Elk Hunt Gear Review

[MNElkNut]

I just got back from a DIY Idaho elk hunt and thought I would share some of the things that worked or didnt work for us.

Worked:
1. Smartwool (or merino wool) base layer. Ohmygosh did we sweat! The Smartwool did a super job of wicking. Our second and third layers were soaked, but he the Smartwool was dry. How do they do that? Plus, after 6 days...no stink. Really, no stink.

2. GoreTex. Yeah, I know, this is no secret, but 3 days of rain really showed any weakness in your waterproofing whether that be hats, gloves, boots, pants, etc. Be prepared.

3. Yarn. No we didnt resort to knitting, but we tied a frayed piece of rope to the end of the gun barrel to indicate wind direction. Wow did that work better than wind indicator powder...which will be featured down below!

4. An ice cream pail full of Dad's chili!

5. Clif Bars. They are better than edible even!

6. A scope cover. The kind that is neoprene and covers the whole thing. I liked it as it kept my scope dry and clean for the most part.

7. Good quality headlamps (mine was a Cabelas XPG). Worth their weight in gold.

8. Garmin Oregon 450 GPS loaded with free topo maps. Saved us time, got us back on the trail, found trails, gave us distances, showed us how steep things were. Invaluable.


Didn't work:
1 Wind Indicator Powder. the cap came off a full bottle in my front pants pocket. Go ahead and laugh at my expense, we all did!

2. GoreTex. Yep it is in this section too. After 2 solid days of rain and wet, even the best GoreTex boots got wet. however, they faired much better than....

3. NonGoreTex boots. Wet feet is one thing. Soaked is another. Glad it was my hunting partner and not me.

4. Too heavy of daypacks. I had too much stuff in there. When I got back I found I had 2 flashlights. Man that made me mad.


More as I think of it.

 

[EODRay]

Good review. I will use the yarn trick.

 

[RUT JUNKEY]

good review. The yarn thing will get used here. I had a turkey hunt in Missouri 2 yrs ago and it rained the whole time too. . .miserable if not prepared. Did you get anything killed on the trip?

 

[Lawnboy]

I have to agree with most of your observations but will comment on a few.

Be careful not to overload on the Clif bars. I ate too many on a sheep hunt and can't even stomach the thought of eating anymore.

I have had the same thing happen with the powder. For me it still works better than yarn or a feather especially when it's wet out. The yarn or thread gets heavy. JMO

Got to agree on the waterproof stuff. No substitute for good rain gear. Sometimes your feet will get wet not because the boots leaked but that your pants get wet and then your socks will wick it down to your feet. Not sure if that happened or not but too me a boot that is relatively new should not leak. Miserable for sure.

I've never used the new wool stuff so thanks for the review on that and the other stuff. It would be nice to see more of these shared. Lot's of good gear out there that would be nice to know about or even avoid in some cases.
Thanks again. Did you get anything?

 

[dustinf]

Great post.

Just heads up Campmor has a special buy on Smartwool merino wool. It's kind of hard to find on their website, but it was in their last catalog. About 40% off.

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___91293
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___91988
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___03046

 

[1_pointer]

Sometimes your feet will get wet not because the boots leaked but that your pants get wet and then your socks will wick it down to your feet. Not sure if that happened or not but too me a boot that is relatively new should not leak. Miserable for sure.

This has happened to me as well. A good pair of gaitors will fix the issue.

 

[MNElkNut]

The details of my hunt are in the An Idaho Do It Yourself Public Land Hunt in the Elk Forum. I tried to give the best account of the trip I could.

No, we did not shoot an elk. We were elkless.

We had a Clib bar or two a day and that was perfect.

Oh, one more thing. My Costco cot was awesome. beyond awesome. I put a wool blanket on top and it was very comfy. I have slept in many beds that were worse.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

This has happened to me as well. A good pair of gaitors will fix the issue.

Actually, when it's really pissing rain the water will run down your pants, into your gaitors and then into your boots. I like my rainpants to be on the outside of my gaitors to alleviate this.

 

[MNElkNut]

Goretex gaiters were in full use and helped tremendously. I use them a lot pheasant hunting. walking through really wet grass all day just seems to finally find a way in.

One thing I will bring next year is a propane boot dryer.

 

[NChunter]

Is the Smartwool itchy? I used to use wool long underwear a long time ago and it was awfully rough. I wear merino wool socks now though and they are great. Maybe I can find some smartwool in a local store and try it on. I have also had the problem of socks wicking water into my boots, also with water wicking up my shirtsleeves in a waterproof jacket. I agree with using headlamps, they are a necessity almost. I have been thinking about updating my gps to a Garmin touchscreen. Thanks for your reviews.

 

[Bowhuntrben]

Be careful not to overload on the Clif bars. I ate too many on a sheep hunt and can't even stomach the thought of eating anymore.

Indeed. I did the same in Colorado. We ate them to get rid of them. I don't think I could force myself to eat another one now!

 

[Deleted member 20812]

Ever notice how Clif Bars look about the same going out as they did going in?

 

[JohnDeereGreen]

Very helpful post, thanks.

I dropped my bottle of wind indicator powder on Saturday on a logging road, and when I looped back, a group of elk had crosssed the road and one had stepped on the bottle and sent out a huge puff of powder. It's now my "lucky" bottle of wind indicator powder.

 

[MNElkNut]

Smartwool is not itchy. To be honest, the only downside I can find is that they are somewhat pricey, but you can find them for around $40 to $50 if you look.

 

[awapiti]

Just found a deal on Smartwool and Icebreaker merino wool base layers at Sierra trading post. I was able to pick up a Smartwool midweight bottom and top and Icebreaker lightweight bottom and top for $120 shipped. Use code SAFWD10412. This code will give you a 40% discount, but will only work today.

 

[DreaminofMT6X6s]

My old man has been hunting whitetails for 60 years, and he always tapes some dental floss at the end of his barrel. Good old Mainer ingenuity I suppose.

 

[Lawnboy]

Costco has some new Merino wool thermal layers this year. The brand is Paradox and I just used the top the other day on a hunt and it worked well.

 

[MNElkNut]

I looked at the Paradox, but it is only 11% Merino wool. that stuff is gonna stink to high heaven I bet.

 

[Lawnboy]

I looked at the Paradox, but it is only 11% Merino wool. that stuff is gonna stink to high heaven I bet.

Well you've got to wash your stuff I usually pack several shirts on multi day hunts to change out so I don't smell like a corn chip while hunting It did say it had some sort of anti bacterial or smell stuff in it. Like I said I don't expect any article of clothing to keep you scent free if your hiking,sleeping and otherwise spending one week in said garment.

 

[MNElkNut]

Lawnboy,
Try Smartwool. It kept 3 of us smell free (to humans, not critters) after 6 intense days. Really. I even bet my cousin I would smell his top and I did it and it didnt smell.