Larry Surtees and I are working on something....
And I'd like a list of your 'seasonal/optional' small items are....
Like mine are....thermacell, grunt calls, Tree Stand rope, bow holder hooks etc....
I know there are certain things that are usually ALWAYS in your pack...knife, flashlight, sharpener, etc...but what are the things you don't always take with you that are small items?
Thanks.
small two inch bungies, I use them to attach a mesh cammo screen in front of me when sitting in an area to hide my siloette when hunting in a tight area where I cannot set my ground blind in the jungle here on Guam when hunting pigs. I also use them to tie off branches that might be in the way in my shooting lane. Work great in a treestand too to tie off limbs you do not want to cut. Course, these are not really seasonal items but are permanent,LOL.As is the thermacell.Cannot live without a thermacell on Guam.
Here are mine...
Compass, Wind checker, glowing thumb tacks, ratchet strap, bungee cord, pocket knife and hand warmers.
Hand warmers, doe urine, pruners, thermos, bug spray, and rattle bag.
Salt, Thermacell, shemagh, extra pair of socks.
Broadhead Sharpener, not always in my pack if its a short trip or the car is close.
Spare Contacts and 2 FL oz bottle of Solution
Head Lamp
Protein Bar ( Cliff, Builders, Power Bar )
Trail Markers, tape or Thumb Tacks
Toilet Paper
Latex Gloves for field dressing
Spare Boot Laces
550 Cord 100 feet
GPS
Spare Batteries
Turkey Diaphram Calls
Compass
Emergency Whistle
Emergency Signal Mirror
Magnesium Fire Starter
Emergency Blanket
Small Roll or Duck Tape
Water Purification Tabs
Ace bandage
Muti Purpose Tool (Leatherman)
Triangular bandage
Fleece Hat
Spare Socks
Spare Gloves
Head Net
Small bag containing one field point, one hex head, one judo point, hot melt glue, lighter. This varies on arrows wooden or carbon.
Spare Hush Puppy
Spare Bow String
Camera, Spare Battery, Mini Tripod. This should be always in my pack but sometimes i get lazy.
Tylenol and Motrin, 2 doses each
Small Note pad and Pencil. I try to keep a journal.
On long day trips i bring a stove( favorite is jet boil), spork and home made freeze dried type meals. Also a tea bag or instant coffee.
Platapus water Bladder., 32 OZ This is sometime in addition to bottle of water. I can fill it as little or as much as i want and it doesn't take up much room.
Spotting Scope and Tripod
Sometimes i am know to over pack.
Great List Jack....Long but Great :)
Folding saw, tree stand rope, extra climbers, and a headlamp with red lens. Not to mention a small cold-weather survival kit.
Baby Wipes
Pruners
Zeiss/Busnell lens cleaning wipes for my glass/optics
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/osminski/Post%20pics/e3a58681.png)
Thanks guys....keep it coming. .......
Terry , aside from the usual ... knives , survival kit etc I always carry i small roll of electricians tape and a bunch of assorted cable ties ... never been out bush and not used some of it at least once
and 5 or 6 playing cards for those impromptue 'archery tournaments" ... lol
Extra carbon nocks and arrow rest material-Velcro,etc.Super glue gel.
I carry a few clothes pins when hunting turkeys or antelope out of a blind to secure the shooting windows where I want them.
Kitchen sink. Seems like I pretty much carry EVERYTHING else with me on every hunt. Seriously..you should see my pack.
For early season whitetail hunts when it's warm I take a washcloth that I soaked in water and baking soda then placed it in the freezer in a ziploc bag. I throw it into my backpack before the sit knowing full well that I'm gonna be sweating my ___ off when I finally climb the tree. It's melted but cool and I wipe myself down after I'm strapped into the tree making the next few hours a bit more pleasant.
The things that vary in my pack are those that are related to the game I am hunting and the hunting methods I expect to use. Like you said, bow hanger hooks
grunt calls
rattling horns
elk calls
turkey calls
game bags
tarp for boned meat
drag rope
Spare gloves/hat
Heat packs
Sunscreen
Chap stick
Extra Knives
Sharpner
Food
Water
dry lube for tree stands
gps
maps
pen & notepad
themacell
Those are the things that may vary depending on the hunt. Most other things are in my pack regardless of what I am doing.
I'm sorry, but it's easier to list what I take with me.
bow
Arrows
armguard
knife
glove
water
Fully charged cell pone.
Everything else mentioned in the other responses is optioanl for me, also must mention, I hunt on 1400 acres 10 minutes from my house.
Good one NBK,I just take what I need for the hunt as I always hunt within walking distance from my home. I own prime hunting land{Whitetail,Turkey,Blake Bear]with state and DEC land on three sides of me. I only own 75 achers but its chose.
x2 NBK, I like that idea.
Surveyor tape. I hunt big woods and will mark my path back to the truck after a kill if it is gettin late. Makes it easy to come back and locate the animals with my buddies to help haul the elk out if it is after dark.
