New Hunter: Gear Essentials
11-22-2016, 06:35 PM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 2
New Hunter: Gear Essentials
Hello Forum!
Thinking about getting into hunting. (Oregon) I'm sure I could google a list of hunting essentials, but it's nice to get the details from good people and it'll be nice to get to know some people on here.
So let's say for deer and elk hunting... knowing what you know now. Other than Rifle, binoculars, knife and clothing, what would be the most essential gear to have on a hunt? If there are specialty clothing items that you think should be on the list, feel free. This is definitely a learning experience for me.
Greg
Also, if some of you veteran forum members have seen this question 1,657 times, stick a thread as a reply. I'm kinda just looking for a starting point.
Thinking about getting into hunting. (Oregon) I'm sure I could google a list of hunting essentials, but it's nice to get the details from good people and it'll be nice to get to know some people on here.
So let's say for deer and elk hunting... knowing what you know now. Other than Rifle, binoculars, knife and clothing, what would be the most essential gear to have on a hunt? If there are specialty clothing items that you think should be on the list, feel free. This is definitely a learning experience for me.
Greg
Also, if some of you veteran forum members have seen this question 1,657 times, stick a thread as a reply. I'm kinda just looking for a starting point.
11-22-2016, 07:35 PM
#2
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location:
Posts: 5,130
Bring your gun & some ammo........................
Then start here;
http://morethanjustsurviving.com/survival-gear-list/
Then start here;
http://morethanjustsurviving.com/survival-gear-list/
You bring all that hunting... animals?
11-23-2016, 09:19 AM
#4
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location:
Posts: 5,130
If I hunt alone, I make sure my "Day" pack can become my "overnight" pack if necessary !
I leave that decision up to you ?!?!
Remember, if it's important: "One is none & 2 is one" !!!
Good luck.............................
I leave that decision up to you ?!?!
Remember, if it's important: "One is none & 2 is one" !!!
Good luck.............................
11-23-2016, 08:03 PM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Germany/Calif.
Posts: 2,664
I got caught out in a freak weather incidence once, was dressed for maybe 25 degrees no wind, 30 degrees with wind. What I got was sideways freezing rain, then a 30 MPH wind and a flash temperature drop to around 20 F. Put on everything I had with me, put my feet in my rucksack and still got hypothermia.
Got caught one other time, 70 F when I went to bed, 15 F when I woke up.
Something as simple as a wool blanket and a rain poncho can be the difference between miserable and tolerable.
Always a compromise between carrying around a bunch of useless junk and something for a worst case scenario. You never really need it, until you leave it at home.
11-25-2016, 06:28 AM
#7
Banned
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: idaho
Posts: 2,773
Hello Forum!
Thinking about getting into hunting. (Oregon) I'm sure I could google a list of hunting essentials, but it's nice to get the details from good people and it'll be nice to get to know some people on here.
So let's say for deer and elk hunting... knowing what you know now. Other than Rifle, binoculars, knife and clothing, what would be the most essential gear to have on a hunt? If there are specialty clothing items that you think should be on the list, feel free. This is definitely a learning experience for me.
Greg
Also, if some of you veteran forum members have seen this question 1,657 times, stick a thread as a reply. I'm kinda just looking for a starting point.
Thinking about getting into hunting. (Oregon) I'm sure I could google a list of hunting essentials, but it's nice to get the details from good people and it'll be nice to get to know some people on here.
So let's say for deer and elk hunting... knowing what you know now. Other than Rifle, binoculars, knife and clothing, what would be the most essential gear to have on a hunt? If there are specialty clothing items that you think should be on the list, feel free. This is definitely a learning experience for me.
