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

I been using one-piecers for a while now. Not them fancy-handled, wriststrap kind like kingstons. But your everyday golf-club handled carbon fiber cow pokers.

https://www.bigdweb.com/product/weaver+stierwalt+carbon+fiber+show+stick+54+inch.do

Let me know how you like the Ultimates...😎

Used Leki ‘Cristallo’ poles (actually just one pole) chasing bucks in PA and NY this year. It’s really great to have an extra point of contact with the ground, especially when going downhill or on rocky terrain. Just ordered Cascade Mountain Tech carbon cork poles. I’m sold.

Camofire has several Lekki poles on sale today.

For snowshoeing I have a pair of BD Carbon trekking poles. However, for backpacking and hunting I far and away prefer a single adjustable cane (think the security of an ice axe) that allows one hand to remain free.

Trekking poles reduce strain, pain and swelling in my knees when packing a load downhill, especially on a trail when I can stride out. They make a BIG difference for me. I use them constantly, up, down or sidehill.

I have some older Lekki's, and like them for hiking. For hunting, I prefer a wooden single stick, about head high length as someone else recommended (Las?). It is quieter than metal or synthetic when I inevitably bump things, is infinitely adjustable to terrain slopes, and it does not matter if I forget and leave it somewhere. In recent years I've used one pole for most shots on game. I often just pick up a suitable pole or two, and discard as the day progresses and my need for a pole changes. I have two in the garage now that have braced me for several animals and are begging me to keep them and make them real “gear.”

In the Pacific North West, wild hazelnut/filberts produce excellent hiking poles that are straight, the right diameter and lightweight once dried. White oak from the South is also good but heavy.

For those of us from the south, willow works great. It is light, strong, and available. The old timers used it to make flag poles; I have done the same for a number of carry use options.

Walking sticks aside.....it's the wrist strap that makes a trekking pole work for you.

Absolutely, just like ski poles.

I used a pair on my first sheep hunt in 1998 - a combo rifle rest and pole which both eventually broke in the rocks. But that trip demonstrated the value they have for keeping balance on sidehills, slippery or muddy ground, fording streams, stabilizers when snowshoeing and whacking Devil's Club. Never went out west or subsequent trips to AK without them. I broke my last Leki years ago and now buy much cheaper versions. When they break, I don't feel so bad. The bottom line is that they are a valuable asset in the mountains.

Yes, and some cut the straps off....

I wouldn't use mine without the straps.....the straps are there to cary your weight at the wrist

Due to an injury, trekking poles are now part of my life. I should have used them sooner.

I won't hunt without them. They will literally save your ass over and over again.

BD Trail or BD Alpine Carbon.

If you NEED an ice axe...bring one. If you're going to need crampons...bring them! Know how to use both!

If I pack a ski/trekking pole it's usually a single BD Whippet. Similar to the cork handled number Brad posted, but an actual metal axe type head. The "pick" on it helps grab in all kinds of situations, especially helpful when chasing hounds through frozen rock piles. While no substitute for a real ice axe, it's pretty handy. I absolutely never use the straps due to past injuries and close calls. Doesn't matter if I'm skiing, hunting, or climbing. I don't cut the wrist straps off but I do not use them. This most likely comes from my skiing and climbing roots. I grip it like a cane when walking or climbing.

I don’t understand how a skiing background lends one to not use the straps. In my youth, I nordic skied recrecreationally and alpine skied competitively, pole straps were integral to both.

That said, I’ve never skied with BD Whippets mounted atop my pole grips or using ice axes as ski pole substitutes! Grin.

Those Whippets look menacing.

Heck I want that just to grab crap out of the back of the pickup.

Should you be caught in an avalanche, the poles usually will stay on the surface if NOT attached to you to indicate the line that you are likely to be found. One may find it easier to use swim-like arm motions in an attempt to stay on the surface of the snow if unencumbered by the poles.

You also may avoid a dislocated shoulder if the poles become snagged in brushy areas should you happen to slip and fall if they are not attached to your wrists.

^ mostly the ripping your shoulder out of socket/joint damage part for me. Same seems to be true when hiking in bad terrain. When/if I want rid of a ski pole/trekking pole I want rid of it, not tied to it. Do whatever works for you. I guess it was just a word of caution. And they are awesome for grabbing stuff out of the truck bed as mentioned above...