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Upland Game Vest suggestions

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dak0ta

dak0ta

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Feb 14, 2008
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Hello,

Any brands and models you guys recommend to try out at sport stores? What features are essential and some that are not?

And what's the best way to hang on to your birds while out hunting? Do you guys gut them immediately after killing and put the meat in a bag so you don't have to carry as much weight?

I've the seen the European style where they have a piece of leather strap that has a ring on the end, and they thread the heads of the duck/goose/bird etc. through it so they're organized and hang there.
 
I use vests with the game pocket in the back, just drop the birds whole into it. Folks don't generally stop mid hunt to clean birds, save them up for the end of the day.

What style of upland hunting? Are you out walking away from the truck all day?

For years I've used the cheap gamehide vests sold at most every sporting goods store and they are fine.

This year, I decided I wanted one with the capacity for a camelbak bladder. This is for the dog, not me. I bought a Cabelas Upland Pro Field vest and ended up sending it back. It has the hydration features, but is structured as a simple vest. The weight of the water bladder in back just made the vest roll backwards until it was trying to choke me. It really needed some structure like a small pack has (waist and shoulder straps) to distribute the load better.

I have an LL Bean vest on order that has those features, hopefully it works better.
 
I bought an LL Bean vest as well, though not with those same options. I really like it. Comfortable, well made, seems to have plenty of pockets and loops for all the unreasonable things I try to carry.

It's a little heavy fabric, so you might find it a little warm at times.
 
I wear a belt pouch. Dove season is too hot down here for extra garments over a T shirt. For duck hunting, I wear a large fanny pack under my waders to keep my ammo from getting dunked. It has several pouches. The big one, of course, I keep my shells. One of 'em holds a strap for carrying birds by the head when walking out. I had a teal fall out once, though, and had to go back down the trail and find it, but I guess that can happen with about any strap.
 
Like MC, I like a belt pouch, but have went to a belt pouch with suspenders, doesn't seem to drag at my waist. And he's right, it's hot down here during dove season.

MC, have you found any doves?
 
i use a filson strap vest. filsonGameBagHuntingVest.jpg

if i'll be out for the day, i generally carry a small "possibles bag" over the shoulder for essentials, water, snacks, and the like.

i also drop the birds in whole and clean the lot when i get back to camp or the truck.
 
So there's a pouch at the back of the vest for birds? How many can you stuff in there?
 
MC, have you found any doves?
Click to expand...

Didn't have a very good opener north of Waco this year, but waling out back this morning, I jumped at LEAST a dozen birds out of the trees and saw a few flying over. Molly dog and I might have us some fun Friday, but it's supposed to rain.

I haven't even checked the other place I have permission to hunt here. Figured I'd check it out as I hunt it. Just a 37 acre open field, but there's woods on one side of it and a dry creek. Might be better on my place. No grain around here, but there's a tank out back. We'll see.

</threadjack>
 
Most vests you can get quite a few pheasant sized birds in. In a gamehide vest I've had as many as 8 pheasants before, though that was pushing it a bit. They weren't all mine, we were spread out and my dog was doing all the retrieving so the birds came to me for the whole group.

I've never seen a vest with a pouch that wouldn't hold at least the individual limit on pheasants.
 
Good, I'll be hunting ruffed grouse this weekend, hopefully I'll limit!
 
A vest can be a very useful hunting garment if you find one that is well thought out. I find I use the shell holders the least, vest holds far more shells than I need to carry when hunting. Different story for sporting clays. I use the inside vest pocket for my license and stamps. I like two large front pockets with zippers to securely hold items of value and need. The large back game pocket assessable from ether side. One of my vest has two liners in the rear game pocket for storing extra shirt or sweater and keeps those items from getting bloody. On the outside of the game pocket I have three separate storage pockets that close with Velcro which work great for food, water bottles and collapsible canvass dog dish. Mine are made by Columbia and are 30 years old. I have been looking for replacements for the last three years and it is hard to find ones that meet all my needs. Filson has some very nice vests, but are over $125.00 for the lowest cost vest. And those lack the storage I want in my hunting vest. Beretta and Browning have some nice ones that are well thought out, but made in asia. I would suggest thinking out what you need to carry and then look for your vest. We all hunt a little different and some stay close to the truck and do not need to carry as much. Upland bird hunting for me can be 4-5 hour away from the truck and water for me and the dog is a needed item. I use my vest for several different types of hunting and find it a very important item in my hunting equipment stash. (a good vest can carry and distribute the load equal to a day pack)

DMH
 
I probably won't have time to get a vest for this weekend's hunt, so backpack it'll be. I'll have a look at Cabelas. Is their stuff pretty decent for the price?

