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.