Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Of all the things you can forget to take on your hunting trip

Somebody (protecting the innocent) forgot to put the pins / screws in the game cart. That hold it together so you can carry game (ya don't need them when it's folded and stored).

WTH!!! I Jerry rigged it with ropes - what a pain.

What do you "find out" you forgot.

the bullets. very, very important. Was quite a ways from the nearest store too, even farther from home.

I've never brought bullets hunting. I always bring ammunition though.


Binoculars are the worse thing for me to forget, so I make sure I don't.

If I have a pack/knife/binoculars/rifle/ammo/me, I'm good.

my first trip to Wyo, in 1982, i got about 300 miles from home, and figured out i had left my licences back at home. I turned around, drove back and got them. ever since then, i put them in my rifle case, when they arrived

Me and a friend of mine hiked an hour up a mountain before he realized he forgot his rifle in the truck

Binocs on my African trip. Sure could have used them looking through the brush at Gold Medal animals. So I was told. lol

On a quick mid week hunt with my boy and my buddy's son, I was concerned that they had everything they needed, I forgot my clothes bag on the kitchen table.

I had hunting clothes but not stuff to change into at night. I had to run to walmart and buy undies, socks, sweat pants and a few t-shirts.

Rifle. Only 3 miles from home. Another time the rifle bolt 13 miles - sitting in moose stand when I went to chamber a round. Still on cleaning bench... Partner took over my stand. I got back just in time to finish off "my" moose for him..... Grrrr!

All kinds of incidentals time to time - coffee, utensils, cord, etc. never TP tho !

I've long since typed out and laminated a list divided into categories ( some items duplicated), then using the list I lay out everything on the floor that I'm taking on that trip. Never the whole list - depends on the trip.

I cross items off that I'm not taking or have already laid out with a dry erase marker so I can reuse the list.

Tripper Lab (gone now) used to "help" me by adding or subtracting to the floor stuff- until I learned to lay out his pack first thing. Then he was content to watch.

Ammo, sort of...not my fault! My son and I were going to sit together, then he wanted to split off and sit by himself, then he wanted my bolt action so I took his single shot to my stand....after getting in the stand I discovered I had ONE round of 30-30. Talk about having to make every shot count!

I used to remove the bolts from my rifles when stored. Bad news when you realize you brought a rifle to hunt with no bolt in it.

Me: key to trigger lock on a duck hunt. I just did the calling that day.

Took my son to PA for post thanksgiving hunt, about 4 hours from his house he pointed out he forgot his boots. Bit to cold and snowy for sneakers so he got a new pair of boots.

Long ago I realized that my memory was getting to be far from perfect. I sat down and made a list of all the things I take on a hunt, as each item is put into the pack/duffel it is checked off the list. I run thru the the check list a second time as gear is loaded into the truck, a list with all items checked off is pretty good assurance that I've taken the essentials. The list is also handy when leaving camp to make sure everything makes the trip home.

Forgot the new insulated boots I had just purchased. This was for a Montana hunt traveling from WA state, so most inconvenient. Not a good thing to forget, ended up buying warm footwear in town. Thankfully I haven't repeated that trick. I also forgot stove pipe for the wall tent on a different trip, also not a good idea. Another unplanned trip to town, and earned some good natured ribbing for a while.

Boots.

I was about 5 min. from the house and realized how comfortable my feet were.

I usually don't need much. Rifle, ammo, nocs and knife.....and TP. I didn't have TP when necessary one time and vowed to not rip up another t-shirt in a sleet storm.

Gee Stealhead, aren't "bullets" included in your ammunition?

Brought the wrong Weatherby bolt (257 and should have been the 30-378)which I discovered after a 600 mile drive. Had a backup 45-70 along so I was still in business. Being the first of the party to arrive, a 45 mile drive into town and a phone call got the proper equipment on it's way. Still get gigged in camp over that one.

Forgot life jackets on a week long white water trip once. Discovered after the shuttle driver had departed. Had to hitch hike into town and buy/rent replacements. That put an early morning start back into mid-afternoon.

Not me, but a partner was assigned the kitchen and eating utensils for another float trip. No silverware. Insisted we had hidden the packup only to find it on the hood of his rig when we got home.

A friend of my dads went hunting every year for 1 week with the "Guys" Wife always packed his clothes for him. One year he discovered she had forgot to pack him any socks so he wore the same pair everyday, got home and biched to the wife about not having any socks......She says with a big smile "there wasn't any room in your duffle bag so I put them in your gun case......."

Forgot my license/tag once. Drove all the way back home to get it, then all the way back to hunt. Never happened again though!

Ammo , coat, underwear, lot of stuff