Least you would hunt with

[bigmoose]

The least I would take on a mule deer hunt

Rifle: any scoped bolt action in 270 or better. Plenty of extra shells.

Boots: don't skimp here. A good pair of leather boots with merino wool socks.

Optics: any new manufactured binos in at least 7X35. 10X42 are my favorite.

Pack: any good day pack that's big enough for your knife, tag, water, and survival gear. Also a good pack frame for meat. I still use my 50+ year old freighter.

This would be the least I would want to take.

 

[robtattoo]

I draw the line at a loin cloth.

Pffft.
Lightweight.

 

[OKHunter84]

Some of the newbies here could easily get discouraged looking at what a lot of members spend on rifles, packs, optics and boots. And rightly so - we all know quality gear is not cheap!

But here's my question for the veterans. What is the LEAST expensive gear you would actually go hunting with this year? Not that you've hunted with, but that you would hunt with today. As in, anything less and you'd just stay home.

I'll go first:

Rifle: Savage Axis with Burris Fullfield II scope

Pack: Badlands daypack and old Kelty external frame for meat hauling

Optics: Vortex Viper HD (new) or one of the sleepers like the Cabelas Outfitter HD/Sightron Blue Sky II/Bushnell Legend M

Boots: Danner Pronghorns or Oboz Bridger or Vasque Talus or a used pair of Vasque sundowners

If that's all I had, I'd still go and expect to have a good hunt.

What say you?

Rifle: Ruger American with vortex diamondback tactical scope, known several guys have these and they all seem to shoot.

Pack: Cabela's versahunt with micro pack frame, I have the pack frame for working out so I don't get my Outdoorsman sweaty in the off-season.

Optics: Nikon monarchs (hunted with a pair for years before I upgraded to Swarovski)

Boots: here's where I wouldn't skimp too hard, maybe Cabela's meindl or one of the under armour boots. My Hoka hiking boots I use now aren't crazy high.

We could all get by with way less. My first hunting rifle was a Norinco SKS and my second was a Remington 7400 30-06 with a BSA scope. Hunted in army surplus camo, cheap Wal Mart hunting boots and old school long johns. Never packed in that crap, thank God, but managed to kill whitetail. Me and my dad laugh all the time about how far we've come.

 

[4rcgoat]

I actually saw a guy on an archery elk hunt wearing muck boots once… just seeing it made my feet hurt

In 2020 my son shot a nice 5x5 bull in 0 degree weather while wearing muck boots,carhart jeans, and a dickies jacket......the elk didn't care a bit.

 

[OKHunter84]

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.

Like the old saying goes, "hope my wife doesn't sell all my guns when I die for what I told her I paid for them"

 

[robtattoo]

Rifle: Whatever you already have
Boots: Whatever you already wear
Pack: I'm sure you have one already
Optics: Don't stress it. Bad ones are better than none.


The real trick, is to be highly proficient with all of those things & be absolutely OK with being uncomfortable. All the Gucci gear does is make you more comfortable. Discomfort is a sliding scale.

 

[tony]

Granddad hunted in plaid flannel and most likely blue jeans and his work shoes.
Had a Bear recurve.
My first rifle was a wal mart .270 Remington
Clothes were from Cabela's, jacket, bibs and rain gear. At least 25 years old
Pack was a maxpedition in woodland camo
Still have it all.

 

[rabbithuntr]

Rifle: every American should have a centerfire, because tyranny

Boots: what you normally wear everyday

Optic/pack: garage sale find or similar


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[timekiller13]

95% of my hunting will be done with the follwoing

2006 bowtech tribute during archery, Ruger m77 (purchased in 1997) .270 win during rifle.
A very old Gregory Pow backpack
Early archery I will hunt in tennis shoes. Once October hits I’ll wear my danner boots.
A buck 110 knife.
A Walmart headlamp.
A pair of 25 yr old Nikon binos.

