So crazy thought. I usually put my stuff in a tote and line the bottom with pine shavings. Or put them in a scent locker. What if I put them in a tote whose bottom has been lined with corn and then cover them with a burlap bag full of corn or something like that???
Photo Legend.
Green is public
Brown is private
Orange is a road
And to the East(top of photo is major US Interstate.
So my property is a small relatively narrow 7 acre wood lot. I have nothing there to hold them on it, hey usually use it as a pass through going from one private property to another. The property that bordersy north has a small starting pine grove on it where the owner is cultivating Christmas trees. There is also a stream that runs from the interstate cutting across the public and private land.
I have witnessed deer coming across my property from both directions(South and North) the roads act almost as natural barriers.
So my question/ thought is this. My wind doesn't really matter. I am aware that the ideal wind would be blowing from the east to the west which keeps it in my face as I walk in but a north or south wind doesn't matter.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 Review: The Upgrade That Fixed What Bothered Me
There’s a broader point I think gets overlooked whenever a new piece of technology comes out: we’ve reached the age of diminishing returns. That’s true of just about every mature technology category. New generations are almost always better than the ones before them, but they’re rarely dramatically better. Look at smartphones. The newest phone might have a faster processor, a better camera, a brighter display, longer battery life, or a few new software features. Smartwatches are no different. We get better sensors, improved GPS, faster processors, new health metrics, and incremental improvements to battery life. But the fundamental experience usually hasn’t changed. And honestly, I think that’s perfectly normal. The jump from a traditional cell phone to a smartphone was revolutionary. Going from a regular watch to a smartwatch was revolutionary. Those products fundamentally changed what the device could do. But once a category matures, manufacturers aren't reinventing it every year. They're refining it. And that changes how I look at upgrades. The question isn't necessarily "Is this dramatically better than the last one?" It's "Does it improve something that actually bothers me?" That brings me to the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.
Why I Bought the Ultra 2
I didn't buy the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 expecting some revolutionary smartwatch experience. I already owned the first-generation Galaxy Watch Ultra, and I also own a Garmin Fenix 8 Pro 47mm. So I wasn't exactly desperate for another smartwatch. There was really one reason I bought the Ultra 2: Battery life. I liked the original Ultra. In fact, I liked it quite a bit. But I hated charging it every night. That might sound like a minor complaint, but for me it wasn't. One of the biggest reasons I wear a smartwatch is health and sleep tracking. I want to wear it during the day, wear it to bed, wake up, and keep wearing it. Having to take it off every night because the battery is nearly dead defeats the purpose to some degree. It always felt like I was managing the watch instead of the watch simply being part of my routine. The Ultra 2 finally changed that for me. With the Always-On Display turned off, I'm getting roughly three days of battery life. And that has made a bigger difference to my experience than I expected.
Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 vs. Ultra 1
Is the Ultra 2 dramatically better than the original Ultra? No. And I actually think that's important to say. If you already own the first-generation Ultra and you're perfectly happy with its battery life, I don't think the Ultra 2 is some automatic must-have upgrade. The basic experience is still very familiar. It looks familiar. It works in much the same way. Samsung hasn't reinvented the Galaxy Watch. But that's not really the point. The improvements don't have to reinvent the product to be meaningful. In my case, Samsung improved the one thing that was actually annoying me.
Battery Life Is the Big One
This is what makes the Ultra 2 worth it for me. The original Ultra's battery life wasn't necessarily bad compared with many smartwatches. It just didn't fit the way I wanted to use the watch. Charging every night meant there was always this little bit of maintenance involved. The Ultra 2's endurance changes that. Getting approximately three days with AOD off means I can put it on in the morning, wear it all day, sleep with it, wake up, and keep going. I'm not thinking about the charger constantly. I'm not wondering whether I have enough battery to make it through the night. I'm just wearing the watch. And that's a surprisingly meaningful improvement. It's not revolutionary technology. It's just an improvement that makes the product more enjoyable to live with. And that's really the theme of the Ultra 2. It's not revolutionary. It's refined.
But Then There's the Garmin
This is where my experience gets a little more interesting. I don't actually think the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 replaces my Garmin Fenix 8 Pro. And I've realized that's perfectly fine. The two watches serve different purposes. For everyday life, I prefer the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. For the outdoors, I prefer the Garmin. Once I stopped trying to make one watch do everything, the decision became incredibly easy.
Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: My Everyday Watch
The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is the better everyday smartwatch for me. It's much more integrated into my phone and the things I actually do throughout the day. Notifications, calls, messages, apps, music, Google and Samsung integration, health tracking, and all the little conveniences that make a smartwatch useful are where Samsung really shines. It feels like an extension of my phone that's sitting on my wrist. And that's exactly what I want from an everyday smartwatch. The Ultra 2 is also comfortable being something I wear constantly. I'm wearing it during the day. I'm wearing it while I'm working. I'm wearing it while I'm relaxing. I'm wearing it to bed. And because I'm using it that way, battery life matters. The Ultra 2 finally gives me enough battery that I don't feel like I'm constantly managing it.
Garmin Fenix 8 Pro: My Outdoor Watch
The Garmin has a completely different job now. Instead of trying to make it my everything watch, I've essentially turned it into my dedicated outdoor and hunting watch. And that's where Garmin's strengths become much more obvious. When I'm hiking, hunting, navigating in the woods, or spending extended periods away from civilization, I want the Garmin. That's the watch I trust for those situations. The battery endurance, mapping, navigation, GPS capabilities, outdoor-focused features, and overall Garmin ecosystem make it better suited for that role. And honestly, I like having a watch that's dedicated to that purpose. The Garmin doesn't have to be the best smartwatch. It doesn't need to be. It's my tool for the woods. The Samsung is my smartwatch.
