Check out our short film submitted to the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers filmfest this year! We shot this over two elk hunting trips, bow and rifle, in Montana.
We’re proud to have shot this all on public land and could not have done it without them.
American citizens own and have access to 640+ million acres of land to recreate on. It is more important now than ever to fight for these lands. We’re the land’s greatest advocate – let’s use our voices to save what’s ours.
As one of the first product extensions to our very popular and successful Extreme line, the Bino Harness X is the perfect companion for your optics. Designed to keep the pocket close to your chest and reduce the amount of movement you’ll feel in your optics. Constructed using 1680D ballistic nylon fabric, the Bino Harness X is as tough as you and ready for any hunting environment. A lens cloth is included, and the design features an easy to use one handed opening mechanism for quick access.
“As one of the first product extensions to our very popular and successful Extreme line, the Bino Harness X is the perfect companion for your optics. Designed to keep the pocket close to your chest and reduce the amount of movement you’ll feel in your optics. Constructed using 1680D ballistic nylon fabric, the Bino Harness X is as tough as you and ready for any hunting environment. A lens cloth is included, and the design features an easy to use one-handed opening mechanism for quick access.”
Company/Brand: ALPS OutdoorZ
Company/Brand Location: New Haven, MO
Manufactured/Made in: Vietnam
MSRP: $49.99
Product Number: 9901700
Sizes: One Size Fits All
Colors Available: Coyote Brown
Listed Features:
Total Weight: 11 oz.
Total Dimensions: 6.5″ x 5.5″ x 2.25″
Scoring criteria:
Scoring will be out of 5 for each section and then calculated as a percentage out of 100% for ease of comparison.
The design of the ALPS OutdoorZ bino harness is a simple, yet functional design. It simply performs the one job it’s supposed to do – carry your binoculars. The harness design is slim and is crafted out of nylon ballistic fabric. The harness is rather thin and does not come with any bells and whistles which keeps the harness from being too bulky or bulge once a pair of binoculars is inside. There are, however, two lashing points and a small pocket on either side to lash and store whatever your heart desires, but should you not need them – the harness functions great without it.
Tested over the course of a year on a variety of hunts, scouting trips, and differing locations, the bino harness has functioned quite flawlessly and has held up through many scuffs and scrapes from dogs, humans, trees, rocks, etc. Our binoculars have all come out without a scratch. The harness has shown no sign of fraying or deterioration through the hunting season and has performed just the way we wanted it to – out of sight and out of mind until we need to pull out the glass. All the straps have held perfectly and does not sag over time.
As a one size fits all – it truly does a great job of doing so. The straps come with extra length to accommodate a variety of users big and small. The binoculars fit very snug into the compartment and does not rattle around at all. The harness is wide enough that you don’t feel out of proportion. It seems to fit snug and centered onto your sternum with the sides of the harnesses within reach without feeling awkward when you reach for something. The only complaint is the drawstring that is used to close the front flap – as is out of the factory it does not hold the flap closed very well. This is quickly solved by opening the plastic loop retainer and shortening/cutting away excess string to make the loop tighter.
At only 50 bucks – this is a rare case of something that is cheaper than most (if not all) of its competitors, yet gives them all a run for their money. Although we are firm believers of the age-old saying “you get what you pay for” this harness truly gives you a great product for what you pay. At the price of a box or two of shells, you can protect your bino harness without all the bells and whistles. If you have an extra pair of binos that you like to keep in the truck or wherever, this could be a wonderful solution without breaking the bank.
A great binocular harness for a wonderful price. This harness gives you the protection that your binoculars need without the dent in your wallet. Some people might be a little reluctant to put their $1000+ binoculars in a harness that’s $50 bucks, but we’ve done so without much worry. The harness is slim and designed very well. It fits and compacts down to pretty much nothing when not in use and can be stored pretty much anywhere due to its small footprint. The straps, enclosures, and fabric are all extremely durable. If you’re in the market for a harness that will give you the peace of mind and function when you need it to – look no further.
” From the mountains of the American west to the fields of south Texas, the savannahs of East Africa to the governmental councils on conservation, Volume One will cover a diverse range of topics, all unified by common ethics. Woven together, it will begin to illuminate our collective philosophy, both drawn from wisdom past, and knowledge yet to come. “
A publication with a mission to improve the perception of hunting in our society through telling honest stories in a fresh format.
Since the start of Muddy Shutter Media, we’ve always looked to the hunting, outdoor, and sporting communities for inspiration and motivation. The amount of quality and depth in the content that we collectively saw everyday was absolutely breathtaking.
Artist, photographers, and influencers such as Chris Douglas and Charles Post inspired us constantly to create authentic and genuine stories and visual imagery of our outdoor pursuits.
Enter Modern Huntsman.
What started as an aggregation of visual imagery from some of the best social media influencers and content creators – quickly evolved. Now, they’ve successfully launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund their very first Bi-Annual magazine!
Our words simply can’t do it justice, so we’ve included a video from Modern Huntsman below:
Check out our latest blog post! The team heads to Montana for the opener of the elk archery season. Grueling temperatures, wildfire smoke, and silent elk made for a challenging hunt. Chasing the Wapiti is not easy – as they seem to disappear and reappear in the alpine forest in the blink of an eye.
Hunting elk in the mountains of Montana is by far one top of the bucketlist hunts in North American Continent. Steep terrain, thick timber, and sweeping views offer many hardcore hunters exactly what they’re looking for – high risk for high reward.
Chasing the Wapiti is not easy – as they seem to disappear and reappear in the alpine forest in the blink of an eye. Despite their large size, with some bulls weighing close to 1000 pounds, these ungulates are ghost of the forest.