Greg
Also, if some of you veteran forum members have seen this question 1,657 times, stick a thread as a reply. I'm kinda just looking for a starting point.
what you listed is about all really needed .the rest is just fluff, comfort items ,if you will.
if gone all day I would add water. water in my oppinion is a must you can get by a few days without food but water is essential.
matches or lighter .
compass and or GPS (NOT ESSENTIAL BUT PROBABLY WISE)
AS IS FIRST AID KIT OF SORTS(BLOOD CLOT.. NEEDLE AND THREAD.. WHISTLE??? YOU JUST NEVER KNOW)
tag and ammo(only because I have seen so many forget to bring it with them).
A PACK FRAME IS NICE TO PACK MEAT OUT WITH BUT NOT AN ESSENTIAL. SAME CAN BE SAID OF TOILET PAPER( though I personally don't enjoy walking with crust butt).
if I don't bring a pack frame I do generally bring a piece of rope so I can tie from leg to leg in order to make it easier to grip for either dragging or carrying. not essential but it is convenient.
clothing depends how long I expect to be gone how far from truck I go and what I expect weather conditions to be over that period. I take all that into account and lean on the extreme side when preparing
PROBABY THE ONLY THING really essential other then what's on your list is, bring some common sense and use it while packing, planning your hunt.
oh don't forget your camera .pics are essential if you want our continued help.lol
Last edited by kidoggy; 11-25-2016 at 06:34 AM.
11-25-2016, 09:27 AM
#8
Super Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Northern California
Posts: 18,506
Welcome aboard!
Excellent question by the OP and some good answers above although that survival list link above looks like you might need a trailer behind an ATV to carry everything.
To answer your question about what to bring, it depends on what kind of hunt you're doing and where, etc. Are you hunting on somebody's ranch where you park your truck and hike over a hill or hunting one of the timber cuts where it's easy to get turned around a bit in the thick woods? Also, are you hunting alone or with a buddy or 2? Using quads or backpack hunting? For different types of hunting, you would have different gear requirements.
If you're not hunting far from your vehicle, your short list would suffice and you could leave all the rest of your gear in your vehicle. If you're using an ATV, you could leave most of your gear in it. If you're backpack hunting (i.e. hiking a long ways from your vehicle), you would naturally carry more gear and have a different plan on packing out any animals you get.
I've hunted elk in Oregon a couple times but only on the timber cutting areas in SW Oregon that had a lot of logging trails you could drive a pickup on to get closer to any downed animals. A compass is very handy in the woods so you don't get turned around (don't ask how I know) and getting your elk out can be a LOT of work. We used quads to drag the field dressed elk to a truck and it took a few of us to get the elk loaded into the truck.
I deer and bear hunted locally on a cattle ranch this year where I've turkey hunted before. It has some brush and a lot of grassland and cattle/game trails so it's almost impossible to get lost or turned around. I carried a daypack with a water bladder, extra knife, rubber gloves, flashlight and the things you would want in a daypack. I even had my cell phone with decent reception if needed.
Hopefully this gives you more tho think about as you narrow down where you're hunting and the terrain, etc.
Excellent question by the OP and some good answers above although that survival list link above looks like you might need a trailer behind an ATV to carry everything.
To answer your question about what to bring, it depends on what kind of hunt you're doing and where, etc. Are you hunting on somebody's ranch where you park your truck and hike over a hill or hunting one of the timber cuts where it's easy to get turned around a bit in the thick woods? Also, are you hunting alone or with a buddy or 2? Using quads or backpack hunting? For different types of hunting, you would have different gear requirements.
If you're not hunting far from your vehicle, your short list would suffice and you could leave all the rest of your gear in your vehicle. If you're using an ATV, you could leave most of your gear in it. If you're backpack hunting (i.e. hiking a long ways from your vehicle), you would naturally carry more gear and have a different plan on packing out any animals you get.
I've hunted elk in Oregon a couple times but only on the timber cutting areas in SW Oregon that had a lot of logging trails you could drive a pickup on to get closer to any downed animals. A compass is very handy in the woods so you don't get turned around (don't ask how I know) and getting your elk out can be a LOT of work. We used quads to drag the field dressed elk to a truck and it took a few of us to get the elk loaded into the truck.
