WapitiBob
Veteran member
Exactly.
You've been there before; you know what you need. Everything else is a want.
Elk hunting must haves
- Thread starter CForest
- Start date
You've been there before; you know what you need. Everything else is a want.
Should clarify my area a bit. My tag is for 700. While I have hunted that area it's been 13 years! Most everything lately has been on the north side of the lake. Similar type country other than 700 has a tendency to get pretty rough and has more private land with limited access. My gps will become my best friend I know for sure. Thanks for all the suggestions!
I have owned Danner Pronghorns for years, had several pairs. They are good boots for normal hunting but if I'm going to do miles of side hills or pack a lot of weight I like a stiffer boot. I use my Pronghorns for antelope, bird hunting, and muzzle loader season. Anytime I'm headed to steeper country or think I might pack a lot of meat I go to either my uninsulated Kennetrek Mountain Extremes, or my insulated Cabelas Alaskan boots by Meindl. Both have been really good comfortable boots. They almost lock my ankles from sideways movement and have really made a difference for me.
Great glass is always nice. Probably the best purchase I've ever made for hunting is the Leica Geovid HD-B binos I am currently using. I love everything about them except the price. I'm not familiar with how you will be hunting in the breaks, but where I hunt elk later in the season lots of bulls are broke up. Having a spotter can make the difference between spending half a day getting close to a bull with broken points or knowing to pass on him early so that time could be used locating another bull. I haven't tried the 50mm Vortex, but I've had a Nikon ED50 for years now that is a lot of spotter for the money and weight. I don't pack my good tripod with it, just a little Slikk Compact II cheapo I got off Ebay. Both combined with the Nikon's soft case weigh 2lbs 11oz and can save a lot of walking. It's not a set-up I'd want to sit behind all day trying to locate animals but it is enough to evaluate them. If I plan to spend a lot of time glassing, or I'm after something with smaller, harder to evaluate antlers I'll likely take the bigger spotter and good tripod. If I can't decide if I want to take a spotter or not I compromise with this set-up.
I like to have an emergency kit with enough extras to spend a reasonably safe, somewhat comfortable night out when hiking a long way in. If I see an animal I want late in the day far from camp or the vehicle I like the option of just spike camping where I'm at for the night weather permitting. It lets me be right where I want to be at daylight the next morning without another long hike. If I take an animal right at dark I might want to just stay too and pack out in the morning. In addition to the basics I add a little extra food including a Mountain House meal,a Kifaru Paratarp, Pathfinder bottle/pot/stove nesting kit, and a Hill People Gear mountain serape. The Pathfinder kit is my water bottle, the serape is my insulated layer for glassing. Most are multi-purpose items so I don't feel like I'm wasting lots of weight.
I have a conglomeration of hunting clothes from the big names Sitka, Kryptek, Kuiu, etc. It's all really good stuff. I really liked the Russel APXG2 line before it was discontinued, still use my Gale vest and coat some. I have a lot of Core 4 Element stuff I have picked up that's cheaper and really nice. I work on a ranch and almost always have on my Element vest from them, it's holding up great. The Core 4 stuff seems to be a little longer in the torso than some of the others and I like that, keeps wind from getting under it when sitting.
The best piece of advice I could give is watch Camofire, the classifieds here and on other sites, and Ebay for your gear. Watch Cameraland's demos, SWFA, and Natchez Shooters Supply re-furbished stuff for optics. I have put together a lot of nice gear over the years and bought very little of it at retail price. Even my Kennetrek boots were already broke in when I got them, bought them on Ebay from a guy who had an ankle injury that wasn't going to let him hunt rough terrain anymore. Most of my clothing I picked up for 1/2 to 1/3 of retail. Be patient and put things together over time, save lots of money for the hunts!
Anyway, I had some time to ramble. Hope some of it helps and congrats on the tag.
Great glass is always nice. Probably the best purchase I've ever made for hunting is the Leica Geovid HD-B binos I am currently using. I love everything about them except the price. I'm not familiar with how you will be hunting in the breaks, but where I hunt elk later in the season lots of bulls are broke up. Having a spotter can make the difference between spending half a day getting close to a bull with broken points or knowing to pass on him early so that time could be used locating another bull. I haven't tried the 50mm Vortex, but I've had a Nikon ED50 for years now that is a lot of spotter for the money and weight. I don't pack my good tripod with it, just a little Slikk Compact II cheapo I got off Ebay. Both combined with the Nikon's soft case weigh 2lbs 11oz and can save a lot of walking. It's not a set-up I'd want to sit behind all day trying to locate animals but it is enough to evaluate them. If I plan to spend a lot of time glassing, or I'm after something with smaller, harder to evaluate antlers I'll likely take the bigger spotter and good tripod. If I can't decide if I want to take a spotter or not I compromise with this set-up.
