So my son turned 10 this year, which meant he was old enough to apply for tags for the first time. Due to our schedule and his age, we only put him in for a few species and we picked fairly accessible hunts. Accessible hunts usually mean terrible odds, but he managed to pull the toughest tag we put him in for – Dall sheep. I knew he was ready or I wouldn’t have put his name in the hat, but I also never thought he’d pull a tag on his first try! All of a sudden, he needed a lot of gear that I hadn’t expected to buy, which meant a lot of research.
Sheep hunt gear lists are a dime a dozen, but I didn’t find too many for kids. I spent a lot of time researching kids’ hunting gear that could hold up to Alaskan mountains in September, and thought I would share in case this helps anyone in the future. I included the items that were tricky for me, but feel free to ask about anything else.
Binoculars – He brought a cheap pair of Brunton 10x42s that I’ve had forever – I thought he would want to glass while I was glassing. In the end we didn’t really use them at all, and I wouldn’t bring a second pair of binos again (maybe when he’s older…).
Backpack – I didn’t find a lot a lot of great hunting packs for kids, so in the end he just borrowed an internal-frame pack from my girlfriend. It wasn’t a perfect fit, but it worked well enough for carrying his bedding, food, and gear. I carried some of his stuff as well. I don’t have any recommendations here; I’d do something different next time.
Rifle – This one was a gift to myself. I had a mountain rifle in the back of my mind, but wasn’t ready to spend the money. Told myself that if my girlfriend or son drew a tag, I’d buy a light, versatile rifle that hit all the high notes, but I couldn’t justify it for myself quite yet - this was the excuse I needed. First try I bought a new/resale Kimber Mountain Ascent in .270 from an online gun broker – when it showed up the stock was cracked, so I sent it back. I decided to just pay the money for a truly new rifle, and then went with a Christensen Ridgeline FFT in 6.5 PRC. I added Talley rings and a Leica Amplus 6 2.5-15x50i, and swapped out the muzzle brake for a thread protector. It proved to be a great rifle for my son, who can shoot it super accurately and doesn’t get kicked too hard. He shot the Hornady ELD-X 143s. Later in the season the same rifle took a nice moose with the Hornady 147s.
Boots – I spent a lot of time on this. I hunt sheep in Scarpa mountaineering boots, but nobody makes a comparable boot for kids. Lowa sells two mountaineering-style boots for kids (one is the Cadin, I don’t recall the other). I almost went with one of those, but then I found the kids’ hunting boots at Cabela’s. They sell multiple models that are tougher, dryer, and taller than anything else I found, and they are half the price. Do your research, though – they also sell some lemons. We went with the Redhead Expedition Ultras and they were awesome – bone dry and zero blisters.
Socks – Small women’s Darn Tough will fit a 10yo boy just fine. I rarely wear any socks except Darn Tough when hunting anymore.
Gaiters – Kryptek Takur. I read somewhere that the Kryptek small size was the toughest gaiter you could find for a kid, and I can’t argue. They did sustain one gash, but that’s to be expected.
Raingear – Sitka Cyclone. My main goal for my son’s first big hunt was to have a positive experience, and that meant staying warm and dry(ish). This was the most expensive gear I bought him, but it’s excellent raingear. It rained every day on our hunt, and he came home dry.
Daily outerwear – Sitka Scrambler. I don’t think they make this line anymore, but you can still find it online. It’s comfortable and durable and he had no complaints.
Sheep hunt gear lists are a dime a dozen, but I didn’t find too many for kids. I spent a lot of time researching kids’ hunting gear that could hold up to Alaskan mountains in September, and thought I would share in case this helps anyone in the future. I included the items that were tricky for me, but feel free to ask about anything else.
Binoculars – He brought a cheap pair of Brunton 10x42s that I’ve had forever – I thought he would want to glass while I was glassing. In the end we didn’t really use them at all, and I wouldn’t bring a second pair of binos again (maybe when he’s older…).
Backpack – I didn’t find a lot a lot of great hunting packs for kids, so in the end he just borrowed an internal-frame pack from my girlfriend. It wasn’t a perfect fit, but it worked well enough for carrying his bedding, food, and gear. I carried some of his stuff as well. I don’t have any recommendations here; I’d do something different next time.
Rifle – This one was a gift to myself. I had a mountain rifle in the back of my mind, but wasn’t ready to spend the money. Told myself that if my girlfriend or son drew a tag, I’d buy a light, versatile rifle that hit all the high notes, but I couldn’t justify it for myself quite yet - this was the excuse I needed. First try I bought a new/resale Kimber Mountain Ascent in .270 from an online gun broker – when it showed up the stock was cracked, so I sent it back. I decided to just pay the money for a truly new rifle, and then went with a Christensen Ridgeline FFT in 6.5 PRC. I added Talley rings and a Leica Amplus 6 2.5-15x50i, and swapped out the muzzle brake for a thread protector. It proved to be a great rifle for my son, who can shoot it super accurately and doesn’t get kicked too hard. He shot the Hornady ELD-X 143s. Later in the season the same rifle took a nice moose with the Hornady 147s.
Boots – I spent a lot of time on this. I hunt sheep in Scarpa mountaineering boots, but nobody makes a comparable boot for kids. Lowa sells two mountaineering-style boots for kids (one is the Cadin, I don’t recall the other). I almost went with one of those, but then I found the kids’ hunting boots at Cabela’s. They sell multiple models that are tougher, dryer, and taller than anything else I found, and they are half the price. Do your research, though – they also sell some lemons. We went with the Redhead Expedition Ultras and they were awesome – bone dry and zero blisters.
Socks – Small women’s Darn Tough will fit a 10yo boy just fine. I rarely wear any socks except Darn Tough when hunting anymore.
Gaiters – Kryptek Takur. I read somewhere that the Kryptek small size was the toughest gaiter you could find for a kid, and I can’t argue. They did sustain one gash, but that’s to be expected.
Raingear – Sitka Cyclone. My main goal for my son’s first big hunt was to have a positive experience, and that meant staying warm and dry(ish). This was the most expensive gear I bought him, but it’s excellent raingear. It rained every day on our hunt, and he came home dry.
Daily outerwear – Sitka Scrambler. I don’t think they make this line anymore, but you can still find it online. It’s comfortable and durable and he had no complaints.
