Products That Work
General Topic
Over the years I’ve bought all kinds of things for hunting. Some have been a huge waste of money while some have been exceptional. One of my favorites is Peet Boot Dryers. I do a lot of walking and my feet sweat. When I get home I put my boots on the dryer and by morning completely dry. Another plus is they last forever.
So what product have you been extremely happy with?
Good question...Probably my broad-heads G5 Striker and Tekan, I do my job and they’ve never failed me!
Kifaru packs, Thermarest pads, COSTCO merino trail socks & Paradox merino/poly blend zipneck tees and longies, Swaro & Leica binos, Leatherman tools, Meindl Perfect Hiker & Hunter boots, KUIU Attack pants, Cabelas Microtex shirts
Mine is an L-E-Vator by Viking Industries. I hunt some pretty rough country and don't want to trash my pickup, so I get around the place in Mule. The deer I take these days are considerably heavier than the ones I used to take when I was younger. Either that or I am becoming a weak old man. I think the weak old man actually applies here. It has become more and more difficult for me to load a deer into the back of my Mule by myself. The L-E-Vator is a stand on the ground winch device that I put behind my mule with the tailgate down. Drag the deer across the "shelf" on the L-E-Vator and simply winch the deer up even with the tailgate of my mule and slide it into the rear of the mule. Pretty neat device.
Nose Jammer. Montana Muley decoys. Crispi boots. KMeer deer bite call. Black Diamond headlamp. KOM Bumwarmer pants. Kelley custom longbows and recurves. Original Muzzys and now Iron Wills. Whole bunch of other stuff over the years, but a buck is headed my way so I have to put the phone down.
Glenn’s Deer Handle.
Allows me (at my older years) to still get deer out of the woods myself.
I hardly ever do a hunt, scouting trip, etc. without the following: Swaro binos, Bark River knife, merino wool undershirts and socks, and if I'm traveling--OnX. These are my must haves.
Other than these, I am partial to Lone Wolf, Sitka and Kuiu, Skoal Classic and Diet Dr. Pepper
I think Garmin GPS with land ownership maps are great and also seem to keep me out of jail.
Stone Glacier X-Frame pack frame, Leki cork-lite trekking poles, Lowa Renegades, an old API Outdoors swivel seat treestand.
Diet Dr. Pepper is a good one.
Rechargeable hand warmers, thermacell and a jet sled for dragging deer and hauling in stands and blinds.
Boot dryer...good call, Rupe!
Might be sending mine, up to SE AK this Season, for a Moose hunt.
Diamond Black Ice compound bow. Recurve bows.
Toilet paper and hand sanitizer, I don't go out without it. I have lots of nice knives, but a Buck 110 is all I need.
Love my Wildlife Innovations card reader. Compact so it fits in my pack nicely. Nice to go to the cameras, pull the cards, check the pics, and then put the card back in.
I still pull and swap cards most the time but it convenient to not have to.
And...anything clearance at the end of the season:)
Cabelas Polarfleece fleece tops and bottoms. Thermacell. Balcomb bow sling.
I bought a tree umbrella twenty years ago and it’s been great on those rainy days. Must have gear, in my opinion. I also have Glenn’s Deer Handle and love it.
I'll throw milkweed in the mix as one of the best wind checkers there is, and it's free! I say this being somewhat humorous, but is there really anything more important than knowing the wind? I put mine in a small coin purse that simply opens and closes with a press on the sides that flexes some spring steel, and is used more than any other thing I own. Additionally, by growing some milkweed along your property line, you'll make Monarch butterflies happy.
THERMACELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will not hunt down here without it.
Yeah, forgot the thermacell. Good call bigswivle!
Lone wolf stands and sticks. Ozone generator for clothes. Nose jammer. Cell phone ...mapping, weather data, pics. video etc.....
Merino wool long johns and socks. Muzzy mx3 125s.
Those funny looking coats with the sideways zipper that leave room for a huge front pocket. Stick your hands in there, they never get cold again.
Predator fall grey for treestand hunts.
thermacell is one of those rare products that under promises and over-delivers.
Only bear hunted once. Can't imagine what it was like before Thermacell.
My Peet boot dryer must be 30+ years old.
A few of my other most favorite purchases in no particular order:
vacuum sealer
Kodiak tent
Alaknak tent
Buddy Heater
...and most recently, my Mathews Engage Limb Legs!
Thermacell ! Can’t fight skeeters and hunt. Smoke in a bottle, best wind checker commercialy made that I know of. Don’s Deer Handle :-) (Made my own deer drag in about ten minutes with some braided plastic rope and a scrap piece of pvc.) Latex gloves from Autozone that don’t rip on jagged bone nor tear when they get a little age on them. Mora knives, so cheap you can lose one and never cry, so sharp you better be scared. I’m sure there are others but I have to go check and see if those damn popup ads are still here .......
Vasectomy
Best $500 I ever spent.
Great comments guys. Hey Pete I use milkweed too. Awesome way to check the wind.
"Predator fall grey for treestand hunts."
^...X2...that!
Also...the limb hanger fangs on my APA bow. Use those every time I'm in the stand.
Any decent stickbow; Thunderhead 125s; Montana Black Gold sights; merino wool; Osprey packs; Victorinox Swiss Army knives; my big, orange “expedition sled”; RADA sharpeners; topo maps and compasses; Thermarest pads; feather-fletched aluminum arrows; high fill-power down; Swiss Fire Steel flint rod & some birchbark; packable rain gear; GoreTex; Zwickey Judo Points; old, plaid shirts in earthy colors; MSR Whisperlite stoves; trekking poles; Pur hiker filters; duct tape; patience; persistence; ingenuity.
