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How I roll...

formerbowhunter1023

Now Posts as Jesse..
0
0
SE Ohio
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!!!
 

CJD3

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
14,630
201
NE Ohio
Great thread! I'm a mix of old school and a feathering of technology. I'm to cheap to use glow sticks on a blood trail... I use toilet paper. lol. I try to dbl up the purpose of whatever I carry out and there is no doubt I'll have a second use for the TP one day.

Thanks for the Pict's.
 

DJK Frank 16

Senior Member
Supporting Member
9,358
133
Hardin County
Great thread... Here is my setup.. minus pics as i'm at work right now:

Clothing - Scentlok Base Layers
Scentlok Full Season Suite/Mask/Gloves
H.S.S Safety Harness/Vest w/ Lineman's Belt
All smoked up in a rubbermade tote

Just a side note on clothing, this will be my last set of scent lok clothes, with my recent success with the smoker I will be focusing more on camo/comfort/and pricetag when it comes to picking out clothing instead of the ScentLok technology.

Gear - Badlands TreeHugger Fanny w/ the following:
Realtree Bowhanger
Nikon Archers Choice Rangefinder
Leupold Mesa Binos
2 - pull up ropes
Wind Checker
HS TrueTalker Grunt Tube
Primos Can call
Extra Tree Step
Safety Harness Straps
Extra Lone Wolf Strap

Stand Setup : Multiple prehung ladder stands and hang-ons
This year I began using my Lone Wolf Alpha w/ the Lone Wolf Sticks, loving it so far!

Bow and Arrows : Mathews Switchback XT
Goldtip XT Hunter Arrows
Rage 2blade and Slick Trick Mag 100 gr broadheads
Lumenoks

Boots : Cabelas 1200 gram rubber boot (late season colder weather)
Muck Woody Max boots (early/late season)

Other items include the Scent Smoker, 2 Cuddeback Captures, a Browning Recurve (just for fun in the yard as of now), and I think that is it!


I never realize how much shit I actually buy for hunting until I put it on a list like this... I could never use the excuse of equipment as to why I don't fill my deer tags!! :D
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
Good thread, man. You definitely seem to have one hell of a system there.

My setup is a mixture of old and new, with a lot of hillbilly-engineered shit too. :) With $1300 of student loan bills to pay each month, I'm a bit limited when it comes to purchasing gear, but I make due with what I've got.

Clothing:
Cabelas silk weight base layers
Cabelas silent weave Scent Lok pants and shirt (Mossy Oak Treestand)
Hand warmer muff (I hate wearing gloves)
Cabelas Dura Trac 1200 rubber boots
When it's cold, I usually just layer up pretty thick. I also have a heavy coat and bibs for when it gets frigid.

Treestands:
I have a hodge-podge of old cheap hangons, used with screw in treesteps. For mobile hunting, I have a cheap Sportsmans Guide climber that I got for Christmas one year. It's heavy, but it's been a pretty decent treestand considering the cost.

Miscellaneous items:
Gorilla safety harness
Rangefinder that I "borrowed" from work
Rubbermaid tote for keeping my clothing in
All the typical calls, scents, and other crap in an old camo bookbag
Nikon 8x40 binos

Bow and Accessories: (pretty much the only department that I have some new shit LOL)
2010 Elite Z28, Armortech HD sight, Stokerized stab, Elite quiver, and Greg Fleming wrist sling
Easton Flatline 340s tipped with 100gr Steel Force Phatheads

There are a lot of things out there that I would really like to add to my arsenal, but I pretty much have to get them one piece at a time. Meanwhile, I try to come up with ideas of things I can use that are just laying around my garage. For example, I had a bunch of metal hooks (the kind used with peg board) that I've attached above treestands instead of screw in steps. Zip ties are great pieces of equipment too. If you ever need more cover around your treestand, run a 3 1/2" drywall screw half way into the tree, then zip tie a freshly-cut oak branch to the screw... waaalaahh, a new branch added to break up your outline.
 

formerbowhunter1023

Now Posts as Jesse..
0
0
SE Ohio
I was blessed with a woman that actually agreed to the philosophy of: "If I have all the shit I want before we have a kid, I'm set for while. I can trade good shit for good shit and trade toys for toys after that." :D I spend more than I should, but you can't take it to your grave...

I still have the first treestand I bought: a $99 buddy stand at Wal-Mart! I have 2blinds, 3 ladders and, 14 hangons, but I pretty much used those for "clients" and my cousin. The platform blind is one of my favorite places to hunt though.

