I don't like the idea of carrying a lot of unnecessary stuff when hunting. The partials I hunt are from 40-15,000 acres. I do wear a 3,400 cu backpack to carry my ghillie, chair and a few essentials. I only ground hunt nowadays .
I'm interested in hearing what minimalist gear you take .
For those 40 to 100 acre parcel hunts I carried a fanny pack. It held all I needed, spare knife, gloves for gutting, plastic bags. Carried an engery bar or 2. Carried at least one canteen of water. Looking at my "handle " you can understand why I am a minimalist. The gun weighted 26#'s or so, each box of 100 rounds was about 7#'s. I carried 2 plus 1 on the gun. I see these folks at 3D shoots with backpacks like I used to hike the mountains with and thought they were going on a long hunt and wanted to get into condition. Not the case in 99% of them, I asked. Just shake my head and carry on.
Minimalist describes me perfectly........all I do thesedays is chase the local whitetails around home, so only thing extra I carry is a small flashlight---it's all I need.
One thing I won't be without because of these guys is a handgun.
My ASL, side quiver with arrows, withy Grayl, binos and tags, knife in pocket
I don't really pack differently for woodlot vs big country or a few hours vs all day. Pretty much need the same gear either way. A medium size day pack handles all I need. For half-day sits, I include a small thermos and a few cookies. For an all-day western Hunt, it's extra water and granola. Don't usually pack extra clothes unless I know it's going to rain. Always carry binos around my neck. Have taken to carrying a small tree sling (Less than 1#) for spur of the moment sits.
This was my kit when I went elk hunting in the San Juan Mountains above Durango, CO in 2010. I had everything I needed for a day out. I brought the Primitive Archer magazine because it had the article I wrote for Primitive Archer Magazine about a sinew bow I built for my first trip out there in 2006, "The Story of Elkie".
(https://i.imgur.com/lINeWmT.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/WLCDzpG.jpg)
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Bison Gear day pack,tree seat,back quiver or GFA side quiver
Majority of my hunting these days is on my farm or a friends. Never more than 3/4 mile from home or truck. I use a haversack and have for a lot of years. It has a knife, small folding saw, pruners, flashlight, gloves for field dressing, turkey calls, and maybe a length of cord. I can just pick it up and sling it over my shoulder and I'm gone along with my bow and binos.
These days I use my SlingPack, and I have to be careful not to overload it. On Day #1 of the season, it is pretty packed.
By the 3rd week, I pretty much whittle it down to:
CATT Tourniquet
Drag rope
Knife
Blood trail tape
Compass
Leatherman Tool
Headlamp x2
I still use the SlingPack, because I may stuff a jacket or vest into it.
I suppose if you were hunting a small area in relatively flat terrain that had good phone service you could hunt pretty light safely. But what i find weird is not one person mentioned having a good first aid kit.
I was always the guy that never went off the road without a 20 pound day pac. my hunting buddy's ribbed me for years about it. But the country we hunted was seriously steep and very remote. No phone service where i hunted, and i most always hunted solo. After spending a few nights in the woods in the pouring rain. i always went prepared after that. We had a system where everyone knew where the other guys were hunting each day, and where to go looking if they didn't show up. we also carried radios for emergency's too.
My list of essential items for a day hunt exceeds a lot of guys going for planned overnight trips with the exception of a sleeping bag and tent. but i always had a tarp and emergency blankets in the bottom of my day pack. i basically don't believe in minimalistic hunting gear. Chit happens...
I'm a tree stand guy, my mobile setup weighs 16# and can double as a pack frame. I wear the harness and carry a first aid kit with emergency blankets 6x6 tarp, compass, knife, pull cord, linesman rope doubles as a drag rope. In total this is eighteen lbs with tree stand and sticks making up most of it.
If Im on a smaller farm , and an hours walk or so from the car ..... its a bow, back quiver , knife and torch , snake bandage in summer ....
anything further out and I carry a possible pouch or small back pack - poncho, 1st aid kit , thermos , water , snacks , spare woollen thermal shirt , spare tab , string , Leatherman , firestarting stuff
But in general I carry the bare minimum .... way less gear than I had started dragging around . I started hunting with a bow , knife , arrows .... getting back to it
Every year there are new stories of a hunter, berry picker, day hiker that gets lost, or injured and some are found after a few days, carried out, or airlifted to safer ground. Unless your hunting the same area, you might carry a topographical map, compass, GPS, fire starter, matches, mirror, satellite phone, transistor radio, batteries, first aid kit, rain gear, space age blanket, tarp, etc. Tell someone where your are going and when you will return, or leave a note at home or in your vehicle.
