Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02592258 2007-06-19
HUNTING VEST
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a hunting vest, and more partioularly,
to a hunting
vest for use in hunting fowl. such as turkeys or other animals.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Hunters, especially turkey hunters, commonly find it difficult to carry
the tools
required to effectively pursue the desired game. For example, hunters often
attempt to carry
calls, call strikers, seat cushions, storage containers, game scents,
ammunition, and various other
items to the desired location for hunting. Adding to the difficulty is that
hunters wish to reach
the desired location quietly and efficiently while toting the various hunting
tools. Furthermore,
once the hunter has reached the destination, the hunter's movement is limited
in order to avoid
startling the hunted game. The more quickly that the hunter is able to reach
the destination, the
more quickly the hunter will be able to wait quietly for the game and decrease
the likelihood that
the prey will become alerted to the hunter. Therefore, what is needed is a
hunting vest that
assists a hunter in transporting and using equipment in a stealthy manner
while hunting.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE IlVVENTION
[0003] An embodiment of the present invention provides a hunting vest that
allows the user
to carry and use various hunting accessories.in an efficient and quiet manner.
In particular, the
hunting vest is used in huntiiig turkeys in conjunction with a turkey call
having a friction plate
and a striker. The hunting vest includes a front panel and a rear panel, with
a pair of shoulder
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straps connecting the front panel with the rear panel. A striker pocket is
connected to the front
panel of the hunting vest, with the striker pocket having an open arcuate top
edge and a closed
bottom edge. A series of seams define individual sleeves in the striker pocket
to independently
support at least one striker. The hunting vest additional includes a friction
plate pocket
connected that is connected to the front panel to releasably support the
friction plate of the turkey
call. Consequently, the user is able to traverse an area being hunted without
generating
undesired noise and disrupting the surrounding game.
[0004J An expandable game bag pouch is additionally detachably affixed to the
rear panel of
the hunting vest. The game bag pouch includes a shell surrounding a game bag
and a sealing
member along the shell to open the shell and release the game bag. Therefore,
the game bag. is
able to support any turkeys harvested by the hunter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] A hunting vest embodying the featares of the invention is depicted in
the
accompanying drawings, which form a portion of this disclosure, wherein:
[0006] Figure 1 is a front plan view of the hunting vest; and
100071 Figure 2 is a rear plan view of the hunting vest.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Looking to Figures 1 and 2, a hunting vest 10 for hunting fowl, namely
tarkeys, is
illustrated. The hunting vest 10 is designed to carry the tools needed by the
user to effectively
hunt turkeys with an ergonomic arrangement of the components stored in the
hunting vest 10.
The ergonomic design of the huiiting vest 10 not only places the hunting tools
in easy access by
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the user, but also limits the undesired noise produced by the user while
approaching the desired
location for hunting, providing the user with an additional advantage in
quietly seeking the
desired game.
[0009] In more detail, the hunting vest 10 includes a front pane112 (see
Figure 1) and a rear
panel 14 (see Figure 2). The front panel 12 is connected to the rear panel 14
via a pair of
shoulder straps 16 and various side straps 19. Furthermore, each of the
shoulder,. straps 16 may
include a non-slip rubber portion 18 that provides comfort to the user and
prevents or Iimits the
hunting vest 10 from repositioning itself on the user, such as when the
hunting vest 10 is carnying
a heavy load or when the user is crouching or bending over. The front panel 12
is divided into a
right panel 12a and a left pane112b that are detachably joined together via
connectors 13, which
could include various embodiments such as a snap connector, a buckle, buttons,
or a zipper. The
rear pane114 includes a padded upper back portion 15a and a lower support
portion 15b.
[0010] One of the more frequently used tools in turkey hunting is a turkey
friction call (not
illustrated), and the ergonomic design of the hunting vest 10 allows the user
to easily store and
access the components of a turkey friction call. Turkey friction calls are one
of the most
common turkey calls = used by hunters because they are easy to use and create
lifelike turkey
sounds. Turkey friction calls typically include a friction plate having a
round surface and a
striker, with the striker including a barrel and a peg. The user will
conventionally hold the barrel
of the striker in one hand and the friction plate in the other, and then
create the desired sound by
drawing the peg across the round surface. The round surface is typically a
surface made of slate,
aluminum, ceramic or a variety of other similar materials, and the peg of the
striker may be made
of acrylic, wood, or a similar material, such that the call will produce a
sound similar to that
made by a turkey.
