Mountaintrekker
09-11-2011, 06:01 PM
Hello all,
Just wanted to share some of my experience hunting up here in AK in wet weather. A friend and I took off for a 5 day canoe hunt for moose a couple of weeks ago and it rained every day. I don't mean a drizzle, I'm talking about hunting in an automatic car wash kind of rain... everyday and night! Swampy doesn't even cover it, that said here are some key observations;
1. We both had our range slings on our rifles and didn't even think of it... until too late. Both range (kick around type slings) are neoprene and they absorb water like no other! We got under our tarp at camp and took rain jackets off only to sling rifles and soak our shoulders and necks with cold water. We both looked at each other with the knowing look of (we know better!). Neoprene stinks for wet weather hunting, nuff said. I'm glad I had a plain jane nylon sling in my pack from a previous trip.
2. Scope covers/caps (hinged type) are a must. We couldn't imaging not having them on as leaning your rifle up against a tree or trekking through thick woods (of which we did a lot of) tends to put bark and pine needles all over your rifle. A good piece of silk for cleaning the fogged lenses is a must. I have a nice Leopould VXII scope and the inside didn't fog but the outside of the lenses were wet and foggy most of the time with constant temp and humidity changes.
3. A muzzle cover is a must for keeping debris and water out of your barrel when leaning against a tree or fording rivers or jumping our of the canoe thinking the water is only a foot deep only to find out it's 4 feet deep where my feet landed! I use small balloons in camo or black.
4. Waterproof dry bags were a must. The only bad thing is, they keep water in just a good at keeping it out. When you get water in them and you will, pull everything out at the fist opportunity to dry out either in your tent or by the fire under a tarp.
5. With regard to fire, we had a great one every night by using the proper tinder and standing dead wood, even with all the rain and just used vasaline soaked cotton balls and a metal match, or the striker bar on the magnesium fire starter. Know your tinder and know how to use several methods of fire starting and you should be good to go.
6. Water proof Nikon binos and rage finder worked flawlessly and I highly recommend them or something similar.
7. We had stainless rifles so rust wasn't a major concern with all the fresh water, however I do run a Boresnake with CLP type of lube once every couple of days through my rifle which was a Ruger m-77 MKII 30.06. I do wipe the rifle down with marine grade fogging oil before and after a hunt. No rust issues with blued or stainless thus far.
8. Rain gear is a pain, but necessary some times. The PVC Helly Hansen jacket and bibs were good for everything but our long recons which turns them into sauna suits. For the recon type stuff I brought along a set of Frogg Toggs I got for free and they worked quite well, but were a bit noisy for my tastes. Still looking for the perfect combo of waterproof breathable pants and jacket without spending $300.00 each.
Just some of my recent observations I thought I would pass along. Oh, no moose... just oodles of Brown Bears! Caught some nice trout and salmon though. Back out next week for more moose and ducks!
Mountaintrekker
Just wanted to share some of my experience hunting up here in AK in wet weather. A friend and I took off for a 5 day canoe hunt for moose a couple of weeks ago and it rained every day. I don't mean a drizzle, I'm talking about hunting in an automatic car wash kind of rain... everyday and night! Swampy doesn't even cover it, that said here are some key observations;
1. We both had our range slings on our rifles and didn't even think of it... until too late. Both range (kick around type slings) are neoprene and they absorb water like no other! We got under our tarp at camp and took rain jackets off only to sling rifles and soak our shoulders and necks with cold water. We both looked at each other with the knowing look of (we know better!). Neoprene stinks for wet weather hunting, nuff said. I'm glad I had a plain jane nylon sling in my pack from a previous trip.
2. Scope covers/caps (hinged type) are a must. We couldn't imaging not having them on as leaning your rifle up against a tree or trekking through thick woods (of which we did a lot of) tends to put bark and pine needles all over your rifle. A good piece of silk for cleaning the fogged lenses is a must. I have a nice Leopould VXII scope and the inside didn't fog but the outside of the lenses were wet and foggy most of the time with constant temp and humidity changes.
3. A muzzle cover is a must for keeping debris and water out of your barrel when leaning against a tree or fording rivers or jumping our of the canoe thinking the water is only a foot deep only to find out it's 4 feet deep where my feet landed! I use small balloons in camo or black.
4. Waterproof dry bags were a must. The only bad thing is, they keep water in just a good at keeping it out. When you get water in them and you will, pull everything out at the fist opportunity to dry out either in your tent or by the fire under a tarp.
5. With regard to fire, we had a great one every night by using the proper tinder and standing dead wood, even with all the rain and just used vasaline soaked cotton balls and a metal match, or the striker bar on the magnesium fire starter. Know your tinder and know how to use several methods of fire starting and you should be good to go.
6. Water proof Nikon binos and rage finder worked flawlessly and I highly recommend them or something similar.
7. We had stainless rifles so rust wasn't a major concern with all the fresh water, however I do run a Boresnake with CLP type of lube once every couple of days through my rifle which was a Ruger m-77 MKII 30.06. I do wipe the rifle down with marine grade fogging oil before and after a hunt. No rust issues with blued or stainless thus far.
8. Rain gear is a pain, but necessary some times. The PVC Helly Hansen jacket and bibs were good for everything but our long recons which turns them into sauna suits. For the recon type stuff I brought along a set of Frogg Toggs I got for free and they worked quite well, but were a bit noisy for my tastes. Still looking for the perfect combo of waterproof breathable pants and jacket without spending $300.00 each.
Just some of my recent observations I thought I would pass along. Oh, no moose... just oodles of Brown Bears! Caught some nice trout and salmon though. Back out next week for more moose and ducks!
Mountaintrekker