Had a Jomst electronic heater was working fine when the damn thing blew up and almost started our hunting house on fire! I can add pictures but this was seriously dangerous I do not recommend the JOMST heaters at all! But the hushcover for the tree stand works incredibly well.
Matthews Triax.. Its my Therapy
My Bakcou Mule e-bike and OnX Hunt app are 2 new-comers to my list of things that work.
Matt
Predator Fall Grey camo, Nosejammer, Lone Wolf Assault hand climber, Blackdiamond Alpine Bod harness are some of the new things I tried this past year and have been very, very pleased with.
One of the things I really enjoy about this forum is reading the reviews of different products guys have tried. Thank you all.
The Glenn’s deer handle can be made in ten minutes with a few feet of ski rope and a small piece of pvc pipe. No knots required, works as well as Glenn’s. You can name it after yourself then..........
Arctic Shield boot blankets, Peet boot dryer, Stone Glacier X-frame, nose jammer, Kuiu outerwear, First Lite merino, and darn tough socks. The most reliable are Coors Banquet and Grain Belt Premium paired with Dot’s pretzels.
I have piles of crap I have tried over the years and a small pile of stuff that I love and works well for me:
Thermacell
Justin Charles merino wool thermals
Day One fleece vest
Sitka Fanatic coat
Milkweed
TuffStuff rubber boots
New this year that I like so far is the Tetherd saddle and platform. I use a lot of old extension/tall folding ladders on private land since you can pick them up super cheap.
I get a lot of bowhunting/hunting items given to me as gifts that I never use. Too many to mention. The thought is there but I am a need only type of guy. Well, going back to traditional gear kind of made me a recurve bow collector, but I need them honey?!!! The lifesaver thing to me is a flat bottomed plastic sled for dragging. Night and day difference.
KOM wool in blowdown pattern.
Kuiu clothes (especially Attack Pants!)
Rancho Safari Ghillie suit.
Big 3-blade Snuffers (3-blade VPAs a close second)
My homemade longbow.
Tapered carbon arrows.
Manfrotto carbon tripod.
Swarovski optics (10’s, 15’s and 65mm HD STS)
Merino base layers and socks.
Miendl boots.
Wayne Depperschmitt knives.
I'll second the Depperschmidt custom knife. Also my Rambo ebike, and the now-discontinued Elk Mountain Gear Slip System. That was a great product that had so many uses.
Surprised nobody has mentioned corn..
"Surprised nobody has mentioned corn.." Hang tight, Sito will be along soon enough. :)
3X Wayne Depperschmitt knives
Puma Heated Vest (but there Customer Service is extremely lacking)
Lacrosse knee high boots
150 grain Magnus I, 4 blade Broadheads
Garmin In-Reach Mini
Lone Wolf Elite Treestands also their Ladderstands (no longer made)
2X Kifaru packs
2X Thermarest pads
Swarovski optics spotting scope (65mm HD)
Zeiss Binoculars (10 x 40B)
Sitka and KUIU clothing
MSR pocket rocket - great for a mid morning warm up drink on the mountain Mystery ranch Longbow pack - just perfect for day hunts Cabela's Alaskan Guide Tent - rain proof and no storm can ever seem to blow it down Lowa Camino boots - comfortable and handle the mountains with good traction
Another vote for the Thermacell, and........
Rancho Safari Shaggie Longcoat. I've been hunting in one now for 15 years and I'm STILL amazed at deer that look straight at me....on the ground at VERY close range....and yet look right through me.
Jet Sled, Smartwhool socks and base layers, Toyota Tacoma, Buck knife and my all time favorite.......... Suspenders! You'd be surprised at what a difference they make while hiking.
Scoot, I think vasectomy was mentioned. Mine was literally one of the most painful experiences of my life. LOL. Just helping out those guys thinking about getting one.
Love the deer view mirror!
Bigriver Bows, Great Northern quivers, Bigriver Knives(shameless plug for my knives), Bisongear packs, Graywolf wool and wolfskin clothes, Samba Alpaca wool socks, Irish Setter rubber boots, Rambo ebikes.
After all the favorable comments on the Wayne Depperschmitt made knives, I may have to break out mine in 2021. Its been on display in my office/den for nearly 30 yrs, great looking handle too with a Marv Clyncke skimshawed ram on it ...time to put it to work. Rock, where did you get a sheath?
Butt out tool, tree umbrella, and my favorite is a strapper retriever to pull up my bow into tree.
Deilin Unisex LED Beanie Hat with Light USB Rechargeable, Adjustable Brightness You will be surprised how often you use it.....
Couple more that I thought about for traveling:
Two-piece longbow
Safari Tuff quiver
I will take down my bow and put it in my quiver with arrows air the hunt. Fits in a duffel bag so only check one bag.
On horse back hunts, I can strap the quiver behind the saddle and have two hands free. Takes less than a minute to have my bow back together and in business after getting off the horse.
Kurt, Call Wayne and send your knife to him, he will make you a sheath $25.00 if I remember correctly. I will PM or text you his contact info.
Lacrosse boots, VPA broadheads, Zwickey broadheads , wind puffer bottle of some sort, Vortex Binos ( quality that don't break the bank), Easton carbon arrows,Bateman Cordova tabs, tight spot quivers, spot hogg sights ,Schafer bows!
Vortex Optics...good products and great customer service.
Dwight Schuh packs and then Dwight Schuh style packs. Lone wolf thenXOP stands and sticks. Cabelas guide model tents. Primos hyperlip cow calls
Thermacare heat wraps. They are the bomb for cold weather sits in the tree. Definitely help to keep your core temperature warmer.
Brodsky how could I forget Arctic Shield boot blankets, First Lite Merino Wool, and Coors beer??? Thanks for reminding me.
