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Boliver_Shagnasty posted:So I'm a brand new hunter; planning on going out for the first time this fall to hopefully bag a white-tailed deer. No one in my family or anyone I know well hunts. Where I'm planning on hunting is kind of mountainous(not Everest, but definitely some inclines). I was wondering what some people would recommend as far as the best way to get a hypothetical deer out of the woods. I've done a lot of reading about it; some people use tarps and paracord, some people invest in sleds or what are essentially hunting hand trucks, and a lot of what I've read says to just butcher the deer in the field, pack it in those white mesh game bags and pack it out like that. The last option seems like the most appealing to me and just making as many trips as it might take. I'm strong, but dragging a gutted deer for miles up and down hill just sounds awful, but I don't know poo poo. So I was just curious what methods y'all use and why? Break it down in the field and backpack it out (if legal) is the best way by far. I use the quick quarter gutless method. For deer I like the Kuiu boned out meat bags but I’ve also used the Alaskan game bags and Ovis sacks too. 1 Large Kuiu bag is often enough for a deer, 2 is definitely fine. https://www.kuiu.com/shop/packs/game-bags/kuiu-boned-out-game-bag/96002.html?dwvar_96002_color=White&cgid=pack-gamebags The backpack you use matters a lot. Ideally you have a meat hauling hunting pack like an Exo, Stone Glacier, Mystery Ranch or Kuiu pack where the meat can go between the pack and frame.
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Jul 21, 2020 03:52
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The first time I took a pig I tried to drag it out of the woods. It was about a 3.5 mile drag. I made it about 2.5 miles before giving up. Im in ok shape but I seriously thought going any further would put me at risk for some kind of cardiac event. It was absolutely horrible and I dont think thats a viable approach unless you are very close to a trail head. I took a whitetail a bit later and quartered it out in two trips and had a much better experience. Field butchering is a skill that you want to learn, it will give you a lot more options for how to get game out of the woods. I definitely recommend planning to take that approach. Its also far easier than you would think, if you've ever taken apart a fryer chicken with a knife you have a basic idea of whats involved.
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Jul 21, 2020 03:57
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The backpack I use isn't specifically for hunting. I'm planning on using the pack I've used for backpacking for a few trips here and there over the years. It's just a basic internal frame that's pretty big with separate compartments. I didn't want to invest too much in gear right off the bat. Where's the best place to find out about if it's legal to field butcher the deer? I'm in upstate NY and I haven't found anything in the wanton waste laws that says I can't, but like I said, I'm brand new, so I don't know if I'm just looking in the wrong places. Also, why do you prefer gutless? I figured gutting to get those sweet, sweet tenderloins was what most people preferred?
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Jul 21, 2020 04:01
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Boliver_Shagnasty posted:The backpack I use isn't specifically for hunting. I'm planning on using the pack I've used for backpacking for a few trips here and there over the years. It's just a basic internal frame that's pretty big with separate compartments. I didn't want to invest too much in gear right off the bat. Gutless is faster and less messy, and you can get to the tenderloins with the gutless method with a little blind uh, extraction. My first whitetail hunt the thread can tell you I brought a jansport backpack. Not an ideal situation but it worked in a pinch. Your state hunting regulations will tell you what you need to do. For instance, some places you can't break it down in the field, no quartering, so you need to bring the entire deer to the check station. Some want proof of sex attached to the corpse, some just want the head. Most states have a Hunting Digest for each year and it'll describe to you all the regulations including how you need to present the deer, which will dictate how you carry it out. Those Kuiu bags are excellent, by the way. Easy to wash, easy to spot and super affordable for the nice bag you get. Last year's whitetail took 3 trips, and only because I insist on taking the whole skull/head and skin which is shockingly heavy for what it is and takes up substantial room. Dracula Deer hauled two trips in the time I took for one, because I am out of shape. Which is funny because when I think of the average hunter I think of the overweight uncle who shoots in his backyard. That deer was...eh, like 2.5-3 miles in, I think? With some hills. Nothing awful, but it becomes a lot harder when you add weight to the equation. Also something that I like doing since I skin the animal: Use the skin as your tarp on the ground while you clean! Keeps the meat out of the grass and you can roll it around a little easier with the leverage.
