Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game What do you carry in your daypack?

I don't take T paper. I fold up several sheets of paper towels. They are more versitile.

I won't argue that but my cornhole doesn't much care to be wiped with 100 grit sandpaper

Pics make your point! In that country, an ATV doesn't imprint the land much. Not so in Alaska, where a single track (much less one used many times) will last for decades, or longer.

If I ever retire beyond working.... I'd love to hunt that country. Invite me, and please have a spare ATV on hand....

Baby wipes for me.... My sweet cheeks don't take kindly to that nasty stuff working in a sweaty crack...

Dry packet or two of graivy solves most of the problem, Chicks tend ?? Then there are those with no tast...

Try maxpedition's sitka gearslinger. Easy access without taking the bag off, nothing on your right shoulder (or left if you're a lefty and use a S-Type), just the room you need for a day's stuff, water and /or warm beverage. You can wear it on your belly when you have your treestand on your back.

http://www.maxpedition.com/store/pc/SITKA-GEARSLINGER-2p926.htm

This is Gospel right here!

Yep. Baby wipes are about as good as a shower... They make me happy, happy, happy.

What model ATV is in the photo?
How has it preformed for you?
My brother is looking for his first ATV at age 60 years old
because of a stroke he had back in 2011.
AMRA

Whatever atv you get, get a winch. It is often a nice to have item and once in a while it's a got to have item.

Looks like a Polaris Sportsman 500 to me. I had one and loved it. I traded it in on a Sportsman 500X2 and that one is even better! With the X2 you get a little box in the back or a second seat. If you are going to use an ATV for hunting and utility purposes, you cannot beat having that extra space IMO.

I like the initial list by the OP and the Super Glue is a great ideal i had not thought of.
I use one of the big Maxpedition Shoulder Bags, which is more comfortable on my old bad back. All my hunting buddies always make fun of me for being "over prepared" but it beats the heck out of being SOL if you have an accident, bad weather, or get lost. Here's your list with a few things I carry which ought to be a pretty good list for any hunter or hiker.
Backpack,
Rifle
Binocs
Rangefinder
GPS
Headlight
Extra batteries
Electrical tape
Flagging tape
Zip ties
rubber bands
Hunting license
Heavy duty garbage bag
Fruit bars/trail mix
Water
Lighter/firestarter
Super glue
Lens wipes
Shooting stix
Knife
and paper towels!

Great List, but here is what I would add to make my "perfect day pack"
To your list I would add:
Light Weight Gortex Jacket & Pants
50' of rope
Para cord
Small magnifying glass
Whistle
Tweezers
Signal mirror
Gerber folding tree saw
Leatherman Tool
Duct Tape, small folding package
Extra Spyderco Serrated Police & Rescue Knife
Piranha Razor Knife & extra blades
Surgical gloves
Needle & thread for sewing or stitches
Bic Lighter & Steel Fire Starter
1 emergency Candle
Fire starter cubes
Fully Charged Cell Phone
1 Space Blanket
Disposable Rain Poncho / for Emergency Shelter
My Titanium Camping Cup for boiling water
Single serve: 1 Packet of Coffee, 1 packet hot chocolate, 1 pack soup cubes.
1 packet sugar, salt, & pepper
Extra Flashlight
Extra Extra Batteries!!! My Gps & extra Light, & Head Lamp all use AAA's
My Filter Straw/Water & iodine Tablets
Band aides, Benadryl, & Asprin.
Neosporin antibiotic, Chapstick
Large Cammo Scarf, Extra Wool Socks
Extra Boot Laces
Pack of Baby Wipes. Beats the heck out of Toilet Paper!
Extra Rifle Ammo, 20 rounds total
.22 auto, my Ruger SR-22
Unless I'm hunting S.Texas Border Country in which case I carry my Glock Model 31- Full Size .357 Sig w/ 2 extra 15 round Mags.
If I'm hunting CO or NM, I carry a small custom made Camp Ax/ Hatchet
It weighs just over 1lb.

My pack weighs about 13 lbs. Rifle is slung muzzle down on off hand shoulder
My Bino's are on my chest with my Cabelas Bino Harness

Got lost 1 time in a river canyon in So. Texas while blood trailing a wounded feral hog after dark. Cedar Brakes were so thick & with no moon, either, i was defiately turned around. It was cold & raining, and i finally made it back to our campsight at Midnight. My hunting pack was back in camp, along with my flashlight & GPS,as i didn't figure to need it for just a afternoon hunt. The only "Survival" tool I had with me was my Ingram hunting knife & a Bic Lighter. Last time I've ever left camp without my Day pack. Lessons leaned the hard way are most often the lesson that you will always remember ! Hope this is helpfull to some other hunter or hiker.

Interesting thread. My daypack would varies a lot, based on conditions, season, location, and whether I'm day hunting out of a backpack camp, from the truck, or the wheeler/snowmachine.

If transportation is motorized, a little weight doesn't mean much, and can be a huge benefit. Otherwise, you've got to have priorities.

This day, it was multiple insulation layers, full rain shell, basic first aid kit, small survival kit with much of what was already mentioned, a full day's food, jetboil, lots of water, gamebags, knives. Used all the insulation layers and the rain shell as we got snow/rain/hail up on top and we were up there to glass. We were about 15 boot miles off the road, hunting out of a backpack camp.



About 1.5 miles from the truck in a much different location (but about the same vertical) things are much different. Still had my little survival kit, but no insulation, no food, no water. Most of the pack weight was camera gear. Sometimes sheep are higher up the mountain than you think....



