By Terry Houin
Think of this as my list of must-haves and favorites of last year from a retired military guy who nerds out over the best gear for hunting and shooting. I was hired by Field Ethos as the Sensei of Things and Such because I like gear, know gear, and I demand the most of my gear for my adventures. All this gear worked for me in the field, and I’m confident it will work for you. If you can’t get permission to go buy it yourself, you should consider talking about each one ad nauseam within earshot of your wife’s phone to enlist her social media algorithm to fight for you.
I’m a bit of a glass snob when it comes to binos as my eyes are not as good as they once were. In the past, I’ve never been a fan of the rangefinding binos as it seemed the data lens was never as clear as the standard side. That changed when I was on a deer hunt in Texas and Aaron Davidson lent me a pair of Acura BLR10s; I was impressed to say the least. First the glass was surprisingly good, but what really got my juices flowing was the advanced—and easy to use—ballistic computer. It has integrated sensors for temperature, pressure and angle—the important stuff to make accurate long-range shots. Paired with the intuitive Revic Ops app, it’s a quick and easy way to get shots on target with any weapon system.
Cost: $2695
For those of you that are gun nerds like myself, this Chrono has been one of my favorite additions to my kit this year. I travel a lot so a Labradar, although effective, is not easy to toss in a carry-on, and that’s exactly why the little Xero C1 is so handy. Between teaching and just being inherently curious, I’m constantly trying new ammunition in my various rifles and having this chrono with me makes building a ballistic profile a breeze wherever my travels take me.
Cost: $600
I was fortunate enough to have done quite a bit of field testing this past year—yes, I mean hunting. One piece of gear that quickly rose to the top of my factories list is the Kuiu Strongfleece 235 hoodie. This past hunting season was my first time wearing Kuiu’s equipment, and the StrongFleece stood out for a few reasons. Its fleece so the warmth to weight ratio is excellent, it breathes, it is water resistant—which helped out when the unannounced rain hit me in the treestand—and the exterior is rugged and durable so I don’t have to worry about it when I dive into the bush. This one piece made the cut for archery elk in Arizona, a mixed-bag hunt in Serbia, West Texas elk and bison, along with multiple whitetail hunts.
Cost: $159
Eberlestock Freefall and EMOD Game Bags
I’ve been a fan of these packs for a long time. Even back in my working days, I used different models to pack around a sniper rifle while deployed. Eberlestock has only continued to innovate as the company has matured. It seems I’m always looking for a pack that can serve as a carry-on for traveling necessities but also function as a range pack or daypack for a quick hunt. This year I found the Freefall pack and it has accompanied me on plenty of flights as well as a hunting pack for the Serbia trip, various duck hunts, and both Texas deer and aoudad hunts.
Along with the Freefall, I used the new EMOD Game Bags in both deboned and quarter versions for a half dozen or so pack outs. The Quarter Game Bags are durable and easy to wash. The large version can comfortably fit an elk quarter and the medium bags lend themselves ideal for deer and other medium-sized game. Boned out meat is always a pain to carry, but Eberlestock designed the Boned Out Game Bags with built in loops that make strapping the meat to a frame very easy. This keeps the weight tight to the pack preventing it from rolling around—making the pack out much easier.
Cost: $249 (Freefall); $25-$29 (Bone Out Game Bags); $39-$59 (Quarter Game Bags)
Now this little beauty has accompanied me for several years, but it’s still at the top of my list for my favorite things I always have with me. If you’re like most men, your father or grandfather passed along words of wisdom about the importance of keeping a sharp blade. A knife can be used for a multitude of reasons including opening a package, cleaning a deer, or escaping from the cartel—and that’s where this folder excels. Overall length is eight inches with a 4.5-inch locking handle and a 3.5-inch blade riding in a titanium frame with G10 scales for extra grippiness.
Cost: $350