As for boots, I switch between Muck Wetlands, Bass Pro 1200 grams, Lacrosse Alpha Lites, and Bass Pro 400 grams. All four are wore clean out, but I can't bring myself to get rid of them. I love the $25 Bass Pro 400 gram boots. I really like the Lacrosse boots and wear them the most, but they are not longer waterprood. (Took two seasons to wear them out.) I wear the Bass Pro 1200 grams when I sit in sub 30 degree weather and I use the Mucks to push during deer season. I also have a cheap Wal-Mart uninsulared pair that I use to scout in the summer.

Running 5 cams these days. I have the wireless BEC behind the house; one Apollo at our farm; an Apollo at my main farm; along with two Primos 35's. I'd sure like to have two dozen more!!! :D
 

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
the gameplan TSs is exactly what i have been looking for.. thanks!
 

CJD3

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
14,630
201
NE Ohio
Am I the only one that uses TP for Blood trails and ... lol

O... Thanks Buckmaster.lol
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
In the few years I have been deer hunting, I have accumulated a bunch of stuff. Amazing how that happens. Selling tree stands the last two years has helped in the stand department. Cover your initial cost, then pull a few out of inventory to hang. ahha

Stands- I have only used the Millenium/LW sticks like Jesse/Greg's setup this year so far. Eventually I will use some of the Gorilla hangons, Big Dog ladders, and misc stuff I have hung in various woods though. Like I said, I have a pretty good selection in this department.

Clothes- Stock up after the season off the clearance racks. Rocky Mtn when we go camping is a nice stopping point.

Bow- Hoyt Vectrix Plus. Sword sights, Ripcord rest, tightspot quiver, radial weaves with muzzies in the quiver. Range finder bought used off AT.

Optics- Usually go shopping, but end up at Natchez. Have gotten some great deals on scopes. Bought my binos from Optics Planet though. 8x40 Nikon APG I would highly recommend.

Boots- Still using the Muck wetlands I bought last year. Also have a pair of 1200 or 1400 gram thinsulate Sportsman's Guide specials when it gets real cold. They are ok, but a bit bulky.

Scent smoker. Nothing else to say about this one. Speaks for itself.
 

swantucky

The Crew
1,594
122
Swanton, Ohio
This is the kind of deers I kill and this is my gear.:smiley_breakdance:

Jesse LOVES this new camo pattern, its called "stay the fuck still and they won't see you". :smiley_adfundum::smiley_adfundum:button.jpg
 

swantucky

The Crew
1,594
122
Swanton, Ohio
Nice deer Tucky! 70lbs? hehehe Tasty though!

If that, never had killed one opening weekend before. 6 deerz at last light were moving past my only opening, I decided the next one that stopped was getting it. He stopped. Had a hell of a time time finding him, 300 yard track job. When I showed Geezer the pics of the shot and asked him "how could that deer go so far??" He said:

"PROLLY LOOKIN' FOR HIM MAMA"

Classic:smiley_blablabla:
 

RedCloud

Super Moderator
Super Mod
17,381
193
North Central Ohio
We're waiting RC, we're waiting......:smiley_chinrub:
:smiley_asswhip::smiley_asswhip::smiley_asswhip:

All right all right..hold ya britches on lol.

Stands :
Gorilla hang-on, Big Dog hang-on, Summit Climber, Cheap ladder stix I purchased from Wally-World :D.

Cloths:
Base layer of what ever long johns top & bottoms and shirt, pants I can manage to gather up in the darkness of 5:30am covered up with Liberty Outdoors camo coveralls.

Boots:
A pair of those brown cheap rubber un-insulated knee highs also from Wally- World

Bow:
1998 PSE Nova with a flipper rest. Easton 2315's with 4" feathers tipped with Thunderhead 100gr BH

Optics :
I don't bother. If I can't see it with my own 2 eyes Then chances are I can't shoot it anyway :D.

Other Equipment:
Remington hand muffs ( I shoot fingers so gloves suck) A camo facemask, Kolpin shooting glove,Kolpin hip quiver,Gorilla safety harness,Remington fanny pack that holds my tags, permission slips, Primos long can, Flextone call, knife with gut hook, pen and pencil, and a watch. Last but not least....Scent Smoker :D.

I think that's pretty much it. Sad but true and sometimes I get lucky and sometimes I don't :D.

Good hunting fellas. Be safe and have fun this hunting season.
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
RC- You have what you need. No shame in that bro. Deer have been killed with less equipment than any of us have. Look at the Indians. I mean, sure, they didn't have laws to obey, but they killed deer and buffalo and such with their junk hanging out. Just sayin.
 

badger

*Supporting Member*
Adam, you should see the mess of missmatched stuff I hunt with. A dead deer is still a dead deer no matter how you got it.

Nice deer Tucky! Just what I'm looking for as we speak.