My first archery elk hunt is in the books and I thought I’d share some of the gear I used that I really liked for anybody wondering about purchasing any of the items or equipment they may need. I hunted September 7th-13th and 21st-28th in Northern Colorado.
After watching and witnessing an MSR Windburner in action I think I’m going to be upgrading my cookware for next year. That style of stove/pot configuration is pretty efficient and packs nicely. One thing that made my hunting partners jealous was my Sea to Summit long titanium spoon. It was crazy spending $10 for a spoon, but it works so great for dehydrated meals.
For clothing I decided to go with base layer top/bottom, long sleeve camo shirt, camo pants, puffy jacket and rain jacket. This combo for me was great for the archery season. It worked from 10 degrees to 70. Keep in mind this is hiking/moving and not sitting. I decided to splurge and finally get some KUIU to add to my collection. I really love the fit and quality of their clothing. The attack pants are pretty sweet. My number 1 tip would be to look for non hunting clothing brands and keep your eyes out for sales.
For clothing references on fit I’m 6’0 and 200lbs
Clothing
Brown Outdoor Research Forossi Jacket XL – $160 on sale
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D5WCJYQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.eddiebauer.com/p/10112119/jackets-for-men?color=Atlantic&sp=1&size=
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OG0GA9K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B2A8GEY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.sportiva.com/trango-trk-gtx.html
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XM0YGW8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HGHIAD8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I have super narrow and very high pallet. It took a lot of trial and error to find a call and cut it to the right size to make work. Here are the ones I found to work best for my mouth with the Mini Master being my favorite.
Rocky Mountain Elk Calls #103 Mini Master (cut down to angled section on sides)
https://buglingbull.com/shop/elk-ca...3a-mini-master-tone-top-single-elk-diaphragm/
Wapiti Rivers Outdoors Phantom
https://www.wapitiriveroutdoors.com/product-page/phantom-narrow
Wapiti Rivers Outdoors Ridge Runner
https://www.wapitiriveroutdoors.com/product-page/ridge-runner-narrow-1
After watching and witnessing an MSR Windburner in action I think I’m going to be upgrading my cookware for next year. That style of stove/pot configuration is pretty efficient and packs nicely. One thing that made my hunting partners jealous was my Sea to Summit long titanium spoon. It was crazy spending $10 for a spoon, but it works so great for dehydrated meals.
For clothing I decided to go with base layer top/bottom, long sleeve camo shirt, camo pants, puffy jacket and rain jacket. This combo for me was great for the archery season. It worked from 10 degrees to 70. Keep in mind this is hiking/moving and not sitting. I decided to splurge and finally get some KUIU to add to my collection. I really love the fit and quality of their clothing. The attack pants are pretty sweet. My number 1 tip would be to look for non hunting clothing brands and keep your eyes out for sales.
For clothing references on fit I’m 6’0 and 200lbs
Clothing
Brown Outdoor Research Forossi Jacket XL – $160 on sale
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D5WCJYQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- Non camo so can be used all year
- Fit is great
- Used as outer shell for cold mornings
- Full length side/pit zips for ventilation
- A bit heavy
- Not super packable
https://www.eddiebauer.com/p/10112119/jackets-for-men?color=Atlantic&sp=1&size=
- Non camo so can be used all year
- Fit is great
- Packs down very small
- Wish it had a hood
- Merino quality is great
- Fit is great
- Pretty thin layer without much warmth
- Long zipper provides excellent ventilation during hiking
- Most people already know these pants are great
- Size 36 fit perfectly (I wear jeans 34/34 and have larger thighs)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OG0GA9K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- Excellent quality
- Fit is great
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B2A8GEY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- Excellent quality
- Could be a bit longer in length. Comes untucked
https://www.sportiva.com/trango-trk-gtx.html
- I wear size 14/15 shoes. Size 48.5 fits perfect
- Very low foot volume
- Started getting sores/blisters on tops of toes after 50 miles
Gear
Kifaru Fulcrum Backpack – $300 on Rokslide classifieds – The best thing I like about this pack is not having to touch my day pack items. I use the wing pockets for all of my day gear so I always have it and then just load the main bag with camping/overnight stuff. - Big enough for 7-10 days
- Packs down well for day pack
- Wing pockets make organization easy
- Love all of these items
- Guide lid is HUGE (which can make organization a bit cumbersome)
- Belt pouch made snacks/tissues and GPS super easy to get to
- Having my Nalgene in the water bottle holder made my water intake increase
- Super nice being able to text girlfriend/hunting partners when separated
- Sometimes took a really long time to connect to satellite (had to send test message)
- Battery lasted 7 days with turning on a few times a day
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XM0YGW8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- Cheaper through COSTCO if you have a membership
- Sturdy and light especially for the money
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HGHIAD8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- Uses 18650 rechargeable batteries (purchased them and charger from Illumn.com)
- Super bright
- Multiple settings for hiking and around camp
I have super narrow and very high pallet. It took a lot of trial and error to find a call and cut it to the right size to make work. Here are the ones I found to work best for my mouth with the Mini Master being my favorite.
Rocky Mountain Elk Calls #103 Mini Master (cut down to angled section on sides)
https://buglingbull.com/shop/elk-ca...3a-mini-master-tone-top-single-elk-diaphragm/
Wapiti Rivers Outdoors Phantom
https://www.wapitiriveroutdoors.com/product-page/phantom-narrow
Wapiti Rivers Outdoors Ridge Runner
https://www.wapitiriveroutdoors.com/product-page/ridge-runner-narrow-1