Quote from: Kirkll on February 18, 2026, 02:00:30 PMI suppose if you were hunting a small area in relatively flat terrain that had good phone service you could hunt pretty light safely. But what i find weird is not one person mentioned having a good first aid kit.
I was always the guy that never went off the road without a 20 pound day pac. my hunting buddy's ribbed me for years about it. But the country we hunted was seriously steep and very remote. No phone service where i hunted, and i most always hunted solo. After spending a few nights in the woods in the pouring rain. i always went prepared after that. We had a system where everyone knew where the other guys were hunting each day, and where to go looking if they didn't show up. we also carried radios for emergency's too.
My list of essential items for a day hunt exceeds a lot of guys going for planned overnight trips with the exception of a sleeping bag and tent. but i always had a tarp and emergency blankets in the bottom of my day pack. i basically don't believe in minimalistic hunting gear. Chit happens...
CATT was the first thing on my list. Bleeding to death 900 yards from the truck is a dumb way to die.
All good things to pack a long.
But.... nobody has mentioned the ONE thing I will not go hunting without..Toilet paper!
Everything I hunt is 40-300 acre parcels in Central Ohio.
I usually don't take a pack for my 1/2 day sits. Everything fits on my person.
My "rig":
* Tall-tines recurve
* Bow quiver
* Handmade finger tab
* 3-leg portable stool
* Granola bar (a.k.a "old-lady bar" as my kids call it)
* Water
* Binos with a string (as recommended by Fred Asbell)
* Stetson felt hat or beanie (depending on the weather)
* Phone
* Wallet with signed permission slips (you never know when the khaki pants will show up)
Everything else is back in the Jeep and I'll walk back if I _need_ it; things like knife kit, lunch, TP (playing with fire, I know).
I use a day pack if I plan on doing all day sits, it's just a canvas backpack. I'll add the items I usually keep in the Jeep, a small emergency kit, and some extra base layers/socks, and a book (if the weather's alright).
90% of the time - Lock on,/saddle, headlamp, trim saw under the seat, bow rope, pocket knife, tree tether, Bow/Arrows. If I will be going for the day - Ill add a small battery charger for cell phone, pack of crackers, and some water. Strap water to lock on, put the other items in my pocket.
Quote from: Terry Lightle on February 18, 2026, 07:30:38 AMBison Gear day pack,tree seat,back quiver or GFA side quiver
What seat are you carrying ? I'm curious as I ground hunt only
GFA quiver with 3 arrows and a spare string, sheath knife and an Asbell wool vest incase it gets cold near sunset.
Oh and a canteen of water.
Bow, arrows, knife, and a short piece of rope. Does don't have handles on their head
I usually don't hunt close to my car and my dragging days have passed so I carry everything I need to spend a day in the woods and carry out boned meat. I even carry a small emergency kit. I use a back quiver and I carry all the gear in a Asbell haversack. For the meat I use Pack-Out Bags. They fit fine in the haversack until I would need them.
I'm one of those guys who carries a bit more than most; though I can put it all in a large waist pack. There is always going to be a pee bottle, toilet paper, telephone, an orange (diabetic), reflective tacks, wool mask, haul rope, bino's, theromcell in the fall, tab, a couple of flashlights, water, a gut hook, and billfold.
I pack and re-pack in smaller waist packs throughout the season but always go back to the larger one. I guess that is the way it will always be.
As often as possible it's my son... Years ago I used to carry him on my back through the woods, over ditches, in flooded timber areas etc. Now, at 24 he's the one who can latch onto a deer and take off on a drag like it's nothing.
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As far as gear goes, this pic shows my typical carry stuff. Sorry about the shotgun. I know I've got similar pics with my bow but can't find them at the moment. I usually have some sort of military surplus shoulder bag (similar to a muzzle loaders possibles bag) or a small rucksack. I nearly always have a niff-t-seat and a pair of pruners and a small folding saw to build imptomotu brush blinds. The turkey calls are nearly allways with me when bow hunting because in MO, archery turkey coincides fully with archery deer season but even if it didn't, I've found that casual turkey calling acts as a "confidence call" for deer. It doesn't actively bring deer in but I'm convinced that deer pay attention to turkey sounds and if there are turkeys calmly feeding in the area, deer tend to be more relaxed.
Many times I will take off a couple hours early from work and run out to hunt the last few hours of the day.
Most of those trips are within in 30-40 minutes of home, so I will often hit the woods with just my bow a couple arrows and my shooting glove. I figure if I'm fortunate enough to score on a deer, I can allows run home and get more gear if needed.
Funny... I started to list everything, and I realized I'm not as much of a minimalist as I thought.
But I'm usually several miles from the truck.
