This list might be called 'useless hunting stuff that seemed like a good idea at the time'

A Deer Hauler the flips over on any ground less level than a pool table, pops cotter pins at every obstacle and rattles like a drum.

Fleece pants with a "Gortex-like" liner built-in that ripped on a fence the first time out.

A waterproof cushion for ground stands that made as much noise as a brass band.

A Bushnell 3200 scope with eye relief too short for a gun with a lot of recoil. (It woks fine on a .243)

Noisy riveted tree stands.

Cheap flashlights and headlights of any descriptions.

Wuddin I like to have some of the money back I've wasted on some stuff!

Knives with gut hooks. - only good for lifting pots of a fire.
Filson Single-Tincloth pants - noisy, not very warm and ripped on the first fence I climbed over.
Cotton socks.
Cheap Slings. -Had one break and rifle flipped over straight into mud muzzle first.


Nimm's Leicht!

Not hunting, but gun related.



Laser Bore sighters. Hate em!



Chuck



Guess I should read the title to the thread.

i've been pretty lucky so far, but then again, i keep it simple.

basically, i take a gun, ammo, knife, water, 3 ways to make a fire, at least a basic map of the area and a compass if i am going someplace i am not familiar with (yes, i know how to use one). so far, all of this has performed well because it is pretty simple stuff that works well for the hunting i do.

i'm not putting down your idea for the topic, because it's a good one and will bring to light some bad products. i'm just proposing that keeping it simple allows less chance for failure.

Cotton cloths: first they get wet and then they freeze and stay frozen until the plane comes to get you, which might be a week.

As stated above, knives with gut-hooks.

Gore-Tex boots: They might dry out if you have a dry 75 degree cabin to spend the night in at the end of each day..otherwise they won't dry out.

I've been disappointed a few times and usually it was because I had tried to be to thrifty or couldn't afford better.

The letdown that I didn't expect was a pair of Rocky boots. They were insulated and Gore-Tex and still my feet got wet, Then when hunting hundreds of miles from home, and several hours walk from the truck, the sole split across right behind the front tread. I had to walk out with the boot falling apart. I bought a pair of Danner boots to replace them. They are quite a bit more $$$ but seem more comfortable, definately better support, and they are Gore-Tex and Thinsulate lined.
I guess as I get older I can afford to replace the poor quality equipment that when I was younger, was enough to get by with. I get cold easier now and my feet and knee's can't stand-up to what they used to.

Gentlemen,

I fortunately have had pretty good luck with most things I've spent my money on when it comes to hunting gear.

Knives with gut hooks are often constructed with too small of a hook. The place where I have really appreciated having a proper gut hook is when skinning something with very thick skin, such as a giraffe. I normally use a Kershaw Alaskan blade trader knife with the large gut hook for that, and it works excellent.

One thing I will never spend money on again is cheap binoculars...been there, done that, and learned my lesson



I've never bought Filson single tin pants, but I've used their double tin pants for working in the woods for years and have had nothing but good luck. If you get a chance, buy them from someone who has the crotch reinforced with extra tacking. Robert's Logging Supply in Springfield, OR has them.

Leather Gore-Tex/800 grainThinsulate boots (mine are Browning and cost a lot of money as far as footwear goes) are good when you do not need to spend 3-12 hours a day (or for ever) in wet tundra..where the surface of the earth is covered in at least 10" of standing water. You will be measurable by the end of the first day and you will be using someone else's gear by the third day. I don't have these problems, but I am usually the guy that lends proper gear to those who bring Gore-Tex foot wear up here on hunting trips. If you are high and dry, then Gore-Tex boots work ok, but so will tennis-shoes and a good pair of socks. Gore-Tex always needs to be to be dried out at the end of the day in a truely wet environment and if you cannot dry it out at night, then when the ground is wet, you need rubber boots and hip-waders. The same goes for raingear...Gore-Tex when you can dry it out, but when it is wet outside, get a set of Helly Hansen.

You need to try a gut hook on an animal with lots of thick hair and thick skin, like a moose. Gut hooks are also useless on unzipping caribou down the back. Giraffe may have thick skin but they are not hairy...plus, my problem with gut hooks comes when quartering a large animal...cutting the hind leg off of a caribou or elk with a knife with a gut hook convinced me to not use one again...the hook catches on everything except what you are trying to cut.

Did you actually quarter a giraffe with a knive with a gut hook?

Most Gore-Tex rain gear hasn't been worth much in my experience, except for Browning's Hydro-Fleece.

Lower-grade felt cowboy hats tend to shrink and don't hold up well. The higher-grade hats from Resistol, Stetson, Rand's, etc. can stand up to just about anything and last forever.

Rifles slings that haven't worked include all "Cobra" styles, neoprene stretch jobs, or anything that can't be used as a shooting sling and isn't made out of real leather.

Likewise, I hate Cordura ammo wallets. They're noisy, rough, cheap, and the Vlecro closure catches all sorts of debris.

Saddle scabbards with detachable hoods are the invention of non-horsemen, and I depise them.

Red Wing Irish Setter boots are the worst I've ever owned. They seem to leak water as soon as it clouds up.....

Any flashlight that wasn't made by Mag-Light or Sure-Fire has given out on me in a hurry.

Chemical handwarmer packets and their ilk are not worth carrying in the pack....

Pack frames made out of light tubing material are NOT the way to go for hauling out elk quarters!

AD

actually, i did think of one thing last night whcih was totally worthless and a complete waste of even the little bit of money i paid for it.

each year, i buy my kids those cheap, 99-cent orange vinyl vests, and before we even get out to where we are hunting, they are ripped up and tied in knots! don't know if this is a reflection of how rowdy my kids are, or a reflection on the quality of the vests, but i do know that if i just bought them all an orange jacket, everyone involved would probably be better off!

RWJ,

I only used the knife with the gut hook to skin out a giraffe...It took a lot bigger tools to actually cut the thing up. To be honest, it took about 5 of us several hours to skin and cut the giraffe up...

The client used a .358 Shooting Times Alaskan with 250 gr. Swift A-frames at about 80 yards, and it stopped in the off-side lung. The giraffe is a thick, sturdy animal, and his skin was over an inch thick.

That Binocular harness that holds the binoc on your chest and pull up to eye level pretty easy but it trusses you up like a pig on a stick....Hard to get off an on..Must have been invented by some bird watcher with waffle soled shoes, a real tree hugger type.

A simple web belting that carries your binocs slung under your left arm pit just above your belt can be carried for days without any fatigue and the come up handy..the webbing cost obout 50 cents...

I suppose it is the African carry, as thats where its done mostly....around the neck is pure pain and torture.