Least you would hunt with

[Newtosavage]

We're so freaking spoiled now.
Jeans, flannel, 1960's Winchester pump game master, cheap Binos, army backpack, garbage boots.
Rain gear is whatever we wore fishing.
It didn't suck, because we didn't know better. We just hunted and killed deer.
I'm not old at all. This is early 90's.

agreed. It wasn't that long ago that we just happy to wear or use whatever we had on hand.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I did the elk hut with tennis shoes also. The only camouflage I had on were my gloves.

 

[Newtosavage]

This is a carbon copy(I'm old) of what I tell people several times weekly. If you get these four right, you can skimp in many other places.

Guess that's why it was the 4 pieces of gear I chose (unknowingly). Those are the places I see people spend, spend, spend. And I wonder sometimes how much difference it really makes.

 

[nobody]

Guess that's why it was the 4 pieces of gear I chose (unknowingly). Those are the places I see people spend, spend, spend. And I wonder sometimes how much difference it really makes.

What’s funny is I typically see the opposite. A guy spend 4 paychecks on matching Sitka, but wears crappy boots and a pack that doesn’t work for what he’s doing and is using his gun-store combo rifle and scope that he bought on Black Friday and never sighted it in because the gun counter cowboy “bore sighted it” and it’s got a BDC reticle so he’s ready to kill stuff to 500 and uses blister pack binos. I have no issue with those things, but when they’re coupled with high dollar matching camo and a $70k truck I just shake my head haha

 

[Billy Goat]

Baby powder/secret deodorant.
Wet wipes.

Everything else is luxury.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Baby powder/secret deodorant.
Wet wipes.

Everything else is luxury.

Wet wipes are an absolute must to prevent baboon ass.

 

[Billy Goat]

Wet wipes are an absolute must to prevent baboon ass.

 

[D_Dubya]

Good boots…the rest can be Walmart special. I have nice gear, but the diminishing returns start at about the second level of Walmart product. You can hunt and kill game with cheap Binocs, cheap rifles, cheap scopes, blue jeans and grandpa’s old Hanes whitey-titey underwear. Lots of places I wouldn’t go without good boots, but would still be willing to tough it out with inexpensive alternatives if I had too. Hiking in last year I was totaling up the total dollar value of everything on my person and in my pack…it was a shamefully high number and left me thinking I hope my wife doesn’t know what this stuff is worth.

 

[CorbLand]

What’s funny is I typically see the opposite. A guy spend 4 paychecks on matching Sitka, but wears crappy boots and a pack that doesn’t work for what he’s doing and is using his gun-store combo rifle and scope that he bought on Black Friday and never sighted it in because the gun counter cowboy “bore sighted it” and it’s got a BDC reticle so he’s ready to kill stuff to 500 and uses blister pack binos. I have no issue with those things, but when they’re coupled with high dollar matching camo and a $70k truck I just shake my head haha

But those blister pack binos are just as good as swaros, trust me, he compared them to his buddies.

 

[Oregon]

agreed. It wasn't that long ago that we just happy to wear or use whatever we had on hand.

Yeah, I'd also put 2 pair of cotton socks on to keep my feet "warm" under my rubber hip boots.
I will say, the very dedicated hunters, the ones that pack camp in 5-10 miles and spend a week are so fortunate today. I ain't that guy. My camp is either a wall tent with wood stove, or 23' travel trailer with built in shitter.
If anyone invited me on a primitive hunt today, I'd just giggle. First question would be regarding heater, 2nd, and more importantly, where am I sitting at 0430 for my morning constitutional.

 

[sconnieVLP]

Wet wipes are an absolute must to prevent baboon ass.

I learned the importance of wet wipes the first time I went to the field for work, now they go with me everywhere.

Was out on a trip for work a few years ago without showers. The top request to the crews flying in by us to bring were wet wipes followed closely by dip - both absolute essentials.

