Quiet Hunting Clothing for Moose Hunting

[Tree Spud]

looking for folks experiences with the best quiet parka and bibs/pants for stalking & glassing Moose. Everything I have read states Moose have excellent hearing. I have looked at Kuiu and Sitka along with others. As temps will range from 25 F to 50 F, and some wet weather, want outer layers to allow for inner layering of merino wool, wicking materials, etc. have heard that fleece is very quiet, worried about it's rain resistance and collecting burrs.

Appreciate your thoughts and experiences.

 

[H20fwler]

We use a lot of Sitka here I don’t have any experience with Kiui.
With Sitka it is pricey but worth it. You will need to buy a size larger than you would normally wear unless you are very thin, it is more of an athletic fit and runs small. Extremely good quality very rugged will last forever, on big game trips you will be living in it. Sitka makes a very good waterproof parka that is quiet just get it big enough, if you can go to a store that carries it and try it on it will save you time.

 

[MRBB]

I think a lot of the new gear is a louder than some of the things we HAD, patent infringements made some things go almost extinct
yrs back there was this stuff called saddle cloth, super quiet, could be had waterproof, and didn;t collect burr's this company made some awesome stuff yrs back, in Saddle cloth, Cabela's and like chains carried it, then, the big stores started cooping there products, and well, they don;t sell there no more and nor to the big chains stores even MAKE the stuff anymore, due to infringements on patents

But I have some of there nearer things and its still pretty darn quiet and nothing sticks to it!, been a my GO to early season archery gear (there cross zipper jacket was one of my favorites) and warmer weather gun hunting as I have better heavy weight gear!
but there a long time company that makes good stuff that is quiet! and doesn;t let things cling to it! like fleece and wool will!

http://www.sportchief.com/usa/mens.html


this stuff looks interesting, but never owned YET! in there Cowboy suede
https://dayonecamouflage.com/


I am NOT a big fan of anything with a gore-tex liner for COLD weather hunting and I mean below freezing, it gets brittle and as such gets LOUD, and if exposed to lots of repeat rain, water bleeds thru!

for very cold weather, MY Raven wear gear is priceless(sadly they too when out of business a few yrs back now when they retired and NO One took over, and Sue was outstanding to deal with, customer service was top shelf, I hunted with her husband a few times too, also a nice guy!>> and just crazy there stuff was top shelf, that NO one wanted to take over>??)

but Wool gets my second vote,, stuff from places like Sleeping Indian, are very high quality gear!

another option, many I think DON"T think about is, neoprene , when I hunted a lot of thick swamps, I used to wear neoprene chest waders, and would wear a cheap pair of Military GI issue like pant over them, that protected them from things like thorns(to a point) and burr's, branches and such, and added some camo
I also have a jacket made of it as well and it will keep me BONE dry all day sitting in down pours if I wanted to!

and its also very quiet!, flaw is if you walk a LOT you will sweat and come out a size smaller maybe at the end of the day LOL


but they get my votes!
if Raven Wear was still in business, I'd have them at the top of list here, they had a teflon coating to there things that made them very water resistant, sat for 8+ hours in rains and stayed dry and quiet as a mouse!
some times there things show up on Ebay and likes, NEW for sale, but not like being able to order things and they MADE things custom to YOU, off measurements, no one size fits MOST , I wish they were still in business!

 

[Tree Spud]

I think a lot of the new gear is a louder than some of the things we HAD, patent infringements made some things go almost extinct
yrs back there was this stuff called saddle cloth, super quiet, could be had waterproof, and didn;t collect burr's this company made some awesome stuff yrs back, in Saddle cloth, Cabela's and like chains carried it, then, the big stores started cooping there products, and well, they don;t sell there no more and nor to the big chains stores even MAKE the stuff anymore, due to infringements on patents

But I have some of there nearer things and its still pretty darn quiet and nothing sticks to it!, been a my GO to early season archery gear (there cross zipper jacket was one of my favorites) and warmer weather gun hunting as I have better heavy weight gear!
but there a long time company that makes good stuff that is quiet! and doesn;t let things cling to it! like fleece and wool will!

http://www.sportchief.com/usa/mens.html


this stuff looks interesting, but never owned YET! in there Cowboy suede
https://dayonecamouflage.com/


I am NOT a big fan of anything with a gore-tex liner for COLD weather hunting and I mean below freezing, it gets brittle and as such gets LOUD, and if exposed to lots of repeat rain, water bleeds thru!

for very cold weather, MY Raven wear gear is priceless(sadly they too when out of business a few yrs back now when they retired and NO One took over, and Sue was outstanding to deal with, customer service was top shelf, I hunted with her husband a few times too, also a nice guy!>> and just crazy there stuff was top shelf, that NO one wanted to take over>??)

but Wool gets my second vote,, stuff from places like Sleeping Indian, are very high quality gear!

another option, many I think DON"T think about is, neoprene , when I hunted a lot of thick swamps, I used to wear neoprene chest waders, and would wear a cheap pair of Military GI issue like pant over them, that protected them from things like thorns(to a point) and burr's, branches and such, and added some camo
I also have a jacket made of it as well and it will keep me BONE dry all day sitting in down pours if I wanted to!

and its also very quiet!, flaw is if you walk a LOT you will sweat and come out a size smaller maybe at the end of the day LOL


but they get my votes!
if Raven Wear was still in business, I'd have them at the top of list here, they had a teflon coating to there things that made them very water resistant, sat for 8+ hours in rains and stayed dry and quiet as a mouse!
some times there things show up on Ebay and likes, NEW for sale, but not like being able to order things and they MADE things custom to YOU, off measurements, no one size fits MOST , I wish they were still in business!

Do you have any recommendations of companies currently in business that you have recent experience with relative to my questions?