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Jul 21, 2020 04:11
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Boliver_Shagnasty posted:The backpack I use isn't specifically for hunting. I'm planning on using the pack I've used for backpacking for a few trips here and there over the years. It's just a basic internal frame that's pretty big with separate compartments. I didn't want to invest too much in gear right off the bat. By all means use the backpack you have but realize most REI type internal frame packs don’t really handle that weight all that well. Good hunting packs can easily help you pull 100+ lbs out of the woods in one trip. Extracting a midsized buck is usually ~60 lbs quartered plus the gear you have and a 10 lb rifle. It’s not unusual to need to do 90-100 lbs to pack all that out in 1 trip. I used my old Lowe Alpine pack the first time I field quartered and it just does not work nearly as well. For legality ask your game warden or read the regulations closely. You can get tenderloins out fine with gutless frame behind the last rib. It’s maybe not as clean of a finished produce but it’s worth the reduced hassle.
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Jul 21, 2020 04:12
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Awesome insight from folks. Already ordered some Kuiu bags, based on the recommendations. And I guess I'll be looking more into the gutless method. Thanks for everyone's help!
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Jul 21, 2020 04:18
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I’m in upstate NY and can anecdotally say I knew a guy who would quarter and pack out his deer because he hunted a particularly hard to access area, but I have no idea if it’s actually legal. I’ve always just gutted and dragged since I have the luxury of hunting private land with 4 wheeler access
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Jul 21, 2020 04:20
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HamAdams posted:I’m in upstate NY and can anecdotally say I knew a guy who would quarter and pack out his deer because he hunted a particularly hard to access area, but I have no idea if it’s actually legal. I’ve always just gutted and dragged since I have the luxury of hunting private land with 4 wheeler access Growing up we were private land too so it was gut, stick it in a pickup bed, rinse the cavity and hang it in the barn before we took it to a processor. I figure I’ll put the seats down in my Rav4 and have a tarp to catch anything left after I field dress my potential future deer. I will update on how bad of a decision this turns out to be this fall.
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Jul 21, 2020 04:30
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I really think doing a full field dress the first couple of times you take an animal is good for new hunters. I know for me at least seeing how everything was connected internally as I pulled it out and left it as a pile of mush on the forest floor really helped to understand where the various organs I was trying to hit were located in a way that looking at anatomical drawings couldnt. I did a gutless quarter for the first time earlier this year though and going forward I think that will be my technique for quartering animals going forward. It was way faster.
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Jul 21, 2020 04:40
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Outrail posted:drat, how are there any deer left? I'm in barely populated mountain country and they're shortening the doe season to 10 days, 2 deer max and one antlerless. Huge deer population is a result of very few hunters mostly. Another thing is no rifle hunting which limits the number of hunters further by taking away the most popular method of take. The amount of hunting licenses has been steadily declining every single year as well. Fun fact: we have the densest concentration of black bears in the lower 48. With the bear hunt now being limited to private land (thanks Gov. Murphy), those numbers, and human-bear interactions are just going to go up.
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Jul 21, 2020 11:25
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Speaking of which, the berry season is in, and the bike trails are covered in berry bushes, and therefore blue and purple bear poo poo. Something crashed off the trail about 20 mins ago and I suddenly wished I hadn't forgotten bear spray. Luckily I had two smaller people with me for ursine offerings.
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Jul 21, 2020 14:35
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Great OP!  hunter here, and if anyone wants to chat about hunting from layout boats, that's also my jam 
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Jul 21, 2020 21:27
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Chiming in as someone who was a vegetarian because I don't like factory farming but was always okay with small scale livestock and hunting, got into hunting at age 30, and alnilam-hunted meat became the sole source of meat for my pregnant wife and now my venison fed superchild. Hunting is good and is done by very different people than you might think by stereotype!