 

[Z71&Gun]

Wet wipes are a must. I could compromise on everything else. If you set me a budget and that's all I had, I think I could still have a decent hunt. I'd archery hunt with a pawn shop Jennings with the tiny wheels, an amazon range finder and work/street clothes. I'd rifle hunt with whatever rifle with 300 yard MPBR, iron sights and work clothes. If I had one budget for all hunting, I'd be sporting a shotgun and spend the rest on waders and shells. I currently run mid grade gear and kill big game every year. I don't have a full trophy room by any means but my freezers are pretty stacked. I wear Merrel boots early and transition to Irish Setter Elk Trackers in the cold. Sig Kilo range finding binos. Ruger American with a vortex Diamondback scope. I've killed the most game with my bow which is an '08 Mathews DXT with Gold Tip arrows and 100 grain Swhacker or Montec broadheads. For birds I shoot a used remington 1187 and wear Cabellas Supermag waders. I wear one layered outfit year round comprised of Firstlite and Sitka merino wool, jetstream soft shell I got on clearance, and an Amazon puffy. Grundens rain gear from shipyard work. I use a kelty Coyote for backpack hunts. I have a great time and don't find myself needing much more. I don't need a high end pack to have a good hunt. I'll figure it out with a tarp, a thrift store external frame or a dolly back at the truck. I've never killead anything so far back that I needed to pack out in one trip with my main pack. I would love to run into that problem, and the day I do will be the day before I buy a nice pack. If I had a big late hunt I would upgrade from the Elk Tracker boots.

 

[Newtosavage]

Some of ya'll aren't being very specific. LOL

Rifle
Boots
Optic
Pack

What's the least you'd take.

 

[long hunter]

I draw the line at a loin cloth.

You just have not lived until you hunt nekkid, loin cloths are for sissies.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Some of ya'll aren't being very specific. LOL

Rifle
Boots
Optic
Pack

What's the least you'd take.

Ruger american/ savage axis, heck a 20 year old Rem 700
Had a cheap pair of Phorn Danners that were solid
Optics Nikon, bushnells, vortex, bargin bins can get it done and they will hurt your eyes
Packs alps freight hauler was more comfortable than anything the army issued me

 

[long hunter]

It's not the equipment that makes a hunter, yes, it is nice to have creature comforts and decent gear, these can be had for a lot less than most name brands. I have progressed over the years in all my hunting equipment but be damned if I pay exuberant prices for some name tag to impress my hunting buddies with. The only exception being boots and socks. I don't need to look like I am a fashion model for a hunting magazine.

 

[Andrew12gauge]

I’ve killed a lot of game with a lot less than what you described OP. My savage axis with a cheap tasco would be the first rifle I pulled from the safe today if you told me I had to put a vital hit on a deer from 0-400 yds. I now have a mystery ranch pack(bought in 2021) but did a lot of hunting and packing on an Easton fullbore and that will be the pack my son uses in his teenage years until he buys his own. Boots, I found my Irish setter elk trackers that I wore out to be far more comfortable than the crispis(bought 2022) I have now. Binos I am using Vortex Diamondback HD 12x50 today but hunted with some Alpen 10x42’s up until 2020. Essentially most every item we have now is a luxury compared to even 10 years ago.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[nobody]

Some of ya'll aren't being very specific. LOL

Rifle
Boots
Optic
Pack

What's the least you'd take.

Fair enough, here it goes:

Rifle: Tikka Stainless Lite in 6.5 Creed, fixed SWFA, Vortex Diamondback rangefinder (sorry, rangefinder is part of the rifle setup as far as I’m concerned haha)

Boots: Vivobarefoot Tracker II ESC’s. Won’t skimp here, I’ve got feet problems. I saved money on the rifle because I wanted a Sako haha

Optic: Maven C3 10x50 and the most economical Amazon tripod and bino adapter I can find.

Pack: Since I’m a western hunter, I’ve gotta be able to pack meat. Im going used Stone Glacier frame with medium belt and a 3500-ish cubic inch bag of some flavor.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

For packs, a Badlands 2800 and an old Cabelas Alaskan meat packer. Both have served me well. My favorite rifles are 35 years old (or WAY more, like 100 years or more). I have newer ones, just like the old ones. I used a tent last fall that is 40+ years old. I could go on forever.

I have an instilled notion that my dad gave me. If it still works, no need to replace it. Yeah, I'm kind of an old fart.

 

[AntelopeEater]

If small game hunting counts, I've successfully hunted with nothing but a $70 recurve bow, a few cheap arrows with judo points, and regular clothes.