Minimalist Hunting.. what do you take ?

[woodchucker]

Bow, arrows, knife, and a short piece of rope. Does don't have handles on their head

[Phil Magistro]

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.

[Stringwacker]

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.

[Dave Bulla]

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.

[Dave Bulla]

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[Dave Bulla]

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.

[Burnsie]

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.

[Arctic Hunter]

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.

[frassettor]

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...

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.

[ptberger]

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.

[Kirkll]

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...

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.

[Arctic Hunter]

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...

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.