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Jul 22, 2020 04:52
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Checking in as a guy who grew up in Michigan surrounded by whitetail deer hunting but never partook in it. It just never appealed to me. Always seeing them hanging in my relatives garages, I never really liked venison, sitting in the cold rear end woods/snow from sun up to sundown, etc. I was always outside. I loved camping, hiking, shooting. I just didn't like the idea of deer hunting. When I was around 20 my step dad oddly tore his bicep reaching for something and suddenly his bow hunting days were over. For his 50th birthday we got him a German shorthair pointer to get into bird hunting. Remi was a great dog. She hated every girlfriend I ever brought home and you couldn't say the word "ball" without devoting an hour if playing fetch with her. My parents had to put her down last year at 15 years old.  I eventually got into it after they got a dog (around 20 y/o) and now at 35, I live in Seattle, have a vizsla myself (Stanley) and enjoy casual bird hunting.   I'm a fan of upland hunting. It involves hiking, skilled shooting, working with a dog, and meat I enjoy eating. I enjoy it. Out here in Washington we mostly focus on pheasant and grouse but we've also got chukkars. The first time I hunted out in Washington was wild. Being used to the thick forests of Michigan hunting ruffed grouse, and hunting peasants in desert sage of eastern Washington was a crazy change. The sage rubs on your gear and you smell better after hunting than you started.  My hunting buddy laughs because he and his dog are infinitely more blood thirsty than my dog and I. I don't shoot unless I know there's a good chance I'm downing the bird. I don't like wounding birds or being unable to find them. My first trip with my hunting partner is a good example of our differences in hunting styles. We were hunting blue grouse here in Washington. Throughout the day he probably fired 20 rounds and got 2-3 birds out of the 5-10 we saw. He and his dog were scratched to poo poo from running through thick underbrush and briars. Lots of misses and lots of impossible shots. I fired one round and dropped one bird. It was the only clean shot I had all day and I made it count. He still teases me for being a soft hearted hunter but I'm not the one who got so blood thirsty that I once shot out the rear tire of my own truck because a bird flew that direction. His dog jumped through a barbed wire fence chasing a pheasant and tore a good chunk of skin. His dog jumped out of a window after a pigeon and destroyed his back after falling two stories, requiring extensive surgery and years of rehabilitation. He still hunts like a bulldozer even with a titanium rear end. I'm sure he could do it without rear legs.  They're fun to hunt together and I really enjoy getting out. It's another hobby for me that gets me outside but it's not my life. I might get out a half dozen times a season. I've let a lot of birds see a another day. Most people are usually shocked when they find out I hunt. Hell, I still use the first shotgun I've ever bought myself when I turned 18, a Remington 870 express magnum 12g. Verman fucked around with this message at 08:02 on Jul 22, 2020 |
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Jul 22, 2020 07:54
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Verman posted:He still teases me for being a soft hearted hunter but I'm not the one who got so blood thirsty that I once shot out the rear tire of my own truck because a bird flew that direction.  to be frank your hunting buddy sounds kind of like a dangerous rear end who might accidentally shoot someone some day. Hunting and guns are deadly serious business and he shouldn't be careless to the point of shooting his truck, or casually taking wounding shots.Your measured approach is much better.
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Jul 22, 2020 16:42
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Verman posted:I'm a fan of upland hunting. It involves hiking, skilled shooting, working with a dog, and meat I enjoy eating. I enjoy it. Out here in Washington we mostly focus on pheasant and grouse but we've also got chukkars. The first time I hunted out in Washington was wild. Being used to the thick forests of Michigan hunting ruffed grouse, and hunting peasants in desert sage of eastern Washington was a crazy change. The sage rubs on your gear and you smell better after hunting than you started. Hey, is this just south of Highway 26, north of the Saddle Mountains, between Vantage and Royal City?
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Jul 22, 2020 16:53
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alnilam posted:
Yeah second that, on a long enough timeline he's way more likely to shoot his dog or hunting partner at some point.
