilled at fake calls. Or, at least, the successful ones are. Make a good rabbit squeal by sucking on your arm or fist, and a hungry canid'll come running to check it out. And there's getting to be more and more of these folks who use taped or artificial calls.

Like this "bear cub distress" call, reportedly to call in black bears.

But as was pointed out by our warden who spends the most time up in the hills with grizzlies...

"I'd like to see them use that in my country. They'd have ten hungry bears (he means griz, not black) coming at them from ten different directions."

And you'd find that "bear cub distress" call in some grizzly scat sometime later...

The other gadget that seems likely to thin the ranks of less patience hunters is a stuffed, lifesize antelope decoy.

Now, bowhunters will often use lifesize decoys for their practice and competitions. And I even know a guy who puts on a cow suit to get closer to geese. But some fellow got the bright idea of taking a foam antelope statue out in the field with him, and using it to either sneak up on unwary antelope or, more often, leaving it standing in the open so any neighboring territorial buck would come running over to drive it away.

Only to find this hunter, rifle in hand, kneeling over the decoy's back.

Apparently quite successful.

But the question we asked (quite seriously, since the hunter was promoting this technique in a respectable hunting magazine) was, "Does that come with a bullet-proof vest?"

'Cause, as the wardens' work with decoys to catch poachers has shown, you stand a fake antelope out in the countryside during antelope season, and somebody is going to shoot it.

And, unknowingly, any sneaky hunter hiding behind it.

Both hunting gadgets sound like viable ways to thin the gene pool.