Quote from: Kirkll on February 18, 2026, 02:00:30 PMI suppose if you were hunting a small area in relatively flat terrain that had good phone service you could hunt pretty light safely. But what i find weird is not one person mentioned having a good first aid kit.
I was always the guy that never went off the road without a 20 pound day pac. my hunting buddy's ribbed me for years about it. But the country we hunted was seriously steep and very remote. No phone service where i hunted, and i most always hunted solo. After spending a few nights in the woods in the pouring rain. i always went prepared after that. We had a system where everyone knew where the other guys were hunting each day, and where to go looking if they didn't show up. we also carried radios for emergency's too.
My list of essential items for a day hunt exceeds a lot of guys going for planned overnight trips with the exception of a sleeping bag and tent. but i always had a tarp and emergency blankets in the bottom of my day pack. i basically don't believe in minimalistic hunting gear. Chit happens...
Would you like to share what you carry in your pack. I agree, you never know as I was lost in the national forest ounce. I do carry some basic essentials.
Everything I carry fits in the cat quiver (I think its a cat quiver II). First aid kit, TP, knife, extra tab, brush clippers, flashlight.
Quote from: frassettor on February 26, 2026, 05:22:44 PMQuote from: Kirkll on February 18, 2026, 02:00:30 PMI suppose if you were hunting a small area in relatively flat terrain that had good phone service you could hunt pretty light safely. But what i find weird is not one person mentioned having a good first aid kit.
I was always the guy that never went off the road without a 20 pound day pac. my hunting buddy's ribbed me for years about it. But the country we hunted was seriously steep and very remote. No phone service where i hunted, and i most always hunted solo. After spending a few nights in the woods in the pouring rain. i always went prepared after that. We had a system where everyone knew where the other guys were hunting each day, and where to go looking if they didn't show up. we also carried radios for emergency's too.
My list of essential items for a day hunt exceeds a lot of guys going for planned overnight trips with the exception of a sleeping bag and tent. but i always had a tarp and emergency blankets in the bottom of my day pack. i basically don't believe in minimalistic hunting gear. Chit happens...
Would you like to share what you carry in your pack. I agree, you never know as I was lost in the national forest ounce. I do carry some basic essentials.
OK, but be prepared as its a long list.
The bottom my pack always has an 8'x8' tarp folded up that never comes out unless needed. I'll just list the other items.
*Tuppe ware container for food.
*Freeze dried meals-2 or MRE packages
*jerky, trail mix with dried fruit and nuts. one cup Coffee bags, and sometimes brandy (weather depending)
*Water Filter , small butane pack stove, and canteen with metal cup for cooking or making coffee. a small zip lock bag with fire starter material, and extra lighter and matches too. I also have a small butane lantern that puts out a lot of heat in an emergency situation.
* my hunting knife bag containing a filet knife, skinning knife, and a larger sheath knife with a sharpener, as well as a folding pruning saw. i also keep a flint rod for fire starting in that bag. My rose clippers are in a holster on my hip as well as a sheath knife.
*elk 1/4 bags i keep at the bottom with the tarp.
*first aid kit, a good one fully stocked, and 2 emergency reflective blankets. (very thin and doesn't take up much space.
*flash light with extra batteries, and a head lamp. a cell phone with maps downloaded for the area i'm hunting that can give me GPS location. Note* in areas with no cell reception the GPS will still show your location if you have the maps downloaded ahead of time. But i carry a good compass too.
*pocket hand warmers are a must.
* another pouch i keep in my pack has a small pulley system with 1/4" rope, as well as a roll of parachute cord, and zip ties. These are quite valuable when having to hang meat from a tree over night to keep the bears out of your kill. The pulleys are real handy trying to muscle an elk by yourself for field dressing and quartering. Save me a couple times.
* A radio is added when when we hunt certain areas that typically require an overnight hunt, and used for emergency only.
I know this seems like a lot of crap to carry, but after spending a few miserable nights in the woods in the pouring rain, freezing my butt off waiting for the sun to rise, i never leave those fire roads without my pack any more in that steep country.
Quote from: Kirkll on February 27, 2026, 01:54:03 PMQuote from: frassettor on February 26, 2026, 05:22:44 PMQuote from: Kirkll on February 18, 2026, 02:00:30 PMI suppose if you were hunting a small area in relatively flat terrain that had good phone service you could hunt pretty light safely. But what i find weird is not one person mentioned having a good first aid kit.
I was always the guy that never went off the road without a 20 pound day pac. my hunting buddy's ribbed me for years about it. But the country we hunted was seriously steep and very remote. No phone service where i hunted, and i most always hunted solo. After spending a few nights in the woods in the pouring rain. i always went prepared after that. We had a system where everyone knew where the other guys were hunting each day, and where to go looking if they didn't show up. we also carried radios for emergency's too.