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Jul 22, 2020 17:18
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I’ve had a bullet whiz over my head before because someone in our hunting party tried hunting hung over. It’s best to pick your hunting partners wisely.
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Jul 22, 2020 17:34
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Oh hey this is a cool forum I didn't realize existed until today. I used to hunt whitetail quite a bit when I lived in rural central WI, now that I'm in a larger city, my plan is to get out for small game this fall. Squirrels and rabbits are good eating, and public land isn't super packed outside of gun deer season in Wisconsin.
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Jul 22, 2020 18:19
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Verman posted:Checking in as a guy who grew up in Michigan surrounded by whitetail deer hunting but never partook in it. It just never appealed to me. Always seeing them hanging in my relatives garages, I never really liked venison, sitting in the cold rear end What a cheeky dog. I love it. Posts like this make me wish we had more options for birding here in Texas. The skill set needed to succeed seems like a very fun one and it takes you to some great places.
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Jul 22, 2020 19:44
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Outrail posted:Yeah second that, on a long enough timeline he's way more likely to shoot his dog or hunting partner at some point. Also known as "giving 'em the ol Dick Cheney"
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Jul 22, 2020 19:58
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alnilam posted:
I'll say this, that story makes him sounds worse than he is. He's a very safe hunter, he's very aggressive on birds but he's safe and I trust him. He's got a ton more hunting experience than I do, not that it's always a measure of safety, but he knows what he's doing. I've hunted with people who were going to kill someone eventually. I've been swept so many times by friends of friends that I'm really cautious about who I hunt with. How he shot his tire out was due to the truck being uphill from us through some thick brush. He was on the uphill side so when the bird went up, he shot uphill at it. He was blocking my shot so I didn't go for it. We both thought we were in a different location than we were, well away from the truck and didn't realize he even hit the tire until we got back to camp and noticed it went flat. We changed the spare and it looked like he just rubbed some sharp rocks on the sidewall. When he eventually got the tire changed, he found lead shot inside. It wasn't a pinnacle moment of achievement but it's laughable now. One of those stories that we'll tell forever. Like the other time I had a ruffed grouse go up in front of 5 of us in upper peninsula of Michigan, turn 180° back towards our shooting line and fly straight into my face. I think the bird was trying to take the hunters out one by one. Its wings hit my face as it banked and flew away. Thankfully nobody shot at it. Pham Nuwen posted:Hey, is this just south of Highway 26, north of the Saddle Mountains, between Vantage and Royal City? Yes it is. It was all burned, leading to a pretty poo poo hunt.
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Jul 22, 2020 21:36
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Oh hey, a new and slightly less intimidating hunting thread! Growing up in the greater NYC area, I rarely interacted with hunters and hunting until grad school and starting a career in conservation, and then suddenly 75% of the people I knew hunted. I lurked the TFR thread, worked deer checks and youth pheasant hunts, and absorbed a lot of Steve Rinella media to build interest and knowledge. I took hunter safety courses and had a deer biologist as a mentor, and shot my first deer at 29. Hunting in the northeast is usually from a stand, but fresh snowfall let us do a spot-and-stalk hunt on a wooded hillside and was pretty much the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced. Hoping to progress to bowhunting in the next year or two but that's another level of intimidating (and equipment cost). I mostly hunt to make use of/improve my outdoor skills, have an excuse to cook new things, and reduce dependence on industrial livestock farming. Between venison and CSA chickens I know exactly where my protein comes from and who’s touched it. Hunting an animal and turning it into food is weirdly empowering. You guys willing to serve as mentors are seriously amazing. Even with all of the information available online, having someone there to plan, point out sign, and reassure me before that first shot was pretty necessary for me to have a successful first season. I hope to do the same when I have some more experience under my belt.
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Jul 23, 2020 13:33
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Verman posted:Yes it is. It was all burned, leading to a pretty poo poo hunt. Knew it... the shape of Sentinel Gap is pretty burned into my brain at this point. My brother shot a monster mule deer down near Sand Hollow Lake; I hope to some day move back to Washington and go out around there for hunting.
