SHOT Show 2018: New Waterfowl Hunting Gear

With the 2018 SHOT Show underway, here are a few new duck and goose hunting items from Las Vegas that have caught the attention of OSG writer Lynn Burkhead.

With the 40^th edition of the SHOT Show underway from Las Vegas, there are numerous new goodies for duck and goose hunters to take note of for 2018.

After the first day of walking the massive trade show's aisles, here is a first-look at some of the new waterfowling gear that will be filling the shelves of hunting stores later this year:

Sure-Shot Yentzen One2 Duck Call

Building on the "True Double Reed System" that 1959 world duck calling champ Jim "Cowboy" Fernandez patented, the new Sure-Shot Game Calls Yentzen One2 duck call capitalizes on the company's double-reed success.

A redesign of Charlie Holder's popular Yentzen One model that put this Texas call making company back on the map a few years ago, the One2 is a great sounding and high-performance call that has been made even better.

Utilizing Sure-Shot's screw-lock design, the new One2 call features a reengineered tone chamber that brings twice the volume of the call's predecessor, a redesigned reed system for those sweet-sounding mallard highballs and chuckles, a classic-look with a throwback walnut band, and a proprietary CNC body that makes the Yentzen One2 one of the strongest, most durable and best sounding double-reed calls on the market today.

A hard-working call that makes sweet duck music from the early season stubble fields of Canada to the late season marshes near this Groves, Texas company's home base, Sure-Shot has hit another walk-off home-run in the call making game thanks to the new Yentzen One2 call.

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Contact: Sure-Shot Game Calls; 409-962-1636

Sitka Gear Delta Zip Wader

Sitka Gear has separated itself from the clothing manufacturers' pack over the years, annually bringing some of the industry's most innovative high-quality gear to market each year at the SHOT Show.

The 40th edition of the show in Las Vegas is no different thanks to the Bozeman, Mont. company's new Sitka Gear Delta Zip Wader.

Built to span the waterfowler's season from early teal in September to last gasp mallards in January, the Delta Wader uses a durable LaCrosse Aeroform insulated boot, a YKK AQUASEAL zipper, foam pad reinforced knee and shin areas, a no-buckle suspension, water-resistant zippered storage pockets, and high handwarmer pockets to make this one of the SHOT Show's most talked about new duck and goose hunting products.

Add in GORE Optifade camo in Timber and Marsh patterns, a breathable GORE-TEX laminate, and a fully serviceable pledge by Sitka Gear and this is a bombproof wader that is going to be tough to beat.

Contact: Sitka Gear; 877-748-5247

Avian-X Oversized Mallards and Black Duck Decoys

Over the years, Fred Zink's Avian-X decoy company has made a name for itself with great attention to the finished product's detailed design.

Introduced this week at the 2018 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, the new Avian-X oversized mallard and black duck decoys continue that legacy in the company's well-respected line of Topflight Floating Duck Decoys.

Some 30% larger than standard Avian-X mallard and black duck decoys, these new 17-inch blocks give a hunter's rig more wetland curb appeal thanks to a larger footprint that's easier for passing ducks to see. Add in the company's ultra-realistic paint schemes, superb paint adhesion qualities, and flocking for the black duck decoys, and the final result is a super durable block that looks like the real thing.

With the demands of big water hunting, these decoys feature Avian-X's weight-forward swim keel that allow a hunter's decoy rig to gain more natural movement on the water.

Available in standard or new foam-filled versions, the company says that these new Avian-X oversized mallards and black ducks are sold in six-packs that come with two high-head drakes, two low-head drakes, one high-head hen and one low-head hen.

Contact: Avian-X; 877-534-2263

Flextone Landing Strip Blind

Long known for their game call production, the folks at Flextone are turning their attention to keeping waterfowlers concealed and comfortable as they work on a limit of greenheads or Canada honkers.

To help combat the wary nature of hunting pressured ducks and geese throughout the fall waterfowling campaign, the company's new Flextone Landing Strip Layout Blind features an ultra-durable concealment fabric shell in Mossy Oak Shadow Grass Blades camouflage.

To make the hunt more comfortable, the Landing Strip Blind has an aluminum frame with steel-reinforced joints and an extra-wide interior of 85" x 35" x 18". Thanks to a full-length padded seat and headrest, a waterfowl hunter can wait comfortably. When the moment to "Take 'em!" arrives, the Flextone layout blind has a pair of spring-loaded mesh viewing doors that easily pop open when the hunter sits up to shoot.

Until that moment of truth, the Flextone blind's large interior pocket keeps necessities like phones and shotgun shells safely off the floor and within easy reach of the hunter.

In addition to comfort and concealment, the Landing Strip Layout Blind's full-enclosure design provides a protective barrier that helps to shield a waterfowler against, rain snow, wind and mud.

And when it's time to pick up and go home, Flextone notes that the Landing Strip Blind features an adjustable strap along one side that makes carrying the folded blind out of the field a relatively easy task.

Contact: Flextone; 800-847-8269

Browning Goose Band Extended Invector-DS Choke Tubes

For the waterfowler looking to bag a limit of ducks and geese, Browning has introduced the stainless steel Goose Band Extended Invector-DS Choke Tubes, a product that features an extended design and optimized constrictions for better steel shot shooting performance.

The company notes that the Goose Band choke tubes are one of the signature features of Browning Wicked Wing shotguns, featuring an authentic-looking leg band motif on the extended portion of the choke tube.

Combining muzzle-end threads and thin-wall construction for a longer, more gradual taper, Browning says the in-the-field result is a 4.8-ounce choke tube that is extremely consistent on producing dense shot patterns.

What's more, the company's proprietary differential-banded brass seal compresses against the barrel wall when tightened to keep the choke tube threads clean and make installation and removal easier than any other muzzle thread system out there.

Standard on A5 and Citori 725 models, Browning's Goose Band Invector-DS choke tubes make collecting waterfowl bands — jewelry as most hunters call them — a more realistic proposition in the fields and marshes of North America.

Contact: Browning; 800-333-3288

Big River Calls Barrel Roll Goose Call

Long known for its Long Honker Goose Flute, Flambeau Outdoors' Big River Calls is unveiling a new short reed Goose call this year, the Barrel Roll model.

With a solid tone, this lower pitched and medium-high volume call is able to reach high flying migrators with relative ease. But where this classic-style premium African Mahogany call may shine best is in working tough local Canada geese over a full body spread, finishing them off as they warily circle and inspect a blind from above.

Contact: Flambeau Outdoors; 800-232-3474