I deer and bear hunted locally on a cattle ranch this year where I've turkey hunted before. It has some brush and a lot of grassland and cattle/game trails so it's almost impossible to get lost or turned around. I carried a daypack with a water bladder, extra knife, rubber gloves, flashlight and the things you would want in a daypack. I even had my cell phone with decent reception if needed.
Hopefully this gives you more tho think about as you narrow down where you're hunting and the terrain, etc.
11-25-2016, 02:01 PM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,914
What I took in the field with me this morning:
Cell phone (best emergency lifeline there is)
Cell phone back-up charger
Bow, Quiver, & Release
Laser Rangefinder
Binos
Bag of trail mix
Bottle of water & bottle of gatorade
Headlamp
Flashlight
Pocket knives x 3 (my inside layer pants pocket, outer layer pocket, and outside of my pack)
Extra set of gloves
Hand Warmers
Tags & pen
Keys to my truck
At the truck, I have my 4 wheeler, block & tackle, & Gambrel for field dressing after the shot and hauling it out.
Where I was hunting today is only 2 miles from the nearest house, 5 miles from my Aunt's place, 7 miles from my mom's place, ~23miles from my retired grandparent's place. I only have to travel ~1/2mile from my truck to my stand, and the path leading to my stand is mowed and well marked. I stayed at my Aunt's last night and she was watching my son today, so if something went wrong, I knew she's only a few minutes away.
I also keep a couple bottles of gas and my Lil' Buddy heater in one of my blinds nearby the tree stand I was hunting in today. I haul a few bottles out before each season so I don't have to haul them in and out each day, but in the event the weather really went south, I'd always be able to hole up in the blind and have about 24hrs worth of gas bottles on hand.
On days I'm hunting farther off of the beaten path, then I carry more emergency supplies in a day pack style ruck, but today, I didn't need to bring the kitchen sink. Pretty easy to rely upon my 2 cell phones (work and personal) as my lifeline.
Cell phone (best emergency lifeline there is)
Cell phone back-up charger
Bow, Quiver, & Release
Laser Rangefinder
Binos
Bag of trail mix
Bottle of water & bottle of gatorade
Headlamp
Flashlight
Pocket knives x 3 (my inside layer pants pocket, outer layer pocket, and outside of my pack)
Extra set of gloves
Hand Warmers
Tags & pen
Keys to my truck
At the truck, I have my 4 wheeler, block & tackle, & Gambrel for field dressing after the shot and hauling it out.
Where I was hunting today is only 2 miles from the nearest house, 5 miles from my Aunt's place, 7 miles from my mom's place, ~23miles from my retired grandparent's place. I only have to travel ~1/2mile from my truck to my stand, and the path leading to my stand is mowed and well marked. I stayed at my Aunt's last night and she was watching my son today, so if something went wrong, I knew she's only a few minutes away.
I also keep a couple bottles of gas and my Lil' Buddy heater in one of my blinds nearby the tree stand I was hunting in today. I haul a few bottles out before each season so I don't have to haul them in and out each day, but in the event the weather really went south, I'd always be able to hole up in the blind and have about 24hrs worth of gas bottles on hand.
On days I'm hunting farther off of the beaten path, then I carry more emergency supplies in a day pack style ruck, but today, I didn't need to bring the kitchen sink. Pretty easy to rely upon my 2 cell phones (work and personal) as my lifeline.
11-25-2016, 02:40 PM
#10
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: On an Island in Paradise
Posts: 23,428
When I hunt here near the house I bring just the essentials...gun bullets, binos, knife, compass, drag rope, grunt call, water, cell phone and headlamp. When I hunt the big woods of New England or out west I bring all of the above plus, GPS, maps, extra flashlights plus all the survival gear necessary for an unexpected overnight stay.