In terms of shooting ruffed grouse, what chokes do you recommend? IC or Modified? I'm using No. 8 shot in 2 3/4''.
 
Just my opinion on the choke and shot size. Most of my grouse hunting is in thick cover. Most shots at game are 5 yards to 20 yards and for my 12 gauge the modified choke works well. Would pattern your shotgun to see how it patterns at the range you will be hunting. I use 8, 7.5 and 6 , but prefer the the lighter stuff for grouse. Seems the grouse like to stay put till you or the dog are stepping on them. Are you required to wear blaze orange where you will be hunting?

DMH
 
In Canada, no need for blaze orange, although I think wearing it is smart and fits the 'upland' look so to speak.

I'll probably use the IC choke, my friend will have the 22lr for the grounders.
 
Just unboxed my LL Bean vest and like it thus far wearing it around the house. This one specifically: http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/78256?page=technical-upland-vest-pack

Fits me well and with a full water bladder it handles the weight well.

It comes with two little removable pouches on the shoulder straps that come off. I took them off, don't think they will be necessary. I think the idea is to store electronics in them. My e-collar remote will clip just fine to various places on the vest.

The shell pockets are not huge but hold more than you would think. In one of them I stuffed 15 2 3/4" 12ga shells in it. Way more than enough.. this is bird hunting, not invading Iraq. You could fill both bags and hold about 30 rounds if you were so inclined.

No shell loops, but I never use those on vests that have them anyway.

The game pouch is huge.

The hydration bladder placement is really set up for me, not the dog. With the stock placement, the hose comes out over my shoulder which is fine for me, but does not gravity feed for the dog.

I just did a little sewing on it. I attached a carabiner inside the game pouch at about the middle of my back and hung a camelbak off of it. The hose runs out the side of the game pouch down low and behind the shell bag on one side of the waist belt. In playing with it, it seems perfectly placed to water the dog. A little blood on the outside of the bladder won't bother the pup at all.

On further thought, the bladder is free to swing inside the vest and I'm a bit worried that a spur or beak might poke holes so I'm reconsidering this system. I might go back to the tried and true squirt bottles using the two purpose made holders or putting a hole at the bottom of the hydration pouch so I can route the hose differently. One way or the other it will work. I have a few weeks to work it out.

There are a couple of large pockets way in the back for random junk as well as lots of D rings and straps to tie a jacket to the back of the vest.
 
I use the Cabelas upland game vest. two large divided pockets in front, big pouch in back, adjustable straps and belt buckle.

You can see it in use (for a 3-gun :D ) here if interested.
http://youtu.be/zAsl8PnaOos?t=3m10s



I wish it had hydration, but a couple water bottles tossed in the game back have worked well (until they get bloody feathers on them, but usually by that time the bottles are empty anyway).

You can easily fit 4 pheasants in the bag, and I've had a few grouse in there, and it would probably hold 5 or 6 pheasants, but I've never had the opportunity.
 
Thanks for the L.L.Bean link, Great looking vest and looks very functional. I will check that one out. Saw they had some others as well that I will need to look at.

DMH
 
For pheasants I use a Cabelas coat that transforms into a vest. It has shell loops in the front cargo pocket and good sized game bag. The sleeves zip on and off and there’s a removable liner as well. There are a couple of loops at the base of the coat that I use to hold the sleeves, etc once I take them off. The shoulders and mid way down the back is blaze orange.

I hunt pheasants in Nebraska and we do a lot of walking and we typically start early. It can be freezing early and warm up during the day or I get hot from all the walking so I like that I can start shedding stuff as I get hot.

I got mine on sale for around $70. I've had it a few years now and like it.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Clot..._l=SBC;BRprd1398172;cat104665680;cat104028480

Edited to add: It's a little short for me. I'd prefer a few more inches of length.
 
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I used a Columbia vest for a while and it worked very well. I do like my waxed cotton Browning better though.
 
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