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Hunting Gear for the
Elk Hunter
Our Recommendations for an
Elk Hunting Gear List
There are several pieces of hunting gear, various gadgets and doo-dads that most elk and big game hunters will eventually wish they had. These are some basic things that we “need” (or at least we think we do). Binoculars, knives (I can never have too many), range finders, camouflage clothing, scent control clothing, spotting scopes… The list goes on and on. We will list and briefly review hunting gear that we have found very useful below and add more as we think of it.In some cases we will link to one of our other pages where we have written very thorough reviews of specific pieces of hunting gear. We will try to provide links to reputable on-line retailers that carry quality, but reasonably priced hunting gear that we can recommend for most elk and deer hunters.
Binoculars
  An absolute must for most of us. Here are some bare basics: You have two sets of two decisions to make. Forget “cheap”, they’re never worth buying.#1. Moderately priced, but reasonably good quality optics. We recommend Nikon binoculars at a very reasonable price and very decent quality. Burris and Leopold are other also good choices. #2. High priced, excellent quality. You will get very high quality lenses and construction with Zeiss and Swarovski, if you can afford them. We’re not big on Bushnell brand. The next set of two questions involves factors available for both price ranges. #1. Compact (reduced field of vision, but lighter) Or: #2. Full size (full field of vision, but more bulky). Many hunters prefer the compact models to save weight and bulkiness. 
The next decision is power. 7, 8, or 10 power are the most useful for big game hunting. 7 power (7X) is most useful for scouring brush and trees up closer, but does OK at distances of several hundred yards. 8X is versatile and a little better for distance scanning while looking for elk or deer on a far away ridge. 10X makes “spot and stalk” hunting from one mountain side to another more feasible, but eye fatigue can result if using them at closer ranges. I won't get into a discussion of roof versus porro prism construction here.
Laser Range Finders
These measure how far away a target is for accurate aiming. Same recommendations as above against buying “cheap”. Don’t bother with non-laser types. For mid-range quality we again recommend Nikon. The same makers of the highest quality binoculars also make range finders for a much higher price. Power is not as much of an issue.  Maximum distance measured is the variable. For bow hunting, a rating of 400 yards or so is plenty, since most shots are taken under fifty yards. The 400 yard maximum range is hard to actually measure without a big wall or barren hillside to bounce back the signal.
An 800 yard rated range finder will have the same problem at 800 yards. Most people can't accurately shoot out to 400 yards anyway. An 800 yard maximum will consistently get you a good reading of 400 or more yards away. I use a “440” Nikon for rifle and archery with no problem. There are bells and whistles that you can read about at the retailer sites, but those are the basics.
Hunting Knives
  There are many quality knives on the market. Again, don’t buy cheap knives. Quality names include Boker, Gerber, Kershaw, Ka-bar, Buck, Al-Mar, Spyderco, Benchmade, Cold Steel, Entrek, Lone Wolf and many others.I am actually married to my two Cutco folding hunting knives. But then, we’ve been going together for a long time. (I met my first one through my human wife.) There are too many styles and brands to make specific recommendations. Unless you know you want a skinning style blade, go with a drop point or a clip point. A four inch long blade is a good length for most uses. Gut hooks are not necessary, but they do make gutting easier. They are often added to the opposite side of the knife blade, or as an extra blade. We don’t like serrated edges, as they are hard to sharpen. Anyone will like a folding type blade. Some people will tolerate the overall length of a non-folding blade and may even prefer it. Not I, however.
Flashlights
  This is most often an early morning or camp tool, but can become a survival instrument. Quality can become vital. We will recommend one brand for our elk hunting gear list for lack of space. SureFire G2 Nitrolon Flashlight! You can’t go wrong with a Sure-Fire flashlight for general purposes. For tracking a wounded animal after dark the Primos Bloodhunter Blood Trailing Flashlight serves a completely different need and might be very useful some night after a late afternoon kill.
Hunting Backpacks
Too many options to discuss here. We’ve bought cheap ones. They sit in the basement. An $80 price tag is the low end of something of quality for backpacks that make good additions to the elk hunting gear list.A fanny pack will lower the price, but being able to carry survival gear and all the gear needed to field dress an elk or deer, without going back to the truck, requires a back pack. Most good backpacks have hydration systems built in. If a fanny pack is used, a separate hydration pack would be a good addition.
Hydration Systems
CamelBack is a good brand. Most hunters do not fully appreciate how much better they would feel if they stayed hydrated.
