I saw this question on a Swedish hunting forum, and thought that I should pass the question to you! What, in your opinion, is the most unnecessary or overrated gadget you ever brought with you hunting (or refused to buy at all)?

I think boots with incorporated electric heating system shall be pretty useless.

Mil-dot reticles on scopes used on hunting rifles.

George

I know a lot of people will disagree, but my GPS. I have yet to find a use for the one I have.

Jim

The Barnes X, Nosler Partion or the Win Failsafe. Way overhyped and overpriced. Never have seen the need for them when my regular bullets have worked so well when I place them in right spot. The results are the same weather your bullets cost $.15 or $1.
Go ahead and rip me for saying this...I can take the heat, but it's still the truth.
Elk Country

Muzzle brakes and see-through scope mounts are probably tied for uselessness and counter-productivity.

I vote with Stonecreek!

Game finder!

A friend gave me one, and then we realized it is supposed to detect the heat of the animal.

Imagine trying to use it in Africa!

Game Finder? I think Saeed wins this hands down.

What about carry straps with bullet loops on them, and scope rings with backup iron sights on top.

I vote against Stonecreek.........

The most overrated item I've ever used for hunting is Goretex rainwear. It's good for the occasional light shower, but that's about it!

AD

Allan may have something here, once you use waxed cotton, Barbour, Filson, etc you will never go back to goretex again. See-through scope mounts seem a good second place though.

Then how about Gore-tex lined see-though scope mounts? Such mounts with a built-in "game finder" might be a real winner.

Refused to buy/bring along......

A Remington 710!

Second Runner UP under 9# DGR rifles

First Runner Up laser range finding scopes....

and the winner IS
ANY scope with less than 4" of eye relief!!!
jeffe

I agree with the gamefinder suggestion. Partly because they apparently don't work well (useless), and partly because of the obvious temptation for people to use them to find live game instead of the intended retrieval of dead or wounded game.

Canuck

Elk Country,

I would agree with you except with regard to the Barnes-X bullet in Africa. That is whole different ball game from North America. The animals are just plain tougher and you need to be able to take shots that will penetrate to the vitals from angles that you might no prefer.

If you try a "texas heart shot" on a Zebra with a lesser bullet you will watch your Zebra and about $700 in trophy fees trot off into the bush never to be seen again. With an X-bullet, however, you will get major damage to the vitals and maybe even an exit wound.

JMHO,

JohnTheGreek

See through mounts are definitely the most worthless hunting gear ever.

I happened across an individual while elk hunting west of Yakima here in WA state. We were in a broken area, about 1.5 miles away from roads. You could walk south, east, and north and hit a road in an hour. Plus, it was a blue-bell day with unlimited visibility, and there was a VERY distinctive landmark nearby. Anyway, this fellow had drawn a branch-antlered bull permit, and had seen three good animals around about where we crossed paths. He got close enough to shoot one, and his a-bolt in 7mm didn't go off. You needed to jiggle the little bolt block at the back of the bolt to make it go off.

He had the following gear with him, all clipped to belts and webbing:
1. laser rangefinder
2. 2-way radio
3. big binoculars
4. big knife
5. leatherman
6. cell phone
7. cute ammo bandolier w/ 10 rounds

He was wearing scentblocker long underwear, in some trendy camo pattern, top and bottom. No jacket. Cooold in the mornings, but ~55 at the time, so not biggie.

If he would have shot one there, it was a 1.5-2 mile hike up terrible terrain to a road ~1000 vertical feet above. He didn't look up to the task, if you know what I mean.

Bottom line? Some of his gear was okay, I guess. Failure to fire on a 6x6 in the state of Washington is unforgiveable. Claimed he knew his rifle out to 500 yards (stock browning a-bolt that failed to fire). Somehow, I didn't believe him...

80% of all shooting accessories are unnecessary, if you have to carry them all day, I came to this conclusion after my first day hunting in the mountains, on the second day my rucksack was 6 pounds lighter...

The whole "deer hunting" aisle at Wal Mart

Saeed yours are very good

I suggest the self focusing rifle scopes with automatic rangefinding. I saw one of these at a gun show in USA. I guess you can connect it to a game finder and a self fireing rifle

Great hunting trip or what. Just hold the rifle the rest is taken care of
If anything goes wrong you can blaim the technical stuff.

I agree, much of the stuff they tries to sell to us is plain crap with little or NO use for

Cheers
/ JOHAN

[ 08-30-2002, 23:49: Message edited by: JOHAN ]

Back in my younger and dumber days I booked a bargain hunt and never checked references. As Paul Harvey says,"and now you know the rest of the story".

I'm tempted to say cell phone but I will have to go with...drum roll please...

a pager!

Reed

Wow, have this thread exploded in a few hours or what? Fun! I did just realise that I have not submitted my own view on the topic...

I guess I will vote for that full size deer decoy I saw in Cabela's catalogue!

But perhaps some deer hunter here will prove me wrong?

Regards,

Another vote for the see-through scope mounts.

On a couple of stands that are near the road it's easy to carry a lot of stuff in a knapsack. Of all the things I pack in there the thermos of soup is the most valuable! The least used thing is redundant stuff like matches when I don't light a fire but I can't help it I like lots of stuff.

Once I missed three shots on a deer in the pouring rain because I could not see anything thru the 2X LER scope on my slug gun. If I had see thru mounts I would have got it as it was very close. I agree that see thru mounts are almost funny and I would not be seen with them.

#1 Game Finder.
#2 See through mounts
#3 GPS, I sold mine on E-Bay after trying to use it a few times.

Besides my rifle, I carry ammo, poncho, water, lunch or a snack, compass, flashlight, knife, matches, and a bit of rope. If I'm going for several days, I still carry the same stuff, with the rest being at the spike camp.

I've been out after dark with a PH in Africa and in Canada, and every time I've been the only one with water and a flashlight with some dangerous downhill trekking ahead of us.

A small item but which I found distracting under field conditions - flip up scope covers.

Camoflage

Anything that doesn't work, or wasn't needed in the first place.

Brad and Wayne:

You gentlemen are ahead of your time!

Even so, I agree with both of you 100%.........

AD

[ 08-31-2002, 05:11: Message edited by: allen day ]

I agree with Brad, camouflage in my experience is completely unnecessary.

The Cough Suppressor!!!!!!!!!!!

see through mounts
scentblocker clothing

A compass was made that you inletted into your stock somewhere. So back in the 50's they were popular and I had to have one! Imagine sporterizing a rifle and finshing a stock and then making a hole in it! I don't think I ever used it either.

Men

Sharp Tongued women!!

especially one that can't cook

[ 08-31-2002, 19:15: Message edited by: rockhead ]