Least you would hunt with

[Banded_spooney]

Gun: Whatever I could borrow -- every person i know has at least 10 rifles

Optics: new diamondbacks or used vipers/ C3 No spotter or tripod, - I had a pair of cheap bushnells fill up with water on my first out of state hunt so I'd have to spend at least a few hundred here. My dad does all of his hunting with Diamondbacks so I'd image i could too

Boots: Danner High Grounds are the cheapest thing I ever found that gives me okay ankle support while staying fairly dry

Backpack: Jansport and then carry your meat shirtless like cam hanes with your lower leg still attached

 

[DangerRanger]

I’ve killed 3 8 points with a NEF single shot 20 gauge, so I guess I’ll take that.

Tennis shoes and carrhart is fine, granted carrhart is fancy now so I guess Walmart wranglers

 

[Idaho_Potato]

I’ve gone 6 of 7 years successful on elk with a $600 savage 7mag, $200 vortex scope, and $200 vortex binos. Glass is way over rated. Get in your unit and find the animals. They will likely be there in the future. Elk are big. It doesn’t take the hubble telescope to find them.

Probably already mentioned, but wal mart wrangler hiking pants. Salomon GTX boots. Any brand of puffy jacket that’s not camo and some shade of brown or green. My current favorite is a Tony Hawk dark green puffy that I found on sale at a Kohls for like $80. Real down feathers. Amazon merino wool long sleeve shirts.

 

[Hnthrdr]

I've worn muck boots on an archery elk hunt.... maybe you saw me

If it was in Co it may have been, do your feet hold up climbing mountains in the heat in them? I’ve worn them pheasant hunting occasionally but usually when it’s really cold

 

[Peakbagger46]

Sounds like you’re good to go! Just check the mounts on the rifle, cheap mounts ruin more hunts than inexpensive rifles.

 

[S.Clancy]

I would still buy really good boots. Outside of that, if I went broke today and had to pick up the Vortex Diamondbacks and the 35 yr old Arc'teryx Bora 80 Id be out there. Just give me good boots and gaiters, I'd be fine.

 

[Banded_spooney]

If it was in Co it may have been, do your feet hold up climbing mountains in the heat in them? I’ve worn them pheasant hunting occasionally but usually when it’s really cold

Wyoming

I don’t use them in really Rocky stuff. Just if it’s snowy

 

[87TT]

I'd go barefoot with a sharp stick if that was all I had.

I have this picture that is in a frame of me and my little brother. Apparently, I HAVE hunted barefoot with a sharp stick. This picture is 66 years old.

 

[BuckeyeRifleman]

I’m a self admitted gear snob, but I’m currently helping a guy through this very process for his first year.

Rifle I’d agree with you, lots of budget options. TC Compass or Savage Axis. I’ve got a buddy with a TC Compass in 30-06 that kills elk dead and prints MOA groups. No problem ringing steel out to 500. He paid $200 with the vortex scope on clearance.

Boots- I told him the one item he should really concentrate on getting right is boots. Not necessarily the most expensive, but if expensive is what works spend the damn money. Guide GTX’s work for me, but if Danner pronghorns work, then by all means.

Pack- There are some pretty decent military surplus packs out there that will get you by for literally a fraction of the cost of a civilian hunting pack. The ILBE is great, especially if you replace the waist belt, but getting up there in price. The Army MOLLE II can be had for less than $80 complete in ACU, and would have no problem carrying anything an elk hunter needs to carry. This is what my buddy is going with.

Clothing- the military ECWCS gore Tex and base layers are great, and can had for a song, especially in ACU which actually works ok in sage brush. The only thing hunting specific I pushed him on are the FL foundry pants.

Optics- Vortex Viper HD. Told him an tripod isn’t 100% necessarily, but I’d put it 99%. Amazon special, but be willing to spend at least $80-100 bucks.

The big thing I said is this, buy whatever will get you by for a year. If you like doing it, slowly upgrade to top end gear piece by piece.

