EOY '24 - What Worked, What Didn't

[6mm Remington]

My carcass did not work worth a damn. I had a shoulder repair in the right shoulder in July (surgery number 4 on the right shoulder), let it heal 3 months then went back in October and had a reverse shoulder surgery on it. Surgery 5 on that shoulder. Hopefully it heals well and I can get out next season. Actually hoping I can get out in May spring bear hunting. Still have to be careful because I can't be taking any falls. Maybe after all I'll just wait until fall to play it safe. After all, I will be drawing a bighorn sheep tag next year!

 

[MTLabrador]

Well let me know about what you do on the back end. I’m guessing I’ll need something with the soon to be adds in the bed of mine.

I’m down to two options. I have 95,000 on the truck now. The goal is to add a little bit of ride height and improve performance with a heavy trailer or a lot of weight in the bed.

If I decide to spend less money I’ll go with Eibach coilovers in the front with roadactive suspension in the rear, or if I decide to spend more I’ll go with Dobinsons front coilovers, heavy duty leaf pack, and their shocks, with or without a new bumper.

The Eibach/RAS setup would add 1-1.5” all the way around and the Dobinsons would be 2-2.5”. I’m leaning hard towards the Dobinsons.

 

[Tikka06]

Worked: a Tikka 308 Superlite,
my kids Stoeger 3020 20ga w/TSS #7’s-a true 60 yard turkey hammer, Accubonds and TSX’s-still, Schnee’s 10in pack boot, and the OnX hunt app navigating public land.

Didn’t Work: My Leupold VX5 3-15x44. Previously missing a season for a repair for not adjusting windage, this year the lenses chipped inside during a range session. A replacement didn’t come in time to make the season so it sits in its box in the safe.

 

[crock239]

what worked:

- stone glacier xcurve frame and pack...lighter weight than my MR selway pack and SG frame is 2" taller, good for the freakishly tall like myself...the SG carries weight better for me too bc the meat shelf can attach higher up on the frame

- cow calling for cow elk in late October. First time we set up blind and cow called they came running inside 3 minutes. Bang, flop.

-sofirn headlamp. Like Fenix but way cheaper...worked great.

- marsupial no-mag enclosed bino harness...worked great. Slim, comfortable...I like MG harnesses and glad to get rid of the magnet

-primos cow girl elk call..cheap call and easy to use. Called in first group of cows immediately, then the last day of our hunt it even worked to stop another herd when the reed froze up and I squawked like a duck...fortunately the herd paused (I assume trying to figure out what a duck is doing on the side of the mtn) just long enough for my buddy to drop his first elk

Didn't work:
- new fenders a well-intentioned friend put on shared utility trailer...worked fine for 1200 miles of highway driving (thank God) then we blew two tires as soon as we got off pavement, bc a bolt was too long and it cut back side of sidewalls

- driving the truck too far in on a crappy road to set base camp...it worked out ok in the end, but really cut down our mobility and ability to be flexible in hunting various areas of the unit when elk weren't where we expected to find them

 

[Wildabeest]

I’m down to two options. I have 95,000 on the truck now. The goal is to add a little bit of ride height and improve performance with a heavy trailer or a lot of weight in the bed.

If I decide to spend less money I’ll go with Eibach coilovers in the front with roadactive suspension in the rear, or if I decide to spend more I’ll go with Dobinsons front coilovers, heavy duty leaf pack, and their shocks, with or without a new bumper.

The Eibach/RAS setup would add 1-1.5” all the way around and the Dobinsons would be 2-2.5”. I’m leaning hard towards the Dobinsons.

I went with Bilstein 6112’s and a leveling lift on my 4Runner and was pretty happy with the setup. Added an aftermarket bumper and winch from C4 Fabrication, and the Bilsteins handled the added weight well.

 

[F250]

Installing a Trijicon AccuPoint 3-9X40 green dot on my .45 Woodman Patriot muzzle loader. Filled 4 Whitetail tags with it. My old eyes appreciate that green dot !!

 

[Jbotto]

Little Kowa TSN501 20-40x spotter on an Amazon basics tripod. Shit on it all you want, but Jeff Bezos is a guy who clearly understands backcountry hunting needs, and this combo weighs next to nothing (the scope is 14.5 oz) and is my go-to for lightweight hunts. Obviously the panhead sucks but stable enough to get a good view on stationary animals.
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Got a link for that tripod?

Yea:
Marsupial Upland Vest. I am tired of full vests. Crappy zippers. Way too hot chasing sharptails. Not enough customizable storage. Limited hydration pack options. This was waaaaaaay better. Got Hunting Husband a Final Rise last year for Christmas. They seem pretty similar, though I like the low-profile strap option in the Marsupial for myself.

I’ve been sick of my cheap square Cabela’s vest for years for most of all your reasons too. A friend took pity on me this year and gave me an old Pella Bird ‘n Lite when he upgraded to a Final Rise. Even with half the Velcro and half-broken buckles, this thing is like a Cadillac to me compared to my old vest. I was pretty excited about the Marsupial option when it came out. They make some great stuff and by the looks of that vest, it’s no exception! Glad to hear the review on it.

 

[trb]

Got a link for that tripod?

Amazon.com

Fair warning, it will only work for binos and lightweight spotters. And again, the pan head sucks. But it’s cheap as hell and works fine for stabilizing a small spotter without high winds.

 

[Irrelevant]

Amazon.com

Fair warning, it will only work for binos and lightweight spotters. And again, the pan head sucks. But it’s cheap as hell and works fine for stabilizing a small spotter without high winds.

I rocked a similar one for 5 years.