EOY '24 - What Worked, What Didn't

[MTTW]

Need more pics. Sounds like you are intentionally leaving us hanging.

I put one in the elk let's see them thread on saturday.

 

[Wildabeest]

My body didn’t work and kept me on the sidelines despite having drawn some good tags. Hope to be back at it next fall.

I loaned a rifle and some antelope intel to @Kiwi and his son that seems to work out quite well for them. Tikka 65CM shooting 140gr Accubonds.

 

[TheJason]

Worked:

Kimber Hunter 6.5 CM with Maven RS1.2, absolutely love this combo. May consider a RokStok for it when they have an inlet available

Hoffman boots

Toyota Tundra

Toyo AT3

Hammer Hunters

Feanix headlamp on a nasty descent

Didn’t work:

Bending a rod guide back into place. I now have a new rod

$6 spinners during low flows in a snaggy river

Trying to find time to catch steelhead amongst deer, elk, and chukar hunting

 

[Kiwi]

My body didn’t work and kept me on the sidelines despite having drawn some good tags. Hope to be back at it next fall.

I loaned a rifle and some antelope intel to @Kiwi and his son that seems to work out quite well for them. Tikka 65CM shooting 140gr Accubonds.

The rifle and intel worked perfectly! Thanks again.

 

[Tradewind]

I feel like I have fine tuned my gear enough over the last couple years that I was stoked with how almost everything performed.

New this year winner!
View attachment 353249

Consistent winners:

NL pures
SG pack
SG gators
Fenix headlight
The .308
View attachment 353245

Losers:

The 09 tundra with the topper leak in NM and the exploded engine in MT it was a rough year. Truck has been upgraded but the 09 will likely get a new engine and be back at it next fall.

curious what you need to be doing to 'explode' an engine?

 

[TheTone]

Worked:

Kimber Hunter 6.5 CM with Maven RS1.2, absolutely love this combo. May consider a RokStok for it when they have an inlet available

I’ll believe it when I see it for more rokstoks.

 

[TheJason]

I’ll believe it when I see it for more rokstoks.

Fair.

 

[BackofBeyond]

I’ll believe it when I see it for more rokstoks.

It's debatable which will hit shelves first - a new Tool album, or RokStoks.

 

[Tradewind]

We bought a 2024 Honda pioneer 700. Took it to Colorado and it wasnt low enough geared to pull a small little trailer up a trail. I was sooooo pi$$ed off at the time. We had to camp 5 miles from where I had planned to camp. It really started the trip off badly, but things turned around ok I guess.

Don’t buy a pioneer 700 with the three speed transmission.

Buy the 1000 with the 5 speed.

So here we are, stuck with a new 700 pioneer that is ok on flat ground but doesn’t have a low enough gear to pull a tiny trailer up a hill…what a joke. First time in my life a Honda let me dow

maybe not.

I have explored all options. Selling the machine, taking a bath, and starting over is the only path forward.

My pioneer 500 literally has 2x the torque of this machine.

I have found Honda does some things well. the rest of the time the premium they ask for the brand is not worth it

 

[Tradewind]

The Pures are as advertised IMO...prolly my best investment in a long while.

More crayolas... what is an NL Pure?

 

[TheJason]

More crayolas... what is an NL Pure?

Expensive binos

 

[noharleyyet]

More crayolas... what is an NL Pure?

 

[Dsnow9]

curious what you need to be doing to 'explode' an engine?

240k miles. For 140k it got my business up and running more like an f250 than a tundra. In the fall it was more of a sxs than a tundra. Not sure exactly what failed yet but blew a spark plug out and there is fuel in the oil.

 

[ploxwithblox]

Worked:
- CGS Hyperion K. I put it on my 300 WM and absolutely love it. I screwed it on, sent a round downrange to see POI shift and was dead on. I can switch between brake and suppressor with no shift.
- Exo K3 4800. I really don't know how I could justify switching to the k4. It hauls 90+ pounds like a pack frame and the pocket access is so great for me. Hiking sticks, tripods, jacket, etc.
- Kentrek Hardscrabble. I chew through boots almost annually in NW MT but these took a hard beating with no damage this season. The break in was a nightmare but they seem tough as nails.
- Primos Trigger stick. I didn't really see this coming, but this is a real dandy to have when in the field with a new hunter. I just used it as a walking stick until it was time to shoot. Reasonably light and comfortable, a pleasant surprise. I expected it to be gimmicky but was very wrong about this one!

Didn't Work:
- Vortex Summit tripod. It started poorly and has only gotten worse. The head is intensely jerky until it is so loose you can hardly keep it straight. I am hoping to find something better for spotting this year!
- Lowa Ticam GTX. These were what put me in the Kenetreks. The stitching came apart incredibly quickly, allowing me to stick my fingers into the foot bed from the outside of the boot. Very comfortable, but it seems like they just can't handle steep and rocky country.

 

[Birdbander]

My biggest outdoor related expense this past year was a new Minn Kota trolling motor with Spotlock & Autopilot. Greatly improved my crappie catching efficiency.

Hunting purchases were a new Weatherby Orion SxS 20ga. Love it!
Found the right choke tube/ammo combination for my Rossi Tuffy Turkey 410. Really happy with that gun now.

Fail of the year was being locked into a grouse trip to Gunflint Trail area of Minnesota before the rains during hatch then drought during hunting season. Sucks but that's just part of hunting. The nail in the coffin was the choice of lodging I made for our group.

Overall a positive year.

 

[TheJason]

Spartan springbok - it seems like a strange contraption but if you hunt from a sitting position on the move it works well. Prone is not an option for >90% of my shots

I’m pretty well set on adding one of these in the very near future.

 

[Nick87]

I’m pretty well set on adding one of these in the very near future.

Just looked them up. Just take my money.

 

[Sask hunter]

Happy with my maven B6’s but they really show what my rifle scope is lacking. Will be saving for a new high end rifle scope for my two main big game rifles

 

[MTLabrador]

That springbok bipod looks interesting. I still haven’t found a setup that I like for seated shots in tall grass and brush and usually just fall back on shooting off the top of the pack. Might have to give it a shot.

 

[Nick87]

That springbok bipod looks interesting. I still haven’t found a setup that I like for seated shots in tall grass and brush and usually just fall back on shooting off the top of the pack. Might have to give it a shot.

Same I always have my bipod on the gun and 90% of the time it doesn't work out anyway.