 

[5MilesBack]

Heck, I could hunt elk in shorts and a t-shirt in September, and even without my day pack if I had to. Take my bow setup and release, bugle tube and reeds, and I'd be good to go for quick morning and evening jaunts.

In fact, I just about did that a few years ago. I was setting up my wall tent when a bull bugled maybe 1/2 mile away. I grabbed my bow and release and took off........and somehow left my bugle tube and reeds.......SMH. I got within 60 yards of this herd and then had an open area between me and them. The herd bull was on the opposite side of the cows and a couple raghorns and the wind kept shifting from the left and the right, so I couldn't work in from either side. I'm pretty confident that if I'd had my tube and reeds, I could have gotten that herd bull into an open shot position.

 

[Hnthrdr]

In 2020 my son shot a nice 5x5 bull in 0 degree weather while wearing muck boots,carhart jeans, and a dickies jacket......the elk didn't care a bit.

Not saying you can’t, just saying when it s 75-80 degrees out, during archery season maybe muck boots are not the best choice… even if the camo on the boots matches the camp on the rest of you

 

[fwafwow]

Saline nasal spray

 

[CobraChicken]

Good pack (kifaru)

Boots and socks (usually my kenes)

First aid (mixture of sutures, blood pack, leukotape, etc.) This goes even on day hunts. I've done dumb shit 10 feet from the truck before

Nalgene w/aquatabs

Bow or rifle (omen or wby 300). Usually three arrows or three rounds. If I can't get it done with that, put me to pasture.

Dots pretzels, I'll fight you for them idc

Clothes are whatever. I've shot animals in kuhl pants and a t shirt.

 

[svivian]

Rifle: Savage weather warrior with bushnell elite 3200

Binos: 8x25 bushnell

Boots: Old pair of basketball shoes

Pack: none.... pillow case with rope to string the quarter over my shoulder.

That was me when I first started elk hunting and I would do it again if I had to.

 

[Yarak]

I’ve been out with nothing but a smile and Ellie May Clampett’s slang shot

 

[bnsafe]

oh, I forgot, the best sleeping bag I can find thats non mummy bag. Id rather quit hunting than sleep in a mummy bag. An I freeze in stuff yall would laugh at. Lastly a good knife, I love my cutco but probably better stuff out there.
So wiggys bag and a good gps and knife, everything else I can make work with walmart stuff. I do have a mystery ranch back pack, leupold bx4 binocs, assolo sassalong boots I bought 13 years ago, a 150 dollar muzzleloader or bergara b14 hunter rifle (I do have a nice bowtech bow but its 3 years old an not changing), 1 set of decent camo and 1 set of walmart stuff, and a rino gps 650 I bought 12 or 13 years ago I think. When I hunt mo its off brand type muck boots. Im just to tight to spend much. Now, if I was 25 again, it would prob be the nicest stuff I could find.

 

[Dos Perros]

I don't think any amount of self imposed poverty would keep me out of the woods. If I could afford gas and tags I'm out there.

 

[fngTony]

Any rifle that’s sold at Walmart in an easy to come by caliber, what ever the entry level vortex scope and range finder are (or equivalent).

I could go without binos if its not wide open country and just use the range finder

The most comfortable trail running shoes I can find at a reasonable price. With several extra pairs of socks.

A frame pack with a dry bag.

Since clothes were bought up I’ll agree that Walmart and Costco budget stuff is very up to the task but we don’t have to settle for cotton jeans and heavy flannel anymore. Plenty of good synthetic stretch fabrics for cheap.

 

[Banded_spooney]

I actually saw a guy on an archery elk hunt wearing muck boots once… just seeing it made my feet hurt

I've worn muck boots on an archery elk hunt.... maybe you saw me

 

[Rich M]

I have a 40-yr old rifle w 20 yr old scope. I dare you to try and shoot more than an inch at 250 with it. Gun is a laser.

Hunt w what you have and what works. Damn those who say otherwise.