The middle of the road stuff that doesn’t work much better than the cheap stuff is really where you lose your ass.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Wyoming

I don’t use them in really Rocky stuff. Just if it’s snowy

Oh I get that, the bloke I met was wearing them on dry 75 degree days. Nice guy, I just think he bought the boots cause they matched all his other camo

 

[geterdone]

I wouldn't cut corners on boots, that can ruin your trip very quickly. The rest of the clothing gear can be anything you have available, blue jeans and a warm jacket will work fine where I hunt. There are plenty I'd sun $500 rifles that will shoot well out to 300 yards if you do your part. Vortex diamondback binos will do the trick, I bought a pair a number of years ago for like $200 and killed lots of animals before I upgraded last season.

After you spend a few seasons with the basic gear you will figure out where you will want to spend your annual budget to upgrade your kit to increase your comfort. I have not noticed a piece of gear that has increased my success significantly, but my comfort is much higher on less than ideal conditions these days.

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[rayporter]

buy what ever will get you by for a year!!

that is a pretty good way to start. you will learn more on the trip than you can read about. then make your own decisions, with some knowledge.

my back has hurt from the pack and my feet have been blistered and wet but i kept going.

the worst times were from lack of sleep with a poor sleep system.

 

[Mtndawger]

All my clothing shares duty for hunting, fishing, skiing, mtn biking, backpacking , even work since I’m a carpenter. Wool underwear, and mid layers. Light synthetic insulated outer layers. Gore Tex shell non ultralight which get trashed in a year. Non of it needs to be camo. Works for everything

 

[Mtndawger]

I wouldn't cut corners on boots, that can ruin your trip very quickly. The rest of the clothing gear can be anything you have available, blue jeans and a warm jacket will work fine where I hunt. There are plenty I'd sun $500 rifles that will shoot well out to 300 yards if you do your part. Vortex diamondback binos will do the trick, I bought a pair a number of years ago for like $200 and killed lots of animals before I upgraded last season.

After you spend a few seasons with the basic gear you will figure out where you will want to spend your annual budget to upgrade your kit to increase your comfort. I have not noticed a piece of gear that has increased my success significantly, but my comfort is much higher on less than ideal conditions these days.

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How do you even cut corners on boots? I keep reading that. Seems like a recommendation to spend $400 for something that might not work any better than a $200. Just get a boot that fits well. Insulated if you need it. Lots of good brands. Don’t buy it from wal mart.

 

[Duh]

I've always believed in the "4 pillars of gear" for a guy just getting started:

1. Weapon system. This is either your rifle, scope, and rangefinder combo, or your bow and rangefinder combo. Doesn't matter how cool your matching camo is or how much you spent on the tag. If you show up to hunt and don't have a solid zero, your rifle isn't accurate, you don't shoot it well, your scope fogs up, rangefinder doesn't work, bow is out of tune, etc, you might as well just pack it in and go home.

2. Boots. Bloody, sore, achy feet WILL send you home. People say cotton kills, and while I agree to an extent, I would rather see a guy show up in red and black checked wool and blue jeans and a good pair of broken in, well fitting boots than pretty much anything else. You can be the most he-man hard core dude with good gear, but when your feet hurt, you'll cry like a newborn baby. They don't even have to be expensive, they just need to fit you well and be broken in and fitting for the type of hunting you're doing (IE no Muck Boots on a backcountry western elk hunt)

3. Binos. I love my spotting scope a ton, but I would way rather see a guy spend his entire optic budget on quality binos and a tripod rather than on cheap binos, tripod, and spotter. Even though I have a spotter, it stays home quite often, but I never go anywhere without my binos. You can't kill what you can't find, and quality binos on a tripod make all the difference.

