I bet you have the most bombproof tent setup in all of that region! Well done. One of these springs I'm going to make a weekend trip to LBL for some squirrel hunting.
Equipment: What worked and what did not
- Thread starter Tradewind
- Start date
MThuntr
Well-known member
Worked:
Just about everything...though I've nearly replaced all of my gear in the last 2-3 years.
Costco brand hiking pants for antelope hunting (too loud for archery and too thin for cold rifle hunting but perfect for October weather).
SigSauer Kilo 2200 rangefinder. Picked up deer up to 1300 yards (similarly sized reflective rocks ranged to 1600)
Didn't:
My schedule...work prevented any amount of archery hunting which made me miss a few hunttalkers in the area
Unprepared/unreliable friends...spent a lot of my rifle season trying to get hunting friends on animals that resulted in misses at less than 100 yards because of terrible optics or because they really didn't shoot their rifle like I asked them to.
Nikon Monarch 800 Rangefinder...I couldn't range 200 yards reliably and once it did it was obviously wrong. I ranged some cows at 450 yards and knew they were much further. We got about 150 yards closer and it still said 450. Eventually we ran out of hiding cover and it finally registered at 275.
Just about everything...though I've nearly replaced all of my gear in the last 2-3 years.
Costco brand hiking pants for antelope hunting (too loud for archery and too thin for cold rifle hunting but perfect for October weather).
SigSauer Kilo 2200 rangefinder. Picked up deer up to 1300 yards (similarly sized reflective rocks ranged to 1600)
Didn't:
My schedule...work prevented any amount of archery hunting which made me miss a few hunttalkers in the area
Unprepared/unreliable friends...spent a lot of my rifle season trying to get hunting friends on animals that resulted in misses at less than 100 yards because of terrible optics or because they really didn't shoot their rifle like I asked them to.
Nikon Monarch 800 Rangefinder...I couldn't range 200 yards reliably and once it did it was obviously wrong. I ranged some cows at 450 yards and knew they were much further. We got about 150 yards closer and it still said 450. Eventually we ran out of hiding cover and it finally registered at 275.
Jim/Wa
Active member
Yes: Vacmaster chamber sealer. I've put 2 elk, a few salmon, and half a garden through it this year. Awesome so far.
No: still can't stand my Garmin Etrex 20 but I keep sticking with it year after year. My iphone is a much better GPS.
No: still can't stand my Garmin Etrex 20 but I keep sticking with it year after year. My iphone is a much better GPS.
Tufrthnails
Active member
Did work:
Portable Propane water heater
Merino wool Baselayers
6.5 Creedmoor (whitetail)
Garmin 62STC
Irish Setter Vaprtreks
Slick Trick 125 mags
Didn't work:
My 15 year old Binos (finally biting the dust)
For the most part everything served me pretty well can't think of anything that sucked other then my binos finally giving up the ghost.
Portable Propane water heater
Merino wool Baselayers
6.5 Creedmoor (whitetail)
Garmin 62STC
Irish Setter Vaprtreks
Slick Trick 125 mags
Didn't work:
My 15 year old Binos (finally biting the dust)
For the most part everything served me pretty well can't think of anything that sucked other then my binos finally giving up the ghost.
JohnCushman
Well-known member
The only animal I shot with my bow this year was an antelope with my new PSE and 125 grain Slick Trick mags and it was amazing. I'm now pro staff at the shop that sold me the bow and I'm getting an upgraded bow at my new cost 
Muleyfanatic
Active member
If you have your maps downloaded to phone and put it in airplane mode my phone lasted 5 days with still 60% battery life left. I did turn phone off at night.
Worked:
Sitka Mountain pants, Both packs EXO and Stone Glacier, My custom 7wsm (I'm so confident in every shot with it easily out to 800) makes 2-400 seem easy. Having friends with high end spotting scopes
Not:
Goat hunting with lesser spotting scopes. Could barely make out that it was even a goat with another "high end scope" while the Swaro ATX 95 you could tell it was more than likely a good Billy. Unbelievable. Then reconfirmed on elk hunt in Nevada glassing bulls 3 miles across canyons.
so what was the lesser scope? (kinda the point of this thread right?)
p_ham
Well-known member
Worked:
Marmot limelight 3p tent. Goes up easy, fairly lightweight, roomy for 2.
Alps bino harness, Alps traverse EPS pack- very comfortable handled weight well. A little on the heavy side.
