Hunting Blog

The Silent Stalker

Warning: "elk hunting can become  extremely addictive, once addicted there is no cure, only temporary relief." 

With so many companies producing quality hunting gear, how do you choose the right brand?

Everyone is going to have different likes and dislikes when it comes to finding the right hunting gear and clothing. Different body shapes and the way you hunt are all going to play a huge factor in which clothing choice is going to be the best for you.  Since elk hunting is one of our biggest passions here at Montana Rivers and Ridges Outfitter, we are going to discuss the clothing that we prefer for hunting in the Rocky Mountains of Western Montana.

There are several questions that will need to be answered before picking the clothing that is best for you.

How important is camouflage?
Is it comfortable to hike in?
Is it SILENT in the brush?
Is it water proof?

Lets start with camouflage.  Millions of dollars have been invested in camouflage research and there are some really great patterns out there for just about every habitat.  Through my personal experience I believe that camo is NOT as important as movement.  In Western Montana dark clothing such as greens, grey and blacks can be just as affective.  You could have the best camo that money can buy, but if you move, you are going to be seen.  If you are rifle hunting, then camo is going to be even less effective because at longer distances you are going to turn into a solid object.  I have called a lot of big bulls into bow range while wearing a white cowboy hat.  Proper set up and being ready to draw your bow or take the rifle shot when the opportunity presents it self are far more important than having camo that perfectly matches your surroundings.

Next, is your clothing going to be comfortable fro hiking?  Ask yourself: Is it too warm, not warm enough, and does it fit properly?  I have found that by using thinner layers and more layers, I can add a layer or take one off according to the physical exertion of a hike, temperature and weather.  Many days in the field I might have a 1-2 mile hike and then I am going to sit and glass for 2-3 hours. By removing layers before the hike and then adding them back when glassing, I can stay warm and comfortable.  It is also important that your clothing fit you properly. 

When elk hunting, I believe that having silent clothing is one of the most important factors when making your selection.  There are a lot of quality synthetic options out there, but is almost impossible to beat wool in Western Montana.  It is going to be completely silent when walking though the brush.  Natural sounds in the woods typically are not going to spook game animals, but unnatural sounds such as nylon clothing scraping brush will spook game, especially elk long before you ever see them.  Evidence of this becomes very clear when you have snow on the ground.  It  is like reading a book on "getting busted by elk." A noisy hunter creating unnatural sounds will see a lots of tracks leading away from their location.  It is amazing to see how many animals are spooked by the unnatural sound of synthetic clothing in the woods.  Again you can have the best camo, but if the noise from your camo clothing is spooking animals before they ever see you, then it is doing you no good. 

Waterproof clothing has come a long way over the last decade.  There are a lot of light weight, quality options for rain gear.  I am not a big fan of hunting while wearing rain gear because of the noise factor that I talked about above.  I once spooked 4 different bulls out of their beds, in separate locations, in one day because I wanted to try out my new Sitka rain pants in the snow.  With that being said I always carry a light weight waterproof shell in my backpack.  If it is raining or snowing really hard, then staying dry is going to take precedence.  It is also great for glassing in inclement weather.   If you are ever in an emergency situation, then your rain gear could save your life.

Elk have been killed while wearing just about every kind of clothing there is, but by reducing the amount of unnatural noise, hopefully you will start getting closer to those big bulls and improving your chances of notching this seasons tag.