Backpacking moose hunting is about as team-intensive as it sounds. You need what you need to hunt well and be comfortable on the ground at night, but you also need to be careful not to overdo it. While you may not need to sweat every single ounce as much as you would for a sheep hunt, you may end up wishing you had. Just about everything that goes in with you has to come back out, possibly in the same load as an 80-pound elk hindquarter.
While we don’t have space to go over the minutiae of everything I took on my New Mexico moose hunt with Steve Rinella in MeatEater Season 10 Part 2, now available on Netflix, I do want to talk about some of my most valuable and critical pieces of equipment.
Phelps Metal Bugle Pipe
As you can see in that episode, my moose calling style relies heavily on blowing bugles when conditions are right. I play the bugle to locate the bulls and lure them into a fight once we are close. Both situations are favored by high volume noise. That’s why I created and patented the first commercially available metal cornet tube, because I wanted one.
Not only is this horn louder and sharper than previous offerings, it’s also available with a flared mouthpiece for use with a diaphragm call or our new EZ Bugler mouthpiece. That recent release is simpler to use and more comfortable for beginners than a diaphragm in the mouth, but it also goes very loud, producing convincing, nuanced growls and bull screams.
First Lite Corrugated Casting Pant
I’m not the first to say it, but the Corrugate Foundry is the best hunting pant out there. The ergonomic cut and bombproof design hits all the high points I’m looking for to cover my lower half. For an early season outdoor hunt like this, I want to stay warm at night and on chilly mornings, but cool off in the heat of the day. Most of all, I don’t want to wear more than one set of pants on my legs. With chunky fabric and well-placed side zippers, the Corrugate Foundry Pants allow me to accomplish all of those elements while hiking hard for a week in the woods.
MeatEater X Argali Large Game MOB Pack Game Bags
Meat bags can be one of the items that big game hunters overlook or don’t consider the most. Sure, the $14 four-pack of chiffon pillowcases will swaddle your quarters and suspend them off the ground, but they’ll tear themselves apart at the sight of a sticky bush.
Argali play bags are a revelation to anyone who has suffered with inferior products in the past. The Big Game (Meat on the Bone) MOB Pack is big and serious enough to fit a whole quartered bull elk or similar sized game, hang it in the trees and take it to the truck. Constructed of durable, breathable fabric with drawstring paracord closures and cinch loops for hanging, these bags set a new standard for meat-carrying ability.
Do you want to see everything we used in this hunt? You can check the full list of teams here. And if you haven’t seen the episode yet, head over to Netflix now.