my hunting kit

[August West]

I didn't see anyone ask where he is hunting. My packing list for AZ is a hell of a lot different from GA. I also don't understand food, other than a candy bar or two? Something to boil water/cook in, are you guys float planing in somewhere to hunt? In the southeast, a compass to walk a straight line with and I will hit a road before I run out of water, and if it really worried me I would take a small bottle of aqua pure at the most.

I think before anyone can critique the kit some basic questions need to be asked. Mainly how and where do you hunt? Chris

 

[mtwarden]

I'm repeating some of the above mentioned items, but a compass & map are essentials that shouldn't be left out

personally I'd keep the axe- if your forced to stay out a night a debris shelter is going to be a necessity and a axe helps that process along

paracord for help building said shelter is a must have and weighs very little

I like to keep a couple of smaller beeswax candles in my kit, if constructed correctly- it doesn't take up much to heat up the shelter

I also keep a couple of 12 or 24 hour chemical hand warmers- they can very helpful in insuring your fine motor skills (ie shelter building, fire starting, etc) are not dulled by the cold

I don't carry a flashlight, but do have a headlamp- an extra set of batteries is good insurance

I'd keep the matches AND add a small bic- fire starting is one of things that redundancy is OK in my book

I carry a tarp/poncho- it's big enough to erect several different shelters including draping it over a debris shelter frame- keeps things nice and dry (including the addition of snow on the shelter if snow is in the mix)

take a peek at my 6 oz "kitchen" thread, you can have functional cook kit for very little weight/volume http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=685778

TP- yeah gotta have that

 

[jlouis976]

A lot of what I would recommend has already been mentioned, but there are a few things that I didn't see that I'd recommend.

1) 10-12 feet of webbing. I'm not sure what you are hunting, but it is great for dragging game if you have to haul it for a while.
2) I might have missed it, but do you have a fixed blade in the pack? Don't get me wrong, i always bring my farmer hunting-- but what are you going to clean the animal with? I've cleaned a few things with my SAK's and it is quite a mess.

Cheers, and good luck.

 

[desmobob]

It surely would depend on where you hunt (regional weather, how remote, etc.).

I usually hunt alone in the Adirondacks, at least a couple of miles from the trailhead.

I always have:

On me;
-fixed blade knife
-compass
-map
-LED flashlight/headlamp
-lighter
-extra ammo
-bandanna
-blaze orange cap or hat

In my daypack or pack:
-SAK
-firesteel
-3 liters of water (hydration pack)
-PJCBs in waterproof container
-zip ties
-first aid kit
-Adventure Medical Heatsheet or bivy
-wool hat
-wool gloves
-extra socks
-stainless cup (Olicup)
-whistle
-GPS
-spork
-spare compass/map
-lip balm
-trail mix
-hank of 550 cord
-MRE or SPAM, Vienna Sausages, etc.
-instant coffee, tea, sugar and creamer (all in ind. packets)
- "success kit" that contains a drag rope, lots of wet wipes, a pen, latex gloves and a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer.

It sounds like a lot of stuff, but it's really not much to carry. (I usually use a Maxpedition Falcon II unless I'll need extreme cold weather clothing, then I use a larger pack like a Blackhawk OPSEC 4 or REI Traverse Tour Star).

Good hunting,
desmobob

 

[DWK2]

I don't recall whether anyone has mentioned this, but if you're going to be hauling out antlers you want to have some pieces of blaze orange cloth/plastic and some blaze orange streamer tape to cover them or attach to them. We obviously don't want to be walking around with natural looking antlers on our packs.

DancesWithKnives

 

[dougo83]

I didn't see anyone ask where he is hunting. My packing list for AZ is a hell of a lot different from GA. I also don't understand food, other than a candy bar or two? Something to boil water/cook in, are you guys float planing in somewhere to hunt? In the southeast, a compass to walk a straight line with and I will hit a road before I run out of water, and if it really worried me I would take a small bottle of aqua pure at the most.

I think before anyone can critique the kit some basic questions need to be asked. Mainly how and where do you hunt? Chris

Agreed...I hunt in TX and you ain't lookin at a ton of public land to get lost on. I only pack food because I am hypoglycemic and I pack my CamelBak MULE (3L) and that's it for water. I may take a very small FAK, but it is usually no more than a few Band-Aids, tweezers, and some antiseptic. I carry a headlight and some extra batteries and my skinning knife. I may carry a blanket and poncho if it's cold and I plan on stalking deer. I only carry the Bic if I am going to be in my stand so I can light my homemade alcohol heater. No axe, no need to boil water (not that you could find any out there anyhow), none of that.