Gloves

VikingsGuy

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Prepping for first WY pronghorn hunt this fall. I understand that things are "prickly" out there and I will be on my hands and knees more than in a MN whitetail hunt, so gloves will be important. Of course the general answer is to wear, "good leather gloves". But I would like a little more specific advice, what particular brand, model and/or style of glove do you use/recommend?
 
It is prickly "out here" - thick skin's your best defense.:D
Never wore gloves for lope hunting unless it was temperature related. When the little bastards fester and come to the surface, I smile remembering the 45 minute belly crawl as well as the rest of the hunt. I have a calloused encysted little friend in my pointy finger that never did come out - it makes me smile. Besides, your knees will pay a much dearer price....
Hope you have a good hunt - first time will hook ya' for good.
 
Get the rubber kneepads you can find at a hardware store. They will work wonders. For your hands, I would suggest paying attention to where you put them ;)
 
Get some tactical type gloves or some mechanics type with extra layer on the palms. They will make a big difference. The knees pads are a necessity too.
Gloves do tend to collect spines if you put your hand in them. Nothing like putting a pair on to find last years pricklies in them.
 
I wear leather work gloves and take some merino liners in case the weather turns cold. As for the knees, I found those under armor volleyball style knee pads worn under my pants worked well enough. They were tight at first but after a little bit you can't tell they are even on.
 
Thin liner (wool or synthetic) under a basic pair of leather gloves is my preferred setup for prickly terrain. Personally, I can't stand the way kneepads feel so I don't use them. I do second-guess that choice each time my knee goes into a cactus however.
 
Half the reason I went with Sitka timberline was the knee pads. That makes it much nicer to kneel and crawl than knee pads.

I wouldn't worry much about the gloves. Worry more about where you put your hands. More than just thorns out there.
 
Go to a hardware store and buy a pair of thick all leather work gloves. You can wear liners and pull glove off just before u shot, there the only style gloves that i have had that could handle the prickers. As far as knee pad if you wear tactical style pants most have pockets for pads (most people dont know that) i just slide a piece of 1/4" closed cell foam in and they work great. The tactical pants are tough and also help prevent getting pricked, material is tougher than all that fancy sitka/kuiu stuff thats why jeans work so good.
 
Like others have said leather work gloves with glove liners are your best bet. For knee pads I use military surplus pads a little bulky but nothing gets through them I keep them in the pack till it's go time.
 
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Am I the only one that hunts pronghorn upright?

I've never used gloves or kneepads and have never had issue getting within range.

Could be the advantage of being hobbit-height I guess.
 
Am I the only one that hunts pronghorn upright?

I've never used gloves or kneepads and have never had issue getting within range.

Could be the advantage of being hobbit-height I guess.

I'm almost 6'3" high and not real narrow, usually hunting with a wife - and neither of us in gloves nor knee pads. You knee padders are soft:D.
So hobbit size or not, antelope hunting isn't near as technical as it is fun - including the crawl through pricklies.
 
Had some stickers in my knee two months after the hunt. Brought back good memories. I will say they stick in gloves and if you try to pull them out with you teeth they will stick in your tongue. My boy found out the hard way this past fall.
 
Had some stickers in my knee two months after the hunt. Brought back good memories. I will say they stick in gloves and if you try to pull them out with you teeth they will stick in your tongue. My boy found out the hard way this past fall.

"Stickers" in the boy's tongue - done that. That's a lope hunting treasure. After snaking through assorted living and dead cacti from one short little sage to the next (note the height of the sage in relation to the critter) you gotta' have some spines in your knees (and elsewhere) - it's part of the hunt.:) My wife crawled almost a 1/4 mile to get her .257 into range for this one.
Oh yeah, this was supposed to be about gloves???
DSCN0199.jpg
 
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Mechanix Wear gloves from O'Reilly Automotive. No cactus in the hands but did get a nice collection in both knees last fall. Next time I'm going to try shaving my kneecaps and ripping out the spines with duct tape.

Focus
 
I've tried the mechanic gloves but recommend deer skin leather work gloves that you can get at any hardware store. Seem to be a bit more thorn proof but you will loose a little dexterity. I usually pull off my gloves to shoot anyway. I didn't bring knee pads but wished i did... just make sure they are have a leather or kidex type outter shell or else the thorns will go right through them.
 
Never worn gloves for "prickly" protection. Only when cold. No knee pads either. mtmuley
 
Leather gloves are nice to have, but you must embrace the pain! If you do it right you will end up with cactus in your elbows, hands, knees, and quite often your arse! Fact of life. My buddy was complaining one evening about all the cactus he had stuck in various places on his carcass. We were staying with my grandmother and she was fixing us dinner. She looked at him and told him to quite whining as they will festure up and come out!
 
Buy the cheapest, unlined, untreated leather glove you can find just a skosh over sized. Coat those gloves with straight beeswax. I get the wax at the craft store in the candle making aisle. Heat it with the wife's hair dryer and rub it into the glove. Do not do this with your hand in said glove. It get's more than a touch 'warm'...

They'll be all but waterproof, will turn thorns with ease, and last a very long time. Break in's a pain as they start out very, very stiff.
 
Caribou Gear

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