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Jul 23, 2020 15:21
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I live in Washington and have never gone hunting, despite spending most of my weekends camping with my dad as a kid. My brother and I are kicking around the idea of learning to hunt, it’s good to know there are resources for dummies like us. Definitely bookmarking this thread.
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Jul 23, 2020 23:48
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Hi other hunting thread! After years of being on the fence I’m jumping into hunting this year. I’m in Florida and my intended game is going to be wild pigs and deer. A few questions. 1. How big a cooler do I need for a field dressed animal and how long do I have to get it to the butcher to process? Or how feasible is it to do butchering at home? I don’t have a barn or shed but I have a large kitchen island that has enough space to work on a quarter at a time. I wouldn’t mind getting a small meat grinder but I don’t really want to go much further as far a equipment. 2. Is there a guide to public land hunting etiquette out there other than what’s in the hunter safety course (i used the NRA course)? 3. I know bow hunting is getting into advanced hunting, but when it comes to public land at least I would much rather stick to archery season than gun season. My scouting so far has been internet based but it looks like typical shooting lanes are 30-50 yards whether you are using a bow or rifle. I expect I would be hunting out of a tree stand or maybe a pop up blind. Am I putting myself at a severe disadvantage if I jump straight into bow hunting? 4. Speaking of tree stands, I’m looking into going with a tree saddle over a tree stand. The reduced bulk and increased mobility look really attractive. No one in TFR had first hand experience but people said they heard good things. Anyone here ever tried one?
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Jul 24, 2020 23:51
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iammeandsoareyou posted:Hi other hunting thread! After years of being on the fence I’m jumping into hunting this year. I’m in Florida and my intended game is going to be wild pigs and deer. For a cooler the sweet spot is probably around 65-75 quarts for deer sized game. Meat is the same density as water and is right around 2 lbs/quart. They general rule is that you want 2x as much ice as meat to cook down so with a 75 quart cooler you have the capacity to cool down about 50 lbs of meat. Boned out deer bigger than those in Florida go 50-60lbs of meat. I’m vary aware of the exact weight because I’ve checked quite a few for airline flights. If not boned out the length of the femur generally limits you on smaller coolers. Time to get meat on ice depends on the temperature and the size of the game. Just make it a priority to get the skin off or empty the body cavity ASAP for best results. You do have longer than you think coming from a lifestyle built around refrigeration but don’t mess around in hot conditions. Public land etiquette is to not crowd people within reason. If you get beat to a spot move on. What that spacing means is so area dependent. Don’t hangout in the parking lot and ask people a bunch of questions. That’s about it really. Bowhunting in thick cover isn’t so much limiting in pure range, but rather what shot opportunities you should take. There is a lot of nuance to that. I wouldn’t recommend bowhunting from the start.
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Jul 25, 2020 00:13
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iammeandsoareyou posted:Hi other hunting thread! After years of being on the fence I’m jumping into hunting this year. I’m in Florida and my intended game is going to be wild pigs and deer. 1. I used a 48qt Walmart cooler with good success for quite a while. A fairly standard Texas pig or whitetail can fit in one along with 30lbs of ice. Its a little tight though, which is why when I started driving a truck that had more room in the back I upgraded to a 75qt cooler which is much easier to fit the whole animal in. I no longer have to play meat tetris to get the whole animal in the cooler. If you have the space the bigger cooler is definitely worth it. 2. Etiquette is really, really local. Basic stuff like giving plenty of space, strictly adhere to firearm safety, etc are universal but theres other stuff too. You might want to consider asking about etiquette on a Florida specific forum or Facebook group. Most forums and groups like that are pretty bad, but usually broad questions about etiquette will get constructive feedback. 3. My decision to try my hand at bow hunting was based on similar observations. Just about all the game Ive taken with a rifle has been sub 50 yards, so in theory I should be in a good place to take game with a bow. Sadly, its not that easy. Ive been a mildly successful gun hunter so far, but since I started bow hunting last October Ive had four missed shots on game within 40 yards. The decision making process for setting up shots with a bow is pretty different from with a rifle. If you check my post history starting around October of last year you can read all about my struggles with it. Of course, some people probably do have the temperament to jump right in and start bow hunting and that may include you, but I suspect youll have a better experience gun hunting at first. 4. Unless you plan to use a DdRT or SRT climbing setup Im kind of skeptical about the utility of a saddle. Sure, you do save a bit of weight since you dont need a seat, but you still need climbing sticks, a standing platform, etc. For people who already have a good setup investing in a saddle setup seems worthwhile. But for new hunters a reasonably priced climber or hang on stand will be much cheaper, and since they are more widely used you will also be able to find a lot more constructive advice on how to use them. Getting up in a tree via stand or saddle setup is no joke, more hunters are killed or injured falling out of a tree each year than by gunshot. This is something to be very careful with.
