Last night while I was getting my clothes ready for tonight's hunt, I decided this would make a good thread. One of the things I love so much about archery and bowhunting is the personal choices we can make pertaining to equipment, tactics, and the animals we pursue. While I have all the respect and admiration in the world for the folks like Hoot who make the most traditional and “simple” choices, it is simply not for me. I enjoy shooting traditional equipment, but when it comes to my hunting, I want that compound in my hand. Additionally, I want to head afield with the best equipment I can get my hands on. I guess I’m just a product of a new generation of hunter. For the last decade, I have been learning and evolving as a bowhunter and for the first time in my bowhunting career, I am totally satisfied with the equipment and gear I have in my arsenal. Here is a synopsis of how I am rolling these days. Feel free to post pics of how you roll as well...
The set-up…
I’ll work right to left in the picture. Perhaps two of my favorite pieces of gear are my Primos Bowhunter Vest and the new edition of the GamePlan Gear Bow Bat. In the vest I keep the following: rangefinder, wind checker, two screw-in hangers, release, gloves, small multi-tool, face paint, headlamp, and cell phone. The vest is packed in using the Bow Bat and in the Bow Bat, I keep the following: linesman’s rope which doubles as my safety line when I strap in, two pull ropes, water, snacks, bow, quiver, binoculars, knife, TP, zip ties, license, tags, permission slips, Ibuprofen, extra batteries, doe pee and when necessary I also carry a Millennium bracket, Thermacell, Realtree E-Hanger, Hooyman saw, and extra clothing. The bow is a Mathews Switchback XT shooting Easton Axis 340’s tipped with G5 Montec CS’s and Slick Trick Magnums. All told, the pack weighs close to 15 pounds when fully loaded.
I store and smoke my clothes in a Stanley mobile job box that I purchased from Home Depot for $60 last year. It perfectly stores several changes of clothes, my Bow Bat complete with bow, and extra items in the removable tray that include: Millennium bracket, Hooyman saw, scent-free deodorant, snacks, glow sticks for marking blood trails, extra light, video and digital cameras. My favorite pieces of clothing include my Under Armour hoodie, Rocky ProHunter Synergy Pants, Rocky OS2 Fleece Jacket, Under Armour Hurlock Fleece Pullover, and I love my Muddy Outdoors harness. Oh, and the Scent Smoker!
When I’m not sitting in a prehung stand, I am packing in the Millennium and Lone Wolf sticks using the GamePlan Gear Treestand Transportation System and let me tell you, the TTS is an awesome piece of equipment. All told, the Millennium/Lone Wolf set-up weighs in around 26.5 pounds plus a few additional pounds with the footrest, cold weather pad, and the TTS. Using the TTS, you would swear you are only carrying a few pounds. Of all the purchases this year, this is the one I am most happy with after getting a few hunts under my belt.
I snapped a few pics of how this set-up goes together for those that have had questions in the past. By taking the foot of the second stick from the top and placing it in the V of the stand, you get a secure fit as the foot of the third stick from the top of the stack will rest on the base of the stand. (As seen in the picture below.)
Using the extra Lone Wolf strap that we attached to the Versa buttons we installed for this purpose, I cinch the sticks to the stand and then use the extra length of strap to tie the top of the sticks to the stand. You can see how I started the knot in the picture. When it’s all said and done, I have a nice, compact set-up less that 18” thick. I can hang this set-up in 25 minutes and tear it down and pack up in less than 15…
I've also installed a Bow Hitch on the base of the stand which is a female receiver that accepts the male receiver that is mounted between the riser of my bow and the stabilizer. Hunting out of this set-up is by far my favorite way to hunt and it certainly extends my time on stand. The comfort level cannot be beaten and the versatility is unrivaled. If I only knew what I know now nearly a decade ago!!!
The set-up…
I’ll work right to left in the picture. Perhaps two of my favorite pieces of gear are my Primos Bowhunter Vest and the new edition of the GamePlan Gear Bow Bat. In the vest I keep the following: rangefinder, wind checker, two screw-in hangers, release, gloves, small multi-tool, face paint, headlamp, and cell phone. The vest is packed in using the Bow Bat and in the Bow Bat, I keep the following: linesman’s rope which doubles as my safety line when I strap in, two pull ropes, water, snacks, bow, quiver, binoculars, knife, TP, zip ties, license, tags, permission slips, Ibuprofen, extra batteries, doe pee and when necessary I also carry a Millennium bracket, Thermacell, Realtree E-Hanger, Hooyman saw, and extra clothing. The bow is a Mathews Switchback XT shooting Easton Axis 340’s tipped with G5 Montec CS’s and Slick Trick Magnums. All told, the pack weighs close to 15 pounds when fully loaded.
I store and smoke my clothes in a Stanley mobile job box that I purchased from Home Depot for $60 last year. It perfectly stores several changes of clothes, my Bow Bat complete with bow, and extra items in the removable tray that include: Millennium bracket, Hooyman saw, scent-free deodorant, snacks, glow sticks for marking blood trails, extra light, video and digital cameras. My favorite pieces of clothing include my Under Armour hoodie, Rocky ProHunter Synergy Pants, Rocky OS2 Fleece Jacket, Under Armour Hurlock Fleece Pullover, and I love my Muddy Outdoors harness. Oh, and the Scent Smoker!
When I’m not sitting in a prehung stand, I am packing in the Millennium and Lone Wolf sticks using the GamePlan Gear Treestand Transportation System and let me tell you, the TTS is an awesome piece of equipment. All told, the Millennium/Lone Wolf set-up weighs in around 26.5 pounds plus a few additional pounds with the footrest, cold weather pad, and the TTS. Using the TTS, you would swear you are only carrying a few pounds. Of all the purchases this year, this is the one I am most happy with after getting a few hunts under my belt.
I snapped a few pics of how this set-up goes together for those that have had questions in the past. By taking the foot of the second stick from the top and placing it in the V of the stand, you get a secure fit as the foot of the third stick from the top of the stack will rest on the base of the stand. (As seen in the picture below.)
Using the extra Lone Wolf strap that we attached to the Versa buttons we installed for this purpose, I cinch the sticks to the stand and then use the extra length of strap to tie the top of the sticks to the stand. You can see how I started the knot in the picture. When it’s all said and done, I have a nice, compact set-up less that 18” thick. I can hang this set-up in 25 minutes and tear it down and pack up in less than 15…
I've also installed a Bow Hitch on the base of the stand which is a female receiver that accepts the male receiver that is mounted between the riser of my bow and the stabilizer. Hunting out of this set-up is by far my favorite way to hunt and it certainly extends my time on stand. The comfort level cannot be beaten and the versatility is unrivaled. If I only knew what I know now nearly a decade ago!!!
