Schnee’s Brings You The Best in Hunting Footwear and Apparel For 2010!

With the fall hunting season approaching fast, Schnee’s has what you need to get prepared for the upcoming season. Whether you are looking for a new hunting jacket or the best hunting boots available, Schnee’s has all of the greatest new clothing and equipment available from Sitka, Prois, Schnee’s, Badlands and more!

Whitetail hunters need to check out the new line of clothing and accessories by Sitka Gear designed specifically with the treestand hunter in mind. Featuring the all new GORE® OPTIFADE™ Big Game Forest pattern and consisting of the Stratus, Downpour and Incinerator Series, Sitka has optimized this new line for the savvy stand hunter. Sitka has also extended the new Forest camouflage pattern to many of their existing items including the Core and Traverse base layers, ascent packs and the ever popular Sitka 90% Jacket and Pant.

Elk hunters should really enjoy Sitka’s newly redesigned Jetstream Hunting Jacket. This jacket utilizes GORE™ WINDSTOPPER® soft shell technology for those windy days hiking and glassing in the high country and for 2010 Sitka has added pit zips for increased breathability as well as a hood for additional protection from the elements. Combine the Sitka Jetstream Jacket with the Jetstream Beanie and Gloves, Sitka Ascent pants and the Sitka Flash 32 pack and you are just about ready to hit the mountains in search of that trophy, but don’t forget about your footwear!

Sitka Jetstream Jacket

Tough terrain, heavy packs and long days afield require quality, supportive footwear. Schnee’s has just introduced the new Montana Mountain Boot™ series built specifically with the serious hunter in mind. Consisting of the Granite™, Beartooth™ and Wilderness™ models, this may just be the best collection of elk hunting boots ever made! Crafted in Italy, these boots feature eVent® breathable membranes for 100% waterproof protection. Full-length heavy duty midsoles combined with extra-thick premium leather uppers work together to provide the highest level of support and comfort in difficult terrain.

Schnee's Granite Boot

Schnee’s is also proud to offer a great selection of clothing and accessories for all of the women hunters out there as well. Women who are tired of settling for the baggy, generic fit associated with wearing men’s hunting clothes will be ecstatic when they discover Prois hunting apparel for women. This great collection of quality women’s hunting clothing is designed, cut and built to perform for women by women!

Badlands Packs has added a ladies pack option this year as well with the Kali Pack. This 2500 cubic inch pack has plenty of room for a day on the mountain and features contoured shoulder straps and hip belt for a comfortable fit for women as well as excellent weight distribution.

Badlands Kali Pack

Spring Bear Season Is Near

Spring in the West is an exciting time for sportsmen. The changing of the seasons lets us know that it is time to put away the skis and winter clothes once again and exchange them for our favorite boots and binoculars. As the snow begins to melt in the high country and southern facing slopes begin to green up, states such as Montana, Idaho and Wyoming prepare to start off the 2010 big game hunting year with the spring Black Bear season.  Black Bear can be hunted from Alaska to New Mexico and practically anywhere in between, but a few western states offer good bear populations along with reasonably priced tags available over-the-counter for non-resident hunters.

Black Bears will typically begin emerging from their dens around March/April and will spend the next few months grazing and restoring their strength for the upcoming breeding season. During this time bears remain particularly active during the day making it easier to spot the bears roaming around. Depending on the style or method of hunting that you prefer, you should be able to find a state with generous season dates that caters to your desires in a bear hunt.

If you prefer bow hunting, Wyoming offers an Archery-Only season in many units that begins a couple of weeks prior to the general spring bear season. Archery equipment can be used to hunt bears in Montana and Idaho, but for the most part these states offer a “general” spring bear season that is shared with firearm hunters and archery hunters may be required to wear blaze orange.  Wyoming and Idaho differ from some western states in that they allow the use of hounds and baiting to hunt and take spring bear, special permits may be required for these types of hunting so be sure to check with the appropriate departments prior to your hunt. Montana does not allow the use of hounds or baiting for hunting bear, but with an abundance of accessible forest lands Montana is a great choice for those interested in do-it-yourself spot-and-stalk type of hunt.

If “spring-fever” has you restless and looking for a retreat, consider a spring bear hunt out west. Non-residents can hunt Black Bear in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana for around $350-$400 after licenses, tags and fees, not a bad price for those interested in a do-it-yourself adventure! More information on spring bear hunting out west is available through the following links~

Wyoming Game and Fish Department : http://gf.state.wy.us/index.asp

Idaho Fish and Game: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks: http://fwp.mt.gov/

Badlands Bino Vault

Badlands Packs makes some great hunting packs-  the Badlands 2200, the Monster Fanny Pack, the Super Day Pack… but there’s one item that most of us could definitely use: The Badlands Bino Vault. The Bino Vault uses a Zip/No system ( a series of numerous very small earth magnets woven into a seam) that allows a totally silent opening and closing, plus it has pockets on the inside, and extra holding areas on the sides (for a radio & GPS), plus there’s a built-in area on the shoulder harness for a 35-oz hydration bladder. Even if you’re not a hunter, the Bino Vault makes a lot of sense if you spend a lot of time in the outdoors and want a fairly minimal set-up to carry your gear. The Bino Vault retails for $60 and is available on the schnees.com website.

Travis Morris was in the Powder Horn Outfitters store conducting a clinic on all the Badlands Packs and was kind enough to help shoot this video of the Bino Vault system: