- Thread Starter
- #21
Trip and Gear Report
Trip Thoughts: This hunt was a stress filled marathon. I think we put too much pressure on ourselves to tag out and fill freezers. Sometimes at the expense of enjoying the moment and preventing ourselves from getting rundown. I still had an awesome time but look forward to the days of a having a full freezer at home and being able to watch deer and patiently wait for the “right” deer. I’m hoping with the addition of great lakes fishing to the freezer I’ll have rollover meat and be more selective and stationary going forward.
Noteworthy Gear: I loved glassing with 10s on tripod. Our system worked well where I would spot groups of deer with the 10s and my friend would give them a once over with his 15s. From there we would either get the spotting scope on them or keep glassing. Another noteworthy piece of gear is the kifaru gunbearer. My friend has the kuiu version and was constantly struggling to get the butt of the gun into their holster particularly with his pack already on. I got enlisted to help him a few times and made a point of fully removing my gun and resecuring prior to helping him (he’ll be buying the kifaru version). The MVP of the trip were trekking poles 5 packouts over 6 days and my knees are SORE. I can only imagine the pain or even injuries they’d be feeling if I didn’t have them. I’ve had the same BD carbon poles for the past 6 years and they are still going strong. My friend has the cascade mountain ones recommended on this site, but over the past few years has bent one and, on this trip,, he broke one of the flick locks. We taped it up and got thru the hunt, but he’ll be looking at other options going forward. If mine were to ever break I’d probably look at something a bit lighter (mine are 19oz).
Disappointing Gear: I was really disappointed in my Vanguard Endeavor HD 65A spotting scope. I think this is a function of other optic upgrades, but the clarity and light gathering are very disappointing compared to my 10s and friends 15s that are 10x more dollars. I’m due for an upgrade I just need to save some dollars and figure out exactly what I want.
Gear to Buy/Consider: I want a new spotting scope and need to figure out exactly what fits my preferences and hunting style. I want a straight scope, alpha glass, and am leaning towards a 65mm objective since I do a lot of walking. Maybe I try and get into the STX system so I can get a bigger objective down the road, but am skeptical I’d ever carry it. Another thing I’ll be looking for is a cot specific sleeping pad. I used a neoair pad on a cot at the B&B and it worked but was loud (according to others) and being a mummy shape wasn’t as comfortable as it could be. I slept with a kifaru woobie and without the containment of a sleeping bag the mummy shape was more annoying.
Trip Thoughts: This hunt was a stress filled marathon. I think we put too much pressure on ourselves to tag out and fill freezers. Sometimes at the expense of enjoying the moment and preventing ourselves from getting rundown. I still had an awesome time but look forward to the days of a having a full freezer at home and being able to watch deer and patiently wait for the “right” deer. I’m hoping with the addition of great lakes fishing to the freezer I’ll have rollover meat and be more selective and stationary going forward.
Noteworthy Gear: I loved glassing with 10s on tripod. Our system worked well where I would spot groups of deer with the 10s and my friend would give them a once over with his 15s. From there we would either get the spotting scope on them or keep glassing. Another noteworthy piece of gear is the kifaru gunbearer. My friend has the kuiu version and was constantly struggling to get the butt of the gun into their holster particularly with his pack already on. I got enlisted to help him a few times and made a point of fully removing my gun and resecuring prior to helping him (he’ll be buying the kifaru version). The MVP of the trip were trekking poles 5 packouts over 6 days and my knees are SORE. I can only imagine the pain or even injuries they’d be feeling if I didn’t have them. I’ve had the same BD carbon poles for the past 6 years and they are still going strong. My friend has the cascade mountain ones recommended on this site, but over the past few years has bent one and, on this trip,, he broke one of the flick locks. We taped it up and got thru the hunt, but he’ll be looking at other options going forward. If mine were to ever break I’d probably look at something a bit lighter (mine are 19oz).
Disappointing Gear: I was really disappointed in my Vanguard Endeavor HD 65A spotting scope. I think this is a function of other optic upgrades, but the clarity and light gathering are very disappointing compared to my 10s and friends 15s that are 10x more dollars. I’m due for an upgrade I just need to save some dollars and figure out exactly what I want.
Gear to Buy/Consider: I want a new spotting scope and need to figure out exactly what fits my preferences and hunting style. I want a straight scope, alpha glass, and am leaning towards a 65mm objective since I do a lot of walking. Maybe I try and get into the STX system so I can get a bigger objective down the road, but am skeptical I’d ever carry it. Another thing I’ll be looking for is a cot specific sleeping pad. I used a neoair pad on a cot at the B&B and it worked but was loud (according to others) and being a mummy shape wasn’t as comfortable as it could be. I slept with a kifaru woobie and without the containment of a sleeping bag the mummy shape was more annoying.