Hi all,
With opening day next week, I'm I need to get my stuff together. I'm curious what is the standard gear that you'll have with you. FYI, I hunt in flat, mostly wooded country, usually less than 1/2 hour drive of the family cabin. Also, with lot's of trails/fire roads to get you into into the heart of the bush. I'm usually not too far from the truck.
Aside from rifle, & appropriate clothes, I usually carry a fanny pack in case the hunt goes well (cleaning goods) or the hunt goes very bad (e.g. get lost - hasn't happened yet). Anyway fanny pack has;
~additional 10 rounds of ammo
ligher(s)
strike anywhere matches in waterproof thingy
firestarter (cotton balls saturated with vaseline in a 35 mm film canister, deer license & tag would work in a pinch too)
compass (which I've never needed)
trail mark tape (should I need to leave some markers)
twine (for building lean to, or in case I feel the need to tie something off when field dressing)
medium folding blade knife (Gerber gator)
swiss army knife (one with a small wood saw on it)
handful of T.P. (ah, luxury)
spare gloves (light kind with grippy palms and fingers)
pair of surgical gloves (makes dressing less messy)
mini mag light
about 8' length of rope (for draggin' deer or whatever)
a few bandaids (in case I nick myself while gutting)
compact binoc's
a sandwich(?) (often I won't bother.... often I'll wanna get back to the truck to move somewhere else anyway, I usually leave a food pack there)
A couple of new additions that I will add this year:
a tube of crazy glue (in case I REALLY cut myself, I can glue the cut prior to bandaid) - I ended up doing this last spring... was mucho nicer than a long trip for stitches. Should be in every first aid kit I think.
a FOX 40 whistle as an emergency signal (it's in there now as required boating equipment anyway)
Written out, it looks like a lot, but it's only a small/medium sized fanny pack. Weighs maybe 3 or so lbs.
At the truck:
Food & coffee (eatin' keeps you warm)
Water (ample, for washin')
Spare clothes (esp boots and socks)
"come along" for loading bambi if I'm alone
hacksaw (in case I need to cut the legs off somethin')
big flashlight
Oh, and BTW, there isn't cell phone coverage where I hunt, so a phone is of no use in an emergency.
At the cottage, I keep a backup rifle (& ammo) and enough extra clothes that I don't need to dry everything from the day before if it's wet. If there won't be a cook there, I'll have somethin' easy to make/reheat. (who feels like cookin' if you been beating the bush all day??)
So, anything obvious that I'm forgetting?? Any little safety/survival/comfort items that you always carry?? Ever said to yourself, "I should've brought _______!!"
A few hunks of jerky come to mind... but it's probably just 'cause I'm hungry. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
With a few additions or substitutions this fanny pack goes with me every time I go into the bush, or head out fishin'. It's sort of my fishin'/huntin' security blanket.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Brent
