Hunting with Rifles Without a Sling?

[blacktail434]

For blacktail I find myself hunting with just my bino harness, no pack (mostly when I’m going to be within a mile or so of the truck). To free up both hands to glass, I like having a sling and have found the claw to be “usable”.

I think if I decided to wear a pack all the time I could live without one.

Beautiful rifle!

 

[satchamo]

I am not a huge fan of slings. If I’m hunting out west it’s a gun bearer or folded and tucked between my bag and frame on my Stryker.

Back home in the Midwest for deer I’ll keep a sling on my gun because walks are shorter and it provides a way to climb or to tie a pull up rope when hunting in a tree.

I do run a sling on my turkey guns but I will run it tight when I sit down so as not to snag or hinder my shots. But I’ve been considering trying to mount a gun bearer on my turkey vest also because even with a shorter gun, my barrel is constantly hitting stuff when I sling it on my shoulder.

 

[alderchokedhellhole]

I haven’t ran a sling in years. My rifle always rides in the kifaru gun bearer.

 

[greyghostnw]

I quit using slings. Honestly never used them when i had one installed.

 

[rickyw]

I’m old fashioned I guess. I love my slings because I:
-loop it over my Barney’s pack frame
-ride with my rifle across my chest on the ATV
-use it as a shooting aid to steady my shot and reduce felt recoil. A leather sling is great for reducing felt recoil.

That’s just me

 

[WCB]

No way I would hunt without a sling. In the dark or just straight up traveling the firearm is strapped to my pack in rough terrain.

However, most the time I have the sling over my pack stays. If I just run my lumbar day pack I can't strap my gun to it. Sling over the shoulder or get into rough terrain or need both hands I can through it across my back with sling across my chest.

It never makes sense to me guy climbing steep, shitty, slippery terrain with a gun in one hand trying to balance. Just put a damn sling on and go. I have never had it get in the way or cause and issue. The one time I forgot to put my sling on I hated life...cut a piece of paracord and made one on the side of the mountain.

 

[SloppyJ]

Haven't used a sling in a long time and I even take the sling studs out so they don't catch on stuff.

 

[Te Hopo]

All my rifles have slings, when hunting I detach the sling and put it in my pack or around my waist.
The rifle is in my hands.

But I often enough some across technical terrain or other situations where its handy to sling my rifle over my back