One’s first expectation for an animal so large is that they’re easy to find. For the most part, this can be true during the rut and later part of the fall, where the elk migrate and gather in large herds. However, getting one up close and within shooting range of your bow – is a completely different story. Many hunters will find (and learn) quickly that they may see elk in one location one day and by the time they hike out to the last known location – they’re gone.
This is the cat and mouse game of elk hunting – this is the addiction.
One can come out of the elk woods empty-handed, as we did this past weekend, but you will never come out without an experience of a lifetime.
Rest assured, we will be back.
Be sure to check out our team’s contributors Seth Morris and Rick Hutton’s work on Instagram!
As time ticked on, the sun got lower and lower in the sky, and the temperatures finally started to drop. We found ourselves perched on top of a glassing point where we could see multiple open grassy areas – it looked like perfect turkey habitat. I was making a call here and there, but nothing was answering my calls. It was later in the season and I was worried that the birds were getting call shy from being called to all season long.
I had set out early on Friday morning to southeastern Montana, along with my best friend and hunting partner, Rick Hutton. We had planned on one last turkey hunt that weekend to wrap up our spring turkey season. The weekend prior, Rick had filled his general turkey tag, which meant I was up to bat first. We made a pit stop at the Region Five FWP office in Billings, Montana. We were to pick up our Region Seven turkey tag for where we would be hunting. In Montana, you have the ability to purchase both a general turkey tag as well as a region specific tag within those general regions.
We arrived in Region Seven around noon and quickly scouted out an area to set up camp for the weekend. After setting up camp, we headed out on a scouting mission just to get familiar with the area. It was an area that both Rick and I have never hunted before, although we’ve always heard good things about the turkey hunting there.
It was very hot, with the mercury hovering around the 90 degree mark. The last thing I wanted to do was walk around all afternoon in the hot sun, but if we wanted to have a successful hunt – it was something that had to be done.
We weren’t seeing much activity nor any birds, but with the heat, that was expected. Slowly making our way around, we were able to get an idea for the general layout of the landscape.
As time ticked on, the sun got lower and lower in the sky, and the temperatures finally started to drop. We found ourselves perched on top of a glassing point where we could see multiple open grassy areas – it looked like perfect turkey habitat. I was making a call here and there, but nothing was answering my calls. It was later in the season and I was worried that the birds were getting call shy from being called to all season long.
Our hope for seeing a nice tom was dwindling fast, so we decided to keep pressing on and finish our loop back to camp. On our way back, I happened to take one more look out at the open areas below us, and as I did, I spotted two black dots in the middle of one of them. I threw up my binoculars and sure enough, it was a big tom and a hen that had just stepped out of the timber into the opening.
Rick and I quickly started putting a plan together to go after the big tom. He was un-responsive to calls and in the middle of a wide open meadow. Our only options were
A: To just sit back and watch him go to roost and try to get on him in the morning.
or
B: Deploy the full strut turkey decoy and go after him.
We decided on plan B.
There was a deep drainage below us that ran right up to the edge of the meadow that the tom and hen were in. We used the cover of the drainage and made our way toward the meadow. About 150 yards from the meadow, Rick stopped to stay behind and I left my pack with him so I could move in quietly. As I approached the opening, I carefully watched each step that I took, making sure that I didn’t crunch any twigs or pinecones. If my calculations were correct, I would pop up in the meadow, and the turkeys would be about 120-130 yards away.
I held up the decoy in front of me, and crawled out into the opening. There was a little rise in the middle of the meadow and I assumed the tom was just on the other side of it. I slowly made my way to the top of that rise. As I approached it, I carefully peaked out around the decoy to try and get my eyes on the tom and hen. However, they were gone and I could not find them anywhere. I started to second guess myself – Did I make too much noise? Did they somehow see me making my approach to the edge of the meadow? All those things were going through my head.
As I was trying to figure out what had happened, I heard a turkey putt about 50 yards away off to my left. It was the hen and she had me pegged. The gobbler was about another 50 yards behind her and I thought the hunt was over.
I wasn’t going to give up just yet though.
I slowly turned the full strut decoy toward the big tom and started army crawling in his direction. This thoroughly pissed him off and he immediately went into full strut and gobbled at me. I was back in the game. He started moving in my direction, but I lost him in a small depression that was between us. I kept crawling toward him. He gobbled two or three more times, but I could not see him. I didn’t know if he lost interest and kept following the hen away from me, or if he was still coming my way. I crawled another five yards and noticed something out of the corner of my eye to my left. There he stood, 20 yards away.
I dropped the decoy, raised my shotgun, and a single shot rang out in the air.
I had hit my mark and as the bird flopped, I turned and gave Rick a “Yee Yee!” to let him know that the shot was on – and the bird was down. He quickly made is way over to me to see the big tom and I recounted the story of how it all went down. The sun was perfect in the sky that made for some amazing photos.
Exactly one year prior, Rick and I drove across the border into Montana with two loaded down U-haul trailers to embark on a new crazy adventure. I never would have thought that precisely one year later to the day, I would kill my first Merriam’s turkey in Montana.
It is important to note that if it weren’t for our amazing public lands, this hunt would have never been possible. As of right now anyone can have the same experience that Rick and I had. We were hunting a national forest that is open to the public for all to enjoy. If we don’t fight to keep our public lands in public hands, we could have opportunities like this ripped away forever.
About the author: Seth Morris is a hunter, angler, and photographer based in Helena, MT. When he’s not behind the camera or behind the wheel scouting, he works at Windswept Wildfire, LLC as a Forestry Foreman. To see more of his work, visit and give him a follow on Instagram handle @signswest.
Muddy Shutter Media 