Another upland game season has come and (mostly) gone in the West, and my gear list is approaching its final form after years of evolution, addition, and subtraction. Sounds too good to be true, right?
Here’s what I’ve been toting around with me this year.
The Vest
This is my second (or third?) season with the Final Rise upland vest. I’ll do a full review of this for our Definitive Review series at some point, but honestly… I don’t really think I have any complaints at all about this vest. It’s great, you should buy one, and no, they aren’t paying me to say this or sponsoring this article in any way.
Other than what we’ll talk about below, I keep my keys in the left front zippered pouch, and my phone stays in the right zippered pouch. I enjoy the security of the zipper plus the ease of access if I want to take between one and two hundred photos of my dog, or drop a waypoint in GoHunt Maps. I will also usually have a lighter in one of these two pouches, too; no real reason for this, other than a chronic compulsion to always have multiple lighters on my person.
Ammo
Ammo lives in the left pouch. I am shooting an old Sterlingworth with extractors, so I just pull the empties out of the breech and drop them in the right pouch when reloading.
Some are picky about ammo selection; I am not, and have mostly been using the old-school blue box Federal Game Loads with #6s this season. If you hit the birds it works, and if you miss, it doesn’t. I also shot one box of the Federal Hi-Bird #6s, which also does the job if you do yours, #5s would be even better.
Hydration
I prefer a (mostly) hands-free bladder for my own water, with the hose running up my left shoulder, to ensure a clean mount on the gun. This particular bladder is a 3L Gregory, which have around four years on with no issues other than the need to replace the rubber mouthpiece.The good boy drinks out of the two squeeze bottles that came with the Final Rise vest. Almost always, we’ll make it back to the truck after a morning of hunting with plenty of water left for him.
First Aid
I live in Nevada, and — I cannot stress this enough — if you’re outside of Reno or Vegas, you’re completely on your own. I’ve stumbled upon a motorcycle accident on one of the major highways in the state, and it took nearly 30 minutes for EMS to show up. So, if you’re out crushing chukar in the middle of nowhere and something happens, you need to know how to deal with it. Here’s what I carried with me this season.
- North American Rescue CAT tourniquet. Something you carry and hope that you never have to use. But if you need one… you really need one. I need to pick up an actual TQ pouch for this one to facilitate easier access in an emergency situation.
- Leatherman Raptor shears. These were a gift from a good hunting buddy and former combat medic, and I now can’t imagine being without these in the field. Obviously the primary intent is to aid in the application of a tourniquet, but the Raptors also have a sneaky feature — a “ring cutter” that can also double to cut snares, should my good boy have a run-in with a trapline. The Leatherman holster is MOLLE-compatible and sits well on the side panel of the Final Rise.
I also keep a small IFAK/med kit which was also assembled by someone who knows what they are doing. It’s currently waterproofed in a ziplock bag in a zippered pouch in the Final Rise, but I’ll pick up a better MOLLE pouch for it, likely with a velcro tearaway.
Here’s my current bird dog first aid kit.
Dog Stuff
I’m still running the Garmin Astro 320 handheld from one million years ago, clipped into the D-ring on my left shoulder with a homemade lanyard. The transmitter for my Sportdog e-collar is looped around the D-ring by the right ammo pouch and is used less frequently than the Garmin unit. The Astro still works… but I’ll upgrade eventually. Damn stuff’s expensive. Extra AAs are with me at all times.
I also have a four-pack of these sylmar booties from Gun Dog Supply, as well as a small tub of Musher’s Secret. I love this stuff and use it as a conditioner and protectant for the dog’s paws all through the season. It helps especially when running on that real rough carbonate rock that we have out in the Mojave. The Musher’s Secret lives in the zippered back panel of the vest amidst my beef jerky sticks and other assorted snacks.
Finally, I have some daisy-chained 550 cord that can serve as an impromptu leash, should I need one to get him back to the truck for whatever reason.
First Line and Other Personal Gear
This season, I became a complete convert to the Mechanix Original gloves. They are the greatest gloves a dry-country bird hunter can choose and I always have them with me.
Other than that, I try to not have a bunch of junk in my pockets. The exceptions are a Leatherman Signal that I wear clipped to my left front pants pocket, a Black Diamond Spot 350 headlamp, and the First Lite merino liner gloves. The latter two live in the zippered thigh pouch of a pair of OG P’rana Zions.
Boots this season were the Salomon Quest 4s, and always some thickness of Darn Tough socks depending on the weather. Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain gaiters are mandatory amidst the sharp bursage and whatever-else you’ll find out here that breaks off and falls down into your boot if you aren’t wearing them.
Holsters
As far as I’m aware, the nearest grizzly bears can be found approximately 700 miles from my house, but I still tote around the wonderful Colt Anaconda no matter where I’m hunting. Lion tags are over the counter here, and this entire half of the country is lousy with coyotes.
Also, this is America, and I don’t need a reason to carry a .44 Mag anywhere.
The GFI/Gunfighters Inc Kenai chest holster is the absolute best solution to carrying a firearm in the field. Retention is great, as is the adjustability of the holster placement. It’s not cumbersome to doff and don when you need to cycle through layers. A great product, and I’ve expounded further on my love for this holster here.
Around camp or on the drive up, I’ll carry in a Diamond D hip holster.
Regardless of the platform, I always have a chest rig and a normal, belt-mounted hip holster with me, and that two-holster solution can keep you covered regardless of what exactly you’re doing.
Conclusion
Other than the few items specified above that need to be addressed, I think this will be my setup for the forseeable future. It’s worked well on Gambel’s quail and (mostly) chukar, and I find it to be a lightweight-enough setup while still remaining prepared with my possibles.
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