Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Trekking Poles for hunting???

Had a hunting pard show up with a pair of trekking poles. He used them on a couple occasions. Once on a long uphill hike and the other while packing out a front shoulder of an elk in fairly steep and rough terrain. He swore by em..

Do many of you use them for traversing tough ground, both up and down? How do they help? Who makes a good set?

I did some reading and Leki Poles came up as an alpha mfg. Soft foam or real cork handles were also recommended for sweaty hands and comfort...Pretend I don’t know schit about poles. What should I look for and consider buying for hunting?

Beaver10😎

Trekking poles are very good to have. My son and I each have a set. We used them on a 10 day trip in the mountains of New Mexico to hike 86 miles. They make a heck of a difference. Leki is what we use.

What would he have done packing out a rear shoulder?


Poles are a huge help in a lot of different situations... Multi-tasking them as shooting sticks makes a lot of sense.

I use them mostly for downhill. It really saves my knees.

An elastic tarp ball bungee makes them into a set of shooting sticks rather quickly.

I recommend you get the flick lock type.

I use two different sets made by Black Diamond... Flick Lock is a must...

BD Alpine Carbon Cork.

I use the Black Diamond Trail Trekking poles. Very happy with them.

My brother brought a pair to elk camp this year. On our second trip out with my elk, carrying 80 lb packs for six miles, he brought his, gave me one he used one. GAME CHANGER!!! We were doing multiple (like 8) creek crossings in the dark while raining. Also side hilling canyon walls. I am pretty sure those damned things saved our arses from serious injury more than once that day.

As to brand etc. I know nothing, just don't buy the kind that are spring loaded. Solid is the only way to go based on my one time use of one.

Good info here in the backpacking sub-forum.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/13241250/trekker-poles

I use a Leki Wanderfreund SpeedLock Trekking Pole in the early season. My use is mostly limited to thrashing dead yucca plants with it as I've had one too many rattlesnake scares.

And if you have to, you can beat the chit outa somebody with them. I came real close to whoopin some boys from Houston LOL

I carry 1 pole. While not as good as 2 for climbing, it's far better than none. I find it too clumsy to mess with 2 and a gun at the same time, plus hopefully I'll have llamas in tow for packing meat out. 1 can be used in any number of ways as a shooting stick. It just takes a bit of practice at home on getting into positions bracing the stick with a knee or whatever.

Learn how to use the wrist straps if you don't already know. I see a lot of people not using the straps at all, or using them incorrectly. Probably cuts the utility of the poles by 50% or so.

I only use a single stick-homemade cedar. I don't want both of my hands full and it is great to lean binos on.

We use to make fun of the hikers who used trekking poles. That and those goofy gaiters... LOL. Eventually smartened up and both quickly became required equipment. I’ve used a few different makes of trekking poles and would recommend Leki and Black Diamond products.

I use a wooden staff about 60" long and 3/4" in diameter. It has a leather strap fastened to the upper part of the staff. I used it everywhere when my knees were bad. I got two new knees a year ago and still use it on hikes. I put a 1/4" by 20 stud for a camera on the top of it and can also use it for a standing gun rest if needed.

Before I got the hickory staff I used two ski poles, fixed length, that I had left over from my alpine skiing days. They worked well too but I prefer the single staff these days. My elk hauling days are over but the trekking poles make sense if you are hauling heavy loads or packing animals out of rough country.

I've used a trekking staff for several years. At age 76 it's a life saver, especially going downhill. I only use one because the second one gets in the way of my rifle etc.

My poles are $35 Costco specials. I've been told they wont last but I have at least 5 years and lots of miles on them. The only problem I've had is the bottom section makes noise rattling inside the middle section.

Appreciate the information...I got a set of Leki Corklight Speedlocks coming for the wife and the BD Alpines for me. 😎

Lekki for me; Corklites I believe. I began using them hiking and they really make a difference on the uphill, downhill with load, and uneven terrain. Buy Black Diamond or Lekki. Lekki come with replaceable parts for a reasonable price if you break anything. They are the real deal, especially packing animals out. I collapse them and stick them in my side pocket on my pack. They fit perfect.