A few years ago I got tired of carrying so much gear to the woods. Now I try to only take the absolute essentials. Other than my bow it is knife, hunting license and can of Copenhagen; and I'm working on getting rid of the Copenhagen.
Once the weather turns cool I always have a fleece neck gaiter and cap in my pack.
In summer I replace my "deer knife" with something smaller.
I will be keeping an eye on this one. I would expect to learn something from this thread.
One thing that constantly plagues me is taking too much. I look at some of my most successful hunting buds over the past and a common theme is that they ironically seem to take only the bare minmum.
I only take the bare minimum because most of the time I'm not so far away that I can't be out of the woods in an hour or less and that's if I take my time.
When I do venture further out I still only carry the bare esentials.
Water/Soda
matches or lighter
granola bars or crackers/snacks
Fully charged cell phone
small flash light
small pair of pruners and sometimes a folding limb saw
glow stick, the kind you snap and stays lit for hours to mark a blood trail
thermacell and extra fuel/repellent matts
about 10' of paracord
at least 1 sharp knife
something to read if I'm going to be sitting in a blind
camo face mask
extra finger tab
and I always have about 4 or 5 paper towels folded up in my fanny pack somewhere they come in real handy for everything
I figure that should get me by until I can get back to civilization, if not hopefully I have a signal on my cell phone.
One last item I forgot to mention that I recently started adding to my fanny pack is a small brown bottle of nitro pills. Since I'm over 40 and heart problems run in the family I figure it may save my life someday so I started carrying them and just make it a routine to toss them in my bag. This was a suggestion by my mother and I thought she had a very good point. Sometimes mama does know best. :thumbsup:
A few 1 gallon zip lock bags come in handy as does an extra handkerchief and some baby wipes(unscented). A half dozen zip ties for attaching tags to game bagged or tying back foliage when building a blind are in my pack also.
Thermocell a must in Turkey hunting and early season bow hunting.
Yes...I hear many of you....I like to back light too...and THAT is the purpose of this thread.
Trying to make sure we DON'T take items with us....
Keep it coming....
The ThermaCell is seasonal.
A bandana made from Insect Shield fabric is something I always have in mosquito season. Insect Shield really works.
In the winter I carry the little HotHands hand warmers and toe warmers. They really make a difference.
I am never without the puff bottle wind checker (one of the best things ever invented for bow hunting). I am also never without a compass.
I also always carry a small diamond hone to keep broadheads and knives shaving sharp.
depends on the trip, the location, the animal your hunting, the amount of time your out etc etc etc
if your like me and spend lots and lots of time out in the bush one of the most used items for me is a
Head lamp!
I spend months and months in the bush and I never go without a head lamp ( good quality get something like a petzl) , there are a lot of other things over time you will find you do 'not' need and those that you do not use often...Keep in mind though that there are a few things that you may not use often, but when you need them and dont have them, you'r really in the S%*t!
Then depending on the individual you weigh up your options as to whether, you prepare and carry those items or not.
And ...Above all else carry the "Knowledge" in your head before you worry about what you carry in your backpack!
hunt hard, hunt smart :wavey:
I have 3 different packs always ready to go.
1 - Desert pack.
hunting Javelina, rabbits, mulies, etc.
Camelbak small Waterpack. Full of water... sometimes an extra water bladder.
snack bars
first aid kit (adventure medical variety)
small survival kit (adventure medical variety)
water tablets just in case.
sneaky feet
tripod for glassing
knife and saw
Radio with emergency channels
I hunt pretty close to the border most of the time, so I take extra precautions.
Old fashioned map and compass, sometimes a GPS depending on the circumstances. Some of the ranches I hunt out here are 100,000 acres plus.
2-ground blind/tree stand pack
extra screen for double bull blind
spare black gloves, (camo for treestand)
roll of black tape (camo for treestand)
larger cleaning kit (add caping knife)
flashlight
Trail marking tape
compact camo face paint
50' Paracord or tree stand rope.
tree stand ratchet strap or if in blind tie downs or extra steaks.
snacks
First aid and Survival kits (+ water tablets, or a purification bottle)
3rd one is a large multi-day pack. I pretty much take everything I own for that one.
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I always have a small plastic plano box for bow necessities (extra string, wax, serving, sharpener, point/tips, nocks, etc). I have super glue in the first aid kit that works for nocks in a pinch too. And Walkie-talkie/radio with emergency channels. And my Camo Bible. Very thankful to have it in the ground blind or on tree stand (moth wing zipper variety). Also a camera.
oh... a couple of ziplok bags, and some black zipties. Those zipties have come in handy many times. :)
I bought a package of glow necklaces/bracelets for my daughters then realized they'd be great for marking an evening bloodtrail now I always carry a few for my evening hunts.
clipshot camera mount - just got it last season and now it always comes with me so I can take pics of my adventures.