What stuff do you carry in the woods?

[Allan Hundeby]

Yikes!  I wish I were able to leave alot of the extra clothing/gear, but here in Saskatchewan even August can present some wild temperature changes within one day.  Extra clothing makes up the bulk of the ...bulk.

I wash whatever clothing is next to my skin after every hunt, and I switch what I wear depending on the forecast.  So I don't carry anything in pockets of clothing; everything goes into either my fannypack (always with me) or the backpack (for extended hunts).

FANNY PACK:

Emergency whistle
Trail marker tape
Deer calls: buck/doe grunt/bleat
LED flashlight
Scent killer spray
Gerber multiblade knife
Hunting permits/license + $20
ThermaCELL
Platypus water bag + tube
Kleenex in zip-loc sandwich bag
Lipbalm/lubricant
Lens cleaning cloth
Wire saw
Paracord
Keys
Armguard
Finger tab
FRS radio/cellphone
Kwikee quiver mount
Wool neck-warmer/toque

BACKPACK:

Cell phone
Water bottle
Rattle bag
Spare wool gloves
Spare windproof headcover
Windproof wool vest
Woolie-booger handwarmer
High-energy snacks
Cotton hankerchief
Compass
Magnesium firestarter + tinder in zip-loc
Burnt cork
Bow-stringer
Tri-pod stool
Kitchen sink

[countrygirl]

I used to carry every thing but the kitchen sink...then I learned how far I had to go and the terrian.....I have learned to take less.  Still first day I take to much..next day less till finally...if it won't fit in a pocket...I find I don't really need it.  (I do have lots of pockets though.......)

I learned the hard way last year about hanging stuff around my neck..........

[captaincaveman]

bottle of homemade scent killer, bottle of "deer dander" , Tru talker, primos can, knife, lighter, cattail poofs for wind checking, 1911 colt .45(never know when you're gonna walk up on a meth lab in S.E. Ohio)

Josh

[nel]

I'm not one for lotsa stuff.
Even when I'm in Northern Ontario moose-hunting...

For deer hunting around home where I know all the bushes like the back of my hand:
TP
flashlight
knife
bow & arrows
sometimes a foldable Dean Torges tree seat.

[countrygirl]

I feel I should add more...

Day one...folding saw, clippers,tp, raisins for good luck, chap stick, eye drops (for contacts) scent,drag rag in zip lock, license, gloves, hat, screw in bow holder, screw in arrow holder, extra string, compass, whistle, walkie talkie radio, face mask, flash light, water bottle, camera. binos, range finder and a bunch of other junk...I once even took a book...Sam Roberts reads in the tree and the man kills tons of deer.....but it is a waste of space and weight for me...works for others though.  I take a bunch of other junk too.......then

Day 2 I leave the pack in the truck and take the tp, rasins, eye drop..smallest bottle of water flash light and walkie talkie.

I am so rough on the ear piece/microphone for the walkie talkie...I bet I could make my million by coming up with a science fiction/ outer space looking one....like a blue tooth ear thingy.  Maybe have a small radio base the size of a pocket size box of matches..shove that in a pocket..and then wear the ear piece...

I have left a trail of walkie talkie ear piece wires through out Missouri......and Georgia.

[heydeerman]

Knife, flashlight, water, candy bar, cell phone, cutters, twine.

[woodchucker]

Bow,Arrows,Knife.....That's usualy about it.....

Oh Yeah, A soft seat cushion to sit on  

[Juniper Bow]

I carry a whole bunch of stuff in a large pack that stays in the car. Depending on the hunt I will take out what I will need. Regardless, I always carry: bow and quiver of 3 arrows, in the quiver there is a pouch for an extra string and some string wax, tags, TP, keys, knife, lighter, hat, bear spray and some rope. If I am just walking down a gated logging road (less than 3/4 mile maybe) this (and probebly some water) is all I take. If I am going much further other things that I may take are my emergency kit (a 5x2x6 inch soft packet with first aid kit, fishing kit, firestarting kit, 2 snares, some cordage, aluminum foil, a granola bar and chocolate, plastic bag, space blanket, water purifying tablets, flagging tape, boot laces, small knife and a little extra TP), extra socks, a wool sweater, food such as jerky or dried fruit, map/s and water.
I personaly feel that no one should go anywhere in western Montana without a knife, a fire starter, some water and extra clothes.

[Rooselk]

I hunt from the ground rather than a stand. So in addition to my bow, arrows, and quiver I carry a modified version of the Ten Essentials recommended for backpackers and hikers:

Map, Compass, Extra food and water, Extra clothes, Headlamp/flashlight, First aid kit
Fire starter, Matches, Knife, Latex gloves, 100' parachute rope, extra bowstring, and extra tab.

All this really doesn't take as much room as it might seem at first appearance. But hunting in forestlands I like to take this stuff with me just in case I end up having to stay in the woods longer than I may have planned.

