Gear

Elk hunting requires a lot of physical preparation, a healthy dosage of grit, and a few good elk calls. Here at MeatEater, it’s no surprise that we’re fans of Phelps Game Calls, and that’s exactly what we use to chase bugles through the mountains each September. Whether you’re looking for a bugle...

Ask a half dozen hunters what makes the perfect UTV setup, and you’ll get six different answers. None of them are wrong. The UTV that hauled me around the Idaho mountains chasing bugling bull elk looked a lot different than the rig I use to hunt the soggy river bottoms back home in eastern North...

Image stabilizing binoculars have been around for a long time. In January of 2009, the Department of Homeland Security published what amounts to a taxpayer-funded review of some of the most popular stabilizing binos. Some, like the Fujinon Techno-Stabi, the Nikon StabiliEyes, and the Canon L IS WP...

I’m not sure who started the rule of buying a scope that costs twice as much as your rifle, but they probably worked in marketing. While it might provide a general rule of thumb for some Western hunters, this hyperbole hardly applies to the rest of us and our budgets. The truth is most hunters are...

The dog days of summer have arrived, and we’re all dreaming about cool fall mornings filled with rutting bucks and bugling bulls. Instead of daydreaming, get out there and scratch the itch by setting trail cams, prepping stands, and summer scouting. That way, you’re fully prepared and out of excuses...

A dull knife is like a rusty car or a worn out pair of sneakers. It’s almost useless and can be quite dangerous. Your knife will get dull eventually. Rather than replace it, it’s far cheaper to sharpen it. The question is how. You can sharpen a knife on a rock. I once watched two skinners in Africa...

My dad hauled a beat-up old pop-up camper into the Virginia mountains every deer season. It wasn’t much more than a tent on wheels, just some canvas walls, a tiny two-burner stove, and barely enough room for two people to stand up. But after a hard day of climbing steep ridges and toughing out...

Hunters and anglers like to strut around in well-worn gear like they’ve earned a merit badge. Scuffed-up rifle stocks, blood-stained jackets, and threadbare packs usually tell a good story in the rips and stains. Well-earned wear is one thing. Flat-out neglect is another. Worn gear may tell a story...

A good turkey choke can turn any old shotgun into a certified gobbler getter. It might require some trial and error to figure out which turkey loads a choke patterns best, but that's part of the fun. Of course, it isn't feasible (definitely not affordable) to test every ammo and choke combination...

You don't have to be a scent-control junkie to appreciate a good pair of rubber hunting boots. They're perfect for those late-season whitetail hunts when you need to layer extra socks, run some toe warmers, and keep your scent to a minimum. But, they're also necessary if you spend a lot of time in...

Some hunters love disappearing into the wilderness and hoofing it miles. Others don’t mind a little motorization to help them punch their tags. Last fall, a Can-Am Defender saved my flatlander legs and lungs while I tagged a bull elk in Idaho, especially when it came time for the pack out. Back home...

If you ever hunt overseas, you will undoubtedly encounter DIY shooting sticks. In places where there are few trees or rocks to brace a rifle on, like parts of Africa, a tripod shooting stick is standard issue. Simple, cheap, and effective, shooting sticks allow a foot-bound hunter to brace...