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Jul 25, 2020 03:54
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Nice work OP. I dont really hunt anymore but I do donate the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Project each year just to support public lands. I use to do some rifle hunting when I lived in Alaska but have sadly let that hobby go. Just getting into archery in the last few months and think I'll try to get back out there deer hunting to take advantage of the longer season afforded bow hunters.
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Jul 27, 2020 02:00
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charliebravo77 posted:Currently across the US (and some places globally) there is a movement called to help increase Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) of hunters and anglers in every state. The current hunting population is aging out of the sport and new hunters aren't filling in the ranks. Youth programs are generally successful at introducing kids for a couple of years, but as soon as sports/dating/college become priorities many leave hunting by the wayside. A big goal right now is to try and recruit more young adults in the 18-35 year old range to become active in the outdoors. Being an adult-onset hunter myself, this hits home and is something I am particularly passionate about. There's been a hunting thread in TFR for years, but I'm hoping to bring some new people into the fold with this wider audience. Why do we need more hunters? See the next section: Great intro post OP. I identify with this part. My father is a life-long hunter, and I hunted with him until I lost interest around 15-16 years old. I'm getting back into it now, and I'm excited. Applied for a few local quota hunts on federal land as those hunts occur before regular season opens. I'm going to ask around and see if I can find out what the etiquette is, but I'm assuming I can hike pretty far out and be good for the most part. One of the areas allows for overnight camping, so I'm considering going out the day before and setting up camp. I need to get a good pack and a new tent. I've been eyeing KUIU's stuff, but I feel like there might be better options out there. Speaking of hunting clothes/camo, I was looking at three options: Sitka's Elevated II, KUIU's Valo, and First Lite's Fusion. I'll be ground hunting whitetail in the Southeast, so I don't know if Sitka's is the best for me since it seems focused towards hunting out of a stand. I really like KUIU's Valo, and have already bought a jacket in that camo. I don't have any pants yet, and I really like these from First Lite. Is it a bad idea to mix/match different camo patterns? Sitka  KUIU  First Lite 
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Jul 27, 2020 22:30
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Glad to have you back in the game. I really like the Big Agnes tents I've used (I have a Triangle Mountain UL3) and the Nemo/First Lite offerings look appealing in some ways. Flatland can speak more to Kuiu stuff than I can and none of their stuff fits me at all so I have little experience. I wear about 95% First Lite and 5% Sitka. Fusion is a great pattern that works drat near anywhere and is a great generalist assortment of kit. Sitka is much more style defined, by that I mean tree stand vs. waterfowl vs. western hunting. Either Sitka or First Lite is super quality gear and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend either depending on what you are focusing on. Mixing and matching patterns isn't super problematic and playing the wind and keeping still will be way more important. For packs, in my mind there are only 3 options: Exo Mountain Gear, Mystery Ranch and Stone Glacier. Exo (which I own) I think is the best balance of lightweight, well made and well thought out features. Mystery Ranch is bulletproof but weighs more. Stone Glacier I don't have experience with but haven't heard anything bad about. Kifaru also falls into the bulletproof category at the expense of weight but they have so many goddamn options and configurations that my eyes glazed over and I stopped looking into them. If you're looking for a pack that can haul a serious amount of meat and gear weight then I don't think you should look at any other options than the above. Sitka makes a lot of specialist packs but in my experience with a couple of them they do like one or two things really well and that's it.