Cabelas microtex pants
Wrangler tan stretchy pants-very comfortable but they smell pretty gamey after a few days
Cabelas lightweight button up shirt-minimal stink after a week.
Fiskars x7 hatchet- saved my hide after i got my truck stuck scouting.
Caribou game bags-great bags.
Barnes TMZ mz bullets
Cheap energizer headlamps w/ red light
Havalon piranta
Katadyn hiker water filter
No good:
Thermarest pad crapped out the 2nd night
Slumberjack soljourn sleeping bag- woke up wet most of the hunt. Ended up sleeping under a down comforter.
Marmot limelight 3p tent. Goes up easy, fairly lightweight, roomy for 2.
Alps bino harness, Alps traverse EPS pack- very comfortable handled weight well. A little on the heavy side.
Cabelas microtex pants
Wrangler tan stretchy pants-very comfortable but they smell pretty gamey after a few days
Cabelas lightweight button up shirt-minimal stink after a week.
Fiskars x7 hatchet- saved my hide after i got my truck stuck scouting.
Caribou game bags-great bags.
Barnes TMZ mz bullets
Cheap energizer headlamps w/ red light
Havalon piranta
Katadyn hiker water filter
No good:
Thermarest pad crapped out the 2nd night
Slumberjack soljourn sleeping bag- woke up wet most of the hunt. Ended up sleeping under a down comforter.
Tradewind
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2015
- Messages
- 5,174
No good:
Thermarest pad crapped out the 2nd night
Slumberjack soljourn sleeping bag- woke up wet most of the hunt. Ended up sleeping under a down comforter.[/QUOTE]
Harley has a yoga pad i bet he'd lend you
Thermarest pad crapped out the 2nd night
Slumberjack soljourn sleeping bag- woke up wet most of the hunt. Ended up sleeping under a down comforter.[/QUOTE]
Harley has a yoga pad i bet he'd lend you
works:
kuiu rain gear. not silent but very light and fits!
cabelas instinct spotter (meopta) phenomenal.
kuiu down jacket
leupold golden ring 12-40x60 hd. great for packing and for zoom out to 38x.
schrade knife. awesome steel. holds an edge.
columbia nylon pants. cant remember the model. tough and light. dries fast! the camo model is thinner material and not tough. the good ones dont come in camo.
darn tough socks. cold weather only.
wyoming saw.
sucks:
asolo boots. 4 pairs and every pair rubs heel blisters even after 100+ miles.
refurbished garmin rino 650. have to send back. should have bought new.
leupold cascade replacements. my first pair lasted 13 years. finally had to send in for focus wheel. the new replacements are NOT the same quality.
hornady sst ammo. .270wm. center punched my bull through both lungs and took 10 minutes to die. going to try interlocks.
kuiu rain gear. not silent but very light and fits!
cabelas instinct spotter (meopta) phenomenal.
kuiu down jacket
leupold golden ring 12-40x60 hd. great for packing and for zoom out to 38x.
schrade knife. awesome steel. holds an edge.
columbia nylon pants. cant remember the model. tough and light. dries fast! the camo model is thinner material and not tough. the good ones dont come in camo.
darn tough socks. cold weather only.
wyoming saw.
sucks:
asolo boots. 4 pairs and every pair rubs heel blisters even after 100+ miles.
refurbished garmin rino 650. have to send back. should have bought new.
leupold cascade replacements. my first pair lasted 13 years. finally had to send in for focus wheel. the new replacements are NOT the same quality.
hornady sst ammo. .270wm. center punched my bull through both lungs and took 10 minutes to die. going to try interlocks.
marksjeep
Well-known member
Worked - This little light was impressive. We hung it in a SO Redcliff and it had plenty of gusto to illuminate the tent. It weighs little and takes up no room.
https://www.fenixlighting.com/product/fenix-cl09-lantern/
Failed - 5 year old Cabelas XP (Princeton Tec) headlamp died unexpectedly on last trip out with a cow elk and my 10 year old daughter. We were only a mile in from the truck, but hiking out in the dark could have been a PITA. Backup AAA headlamp came in handy and got us back to the truck. Cabelas, to their credit, honored the "lifetime warranty" and replaced my failed unit with a brand new one. Lesson reinforced, two sources of light in the pack.
https://www.fenixlighting.com/product/fenix-cl09-lantern/
Failed - 5 year old Cabelas XP (Princeton Tec) headlamp died unexpectedly on last trip out with a cow elk and my 10 year old daughter. We were only a mile in from the truck, but hiking out in the dark could have been a PITA. Backup AAA headlamp came in handy and got us back to the truck. Cabelas, to their credit, honored the "lifetime warranty" and replaced my failed unit with a brand new one. Lesson reinforced, two sources of light in the pack.
what worked-
-First Lite merino balaclava. I wouldn't have ever guessed something so simple could be so useful.