My list of essential items for a day hunt exceeds a lot of guys going for planned overnight trips with the exception of a sleeping bag and tent. but i always had a tarp and emergency blankets in the bottom of my day pack. i basically don't believe in minimalistic hunting gear. Chit happens...
Would you like to share what you carry in your pack. I agree, you never know as I was lost in the national forest ounce. I do carry some basic essentials.
OK, but be prepared as its a long list.
The bottom my pack always has an 8'x8' tarp folded up that never comes out unless needed. I'll just list the other items.
*Tuppe ware container for food.
*Freeze dried meals-2 or MRE packages
*jerky, trail mix with dried fruit and nuts. one cup Coffee bags, and sometimes brandy (weather depending)
*Water Filter , small butane pack stove, and canteen with metal cup for cooking or making coffee. a small zip lock bag with fire starter material, and extra lighter and matches too. I also have a small butane lantern that puts out a lot of heat in an emergency situation.
* my hunting knife bag containing a filet knife, skinning knife, and a larger sheath knife with a sharpener, as well as a folding pruning saw. i also keep a flint rod for fire starting in that bag. My rose clippers are in a holster on my hip as well as a sheath knife.
*elk 1/4 bags i keep at the bottom with the tarp.
*first aid kit, a good one fully stocked, and 2 emergency reflective blankets. (very thin and doesn't take up much space.
*flash light with extra batteries, and a head lamp. a cell phone with maps downloaded for the area i'm hunting that can give me GPS location. Note* in areas with no cell reception the GPS will still show your location if you have the maps downloaded ahead of time. But i carry a good compass too.
*pocket hand warmers are a must.
* another pouch i keep in my pack has a small pulley system with 1/4" rope, as well as a roll of parachute cord, and zip ties. These are quite valuable when having to hang meat from a tree over night to keep the bears out of your kill. The pulleys are real handy trying to muscle an elk by yourself for field dressing and quartering. Save me a couple times.
* A radio is added when when we hunt certain areas that typically require an overnight hunt, and used for emergency only.
I know this seems like a lot of crap to carry, but after spending a few miserable nights in the woods in the pouring rain, freezing my butt off waiting for the sun to rise, i never leave those fire roads without my pack any more in that steep country.
Wow...actually maybe I am a minimalist after all.
I am very lucky in that I hunt right out my back door. I am literally on the edge of Natl. Forrest and timber land. I have a 2 mile loop in the hills that connects with a network of old logging roads. I carry my bow (Toelke Whip) with an Eagle Flight strap on quiver for 3 arrows. I have a sling pack with some essentials; water, snacks, license, timber land access permit, a spare pair of eye glasses, spare bow string and tab, deer and elk tags, fixed blade knife (folder on my belt), cord, some logging tape for tracking. I don't carry a first aid kit per se, but I have some gauze pads and tape, a small packet of Tylenol and allergy pills. I figure I need to be prepared for cut or stab wounds if I get tangled up with my broadheads for some reason, or other sharp thing. I sometimes carry a small GPS when scouting newer areas. I also carry a 1911 45 cal.in a holster on the chest strap of my pack. Cougars and bears are thick here and show up constantly on my trail cams. Try only to bring something I think might save me from having to walk all the way back home
Quote from: Surffever on March 03, 2026, 02:11:31 PMI am very lucky in that I hunt right out my back door. I am literally on the edge of Natl. Forrest and timber land. I have a 2 mile loop in the hills that connects with a network of old logging roads. I carry my bow (Toelke Whip) with an Eagle Flight strap on quiver for 3 arrows. I have a sling pack with some essentials; water, snacks, license, timber land access permit, a spare pair of eye glasses, spare bow string and tab, deer and elk tags, fixed blade knife (folder on my belt), cord, some logging tape for tracking. I don't carry a first aid kit per se, but I have some gauze pads and tape, a small packet of Tylenol and allergy pills. I figure I need to be prepared for cut or stab wounds if I get tangled up with my broadheads for some reason, or other sharp thing. I sometimes carry a small GPS when scouting newer areas. I also carry a 1911 45 cal.in a holster on the chest strap of my pack. Cougars and bears are thick here and show up constantly on my trail cams. Try only to bring something I think might save me from having to walk all the way back home
Do you happen to carry the sling pack from Roger Noris? I have been looking at them and considering it
The sling pack I carry is from a military surplus store. Nothing fancy but it is green, multiple pockets. Not as quiet as wool but fairly water repellent. I should note that the terrain here is very heavily wooded, steep. I'm in the coastal range mountains of north coastal Oregon.