4. Pack. Buy a pack that's big enough that you'll have enough space to do any trip you'll plan on doing in the next few years. Also buy a pack that fits well, and that will function for the type of hunting you're doing. If you're an Eastern Whitetail hunter, you don't need a Stone Glacier Terminus 8700. If you're wanting to backpack in and kill an elk 7 miles from the pickup and pack him out on your back, you'll hate yourself if you bring a Badlands Superday.

Don't cut corners on ANY of these 4 items and you'll be ready to do 80% of the hunting you could ever dream of. Everything else can come later, but I always tell guys to get these 4 items dialed first, then concentrate on the other items (secondary weapon system, spotting scope, camo, etc.).

I did a little over 12 miles in muck boots through snow a couple years ago. I’ll never do that again.

I grew up hunting in tennis shoes exclusively and never had much issues except for cold feet. Also layered with extra sweat shirts and called it good.

I guess I’ve gotten soft over the years.

 

[geterdone]

How do you even cut corners on boots? I keep reading that. Seems like a recommendation to spend $400 for something that might not work any better than a $200. Just get a boot that fits well. Insulated if you need it. Lots of good brands. Don’t buy it from wal mart.

That's where I was going, the $40 boots from Walmart will leave you miserable. The difference in the $200 and $400 boots tends to be longevity/durability. I could make a $200 pair of dancers work for a week long hunt, but next season I would be looking for a new pair, been there done that.

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[Newtosavage]

I did a little over 12 miles in muck boots through snow a couple years ago. I’ll never do that again.

I grew up hunting in tennis shoes exclusively and never had much issues except for cold feet. Also layered with extra sweat shirts and called it good.

I guess I’ve gotten soft over the years.

I hunted a lot in tennis shoes in the 70's and early 80's. But my feet and ankles aren't what they used to be and if I don't take care of them now, they won't let me do any fun things. So that's an area I pay particular attention to. I got some great footwear on clearance from Midway USA lately. If you're patient and know where to look, you don't have to spend a ton on decent gear.

 

[Mtndawger]

That's where I was going, the $40 boots from Walmart will leave you miserable. The difference in the $200 and $400 boots tends to be longevity/durability. I could make a $200 pair of dancers work for a week long hunt, but next season I would be looking for a new pair, been there done that.

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. And dont get those over-insulated ones. They can be too warm, leading to sweaty, cold feet

 

[Extrapale]

It can and has been done pretty cheap by me.

Hunted along time with a couple of different Ruger M77 tang safety rifles. A 338WM I got for HS graduation that wears a fixed 4x40 nikon. The other a 257 roberts came from a pawn shop in Reno for $200 and has always had sub $500 scopes on it.

Clothes can be cheap also. Most of my life was army surplus wool pants, a cotton flannel, and a cheap wool coat.

Most of my boots were hand me downs, or purchased at the danner outlet until 12 years ago.

Just wore cheap day packs for years. Eventually, I started hanging the on my pack frame for efficiency getting the first load out. I wore a cheap fleece orange vest over retired nylon school backpacks to keep brush off the noisy material.

I used cheap Nikon and Leupold binos and a $200 vortex spotter for years also.

One thing the BRO crew got right. "Buy tags not gear"

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[KenLee]

Some of the newbies here could easily get discouraged looking at what a lot of members spend on rifles, packs, optics and boots. And rightly so - we all know quality gear is not cheap!

But here's my question for the veterans. What is the LEAST expensive gear you would actually go hunting with this year? Not that you've hunted with, but that you would hunt with today. As in, anything less and you'd just stay home.

I'll go first:

Rifle: Savage Axis with Burris Fullfield II scope

Pack: Badlands daypack and old Kelty external frame for meat hauling

Optics: Vortex Viper HD (new) or one of the sleepers like the Cabelas Outfitter HD/Sightron Blue Sky II/Bushnell Legend M

Boots: Danner Pronghorns or Oboz Bridger or Vasque Talus or a used pair of Vasque sundowners

If that's all I had, I'd still go and expect to have a good hunt.

What say you?

Shorts, flops, can of dip, 243 H&R (NEF) with a 4x Tasco.