-Cooper STmaxx. Saved my butt a couple times this fall.
-The incredibly generous landowners we have in Montana that enroll their property in Block Management.
-Airbnb
-State Farm insurance
What didn't work-
-Canada
-The radiator on my F-150
-My body
-First Lite merino balaclava. I wouldn't have ever guessed something so simple could be so useful.
-Cooper STmaxx. Saved my butt a couple times this fall.
-The incredibly generous landowners we have in Montana that enroll their property in Block Management.
-Airbnb
-State Farm insurance
What didn't work-
-Canada
-The radiator on my F-150
-My body
Last edited:
noharleyyet
Well-known member
Addendum #1
Aye; New Hip, Intensive Cardio Training, Gerber Vital (the small one)
Aye; New Hip, Intensive Cardio Training, Gerber Vital (the small one)
MThuntr
Well-known member
Nameless Range
Well-known member
Worked:
-Avenza Maps App
-Justin Power Stick
-Alps Commander Pack - For a $100 pack it's on its third season and is comfortable, and packed out an elk and 2 deer this year
- Upland Optics Perception HD 10 x 42s. A $250 pair of binos that against my brother's B Series Mavens were only slightly less clear.
Didn't Work:
-My ability to shoot straight in a critical moment
-Eating too much breakfast meat in the offseason
-Danner Mountain Assault boots. Second season I've used them and they are comfortable, but I may as well be wearing sandals in terms of keeping the water out
-Avenza Maps App
-Justin Power Stick
-Alps Commander Pack - For a $100 pack it's on its third season and is comfortable, and packed out an elk and 2 deer this year
- Upland Optics Perception HD 10 x 42s. A $250 pair of binos that against my brother's B Series Mavens were only slightly less clear.
Didn't Work:
-My ability to shoot straight in a critical moment
-Eating too much breakfast meat in the offseason
-Danner Mountain Assault boots. Second season I've used them and they are comfortable, but I may as well be wearing sandals in terms of keeping the water out
375H&H
Well-known member
Yah mon:
Browning X Bolt SS 375 H&H on my deer (I need to do the write up on here sometime). Yes overkill, but I find this rifle more comfortable than any other so I always take it for anything above antelope.
25.06 on my antelope, again I really should do a write up and pics
Bino Bro pro hunter, first year with this and am in love. Quiet, weatherproof, simple, and feels great after all day on your chest.
Merino neck gaiter, like a blanket to a baby and never again without one.
Finding the places people aren't going on heavily hunted public land to get both a nice antelope and non typical mule deer.
New beanie that covers my ears better and has double thickness, I think the brand is Bula.
Suspenders, I have been wearing these for years but man are they great when in the bush, and my wife and other women love them.
Barnes TSX, flawless.
Kenetrek mountain extreme boots, and Timberland hiking boots for the plains.
Simple blue jeans when the weather is dry.
Vanguard tripod for glassing, never again go without and a true game changer.
Zeiss Conquest HD nockers, put these on a tripod and you will find game others missed.
Outdoor Edge Kodi skinner with gut hook, easy to sharpen and the gut hook makes the long cuts way easier and quicker for me.
Sea to summit clear dry bags for oh shit kit. Nice to know your survival items will be for sure dry.
MSR Windburner stove kit, with a flint and steel this thing is amazing and bucks the wind unlike others.
MSR Guardian purifier. Yes it is large, but knowing that any water you drink from it will be pure is worth the weight to me. Also the pump system is fast and fills a 1 liter bottle in less than 1 minute.
No Mon:
60 degree sunny days on the mountain made hunting terrible
Old kelty backpack for hunting. I have used this pack for years on multiple elk, deer etc, but I finally got tired of it this year. Great pack, just not made for hunting so I upgraded to Exo.
Way more wins than losses this year and a serious upgrade to my gear list.
Browning X Bolt SS 375 H&H on my deer (I need to do the write up on here sometime). Yes overkill, but I find this rifle more comfortable than any other so I always take it for anything above antelope.
25.06 on my antelope, again I really should do a write up and pics
Bino Bro pro hunter, first year with this and am in love. Quiet, weatherproof, simple, and feels great after all day on your chest.
Merino neck gaiter, like a blanket to a baby and never again without one.
Finding the places people aren't going on heavily hunted public land to get both a nice antelope and non typical mule deer.
New beanie that covers my ears better and has double thickness, I think the brand is Bula.
Suspenders, I have been wearing these for years but man are they great when in the bush, and my wife and other women love them.
Barnes TSX, flawless.
Kenetrek mountain extreme boots, and Timberland hiking boots for the plains.
Simple blue jeans when the weather is dry.
Vanguard tripod for glassing, never again go without and a true game changer.
Zeiss Conquest HD nockers, put these on a tripod and you will find game others missed.
Outdoor Edge Kodi skinner with gut hook, easy to sharpen and the gut hook makes the long cuts way easier and quicker for me.
Sea to summit clear dry bags for oh shit kit. Nice to know your survival items will be for sure dry.
MSR Windburner stove kit, with a flint and steel this thing is amazing and bucks the wind unlike others.
MSR Guardian purifier. Yes it is large, but knowing that any water you drink from it will be pure is worth the weight to me. Also the pump system is fast and fills a 1 liter bottle in less than 1 minute.
No Mon:
60 degree sunny days on the mountain made hunting terrible
Old kelty backpack for hunting. I have used this pack for years on multiple elk, deer etc, but I finally got tired of it this year. Great pack, just not made for hunting so I upgraded to Exo.
Way more wins than losses this year and a serious upgrade to my gear list.
duckhunt
Well-known member
Wet powder in my muzzle loader did not work. LOL
Tufrthnails
Active member
The only animal I shot with my bow this year was an antelope with my new PSE and 125 grain Slick Trick mags and it was amazing. I'm now pro staff at the shop that sold me the bow and I'm getting an upgraded bow at my new cost
Which PSE you running?
BTW the ST 125 mags were stupid easy for me to tune compared to some other fixed I've tried over the years.
DRS
Well-known member
What worked:
1. Hornady American Whitetail ammo. I can't reload anything that is more accurate or effective for deer and antelope in my 270.
2. Cabelas Meindl boots. Worked well on my turkey hunt in Nebraska last spring and my antelope hunt in Wyoming this fall. Also kept my feet comfortable while sitting in a deer stand here at home during November with temps down into the 20s.
What didn't work too well:
1. Leupold RX 650 rangefinder. I found it almost impossible to be able to get a reading the first try under field conditions and before sunrise and after sunset its about useless to try to range anything past 100 yds. You can't see anything through it in low light conditions.
2. My lungs when I was trying to hump my antelope back to the truck at about 7500 feet after coming from my current home at 50 feet in eastern NC (that's right 50 feet). Pretty much convinced me I wasn't going to be trying to pack an elk out solo in the future like I did back 20+ years ago when I was young, dumb, and lived at 6000 feet in Colorado.
1. Hornady American Whitetail ammo. I can't reload anything that is more accurate or effective for deer and antelope in my 270.
2. Cabelas Meindl boots. Worked well on my turkey hunt in Nebraska last spring and my antelope hunt in Wyoming this fall. Also kept my feet comfortable while sitting in a deer stand here at home during November with temps down into the 20s.
What didn't work too well:
1. Leupold RX 650 rangefinder. I found it almost impossible to be able to get a reading the first try under field conditions and before sunrise and after sunset its about useless to try to range anything past 100 yds. You can't see anything through it in low light conditions.
2. My lungs when I was trying to hump my antelope back to the truck at about 7500 feet after coming from my current home at 50 feet in eastern NC (that's right 50 feet). Pretty much convinced me I wasn't going to be trying to pack an elk out solo in the future like I did back 20+ years ago when I was young, dumb, and lived at 6000 feet in Colorado.
JohnCushman
Well-known member
I grabbed a Stinger X for me after being impressed with the one I got for my wife. I figured it'll make a good backup bow to my new Epix I'm in the process of paying off and setting up. The Stinger is a cool little bow for the price. My wife shoots the hell out of hers and the adjustability is amazing. I'm pushing 290 fps with a $350 bow, and it's all set up and tuned to be ready to go if need be. I'll have the Epix up and running for a wounded warrior hog hunt I'm going on in February.
