Trekking poles….I don’t get it

[Jwknutson17]

I've used trekking poles since my late 20s. They are a game changer for heavy loads. I can't even count the times they have saved me from falling when I have the head/antlers on my back along with a quarter and or misc extra meat. Hiking over deadfall and uneven terrain wouldn't be possible without poles in a lot of areas where we have killed bulls.

 

[Southforkguy]

Once I started using them was when I realized what I was missing. Mostly late season rifle for me. Serves as a quick rest for my rifle, shooting off one knee. Helps stabilize while walking on slopes, over trees etc.

 

[Indian Summer]

In steep STEEP stuff you can only take so many steps before you have to stop and suck air. Poles can double the number of steps. When I know there’s a bull up there and he isn’t going to wait around for me to get my fat ass into shooting position that’s a good thing.

At 56 they are knee savers on the downhill and I bet I can bounce down faster than a guy with no poles.

I also use them to set up my sil tarp so I can still hunt all day even if it rains or the snow is coming down.

Last, if I’m going to carry something I love it if I can use it for more than one thing. In the case of poles these Kwik Stix attachments do just that. Gun rest in 2 seconds. And a rest in elk hunting is priceless. I have a Bog Pod but it’s lashed to my pack while these are already in my hands ready to rock.

 

[5MilesBack]

I never used to use them, but the last few years I always have them available for the heavy packouts. I keep them with my hauling pack. I never use them while I'm actually hunting. A few years ago I hauled the head, rack, and cape of a bull out on my shoulders wearing my daypack, and left my bow in the tree with the meat to haul out attached to my pack with a meat load.......while using my trekking poles.

 

[huntcoop]

My knees thank me every time I use them, never leave home without them.

 

[philos]

I never quite realized jut how much they can help until I had a knee problem- probably should not have been in the woods at all but I was able to go a bit ONLY because of the poles.

There might be a small learning curve but they are quite useful when on inclines or declines.

 

[TomJoad]

As with 85% of the rest here, they are a part of my kit but slightly different use. Packing in spike camp 55-60lbs they come with. Then they are both deployed as the center pole on my Cimarron at spike. I never take them actively hunting. I do use them packing out meat the second trip. In general they are great for on trail miles but a liability off trail in many instances, I want hands for scrambling or climbing rock, screefields or most importantly navigating the galactic deadfall that we have across much of Colorado. A single pole can be helpful in a some instances like side hilling and river crossing but lowering your center of gravity and working with your hands is much safer in most instances.

 

[Gerbdog]

As with a lot here also, the poles stay broken down in the pack until A. im carrying out meat or B. the suns gone down, the head lamps gone on, and the poles come out to help me navigate the mountain in the dark.

I dont hunt with a hiking pole out, they make too odd of a sound when they click on the ground for me to use it in the morning when im hiking into an area, and definitely not when im hunting an area

 

[ChrisAU]

I’d rather forget my rifle than my poles. But I’m a very unstable person lol. No doubt I’d have broken bones or be dead rn without them.

 

[timberland]

Sprained my ankle and had 2 miles to hike out. They were a god send!

 

[cnelk]

I think that anyone that doesn’t use trekking poles definitely will at some some point

 

[Indian Summer]

I think that anyone that doesn’t use trekking poles definitely will at some some point

Exactly. When you’re young you think it’s just something else to carry. When you’re old you think of them as something to carry you.

 

[3forks]

OP - if you’re unfamiliar with trekking poles, if yours are adjustable shorten them in the really steep stuff and you probably wouldn’t need to grab for branches to help you get yourself up the hill. Also, some poles have foam or another similar type material below the grip so you don’t have to adjust, or partially collapse, your poles on a side hill traverse or in the steep stuff.

 

[Str8shooter]

Just to add one more to this glorious pile of support for old man river sticks.... They let you look up and scan for movement/animals at a distance while walking on trails and uneven ground. I routinely spot more animals while moving through country than others in a group while using sticks because I spend more time looking up than down. They also pay for themselves the first time they save a knee twist or ankle sprain.

 

[mtwarden]

when you're starting to pack out that big bull with a 100 lbs on your back, you'll "get it" w/ trekking poles

mine are lashed on my backpack most of the time, occasionally they'll be broken on particularly steep ground, but when meat is in the pack it's a no brainer

 

[Wapiti1]

One fine day in Montana. Like many in September, it was in the low 70's and sunny. Few clouds, and a full moon. The elk were rutting well, but cashing it in early. I had bedded a small group that morning and left the truck about 4:30pm to get into a saddle that would give me both a good view and perhaps my best play on the elk.

A mile into the hike half a can of Nalley's chili, 2 Oscar Meyer hotdogs, and 1 Smith's hot dog bun came calling. It was a do or die scenario.

Taking a no survivors approach, gear, clothes and all other items that would impede a successful evacuation of the aforementioned food were jettisoned in a manner that would best be described as immediate random.

I did have the forethought to keep my pack close, and fished out the roll of sphincter polisher. However, due to poor planning, my addled state, and being on a 50% grade, my roll of salvation did what it was made to do. It rolled. About 5 feet to a small juniper.

But I had a trekking pole strapped to my pack. And with that miraculous bridge of aerospace grade aluminum, ergonomic cork, plus carbide tipped foot, I was able to maneuver my platinum precious roll of TP back within reach. I was saved.

At that moment, a ray of sunshine broke through the trees and illuminated me holding that roll of TP like a baby. Which was not good, since the road had a bunch of guys glassing on it. Even a good mile and a half from the road, I did not go unnoticed I later found out. A very good friend recounted the scene, as he saw it through his spotter, to me. At first he thought I got bit by a snake, then it became apparent that was not the case.

Trekking poles are life saving. And I shot the bull and spent the next day packing him out.

Jeremy

 

[streetdoctor]

Put 2 elk quarters in your pack and see if they make a difference.

I'll take the poles...

 

[Scoot]

With little weight in my pack they don't do much but get in the way. When I have 40 or more lbs in my pack they help. When I have 80+ lbs in my pack they are 100% a must.

 

[GotDraw?]

So I was in the elk woods, very thick, very steep terrain, with a very heavy (for me) pack. I did have poles with me, however I felt
Much more comfortable using my hands grabbing trees/saplings/ground (especially with a bow in my hand). I also could not see myself strapping my bow to my pack, just not worth the risk of it getting knocked.

What am I missing?

What you are missing is taking two minutes of your own time to do a quick search on this site and then read the *countless* excellent posts on this subject in this forum, instead of asking everyone to re-hash a topic that is already extremely well documented.

Ask not how others can answer your question, ask how you can find it.

Blunt but true.

JL

 

[V-TRAIN]

They work fantastic also using 1 as a monopod, when glassing with binos.
I sit down, then balance the binos on the handle while holding them and they are super stable no shake, and the stick holds all the weight.