I'll start with which ones to avoid first- Black Diamond Z poles; the first one I broke was fording a (albeit swift) stream, which left me with one pole w/ 80+ miles to go on a trip; Black Diamond was good about warrantying it, but this time I went with the heaviest duty aluminum Z pole they made, bent one of those early on a winter trip- no fun snowshoeing with one trekking pole! Both poles failed at the same location. I will say that I still have a pair, the first pair of Z poles I purchased- the very lightweight carbon ones they make- these are reserved for light & fast outings ON trail only- definitely not a hunting suitable pole. It's a really cool design, but after two losses not going to risk them again.
I've now got a pair of Black Diamond Carbon Corks that replaced the last pair of z-poles, the FlickLock setup while not as handy as the Z folding ones, is much sturdier and less prone to failure- these are the ones I now use hunting (and hiking if there is going to be a lot of off trail stuff). My other pair that I use mostly in the winter is their two piece Traverse ski pole- extra stout and can take their whippet attachment.
