I've recently bought a piece of mountain land some of which is steep. I discovered the shooting/walking stick I used for 20 years is too short to help coming down. I've been toying with the Idea of buying trekking poles to steady and help me with the climbs and descents. Has anyone got any experience using them hunting?

I guess I'll be the dumb one. What's the difference between a "trekking" pole and a 2" thick hickory sapling around however long?

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
I guess I'll be the dumb one. What's the difference between a "trekking" pole and a 2" thick hickory sapling around however long?

A set of decent trekking poles weigh a little over a pound for a pair, carbon fibers less than a pound per pair.They have a molded grip and a strap to take the load, not just your grip strength. Carbide tips can provide a good plant on a hard rock surface,for pushing against,either up or down hill.They adjust for length so you can "palm" the tops for catching your weight downhill,which saves your knees from the repeated pounding if you are dropping over logs or over stones.

You get some of these advantages with a stick;but not at the weight and flexibility.IMO

I use them and wonder why I didn't sooner.I have a pair of Black Diamond elliptical shafts in aluminum;they are awesome(around $65).....lots of hikers and hunters swear by the same thing in carbon fiber(around $129).

I have one that I use occasionally. It works and it's light.

I bought one before my last sheep hunt in the Yukon. I broke it. I found it to be too flimsy. Mine was from Cabelas.

Mine are SWISSGEAR, and are aluminum. They weigh about 2-2.5# for the pair. The nice thing is they have several different baskets, carbide tips, and the caps of each flip up with nice bright walking lites (adjustable angle) for coming out in the dark. They were gifts from my son who hunts elk with me, and have been a lifesaver at times. Fairly short when collapsed, and fit into my Badlands pack. They are great for normal hiking in steep country, but exceptional when you have 60-80 pounds of elk meat in your pack.

I have a good strong, tough pair. I will not hike in the mountains around here, north of YNP, without them. Packing out heavy loads: vital to help prevent serious injury as well as making the hard work much, much easier. I also fine that they improve my hunting experience and success, I have to watch my feet less and so I watch the territory ahead more intently. Can be used as shooting sticks very successfully. If you twist an ankle you will be so happy that you have them, I was.

I have a friend that scoffed at them, until we went on a back-pack sheep hunt that involved some very nasty, very steep terrain. I let him try mine out for a bit and he spent the rest of the trip begging me to let him use just one. I reminded him that he turned down my offer of my extra pair abck at the trailhead. He actually made a couple of staffs out of branches, which he said helped but still sucked compared to the composite, adjustable ones I was using.

When I was younger I was tougher and didn't use them, I'm not an idiot anymore...

The one I use I got a long time ago. I like the fact that it is adjustable for up and down hill. It also has changeable heads so I can change the top to the standard knob, padded gun rest or camera/spotting scope screw. I love mine. It is in the truck all the time just in case I want to go scouting.

They work, but they are very noisey. They tink and thunk and tink some more every time they hit each other or rocks. So for just climbing they work great. For stalking, not so much in my opinion. Of course that is my experience hunting mule deer and elk in high country. I do carry a collapsable in my pack for steep returns, but don't use it while hunting.

I also find it much easier to roll meat down steep inclines than to carry it on a tired back. At least for me and the hunting partners I have shown.

Thanks for the input guys. I'm leaning toward buying a pair in carbon fiber. I have considered the noise thing myself but decided I could carry them to stalk.

You won't regret buying a pair. I've gone through several pairs of the cheaper models (Cabelas XPG, for example.). Good poles, but they can't take real abuse.
I have a quality set of Leki poles, that made it through last year, and seem able to last many more. You do get what you pay for, both in reduced weight, and durability.
Once you have used them, you will have a hard time going back.

Bill

I do a lot of mountaineering and wouldn't leave home without them. Buy good ones to start with and you won't be sorry.

I wouldn't be without them in steep stuff and especially while packing out meat. They take a lot of pressure off the knees. I have the top section of mine wrapped with hockey tape which lets them be used as shooting sticks which works quite well with some practice.

I wouldn't hunt the mountains without my Leki poles.

I second Greg R.'s opinion on the Leki Poles. I got several years out of my first pair until I lent them to a skeptical friend. He was packing out a buddy's sheep and slipped on some small boulders, bending the pole as he saved himself from breaking his leg. He bought me a replacement pair( newer and more expensive!), I used them one season and the locking ring on one failed on the last trip of the season. Leki couldn't provide replacement parts( a few dollars of specially shaped plastic) so the store where I purchased them exchanged old for new pair.
The added stablity over rough terrain, up, down sidehilling, takes a little bit of strain off the knees. That could mean more years of having the knees to go up into the high country.

I had great success using Black Diamond poles on Kodiak during my Mnt Goat hunt. The locks stayed put. My brother used one pole and I used the other. Ron needed to use one to keep from taking a bad fall and bent the pole pretty good. We straightened it out a bit and on we went. It still works great. Great product and well worth the weight and money.