Yesterday we began our four part series of essential gear, as chosen by our Sporting Rifle contributors.
Yesterday we heard from Chris Dalton on best gear for Scottish stalking. This time it’s the turn of Paul Childerley to give us some insights on the best kit for lowland stalking.
Lowland stalking gear, by Paul Childerley
Let’s start with clothing. Most important of all is my Zeiss camo cap. I wear a Shooterking Huntflex Forest Mist digital camouflage jacket – I like a lightweight coat that is spacious enough so I can layer up underneath, as I suffer from the cold, even in milder weather. I find this new jacket waterproof, lightweight and a good shade of camouflage.
I live in my pairs of Shooterking Greenland trousers. I use them for all my stalking and work duties. I find them warm, waterproof and comfortable.
I have worn many different brands of boots and I find Zamberlan to be hard-wearing, waterproof, comfortable and lightweight. I’ve been using these boots for two years but have them on a rotation with three other pairs, which gives them time to dry out properly (maintenance is important for all boots).
I wear a lightweight pair of leather shooting gloves. They are thin enough to allow me to feel the safety and trigger, but thick enough to keep the cold out. For colder, extreme weather, I wear an additional pair over the top.
Finally, a Buff snood in camouflage – great for cold weather and it also doubles up as a face veil.
As for the rest of my equipment: An Emberleaf knife, the Cael or the Garron, depending on what I’m hunting. I know I can rely on these knives – they always hold a good edge, look good and are my lucky charm.
I shoot a Sako 85 Carbonlight .243 – an out-of-the-box rifle with amazing accuracy. It’s lightweight, well balanced, absorbs recoil and is low maintenance. A rifle I have truly tested to all levels and has never let me down.
On the front is a Stalon W110 moderator. It offers excellent noise reduction, no impact on the balance of the rifle, and easy maintenance.
The rifle shoots Sako 70gn Gamehead Pro bullets, They consistently group well, have a great trajectory and offer fantastic ballistic results on game.
Optics-wise, the Zeiss Conquest V6 2.5-15×56 IR is a fantastic all-rounder. I use it for everything from close-up to long-distance shots and I am confident every time. The 56mm objective lens gives fantastic light-gathering capabilities and the red dot is a must have and suits most my hunting situations.
I use Zeiss Conquest binoculars too, in 15×56. They’re an excellent choice for fine detail and long distance with a fantastic field of view.
I have tried many different types of sticks throughout the years and I find the Stable Stick quad sticks in carbon fibre ideal for most of my hunting situations. They are lightweight, strong, well balanced and warm to the hand.
A couple of last bits. An Olight Warrior X torch – a small torch with fantastic brightness, robust and a great battery life, with an unique magnetic charging system from USB.
And a clip-on lens cleaner – I have one on my coat and one on my binoculars, also spare in my coat. An essential item, especially on the wet days.
Oh, and a pocket full of bits… Callers, small knife, tissue, spare scope battery and string.
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