I like to have an emergency kit with enough extras to spend a reasonably safe, somewhat comfortable night out when hiking a long way in. If I see an animal I want late in the day far from camp or the vehicle I like the option of just spike camping where I'm at for the night weather permitting. It lets me be right where I want to be at daylight the next morning without another long hike. If I take an animal right at dark I might want to just stay too and pack out in the morning. In addition to the basics I add a little extra food including a Mountain House meal,a Kifaru Paratarp, Pathfinder bottle/pot/stove nesting kit, and a Hill People Gear mountain serape. The Pathfinder kit is my water bottle, the serape is my insulated layer for glassing. Most are multi-purpose items so I don't feel like I'm wasting lots of weight.
I have a conglomeration of hunting clothes from the big names Sitka, Kryptek, Kuiu, etc. It's all really good stuff. I really liked the Russel APXG2 line before it was discontinued, still use my Gale vest and coat some. I have a lot of Core 4 Element stuff I have picked up that's cheaper and really nice. I work on a ranch and almost always have on my Element vest from them, it's holding up great. The Core 4 stuff seems to be a little longer in the torso than some of the others and I like that, keeps wind from getting under it when sitting.
The best piece of advice I could give is watch Camofire, the classifieds here and on other sites, and Ebay for your gear. Watch Cameraland's demos, SWFA, and Natchez Shooters Supply re-furbished stuff for optics. I have put together a lot of nice gear over the years and bought very little of it at retail price. Even my Kennetrek boots were already broke in when I got them, bought them on Ebay from a guy who had an ankle injury that wasn't going to let him hunt rough terrain anymore. Most of my clothing I picked up for 1/2 to 1/3 of retail. Be patient and put things together over time, save lots of money for the hunts!
Anyway, I had some time to ramble. Hope some of it helps and congrats on the tag.
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Lots of good advice. The only thing not mentioned that I would add once you find comfortable boots that feel great on your feet is socks. My feet sweat a lot as well and I have to ruck march a lot for work (8, 10, 12, 15+ miles) while carrying 120+lbs of gear.
Keys for undamaged feet:
1st sock layer ultra thin (I'm talking panty-hose thin. Panty-hose work great)
-You haven't walked far enough with weight unless you've worn panty-hose. Blistered feet half-way in will ruin your day
2nd layer semi-thin cotton socks (dress socks, soft and breathable)
3rd layer thick boot socks
*bring enough socks so that you always have dry socks on
*boot-wise, it's personal preference. I've rocked Asolo's and Solomon's through Iraq and the Afghan mountains for over a decade and never had a pair fail on me.
Hope this helps
Keys for undamaged feet:
1st sock layer ultra thin (I'm talking panty-hose thin. Panty-hose work great)
-You haven't walked far enough with weight unless you've worn panty-hose. Blistered feet half-way in will ruin your day
2nd layer semi-thin cotton socks (dress socks, soft and breathable)
3rd layer thick boot socks
*bring enough socks so that you always have dry socks on
*boot-wise, it's personal preference. I've rocked Asolo's and Solomon's through Iraq and the Afghan mountains for over a decade and never had a pair fail on me.
Hope this helps
JimP
Administrator
If you have a proper fitting and broken in boot you only need to wear one pair of socks.
Back in the 60's it was common to wear a couple of pair of socks just for the warmth since there were very few insulated boots out there. But with the advancement of insulation properties of the space age materials everything is insulated anymore.
As for the two pair of socks, I haven't worn two pairs of them for more than 40 years of elk and deer hunting here in Colorado and Utah and during those seasons I have traversed more miles than I care to think and not a single blister.
Back in the 60's it was common to wear a couple of pair of socks just for the warmth since there were very few insulated boots out there. But with the advancement of insulation properties of the space age materials everything is insulated anymore.
As for the two pair of socks, I haven't worn two pairs of them for more than 40 years of elk and deer hunting here in Colorado and Utah and during those seasons I have traversed more miles than I care to think and not a single blister.
Congrats on drawing the tag! It is beautiful country and I'm glad you have hunted the general area before so you are familiar with that kind of terrain. If there is any rain or melting snow, the gumbo can make it hard to even get there in a vehicle and then dealing with the extra weight accumulating on your boots is tough. I have Danner Pronghorns and I wouldn't hesitate using them on this kind of hunt, but I don't seem to have the sweating issues others mention.
My guess is that since you are experienced and have knowledge of the area you are hunting, your equipment should be fine. Just spend as much time there as you possibly can, work hard, always have a camera handy for good pictures, and have some buddies lined up to help get your bull out.