So Which One Is Better?
I actually think that's the wrong question. If you ask me which one is the better smartwatch, I'd take the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. If you ask me which one is the better outdoor/multisport/adventure watch, I'd take the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro. And that's exactly why I'm keeping both. The Ultra 2 doesn't have to beat the Garmin at everything. The Garmin doesn't have to beat the Samsung at everything. They just need to be good at the jobs I need them to do.
For everyone? No. For me? Absolutely. And I think that's the distinction that gets lost in a lot of technology reviews. An upgrade doesn't have to be universally worthwhile to be worthwhile. If your Ultra 1 is working perfectly and you're happy with its battery life, there's probably no reason to rush out and replace it. The Ultra 2 isn't going to suddenly transform your smartwatch experience. But if you have the same complaint I had—especially if you're frustrated by having to charge the watch every night—then the improved battery life changes the ownership experience considerably. That's the kind of upgrade I appreciate. Not a benchmark number I'll never notice. Not some flashy feature I'll use twice. Not a specification that looks impressive on a box but doesn't change how I use the device. Fix an actual annoyance. That's what Samsung did for me.
The Bigger Point About Technology
We're at an interesting point in consumer technology. The newest product isn't necessarily the most exciting product anymore. The biggest leaps already happened. Now we're mostly talking about refinement. A faster processor. A better sensor. A brighter display. A slightly better camera. A little more battery life. A few more software features. Individually, none of those things are revolutionary. But sometimes one of those incremental improvements happens to address the exact problem you had with the previous generation. That's what happened with the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. I didn't buy it because I thought it was dramatically better than the original Ultra. I bought it because the original Ultra's battery life annoyed me enough that I eventually stopped wanting to wear it overnight. The Ultra 2 fixed that. And that has made it a much better watch for me.
Final Thoughts
I think my current two-watch setup is probably the best solution I've found for the way I actually use these devices. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is my everyday smartwatch. It's the one I reach for when I want the best combination of phone integration, notifications, apps, convenience, health tracking, and general smartwatch functionality. The Garmin Fenix 8 Pro 47mm is my outdoor and hunting watch. When I'm heading into the woods, navigating, hiking, hunting, or spending a long time away from a charger, that's the one I want. Neither watch needs to replace the other. And that's ultimately why I'm happy with the Ultra 2. It's not revolutionary. It doesn't need to be. It simply improves the right things.
The hunting arrows will be a bit different but the bow will be the same. I can't wait for fall and to be hanging from a tree while freezing my ass off just knowing I have my bow screaming 'MERICA
I was contacted by my local shop today and was told to stop in Thursday that the Arc 1776 have shipped and should be delivered by Tuesday. I'm excited and I will have it just in time for the R100 in NY.
Of the 250 that are being produced, I wonder how many of them are left-handed. So would that make the left hand models even more limited?
So I was hired back at the beginning of May. Went to Integrad a week later, passed and graduated. The following week after Integrad I was supposed to start my 30 days.
I went in for my first day, worked for literally one hour, did my pre trip and then the supervisor was called to go assist in a different hub.
Fast forward to literally 10 minutes ago and I get called by the Site manager/ HR rep what ever you call them.
They inform me that they are letting everyone go who is still in their 30 days. She states that it's a company wide mandate.
Don't know if this is bullshit or what, but applier be warned.
Title stands.
So I just got off the phone with HR and was told I'm not a Seasonal but a casual package driver. That I won't be layed off during the slow down. But there may be days when I don't have work due to volume and need. I am supposed to report for my first shift this week.
Any insight from those who's job title is the same as mine would be amazing.
I just graduated from Integrad as a DSP and while in class I'm hearing a lot of rumblings and rumors about different things.
1} I'm not full time no matter what they said.
I don't actually have a job/been hired until after my 30 days.
I'm basically the companies plaything until I get a permanent route.
Those kinds of things.
I'm looking for some of that unspoken knowledge that isn't taught in classes from those that have been here a long time or those that have been here only a few years who we t through what I'm about to. Any and all advice and wisdom is welcome and greatly appreciated.
I used to run a Phase 4. I stopped into my local pro shop just to make sure everything was still dialed in for spring turkey season, nothing more. I wasn't shopping. I wasn't looking to change a thing.
But after talking with them for a while, they walked me through the new Mathews ARC 30. It didn't take much convincing once I saw how it fit what I was after. They gave me $1,300 for my Phase 4 and threw in a free SKB Mathews case on top of it, a genuinely generous touch.
But that wasn't the part that stayed with me.
I'm in there often. Not because I expect anything, and not because I'm hoping someone will cut me a deal, but because I actually enjoy being there. It's become one of those places where the conversations matter just as much as the archery. I'll bring in some Bear summer sausage or just stop by to talk shop, and every time I walk out having learned something I didn't know when I walked in.
The knowledge they share isn't the transactional kind. It's the kind that comes from people who genuinely care about what you're doing and want to see you succeed: in the field, in your setup, in the sport. The patience and kindness I was shown reminded me just how rare that really is.
A local shop where the people behind the counter remember your name, know your setup, and care about the outcome. Where a relationship built over time , over honest conversations and summer sausage and real questions, quietly becomes one of the better ones in your life.
Find your shop. Build that relationship. Show up not because you want something, but because you value something.
It pays off in ways you won't expect.