This past weekend, spring bear hunting on snowmachines, my day pack had: bivy sack, a small waterproof stuff sack full of dry clothes (spare hat, several pairs of gloves, a spare base layer) , leatherman, first aid kit, a full day of food, jetboil, rangefinder, knives, gps, ammo, etc. I had a snowmachine to carry insulation layers and some of the heavier items, so the day pack was just for keep you alive and comfortable stuff when away from the machine, and enough stuff to process a bear.

Needs vary - it pays to always have the basics with you, but I'm a fan of tailoring to specific conditions.

I am trying to get away from carrying too much stuff so tend to tailor what i carry to where i stalk.

As most of the time thee days my stalking is on low land easy going forest, I don't carry so much.

Rifle, Sound Moderator and 10 rounds of ammo
Tall shooting sticks
10x42 bino's with range finder
Section of Map
Fixed blade knife
Spare SAK
Latex type gloves and plastic "sleevelets"
small zip ties
4 x 3" Stainless Steel S hooks
Wipes anti bacterial
TP
15' x 1" nylon webbing with loop handle sewn in each end
Small Optics cleaning kit
Small first aid kit
LED head torch
LED torch
Couple of bin bags
Couple of freezer bags
Mobile Phone
small camera (maybe)
whistle
Small roll of insulating tape
LED dog collar flashers for marking carcass

In more remote areas I would add:
Compass (x2)
GPS
OS (topo) 1:25,000 map of area and plastic cover.
Lighter and small fire lighting kit
Orange plastic bivvy bag
Signal mirror
Spare batteries.
Spotting scope (possibly)
Army issue water bottle and metal canteen cup
Brew kit with tea bags, powdered milk, sugar, oxo cubes, salt, packet soups, water purification tablets ect
Emergency food in the form of mars bars or similar.
Maybe some additional clothes packed sealed in plastic
Flexible cleaning rod for rifle
Strobe light

Sir, sorry for the delayed answer..........

Here is something that I wrote earlier when a bud asked about my Polaris.........

Yes that is a Polaris 500 Sportsman. It is the fuel injected 2006 model.
My hunting buddy at the time owned what he called a preventative maintenance auto shop. He did oil changes, brake jobs, shocks, transmission flush, and state inspections. He was big on Polaris having owned two. His were the two cycle where you had to add oil.
About a year after I got mine he broke down and bought a new 500 himself he liked mine so much.

The folks I talked to when making my purchase decision remarked that the parts for Polaris were expensive. Maybe so, but the only thing I've done in 7 years is change the oil and transmission fluid. Only parts I've bought is oil filters and one battery. Now I don't run it daily, but when I do I run the tee total dog [bleep] out of it. I will load 1,000 lbs in a trailer and pull it up hill in 4wheel low. I keep stabil in the tank and it has never failed to start. It has a pull rope to start if the battery is down.



It has a two speed auto trans. It will flat get up and leave most everything else in the dirt from scratch.
A while back I dropped a feed barrel on my left foot. Trying to shift with an injured foot is no fun. The auto trans was a blessing. I don't know how long this thing will last. I paid $6k new. I may spend on rifles, but on 4wheel vehicles I don't turn loose of a nickel until I make the indian ride the buffalo. First and only vehicle I've ever bought "new" with four wheels. I have not regretted it one minute and believe I got my money's worth. I would not hesitate to buy another when the time comes.

At first I was concerned about the front cover. I was thinking, which is hinged giving access to a storage area and the front shocks. It did not have a rack and I was worried about how sturdy it was and whether it would hold up. Only broke once. My buddy was bringing it back, doing about 90 mph. He had loaded it back-asswards and not secured the lid. It blew up and broke off. Other than that no problem. Both the font and back racks have a rail that runs crossways with four to six slots. Perfect for placing game, packs, ditty bag, camera or gun cases on, and using bungees or straps to fasten with.





IMHO, my lifestyle and hunting terrain precludes the use of horses, mules or llamas . Four wheel drive trucks are cheaper but can't go where the Polaris goes. To my thinking it is indispensable to my type of hunting. I very seldom shoot anything over 300 lbs. So far I have been able to load all but two out of the animals I've killed either on the back or front rack along with all the gear I carry, and I don't pack light.



Best

GWB

license/tags
toilet paper
headlamp
rain shell and a fleece
1-2L water
lighter and fire starter
first aid - duct tape, bandana, and liquid iodine (can be used to purify water too)
para cord and 10ft. 1"nylon webbing
knife and bone saw
extra pr socks
trail mix or clif (or similar) bars
gps
flagging
electrical tape (partial roll) - for securing tag to animal
cow/ calf call - gets the attention of most critters I hunt

Clothing changes by the season as does footwear, sometimes the fleece gets traded for a down jacket. In warm weather I sometimes toss in a couple game bags, but I generally prefer to keep the pack light - I leave the hide on quarters and fly eggs are pretty easy to cut out of any meat (during butchering) that the flies get before the quarters end up in bags.

I'm with brent on this one. Not a big fan of Camo for most hunting. Mostly unneccesary and a big money maker for retailers.

At 15 yds. in a tri-pod, Camo is probably a good thing, but at 95 degree F, and you're sweating like a politician telling the truth, even if they don't see ya' they can sense you and smell you, no matter what flavor of camo gum you're chewing.

At 200 yds in a elevated box blind, war paint ain't exactly necessary IMHO.

Best

GWB