Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Trekking poles

Anybody use them in a hunting situation? Or, do they become a nuisance once you reach the top of the mountain. I'm thinking they may give my old joints a few more miles.

You actually do burn more energy with them than without, however they do help save the legs energy wise.

I grab a stick if I feel the need for one, but it is rare. This is personal opinion, but I think hiking in shoes, not boots saves the knees a lot of stress in the mountains .

Never could understand paying good money for a stick you can go out into the woods & cut down.
As to the use of a walking stick, "yes" we use them on our sheep/caribou hunts. Rifles are carried straped across our packboards leaving our hands free to manage the stick. Where/how we hunt, a walking stick really seems to help especially in rock slides that are covered with waist hih bushes where you really can't see where to put your feet. Alaska sheep hunters know what I'm talking about here.
Bear in Fairbanks

I would say poles are essential gear for load bearing in rough country.

They really help with the balance in nasty stuff, but metal ones are NOISY when whacked on a rock.

I always have at least one with me. They are worth their weight in gold when coming down toward the end of the day. That goes double if youy are packing any extra weight or are coming down on snow and ice.
I lash mine to mt pack where it's no trouble at all when not needed.
See EdT for the latest and the best.
No mountin hunter should be w/o one. E

I love my treking poles but I usually leave them at home while hunting because they catch on everything if I'm not using them. However, a few companies (Big Agnes, Leki, CAMP, and Black Diamond) have come out with some new poles this year that fold up a lot smaller then previously, at least as far as I'm aware of. I'm looking at getting a set for hunting because they would fit completely inside a daypack or they'd at least not stick up past the top of my pack. Some of them are really light though and probably wouldn't work well for packing out an animal.

http://www.camp-usa.com/products/new-2011/trekking-poles/xenon-trek-1915.asp

For the most part any technology that is added to hunting is not useful and has a diminishing return. That is not true with trekking poles.

Light trekking poles like Leki or blackdiamond can be useful in speeding up your pace. You do get a bit louder as you are going through the brush but they can give you up to 3-4 additional miles per day if you know how to use them. 8-12 days out that works to be almost 50 miles of additional range.

The biggest things that trekking poles give you are additional supports. This is important when you are sidehilling in a scree slope or are traversing glaciers. You can use them to self arrest much like an iceaxe which only has the benefit of being able to chop out steps. This can be important if you are packing a goat off of a ledge or a sheep off of a chute.

I used to use a pair of swix fiberglass skipoles with baskets on them and they worked fine.

I use BD Trail poles with the folding flit locks now and I like them.

I also have expoxyied a binocular/spotter base to the top of one to make it into a quick tripod adapter. It doesn't replace a tripod but its quick and decently stable for a look-see.

Sincerely,
Thomas

As far as Trekking poles, use them once on uphills and downhills, you will quickly form your opinion....

on my AMEX list

I don't leave home without them.

saved me from some nasty spills over the years sheep hunting.

I can go faster over rough terrain than without them.

don't really want to fall into a beaver stob with a moose quarter on my back either.

maybe you guys think I like em?

btw I've only ever used one, never two, but I could see where it could be handy, but as in all things compromises are made in comfort for weight.

Crossing deadfalls in dark timber, crossing slippery ass rocks in a creek, going down a scree slope or chute, keeing balanced on a log over a creek, holding up my Shangrila 4 after we reach camp.

What's not to like. Essential gear right up there on the list.

And for hanging out damp socks after a handwash:



MtnHtr

Not to step on any toes but my trekking poles that I used in Hell's Canyon were pretty hard on my redneck pride however they saved my butt. I was able to use my arms to help on the climbs saving my legs, they kept me from more than one sure tumble and they saved my knees and allowed me to move alot faster over some really steep, tough country and get in position to shoot my bear. They are noisy contraptions at times and wouldn't adapt to some kinds of hunting but for spot and stalk in rough country, they were more than worth it IMO.

I was first intro duced to them on a rescue several years ago that ended up stretching out for 2 days. On the way back down I realized that I was a bit optimistic when I loaded my pack with group gear for the trip out. A friend, who I later found out "didn't have any room" in his pack for group gear, offered me his poles out of guilt. They really saved me(my knees) on a steep, rough decent.

Valuable and versitile gear to have. Able to move quicker and more effienctly across varried terrain. Saves wear and tear on my knees and can keep you up-right when you lose your footing. Just takes a little getting used too. Most recently been using the MSR carbon fiber poles. Also just picked up the Black Diamond Z poles. They are amazingly light. You can set up a mega-mid or other shelter whith them, shooting sticks, add a camera/spotter mount, splint a broken limb...Lots of secondary uses. And i like gear that has multiple uses in the woods.

You can cover a lot of steep ground, with a rifle in a back scabard and two trecking poles in your hands.

As somebody mentioned, try them. There is a bit of a learning curve involved. Mosty just how to keep them out of your way, when your on an easy section of trail. You'll find out in a weekend of they're for you or not.

I guess I'm in the minority as I usually find them a hinderance. The worst spill I've taken while running I actually had poles and was trying them. I find scree is best handled by plunge stepping or determining solid places to step that provide some breaking and stepping lightly. I've descended mount sneffels scree and ridge (which is notoriously loose 1800 feet of descent) in 20 minutes no falling, no poles, no plunge stepping.

As for tent setup , light poles weigh about 10 - 12 ounces each (20 per pair). A Carbon fiber pole performs much better and will weigh 8 - 10 ounces. Sticks are easy to find and do the job most of the time. Crossing creeks, take off the shoes and don't worry about the water.

I will use them when snowshoeing though and breaking trail and I sometimes carry them when I think others in my group may ned them at some point.

These always get me where I'm going. Then one becomes a pole for the opening in my sil-tarp. The other I always take with me hunting. Not only are they tough as hell, but I've become the "ultimate glasser"!! I can glass for hours using one as an adjustable bino rest. Can't Imagine a better tool for the mountains.. Shooting, camera, video, tarp pole, etc.

Did I mention they are tough as hell?

http://www.stoneypoint.com/products/mp_explorer_monopod.html

I use them all the time. Used to carry only one for hunting until I learned to shoot off them, now I carry a pair. Gossamer Gear poles, 7 oz/pair

yeh that.