2012 Elk Hunt Equipment Check

[WapitiTalk1]

What new piece(s) of elk equipment (pack, optics, bow, tent, bag, stove, etc.) did you try out for the first time this year and how did it work out? The elk gods were pretty nice to me this year and I ended up getting a few items I used for the first time this year. What did you cats try out for the first time and how did your new piece(s) of gear work for you? RJ

[Freebird134]

My biggest disappointment was my Black Diamond ultra distance trekking poles. While sidehilling a a steep slope covered in thick, slick grass I lost my balance with my heavy pack. When I tried to catch myself with the uphill trekking pole, it snapped in half and left me on my a$$. I'm 6'1" ~185# and had 45# pack on--heavy but something I'd expect a pole to handle.

Black Diamond said the ultra distance is not made for heat packs. It's made for distance runners. But they are replacing the pole for me.

[Freebird134]

Another disappointment: Octane Deadlock quiver. If i had been hunting alone I would have lost every arrow in my quiver by day 3. Seemed like every half hour my buddy was going, "hold on man, you dropped an arrow."

I don't know why it was doing this, because it feels like the arrows are in there good. And, in Octanes defense, my buddy had zero problems with his--and he's shooting smaller diameter arrows than I am!

The other annoyance is for anyone that likes to remove a quiver. There is a o easy way. It's always a struggle. And I can't even get it off right now!!!

[>>>---WW---->]

I never had to use my latest equipment addition. And honestly, I hope I never do have a need for it. But it is a comfort just having it with me. It is an ACR ResQlink personal locator beacon.

I also had a new Temptress open reed call. Hmmmmmmm! Didn't use it either. But I did play around with it, and it seems to be a very good call and I could get a pretty good variety of sounds out of it. But I'm a diaphram guy and called my elk in with a Raging Bull diaphram this year.

[pointysticks]

much too lazy (monday) to re-type.

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=800

[Vanish]

Havalon Piranta Knife - After learning how to use it without breaking the blades, everyone loved this knife. I will probably check out the larger model as well. Perfect for those of us who are knife sharpening challenged!

Raging Bull Diaphragm - I started learning how to use a diaphragm about 6 weeks before the season. On one day I called in 3 cows and 6 bulls. A good start.

Cheap Bino Harness - Still had some bouncing issues, but so much better than wearing around your neck or in a pocket.

G5 Small Game Heads - Stood up to being shot into a tree and did its job on good shots, but my wife lost her first arrow shot with one on. It STILL dug under the grass, something we were hoping to avoid.

[Solitude]

Havalon Knife - Darn amazing. I carried a second 6" fix blade Cutco as I was not convinced a Havalon would be up to the task.....I was wrong. It will be my only knife (with the exception of my Leatherman Micro) on multiple day trips in the future.

Arrows - Let's just say stick with the HIT insert in my opinion. A couple non Easton arrow insert tips snapped off this year.

KU3700 - Extremely light, can handle the weight, but advise a slightly more robust pack for elk hunting unless you are an ultra light guy. I have to admit though, chasing/circling bulls up a mountain with light weight gear on a bivy hunt does keep me tilting towards light weight gear.

[slim9300]

Cut and paste...

Zebralight H502d and H600w XM-L headlamps. These are by far the best money I spent on an item this year. Zebralight headlamps are truly the best headlamps on the planet bar none but they are not cheap price wise. These two headlamps will never miss a backpacking trip again. The H502d runs on one AA battery and is a great flood light type headlamp that's brighter than any of my Pezel's that run on 3 AAAs. It emits a wall of light 30' out and 30' wide on high. On its lowest setting it will run for two weeks! The H600w is the best thing on the planet for wanting to see where your are going and then some in the dark. It's truly like you are walking in daylight and cannot be beat when packing meat in rough country. The downfall is the rechargeable 18650 battery. I carried one in the light and one backup at all times. Once you have two batteries and the charger you will never have to worry about buying batteries however. These headlamps both have 24 different light settings if need be and can be customized based on how you program them. If you are like me I just keep it simple with the stock settings and use only the 6 main brightness settings.

