Gear question

[quackaddict]

So my 2 elk hunts have been first season archery hunts here in southern NM. I'm trying to get my crap together to start heading to Colorado for the late rifle hunts on a regular basis. Pretty much all of my gear is for warm weather hunts...what gear do I need to make sure I have for those late hunts, and what kind of clothing reccomendations do y'all have? Thanks guys.

 

[Summitthunting]

Merino wool long underwear, gaiters, ski goggles, milk crate full of chains and accessories. Take a large butchers saw, a whole frozen elk is hard to fit into anything.

 

[quackaddict]

Well, I've got some merino...

Anyone else?

 

[Tallman]

Quack. What units did u hunt in nm? I headed to 10 next month and was curious what your gear was for your two early hunts.

 

[quackaddict]

I hunted 16a.

I kept rain gear in my pack and hunt in some Solomon hiking boots, either Microtex Lite or some Academy brand fishing/hiking pants, and either UA heat gear or lightweight merino shirts. And a 40* Walmart bag that I slept mostly out of.

 

[SFC B]

I am a polypro guy (like merino too, but got a lot of polypro from Uncle Sam). Good insulated boots as well. What kind of camp are you going to have? What elevation are you going to be at?

 

[LopeHunter]

Warm, water-resistant boots with aggressive tread.

 

[arffdog875]

How late season? Dress in layers, I always have emergency stuff with me and in the truck...fire, water, small tarp for shelter. Weather changes frequently be prepared. I carry a full set of TRUCK chains, come along, shovel and Hi boy jack. I hunt 4th rifle season, I have experienced sunshine and T-shirt weather to full blown winter storms. PM me if you have other questions.

 

[belly-deep]

I don't know what the Colorado late hunts are like, but my wardrobe for MT (which has a 5 week season spanning the end of October and all of November) looks like this:

2 types of boots:

Lightweight, uninsulated, low-top hikers (for warm days)
Insulated, high top boots (for cold/snow)

3 pairs of pants:

Sitka 90%
Cabelas Microtex
Wool

5 Jackets:

Sitka 90% Jacket
Sitka Jetstream Jacket
Sitka Kelvin Jacket
Rain jacket
Patagonia windproof shell

Plus a layer of UA long johns.

Throw in a variety of hats/gloves, plus a Buff (just trust me, they are great for pulling up around your face to cut the cold) and that's about it.

Obviously, I don't carry all of them at once, but pick my clothing each day for the expected weather.

 

[quackaddict]

What kind of camp are you going to have? What elevation are you going to be at?

I've got a 10x10 Kodiak Flexbow. I'm thinking real hard about putting a stove jack in it. I've seen a few threads across the WWW about putting jacks in Springbars and Kodiaks and it seems to work out just fine. As to the elevation, no clue. I guess that would depend on what unit I decide to hunt.

How late season? Dress in layers, I always have emergency stuff with me and in the truck...fire, water, small tarp for shelter. Weather changes frequently be prepared. I carry a full set of TRUCK chains, come along, shovel and Hi boy jack. I hunt 4th rifle season, I have experienced sunshine and T-shirt weather to full blown winter storms. PM me if you have other questions.

I would assume either the 2nd or 3rd rifle hunts in Colorado...mid October - early November? I'll probably shoot you a PM sometime soon. Like I said, I'm still new to elk hunting in general(and all Western hunting at that), so I'm just trying to get a game plan together to hopefully start an annual pilgrimage north beginning next year.

Thanks for all the input guys...this is exactly the kind of stuff I am trying to find out. Keep it coming.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

If I were going to invest in cold weather gear, I would start with some good base layers. Remember "cotton kills", and if you do find yourself in a bad way, some good base layers could keep you alive. I like merino. You can spend a ton on good clothing. By looking for clearance stuff, campfire, etc I have cobbled together set of hunting clothes that probably spans all of good brands out there (Cabela's, Sitka, Russell, Firstlite). I am not going to win any fashion contests, but it works pretty well.

Check out Steapandcheap.com for camping gear, you can get some good quality stuff on there for cheap.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

I forgot, get a good set of gaiters. I have Kenetreks, and they are great.

 

[quackaddict]

I've got good base layers...I've got a set of Core4 merino and an UA cold gear set. Need to get some decent cold weather pants/jackets. And I've been needing a pair of gaiters for awhile too.

 

[Tallman]

Thanks quack