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Jul 28, 2020 00:03
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Burn Zone posted:Great intro post OP. I identify with this part. My father is a life-long hunter, and I hunted with him until I lost interest around 15-16 years old. I'm getting back into it now, and I'm excited. Applied for a few local quota hunts on federal land as those hunts occur before regular season opens. I'm going to ask around and see if I can find out what the etiquette is, but I'm assuming I can hike pretty far out and be good for the most part. One of the areas allows for overnight camping, so I'm considering going out the day before and setting up camp. I need to get a good pack and a new tent. I've been eyeing KUIU's stuff, but I feel like there might be better options out there. If the fit works for you, I think any of these brands have really good options. For years I used an old Sitka outfit and it was really well made and nicely featured, but as it got worn out I've moved to a mix of Kuiu for early season hot weather stuff and First-Lite for later season. The fit, features and fabric of the Kuiu warm weather gear really suits me in Northern Virginia when it's in the 70s in November, but the First-Lite Catalyst worked great for when it finally gets colder. My old Sitka stuff was kinda in-between in weight/temp, but it was an old style and they revised the fabric at some point and I haven't used their newer stuff. I still use an old Cabelas suit for stand hunting when I don't have to hike - super warm but incredibly heavy and bulky. Heh. I went with a huge Kifaru pack last year too since I like to do a 3-5 day camp while hunting the WMAs, but that's not really anything most people need in the east at all. For more than a decade I liked my Osprey Trailblazer 26L pack to carry all my little stuff and it worked great for day hunting in drag-out territory.
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Jul 28, 2020 00:31
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HamAdams posted:Jealous of your pheasant pics, my grandpa always talks about how great the pheasant hunting used to be in this area but they’re not really around anymore, certainly not in huntable numbers. I don't hunt (I have in the past but not currently) but I have noticed this around here too. I'm not really sure why although my dad thinks it's because farmers no longer raise milo/sorghum which acted as a food source for them. They used to be everywhere around here when I was a kid and now I very rarely see any.
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Jul 28, 2020 02:44
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Burn Zone posted:Great intro post OP. I identify with this part. My father is a life-long hunter, and I hunted with him until I lost interest around 15-16 years old. I'm getting back into it now, and I'm excited. Applied for a few local quota hunts on federal land as those hunts occur before regular season opens. I'm going to ask around and see if I can find out what the etiquette is, but I'm assuming I can hike pretty far out and be good for the most part. One of the areas allows for overnight camping, so I'm considering going out the day before and setting up camp. I need to get a good pack and a new tent. I've been eyeing KUIU's stuff, but I feel like there might be better options out there. What state are you hunting? I’m currently living in TN but have also hunted in Northern AL as well. I don’t think the camo pattern matters much at all. If I had to pick one Fusion is the best all around pattern I’ve seen for varied environments. I’m pretty partial to Subalpine personally as well. Elevated is fine on the ground as well as in the air. Elevated 2 fixed the first generation issues. Valo is definitely the better late fall and winter camo pattern from Kuiu. Verde is too green and Vias doesn’t have quite enough micro disruption with too much contrast. One thing to note is of the 3 companies Kuiu is the only 1 without a Whitetail hunting line of clothing. Of the 3 Sitka is the most athletically cut and First Lite is the most relaxed fit. Kuiu is somewhere in the middle. Sitka is the only 1 of the 3 you can find to try on in store anymore. I like Sitka and First Lite the most. I have at one point or another had at least half dozen pieces of gear from Sitka, First Lite and Kuiu. I’ve returned, sold or given away the most Kuiu gear of the 3. I really feel like First Lite has really improved over the last 3 years or so. I also think First Lite is the most economical way to put a system together with General pieces. I would say First Lite has a more straightforward line up to navigate than Sitka and Kuiu. I feel First Lite has the best rain gear of the 3 companies. First Lite has good sales at Black Friday and intermittent smaller sales on seasonal gear. I’ve probably kept the most First Lite pieces so far