To see some CamelBack hydration hunting packs at Cabelas, click here
Digital Camera
You don't need to spend more than $80-120 on pack cameras as part of your hunting gear. They are small and take great pictures. You can get a Kodak Easyshare C913 9.2MP Digital Camera + 2GB Accessory Outfit for around $100. It comes with a padded pouch now, along with some useful accessories. No more is needed, unless you want to blow it up real big.Hunting can be rough on cameras. I recently bought my second Easyshare C913 to replace my previous one after busting the LCD. Maybe I bumped it with my rifle. I’m glad it wasn’t more expensive! With that in mind, a padded, belt-ready pouch for the camera is useful. (The one linked to above comes with a good one.) If you can’t get to it easily, you probably won’t reach for it when you will wish you had later.
GPS Unit
Garmin is the best choice in our opinion. You don’t have to have the expensive versions. This elk hunter uses an older, lower priced GPS and is served very well with it. A Garmin and decent topographical mapping software make two great complementary pieces of hunting gear.
Binocular Harness
These keep the binoculars from swinging around. That’s very bothersome! These are inexpensive, but a very useful piece of hunting gear.
Game Cart
Click here to see our complete review.
Bone Saw or Folding Saw
One folding saw for the
field dressing job
in your pack and a full size one for more convenient quartering make practical additions to your hunting gear when you are successful.
Gloves, Mittens and Glove liners
I don’t care how much Thinsulate is in the expensive gloves. I always need hand warmers inside the gloves. I like cheap rag wool gloves and mittens (green, not white or a light color). Add a lightweight liner for more warmth. I have worn all three many times, when it was really cold. If a mitten is used, make sure it has a trigger finger built in.
ASAT or Predator Camouflage
Those are our favorite types. The designs are made more to fool animals than to impress the human eye. The ASAT pattern causes the animal to look past the hunter, rather than to think he is part of a tree or bush. With that said, I have killed many elk and deer while wearing cheap Wal-Mart camo clothing.
X-Scent Underwear
See complete discussion of scent control clothing here.
Leg Gaiters
 Gaiters keep the lower part of your pant legs from getting wet when walking in snow or soaked grass. Once you get your pants wet below the knees, the moisture sneaks into your waterproof boots by wicking right down into your socks. You can buy Gore Tex gaiters, but even the less expensive, water-resistant brands do a pretty good job of repelling moisture, even with a soft quiet texture that slips through brush quietly.
Hunting Boots
Consider the temperature boots will be worn in. We prefer from 800 to 1200 grams of Thinsulate for cold weather hunting, along with Gore-Tex for waterproofness. Gore-Tex, not some other water proof barrier. The other waterproof barriers we have tried just don’t last as long as Gore-Tex.
Gaiters
These keep melting snow or wet grass from soaking pant legs. They don’t have to have Gore-Tex. They keep the lower pant legs dry and water from soaking down into the boots and getting socks wet.
Game Ear Type Hearing Devices
Unless there is a hearing loss, we haven’t found these useful.
They mainly amplify close up sounds. The hunter can hear his own clothing swish and his breathing sounds louder. That’s not helpful. A distant elk bugle or turkey gobble is not amplified appreciably. These might be useful hunting gear for tree stand hunters, as they might amplify a deer approaching the deer stand.
Compass
This tool should be in any hunters pack or pocket, even if someone carries a GPS device. If a GPS battery dies, a compass and topo mapping software (prints maps) might become a lifesaving piece of hunting gear.
Mapping/Topographical Software
There are many good brands. We can recommend Lowrance.
Rifles
Obviously a vital part of your hunting gear. 30.06 is the most versatile of calibers and plenty powerful enough for elk. 300Win-Mag, 338 and 308 are also often mentioned for elk hunting. Regardless, your gun will perform most effectively against elk if you buy premium, and the more expensive, ammo. Don’t cut costs on ammo.
If you know what type of gun you want go to GunBroker.com
 for legal gun auctions, new and used. They have archery equipment as well.
Archery Equipment
Bows and arrows, like guns, are very personal choices and require thorough research before purchasing. Go to
www.HuntersFriend.com
and spend some time on their informational pages. This is a very thorough and reputable site that all bow hunters will benefit from, no matter what their skill and knowledge level is. I highly recommend
HuntersFriend.com.
Rifle Sling
There is only one rifle sling we recommend. It is the Safari Sling. I don't know why most people still sling their rifle over their shoulders where it takes so much movement to bring it up for a shot. These Safari Slings allow a hunter to carry a rifle at-the-ready very comfortably. They make great additions to your elk hunting gear list. You may not appreciate these until you use them for the first time. They are the best kept secret in our opinion!
There is a forum discussion about the Safari Rifle Sling by "dangerous game" hunters
on this page at africahunting.com.
Click here to go to a picture of the Safari Rifle Sling. 
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