Trekking pole or tripod

[DMurphy]

I am taking my first elk hunt this fall. I don't want to overpack but want to make sure I am prepared. I will be hunting in pretty steep terrain. Would you recommend bringing a trekking pole (or two) or a tripod for glassing and shooting? I have been practicing shooting off of my backpack, and am pretty confident using that method but I am sure a tripod would be a little better. Mostly I am concerned with staring through binos all day without a tripod. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Pn8hall]

Personally I usually carry trekking poles and a tripod. Glassing with binos off tripod is awesome and the trekking poles are great for hiking in steep terrain especially with heavy loads. I have a small gear tie attached to one pole and can I attach the trekking poles together with the gear tie to make shooting sticks. Wiser precision quick sticks are a fancier way to so the same thing. This year I am upgrading my tripod and adding and arca swiss plate to my rifle to be able to shoot off the tripod. Really boils down to what you want to carry and the system that works for you.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Extended glassing --> tripod
Quick look --> trekking pole (for those times you need a bit more stability than free-handing your binoculars)

I almost always have both. They just make things easier and give me more options.

 

[Wassid82]

While elk hunting I carry a tripod every day. With binos they are really nice with a spotter its a must.......I never shot off my tripod.

 

[JoeDirt]

I carry a carbon Sirui monopod use it for glassing with binos and it doubles as a trekking pole. I have the outdoorsman bino adapter on it no head.

 

[JohnJohnson]

I'm in the same boat as Pn8hall on this one. Have both on you. As far as shooting off the tripod, it would depend on what kind of tripod you have. I recently ordered an RRS TFCT-34L with an Anvil-30 head for this exact purpose but it was pretty expensive.

 

[DMurphy]

Thank you all for these excellent replies.

 

[Runningwater]

I just use my sissy sticks for binocular glassing. I'd only take a tri-pod if I was bringing a spotting scope (which I've never done elk hunting). I wouldn't plan on shooting elk from a tri-pod. In addition to practicing off your pack and sissy sticks (they can make a great sitting or kneeling rifle rest), make you you've done some practice off hand. Sometimes you have all the time in the world to set up for an elk shot, sometimes you have a matter of seconds. Good Luck!

 

[Drenalin]

No experience elk hunting yet, but I'd probably take both. Trekking poles for sure. You could try this or this to kill two birds with one stone, but I'm not sure if guys shoot of these or not. Might be a good option if you're not sure whether you'd need the tripod or not. Somebody posted a photo on here a while back using the wrist straps on their trekking poles to make a quick bipod to shoot off of, and I think there are a handful of guys who do that fairly commonly. I just use my pack so far.

 

[Jimss]

It usually takes me 3 or 4 trips to pack out an elk...depending on antler size and if I keep the cape. Treking poles are a life-saver on steep, rocky terrain when packing out super hefty/bulky loads. I don't use them much while elk hunting because they clang rocks and just one more thing to carry. I hunt slow so treking poles really don't help that much except for hike in and out. I use a spotting scope plus tripod for open country hunting. Never see a need for a tripod with my 10x binos but a must for spotting scope. I may set them on top of my spotting scope sometimes when glassing.

I'm usually trying to figure out how to loose weight on my back while hunting all day. The less you can get by with the better. The name of the game most of the time while elk hunting is covering gobs of country with legs and eyes.

Around 85% of my elk shots have been laying prone using my backpack as a rest on a rock, ground, or brush. I'd say 15% of my shots have been with my rifle on top of my spotting scope on my tripod.

 

[Boomtakem2]

If I'm not up to carry tri-pod for the day, I do the same as Joe Dirt above. Monopod with Outdoorsman bino adapter. Works great!

 

[DMurphy]

I like the idea of the monopod serving both purposes. Assuming I do exactly as discussed above and go carbon sirui and the Outdoorsman bino adapter, do I need anything else to mount vortex binos? I have heard that they sometimes require special mounts.

 

[DMurphy]

Also, does the Outdoorsman adapter require the purchase of a separate bino stud? Thanks again.

 

[Kastew91]

Following

 

[justinspicher]

I just switched from a tripod to a monopod. Should have done that years ago.

 

[DMurphy]

In case anyone is following this, I just ordered the monopod off of Amazon and the adapter from Outdoorsmans. The adapter required a universal stud that is sold separately for $19.99. Total with shipping for the adapter and stud was $96.63. Monopod cost $99.90 on Amazon. All in, just under $200 for complete set up. I will update once I receive on quality of products and ease of use.

 

[Sturgies]

In case anyone is following this, I just ordered the monopod off of Amazon and the adapter from Outdoorsmans. The adapter required a universal stud that is sold separately for $19.99. Total with shipping for the adapter and stud was $96.63. Monopod cost $99.90 on Amazon. All in, just under $200 for complete set up. I will update once I receive on quality of products and ease of use.

Looking forward to this DMurphy. I carry a lightweight tripod but realizing a monopod would likely serve my needs during September elk hunts

 

[DMurphy]

Update: the monopod arrived in two days; the adapter and stud in three. All well packaged and in perfect condition. My binos are Vortex Diamondbacks 10x50. I think I may have needed the tall adapter instead of the short. The binos fit, but only if mounted upside down. I don’t think it matters that they are flipped but I may be wrong. Everything is very sturdy. I’m going to like this set up- upside down or not. Here’s some pics:

 

[Raven67]

That’s a slick monopod set up. I like the compact size and price.

 

[Bking]

If you're taking trekking poles, have you looked into the Quick-Stix system by Wiser Precision? It could be a solution for both trekking and a tripod.