of the 3 companies. Kuiu was supposed to be cheaper than Sitka, it was started by the cofounder of Sitka after his non Compete was up to be consumer direct only. I don’t think it’s been less expensive in quite a few years. To me Kuiu seems like it’s lost it’s direction a bit, it’s now been 2 years since the founder died and he was a cult of personality love him or hate him. Kuiu is supposed to be minimal and lightweight. It will definitely have fewer pockets and gizmo’s than Sitka. Kuiu doesn’t put poo poo on sale anymore. Also don’t buy a Kuiu pack, I know from experience. I DO use some random Kuiu gear like their boned out meat bags, those are the best going for deer. Sitka makes hands down the best pants of the 3 brands IMO. They just have the knee pad thing figured out. I probably have 150 days on my Timberline pants and they are amazing as are the Apex pants. Sitka some times over does their features and makes some hyper niche products. Sometimes I think it’s brilliant like the integrated face mask on their hoodie and sometimes it’s dumb when they put a grunt tube holder specific pocket mid calf. Sitka has the warmest Treestand and Waterfowl gear going hands down. Like set you on fire warm. Sitka is pricey but it’s on sale January thru March. The biggest issue I’ve had with Sitka is buying redundant pieces of gear because they have too many options. Also their packs suck too and their rain gear is mediocre. Watch Hunt of the day and camofire for Sitka closeout sales. One thing to consider with southern deer hunting is that it feels pretty cold the first 2 hours of the day until the sun breaks and then it’s flat out hot. For this reason plan around layering rather than relying on a single layer of really warm gear.
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Jul 28, 2020 03:35
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How much of difference is a novice hunter realistically going to see with solid color vs camo? If they're wearing slate grey/coyote/tan (depending on terrain) is that going to have significant if any effect with rifle hunting? Because I can afford more/ nicer outdoor gear if I can wear it for work, and camo is going to turn off a lot of my vegan/non hunting approving volunteers.
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Jul 28, 2020 03:48
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Outrail posted:How much of difference is a novice hunter realistically going to see with solid color vs camo? If they're wearing slate grey/coyote/tan (depending on terrain) is that going to have significant if any effect with rifle hunting? The camo is going to make very little difference but in the instance of stand hunting I’m not sure I know of any company making a technical, heavily insulated set of bids with a quiet brushed fabric besides hunting brands. Can you replace FL Corrugates 1 for 1 with Prana Zion’s for active mid season hunting absolutely. Can you buy a goretex late season duck hunting parka equivalent from marmot, not so much.
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Jul 28, 2020 04:16
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Outrail posted:How much of difference is a novice hunter realistically going to see with solid color vs camo? If they're wearing slate grey/coyote/tan (depending on terrain) is that going to have significant if any effect with rifle hunting? For large game like whitetail I dont think it matters a whole lot. But, if you later decide you want to try for game that has excellent eye sight like turkey you are going to find yourself in a bind since for that you really do need camo. Another advantage of camo pattern hunting clothes is that it seems like they end up on sale/clearance for more often than earth tones. I would generally prefer earth tones to camo, but since gear in a camo pattern is almost exclusively what goes on sale at a deep discount thats what Ive largely ended up with. So camo tends to be both cheaper and more flexible which are both pretty big advantages.
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Jul 28, 2020 05:56
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That's fair enough, I'm mostly interested in western spot and stalk large game hunting so that's mostly encouraging.
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Jul 28, 2020 05:58
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For lack of a better place to ask, is there a general archery thread kicking around anywhere? I know no one has started one here and I didn't see one buried in tfr anywhere.
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Jul 28, 2020 12:38
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There is one in TFR but I’ve never found it very informative unless you are shooting just target recurve.
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Jul 28, 2020 13:32
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