Essential Moose Hunting Gear

by
posted on August 20, 2013
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **

I couldn’t manage a horseback hunt without my pet backpack, an Eberlestock X2. I’ve been hunting out of this pack for three seasons because it’s like Goldilocks—not too big, not too small. Just right. It fits the overhead bins on commercial flights, yet holds essential gear for a serious hunt plus survival gear in case of a bivouac. Long, roomy, zippered side pockets fit spotting scopes and big telephoto lenses or rolled-up jackets. Two external pouch pockets hold water bottles, the butt of a rifle or legs of a tripod. The main pocket is about 12 inches wide by 20 inches high and about 7 inches deep. An extension collar raises that another 5 inches. That’s enough space for all the hunting tools I need plus food and extra clothing. Zippered slash pockets let me isolate small items and maps, and a top lid pocket swallows all sorts of odds and ends.

Several compression straps cinch everything tight, and extend to take in extra coats, and a sleeping pad and sleeping bag if necessary. And professional, padded waist and shoulder straps distribute the weight beautifully whether I’m walking or riding. The X2 is like the bed of my Ram 4x4. It hauls the stuff I need on a hunt.

A solid night’s sleep makes every hunt better, and I get it with my Mont-Bell UltraLight Down Hugger 1 sleeping bag atop a 1-pound Therm A Rest pad. The 2-pound, 3-ounce bag compresses into a space hardly larger than a loaf of bread, yet its 800-Fill Power goose down keeps me toasty well below freezing. It’s rated to 15 degrees.

I can’t imagine any hunt without a binocular in hand. But I don’t enjoy an albatross swinging ’round my neck. Swarovski’s 18-ounce 8x30 CL Companion binocular was the perfect compromise—plenty powerful and bright enough for moose hunting, but light enough that I could keep it slung for instant use. Close-up views of grizzlies, ptarmigan, songbirds—even suspicious tracks on a distant mudflat—make every hunt richer.

Latest

Spartan Precision Javelin Gear Lead
Spartan Precision Javelin Gear Lead

Spartan Precision Javelin Gear: Light, Rigid, Dependable Aiming Aids

Spartan’s extensive lineup is a game-changer, allowing for the quick adaptation from regular rifle to bipod or tripod very quickly, giving the user the steadiness required to precisely place a shot.

First Look: TriStar Arms KR22

TriStar Arms has launched its KR22, a lightweight and ergonomic .22 LR rifle designed to excel in target shooting and small game hunting, as well as a great training rifle for junior shooters.

Recipe: Sticky Mango Duck Tacos

Game Girl Gourmet's Chef Holly Hearn whips up some sticky mango duck tacos, a perfect flavor for the end of summer.

New for 2025: Fiocchi Arkansas Steel

Fiocchi has introduced Arkansas Steel, a waterfowl hunting shotshell engineered for duck and goose hunters.

#SundayGunday: Moultrie Edge 3 Cellular Trail Camera

On this week's #SundayGunday, Editor in Chief Scott Olmsted chats with Moultrie's Mark Olis about the company's new Edge 3 trail camera.

Michigan and Idaho Harness Game Camera Technology

Information gathered by hunters using today’s generation of game cameras can improve the odds of success on opening day, but state conservation departments are also adopting the technology to get a better glimpse of tough-to-count wildlife populations. Biologists in Michigan and Idaho are among the latest to join that growing list.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.