[Gene Roberts]

i carry flashlights,knives,gloves,weapon,camo,food,and whatever else.

[Slasher]

ONLY THE ESSENTIALS!!!!
flashlight, knife, T.P., (Torges) tree seat, G.P.S., scent killer, Thermarest on the hot days, can call, rattle bag, grunt tube, bloodlight, scents... scrapemaker, pen, liscense, water, snacks, camera, spare batteries, butt out tool, deer handle, scent wicks, brite eyes, saw, pruners, cell phone... space blanket, signal mirror...      

just funning... 2-3 hr hunt ...
knife
 small light
 a lil TP (for marking the shot
 tree seat if on the ground
 a lil corn starch in a sqeeze bottle (for checking the wind)
bottle of water...
and a small set of pruners...

      and hopefully a lot of luck!!!

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

I never actually tried to make a list before. This should be fun.

Bow
3-arrow bow quiver with broadheads
Safety harness
Tags
Zip ties for attaching tags to animals
Small flashlight
Extra stick-on arrow rest
Extra bow string
Film canister full of milkweed
Small digital voice recorder for field notes
Extra AAA's for flashlight or recorder
Compass
Cell phone
Gerber multi tool
Screw-in bow holder
Pruning shears
Small folding saw (3" blade?)
Hand warmers
Gloves
Spandaflague head net
Small pocket-sized pump bottle of bug dope (early season)
Bottle of water and snack (usually venison jerky)
Tiny first aid kit (about the size of a matchbox)
Binoculars
Small pull rope
Extra finger tab
Grunt call
Bleat call
Reflective twist ties for marking blood trails
Small pack-sized roll of TP
Roll of electtrical tape
Motor mounts for a 1964 Pontiac GTO    

My camera equipment and game cart stay in the truck, although I'm thinking about picking up a high quality P&S digital camera to take with me when I hunt.

[BamBooBender]

Originally posted by Ishiwannabe; The Army taught me it is better have and not need than to need and not have

I agree whole heartedly. I found that out the hard when I was in the army.  

I am a minimalist by nature, but have learned to carry a lot of stuff if needed. So, it depends on where I'm going. If I'm just going to hunt out behind my house then all I carry is my bow, one arrow, and of course my annoying back tag(don't know why WI still requires those). If I go to another spot about 10 miles away I'll carry more arrows,cell phone, knife/sharpener, drag rope, flashlight, a snack, digital camera(wish they made those 20 years ago),  and some sort of butt pad.

Some of the lists seem really long but then you look at where they are, and it makes sense. None of the places I have hunted so far are true wilderness areas, a person could walk out in a matter of hours at the most. I do plan to someday  do a pack in hunt in the Nicolet NF, and will pack accordingly.

[Rich LaBombard]

This is embarrassing, but as we are all friends, here...

Sat morning, I hung my stand in the state forest across the street from my house.

This year I am trying out those reflective tacks to mark my "trail" through the thick brush, and I go in about 3/4's of a mile.

Sat NIGHT, I say "it's nice and dark, I'll grab my light, and see if those tacks work, and check my trail"

I nicely follow my trail, get to my stand, turn around to go home, and the light goes instantly dead...

I have no backup light, no compass, although I did have a phone.  

I know the area well, but at night with no light...   I stumbled and bumbled through thick brush for quite a while, and eventually found my road, but a few times I was prepared to call my wife and say "don't tell ANYBODY about this, and I am just going to curl up and wait for dawn to find my way out..."

Yes, I learned a good lesson on that one!
(even a simple walk can be a problem if the unexpected happens)

I am swearing you all to secrecy!  

[Slasher]

Originally posted by Rich LaBombard:
This is embarrassing, but as we are all friends, here...

, but a few times I was prepared to call my wife and say "don't tell ANYBODY about this, and I am just going to curl up and wait for dawn to find my way out..."


I am swearing you all to secrecy!      

   

Easy to laff about now...

[Shakes.602]

Did I Miss the  "TOOL OF A MILLION & ONE USES"  somewhere?  :confused:   The Lowly Wooden, or Plastic, Spring Clothespin??     They are Handy for  ALL  Kinds of Stuff!      

[jbb]

I generally hunt close to home and this is what I usually take, slightly modified since I switched from compound:


bow
extra string
3 broadheads, 2 judos
glove
armguard

all this stuff fits into a fanny pack with lots of room to spare:
lighter
matches
cork
small first aid pouch - gauze pads, bandaids, claritin, benadryl, ibuprofen, antibiotic cream, eye drops, carmex, superglue, duct tape rolled around a pencil.
pruning shears
binos
knife
gerber version of leatherman
piece of rope
carabiner (seems like I alway end up using this in some way)
piece of nylon string

sometimes I throw in a bottle of water and a couple granola bars but usually not.

cell phone and car keys in my pocket

[Rich LaBombard]

classic, Slasher, thank you!