Kifaru Timberline 1. Nothing can do what this pack can do when it comes to overall weight, compressibility and load hauling.

Kuiu Attack pants. These are the best pants I have ever owned. I would wear them every day if I could. The fit is perfect for a skinny guy and there is nothing more comfortable.

Kuiu Spindrift. I never realized how nice it is to have a light and packable insulating layer when I'm sitting in base camp each night or when I'm glassing for long periods.

Kifaru Mega Tarp. Incredibly light and compact, super easy to setup, tons of space for two. I may never use my Hilleberg again.

Titanium Goat Omni Raven Bivy. Ultralight and perfect for keeping your sleeping bag dry and your pad protected in a floorless shelter.

100 grain Slick Trick Standard. It broke the heaviest part of the elk's front shoulder bone and kept on going. Enough said.

Black diamond carbon Z-lite trekking poles. Carry a heavy load of meat with them one time and you will never forget them again. Plus, they make amazingly light tent poles for the mega tarp.

Exped UL7 (large) sleeping pad and UL air pillow (large). I added some seam sealer lines to the pad and I had the best rest I have ever had in the backcountry. And 1.5 ounces for a pillow that is amazingly comfortable, is crazy.

Caribou Gear "The Carnivore" game bags. Super tough, ultra light, and perfect for boned-out meat. This is my second season using the same set of game bags and I don't have a single hole. I washed them when I got home and they look as brand-new as they did when I first got them.

FHF Gear Rangefinder Pouch. This little invention is worth it's weight in gold. I have never been able to get my rangefinder out of a pouch nearly as fast as I can with this set up. My rangefinder fits perfectly. Not too tight and not to loose. I can remove the lid if I need ultra quick access or leave it on and still be able to get it out quicker than anything I have found. I also mounted it on the hip belt of my Timberline pack which is far better for me then having it on the belt of my pants.

[pointysticks]

one of my favorite kitchen knives is some old high carbon steel knife i bought at an antique show. someone in it's history cut a tomato and tarnished the blade. it now has a nice patina. i have it in my truck on hunts, and i used it to pull the elk into steaks. i paid $5 bucks for that knife.

got me thinking..why cant there be a high carbon steel hunting knife? so i googled it. apparently the europeans call it "bushcraft". essentially bushcraft means "wilderness survival skills"..these bushcraft guys put no merit in cool, high tech knives. they abuse their blades..use rocks to hammer them into trees to fell them. split wood, whittle fire kindling..

i have a Swedish buddy. he said, if you ask anyone in Sweden if you can borrow a knife..they will hand you a Mora blade. he said the blades are fashion like the old days of making swords. i think their military uses them. they are high carbon steel, so the blade will need some love. he said there is not a knife sharper. easy to resharpen.

guess what? the knives are CHEAP!!! i am buying two $15 dollar knives. haha. what the heck? i have always wanted to tap a blade into a dead tree truck and drop the sucker. i watched a rancher kid stuff his knife into the pelvic bone of hog and cut thru it with a crunch. i'll try with a $15 knife.

my swedish buddy is a knife aficionado. but in his hunting pack he only carries a Mora. and a broken off piece of some sharpening steel.

so..i am going to buy $30 bucks worth of knives, and one million dollars worth of merino wool and headlamp..hahah.

[Freebird134]

Havalon Piranta Knife - After learning how to use it without breaking the blades, everyone loved this knife.

I find it interesting that guys are breaking blades with the havalon. I broke my first blade yesterday on my 5th deer of the year. And I only broke it because I was rushing around the hip socket. This was my first year with the havalon piranta, and I'm absolutely a fan! I have gutted 6 deer with it this year (5 of mine, 1 for a buddy) and boned out 4 deer and only had 1 blade break. If you know where you are cutting, the knife has no problem taking off legs, heads, tails, and breaking down quarters. It's a great knife!