I hit the jackpot and drew a great elk tag in Arizona a couple of years ago.
This wasn’t one of the top tier “premium” units in the state, but it was still an excellent tag and I was excited for my prospects on that hunt (especially since I was going guided). I won’t bore you with all of the details, but things didn’t quite work out on that hunt and I went home empty handed after a week of hard hunting.
Though I’m not going to blame it for my frustrating experience in the mountains of Arizona, I learned after a single day afield I was using a rifle sling that was terrible for the job. Specifically, that sling kept slipping off my shoulder and I spent the better part of each day fighting against it to keep my rifle in place.
The best I could do was to “hook” my thumb under the sling and pull it across my chest as I walked. That worked okay, but it also meant I only had one hand available to do anything else, like grab onto trees or rocks as I climbed a steep slope. Heck, the darn rifle would even slip off my shoulder when I’d let go of it so I could hold my binoculars with both hands!
Not only was that annoying and frustrating, but both of my thumbs were positively sore after holding the rifle in place (I’d switch the rifle back and forth between both shoulders multiple times a day) over the course of a week of hunting. I mentioned this fact on my podcast after I returned home I mentioned this fact on my podcast after I returned home from my trip and a helpful listener emailed me with a suggestion for a new sling. Holy cow did that guy provide a great recommendation!
That new sling worked perfectly and a quick evaluation in my back yard demonstrated it would hold my rifle securely on my shoulder while I walked (even if I leaned far to one side or the other). I took it to Africa on a hunt in 2023 and my PH liked it so much he asked me to send him two for himself!
I’ve used that sling extensively over the past 2 years and like it even more today than I did when I first purchased it in early 2023. In fact, I even used that sling to help steady my aim on my moose hunt and to carry my rifle during that heavy pack out afterwards earlier this month.
I could not be happier with how it performed!
Happy Hunting, John
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