My guess is that since you are experienced and have knowledge of the area you are hunting, your equipment should be fine. Just spend as much time there as you possibly can, work hard, always have a camera handy for good pictures, and have some buddies lined up to help get your bull out.
6mm Remington
Very Active Member
If your GPS has the capability to read a chip, get one of those Montana property map chips for about $100.00. They tell you what is State, Federal, BLM, and Private land and are worth their weight in gold. Often times you can find ways to reach areas that you thought were landlocked by private property.
You know this already. Must have tire chains, tow straps, shovel, and come-along. Good digital camera with extra batteries. Take lots of pictures from when you start scouting to when you find that beast of a bull! Take a good friend/wife/kids with when you can so they can enjoy it also!
Best of luck and I hope you find a big one.
You know this already. Must have tire chains, tow straps, shovel, and come-along. Good digital camera with extra batteries. Take lots of pictures from when you start scouting to when you find that beast of a bull! Take a good friend/wife/kids with when you can so they can enjoy it also!
Best of luck and I hope you find a big one.
Upgrade your spotter for sure, like you said boots are a must, and to be honest if you can afford to upgrade your binos I would. Get the best you can afford. In The optics game I would spend every extra penny I had to get the best I can afford and Vortex is the best bang for the buck IMO
Lots of good suggestions thanks guys, even something as simple as better underware are things I may have never thought of. As of now I have a few things that I would like to upgrade such as binos and some other small things such as better game bags, update onx maps etc. I got some time between now and scouting/hunting season so just waiting for the right "deals." Like to shop locally as much as possible, or at least wait till I get to a cabelas or scheels to get my hands on some stuff before buying. Especially the boots, my local sporting goods store has danner pronghorns and under armour browtines. Both look like pretty good boots, with under armour being the big?? I have had some of their products that I thought were well worth the money, and others that were way overpriced. Anyone been around their boots?
I have the browtines, bought them early last spring, very very comfortable, they are an awesome early season boot. not nearly as water resistant as id like but I did push them pretty hard in real wet conditions, if they came in an all leather id buy for sure. I put some crazy rough and hard miles on them last year spring summer and fall an they have been my best boot to date as far as comfort goes. danners don't like my feet so I cant speak for those. if you are gonna spend 200 for boots you should checkout some kentrecks,
I have yet to try them but have heard great things.
Having owned 40-50 pairs of boots and worn out a good 20+, I've learned that boots come in one of two different categories (to me at least), comfortable or durable. Under Armor boots fall into the comfortable category (Nike, Oakley, Soloman, etc). They're light weight and comfortable, 'plush' like a tennis shoe. They're still boots, so they'll work for the purpose, they're just not rugged. Durable type boots tend to be heavier and not as comfortable, but they resist water, and tearing much better as well as last a very long time. I choose either comfort or durability depending on whether I plan on walking a lot, what I'll be walking through, and how wet it's going to be.
Buy what you need, not what you want. Get what you want later down the road when you have the extra cash so that you'll have the choice of which to wear depending on the task at hand.
Buy what you need, not what you want. Get what you want later down the road when you have the extra cash so that you'll have the choice of which to wear depending on the task at hand.
My elk hunting must haves? My danner boots, levis, fleece jacket and orange vest, my sweaty old baseball cap , binos, rangefinder and most importantly, my rifle. As much as I'd like to harvest an elk, I also like to have a good time in the mountains. I guess I just look forward to every fall when I get get into that beautiful country.
toadmeister
Member
Thought I would give you guys some updates, I have jumped on a couple good deals. Got a pair of zeiss conquest hd binos at a price I can't even say, so now my wife has a decent pair of her own and I got a set for life hopefully. I also picked up some boots, went with the danner pronghorns. The solomons looked like the best boot I tried but just couldn't get a size to fit right. Tried some merrels and they were extremely comfortable but I was afraid they wouldn't support me well enough. The danners felt like the best all around boot for me for the money. I have some pretty great friends that have offered access to a lot of their gear as well if needed, such as packs and even a river boat if I decide to hunt from the water. So I am very thankful for that. I still have a few things on my "hitlist" but nothing major. I'm glad I started planning this all as soon as I got my tag, it has allowed me to just wait for the best deals and get the stuff I really want. (just like waiting for an amazing deal on zeiss binos vs settling for a $500 pair). Got a birthday coming up and asked for only gift cards to sporting goods stores lol. Thanks everyone.
alaska2go
Active Member
The clothes on your back, weapon, knife, tag, & a can do attitude. Everything else is a luxury .....