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[0011] To assist the user in carrying the components of a turkey friction
call, the ergonomic
design of the hunting vest 10 initially includes a fan-shaped striker pocket
20 affixed to the front
panel 12. The striker pocket 20 is used to support one or more turkey call
strikers. To assist the
hunter in quickly and quietly gripping the turkey call striker (which
typically includes a barrel
segment and a striking segment), the striker pocket 20 is designed with a
closed base 24 and an
open arcuate top 26, with the arcuate top 26 being positioned above the
base.24 and the striker
pocket 20 arranged diagonally across the user's chest when worn by the user. A
series of seams
22 rnn the length of the striker pocket 20 from the base 24 to the top 26. The
seams 22 define
individual sleeves 23 in the striker pocket 20 for holding individual turkey
call strikers, so that
the user can carry strikers with pegs made of different materials as described
above. A flap 26a
or similar closing member is proxirnate the arcuate top 26, such that the flap
26a will secure the
striker in each sleeve 23. Moreover, the sleeves 23 keep the strikers from
touching each other
and generating undesired noise, which reduces the chances of the user scaring
any prey within
the vicinity of the user.
(0012] Furthermore, the striker pocket 20 is designed such that the barrel
segment of the
strikers will be positioned proximate the arcuate top 26, ensuring that the
user will retrieve the
striker from the striker pocket 20 by the barrel segment of the striker. This
is desirable, in that
users of turkey call strikers wish to avoid touching the striking segment of
the striker, which
could contaminate the tip of the trigger. Consequently, the present embodiment
eliminates
potential contamination of the tips of the striker by providing access to the
barrels- of the strikers
in the striker pocket 20.
[0013] In addition to a turkey call striker pocket 20, the hunting vest 10
also includes a
friction plate pocket 21 for holding the friction plate that is engaged by the
striker to generate the
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desired sound. The friction plate pocket 21 is attached to the front pane112,
and able to hold one
or more friction plates, and protects the plates from contact with the weather
or other elements
(such as dust or dirt) that can degrade the quality of sound produced by the
plate. The friction
plate pocket 21 may be sealed using a metal or plastic grommet, sewn button
hole opening,
molded opening, hook and loop material, a zipper, or a similar connector to
securely hold the
friction plate 21 until used by the hunter.
[00141 The hunting vest 10 also includes a striker conditioner pocket 30
affixed to the front
panel 12 for use with the turkey call. The striker conditioner pocket 30 is
designed to hold a
striker conditioner (not illustrated) for easy access by the user. Like the
friction plate pocket 21,
the striker conditioner pocket 30 includes an exterior pocket that is secured
using a metal or
plastic grommet, sewn button hole opening, molded opening, hook and loop
material, a zipper,
or a similar connector. The striker conditioner pocket 30 provides an opening
to the striker
conditioner, which is typically a scouring pad or similar item, that is able
to tune or scuff the
surface of the playing tip of a turkey call striker.
[0015] The hunting vest 10 is additionally designed with an expandable game
bag pouch 32
that is affixed to the bottom portion of the rear panel 14 of the hunting vest
10 via connecting
straps 34. The expandable game bag pouch 32 includes an outer she1134 with a
closing member
36 encircling the outer shell 34. The closing member 36 may be a zipper,
buttons, or some other
means for securely closing the outer shell 34. A game bag 38 is affixed to the
expandable game
bag pouch 32 inside the outer shell 34, such that the game bag 38 may be
transferable from a
confining closed position and an expanded opened -position to receive the body
of a turkey. As a
result, when the user has harvested a turkey, the user will be able to detach
the game bag pouch
32, unfasten the closing member 36 of the outer shel134, and release the game
bag 38 for storing
CA 02592258 2007-06-19
the harvested bird. The game bag pouch 32 may then be reattached to the rear
panel 14 of the
hunting vest 10 so that the user may easily transport the game.
[0016] Continuing to view Figure 2, the hunting vest 10 additionally includes
an independent
identifier 28 that is permanently affixed to either the front panel 12 or the
rea'r panel 14. The
identifier 28 is used.to consecutively number each individual hunting vest 10
via an affixed
metal tag, an embroidered number, an embossed leather label, or some other
method that
provides for permanent identification of the hunting vest 10.
[0017] In operation, the connectors 13 of the front panel 12 are disconnected,
and the hunting
vest 10 is placed around the user's upper torso, such that the user's head is
between the two
shoulder straps 16 and the user's arms are be positioned, respectively,
between one shoulder
strap 16 and one side strap 19. Once around the user, the connectors 13 are
united, and the
length of the side straps 19 are adjusted so that the hunting vest 10
comfortably fits the user.
Once the user is wearing the hunting vest 10, the user will be able to insert
the components of the
turkey call into the various ergonomically positioned pockets for safe and
quite storage of the
components until the user reaches the desired hunting location. The user may
then access the
components of the turkey call upon reaching the desired destination, and begin
generating the
desired sound for drawing calling the desired game.
[0018] Having thus described exemplary embodiments of the present invention,
it should be
noted by those skilled in the art that the within disclosures are exemplary
only and that various
other alternatives, adaptations, and modifications may be made within the
scope of the present
invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the specific
embodiments as
illustrated herein, but is only limited by the following claims.
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