Sounds like we have hunted in some similar areas in Canada ... go ahead and post a pic of that 300 lbs filed dressed buck.

 

[Bill]

Where are you hunting moose?

don’t know about northern moose but I have ran into a few Wyoming range moose and they were as dumb as a box of rocks. I believe I could have got within rifle range with plastic wrap on

 

[Tree Spud]

Where are you hunting moose?

don’t know about northern moose but I have ran into a few Wyoming range moose and they were as dumb as a box of rocks. I believe I could have got within rifle range with plastic wrap on

Northern Alberta ... Timbered provincial region. Extremely tight deep brush country. Hunting timber cuts along ridges & deep ravines. Yes, i have seen many while deer hunting up there. Had 3 locking horns one morning for 45 minutes while I was deer hunting. Looked like an artillery session went through after they were done.

Understand as you are calling, stalking and getting close, they rely on hearing first so any sounds moving can spook them. They will come in at times at a very different angle to you to confirm what they hear. Sort of like rattling a buck, he won't come right in at you, wants to come in 80-100 yards downwind from you.

Big clumsy animals but they can be sneaky bastards.

 

[MRBB]

the

Do you have any recommendations of companies currently in business that you have recent experience with relative to my questions?

Sounds like we have hunted in some similar areas in Canada ... go ahead and post a pic of that 300 lbs filed dressed buck.

sport chief still looks and by description is the same as what I have now, Minus the older stuff when they called it saddle cloth, I have both older and newer stuff and its still very nice, and its MADE up in Canada!
The Sleeping Indian stuff is also again top shelf and quiet and warm!
But like any wool, when wet it gets heavy, can keep you warm to a point as it traps in heat, but in heavy down pours for long periods, it can get annoying!
as I said, I am NOT a BIG fan of Gore-tex liners in my gear, and trust me I spent Thousands on it since it came out! and DO won many thing with it still both NEW and older!

most works GOOD when BRAND NEW< and then as you wear things and or exposure from elements, it all start to STOP being water proof, pot's clog or ?? its made to work by letting smaller particles from going thru, and air out,a s tings get dirty, used, or?? they block and fail
this is just what it is, not bashing or>> its all that way!

I personally am NOT a person that likes to hunt in rain anymore, all the more so when archery hunting, have lost a few nice bucks due to loosing blood trails when down pours came in, and coyotes found them before me!

If I was to HUNT in rain now, I would wear GOOD rain gear over lighter weight GOOD base layers and it would be RUBBER rain gear, not again, pack able gor tex stuff,
spend some time talking to REAL guides in wet places, that AIN"T sponsored by a clothing line company, and see what they use??
look at what professional fishermen use?
its NOT Gore Tex!

I have spent my share of wet days in AK< and other wet places on Hunts, Gore tex is OK for light rains and such, but a few days in a row of wet rains, and your WET wearing it!

rubber rain gear, NOT perfect, you sweat in it, UP< 100% so if your active, but , it will keep you dry other wise , never absorb water OR scent!, shake it off and put back on and your good to go again!
if I was worried about lots of rain, REAL rain gear would be what I would take!

and can be field patched pretty darn easy! as can Neoprene waders and jackets!

for me Gore tex stuff is, for wind NOT rain! it does a good job at stopping wind from blowing thru gear/clothing and getting you cold as such!
(I also snowmobile a lot for 30+ yrs, spent a TON of gear there too, riding 75-100 MPG in -30 temps at times , and thats where again gore tex is good at being wind proof, but sucks at being quiet, it gets brittle and sounds like crumbling paper wrapped in wax paper making small movements! LOL)

lots of very HIGH end costing gear out there and marketing hype is selling ti to folks willing to pay for it!
My hunting room, where I keep my hunting clothing and gear in, is proof of this too LOL
you name something and odd's are I maybe have or had it
all but the newest stuff, as I just have too much now to buy anymore!

as for me and my 300 lb deer, sorry no pic's I can share, was back in 35 mm film days and no clue how to post them!
I hunted a lot in Red Deer Alberta and surrounding area's yrs back, as well as other parts of Alberta, seen a lot of moose in some places there too!

But when I hunted in AK, the moose there seemed a LOT larger LOL

one question I ask folks when they ask me about COLD weather gear, is, , be honest, HOW low of temp are you really going to be out in and for HOW long!
and HOW well do you tolerate cold temps
everyone is different in this dept
to some folks, sitting 4 hours in 3 degree tempos is what they call COLD weather!

to others its minus 30 for 8 hours (been there done that in the old days in Alberta and Sask on all day sits in open stands)
and when your honest about things, the gear you NEED< will be different MOST times, as will the costs for them

same can be said about RAIN
how long will you REALLY be in it, and will you have access to dry things when you get home or at end of day??
as this is a BIG differences that being say dropped off by a float plane that WON"T be back for 10-12+ days?
where limits on LBS of gear you can have, and well, weather alone doesn;t allow things to DRY, and you MIGHT be stuck a few extra days waiting ona plane based on WEATHER!(been there and done that before too LOL)
you learn more when things go wrong than when they go right!

 

[Someday isle]

I’ve never hunted moose - but I’m probably starting to sound like a broken record on clothing. Most of my life I just used what I had or could afford. It didn’t keep me warm or work in most weather conditions - but like most of us it was what I used for 40 years. Now that I’m older and have a few extra dollars I’ve become a huge First Lite fan. I’m sure the Sitka and other brands are just as good. Love the merino Base layers and their outer layers are just as good. I’m really intrigued by their new solitude system but haven’t pulled the trigger on it yet. For stalking I’d bet their catalyst system would be great. If you’re not afraid to send things back I’d maybe look into the Various high tec brands, order some things to see what you like, compare them side by side and send the rest back.