Whatever works is the old adage I still go by. I just buy whats cheap and works. Most of these brands, especially the clothing, I could care less about. If it worked in 1985 it probably still works in 2022. But If I can get a steal on something nice, sure I might bite.
such a colossal waste of money.... I still hunt with a Browning Tornado I bought used in the early 2000s. I have never lost a deer, but I also only shoot under 30 yards or less.
I crack up every time I see those camera shots on the First Lite logo. Nugent was the absolute king of brand recognition... I never get turned off though, I just laugh at it.
I use to hunt South of Medora, pronghorn and mule deer archery when I lived in ND up until 2006. In 2014 I made a trip out there and saw plenty of decent 4x4's, and a few nice 5x5's despite the poor numbers reported that year. Every forum was basically claiming "not worth it" which was great...