What do you carry into the woods?

[BWD]

Too much stuff, including a handgun.

[Jakeemt]

Like what? I am not sure what kind of injury you think will prevent you from traveling 4 miles. Even with a broken limb or two just splint them and hobble crawl out. If it's that bad then you have A) had a heart attack or stroke B) been pinned beneath a heavy object  or C) taken a broadhead/bullet to the chest. In any of these scenarios no survial gear will save you. A cell phone is your best bet though I doubt you could use it. The only thing you really need if you get lost or snowed in for a few days is water and fire. So use an aluminum water container or a gi canteen with butterfly cup and a BIC or two and your good. If it's new or big then bring a compass.

[old_goat2]

my buddy says way to much, but up in the mountains elk hunting, your usually a long long ways from communication devices or help. I carry a spot satellite messenger, water, candy bars, sandwiches, knife set, canvas quarter bag, rain coat, high quality reusable emergency sleeping bag/blanket, small firstaid kit with Benadryl, ibuprofen, allergy pills etc, diarrhea medicine, clotting agent, water purifications pills, headlamp and a backup headlamp, extra batteries, GPS, whistle, compass, extra socks, calls, chapstick, sharpening device/s various cordage, couple small bungees, sanitation stuff, wet wipes, firestarter, bow stringer and extra bowstring. I'm sure there's some other little odds and ends in there that I can't think of, but these are the major items. When deer season  on the plains rolls around, still carry most of this stuff out, but lose some of the elk hunting particular stuff. Pack usually weighs in at about 20 to 25 pounds depending on the water volume I'm carrying and that's usually closer to the 25 during elk season.

[Roger Norris]

For local hunts:

   

For more remote hunts, I add a micro tarp and some food/water. The little baggie contains some basic first aid stuff, toilet paper, and a lighter.

[hardtimes]

My hunts are usally just morning or evening hunts on public lands. Aside from my bow and arrows I carry the below items.
GPS
Water
PBJ
Rope
knife
Mini mag light
Kahr CM9 IWB holster

[LBshooter2]

Hey Jakeemt,
What about just getting lost? Happened to a friend of mine in Canada,went out for a quick hunt in the afternoon on the Friday they arrived. Didn't come back til Sunday evening, frost bit and just about dead. It happens all to often ,bring what you want but it would make sense to bring enough to be able to survive.

[riverrat 2]

For public land aside from the bow and arrows....
compass,first aid kit,tape,cord,firestarting kit,bottle of water,2 energy bars,knife,cell phone,and a handgun. Always the gun. Have had friends get into some bad,bad situations in our public lands here. Better to have it and not need it,than to need it and not have it.  rat'

[Frenchymanny]

I carry mostly what everyone else does, plus a spare bow string, crazy glue, nock pliers, a bow square, and spare batteries for the GPS and the flashlight

F-Manny

[Kris]

If close to home, as little as possible.  Walk to your stand and out w/little disruption.  Depends also on how long you intend to be out.  

Typically for morning & evening white-tail hunts:

my bow w/quiver
cell phone
grunt call
wind indicator puffer bottle
digital pocket camera
knife
a foam seat cushion
safety harness
Cliff bar + H2O
250 lumens mini flashlight  
I DO NOT use Binoculars for white-tails

A cell phone has become a very important safety device.  I am not too proud to think that I couldn't die at the base of my tree stand or bleed to death only feet from my truck.  When I am out later than usual, my wife calls to make sure I'm okay or I call her to tell her  got the big one      

Although this list may seem long for "simple", they are all small things, less the seat cushion.
Wear what you can and have a specific pocket for everything else.  The only thing I carry is my bow.

Kris

[Hoyt]

I just look over and see if the kitchen sink is still here and if so I'm good to go.

Talking about what could happen first aid wise..I had a hunting buddy in Fl. who fell out of his climber one morning about 5 miles back in a no motorized vehicle zone.

He broke his leg with a compound fracture right above his ankle..bone sticking out.

Very few people hunted this area back then and he said he yelled for help and got none. I rode in with him that morning on my bike, but I went another mile or so on down and wind was blowing the other way. I didn't hear him anyway.

He ended up having no choice but to get on his bike and peddle it best he could. Lucky for him he didn't have to go but about a 1/4 mile before a Game Warden just happened to be back in there in his truck.

[Archie]

I have always tended to pack a little heavy, and even more since I woke up one day as an insulin-dependant diabetic. I mention that because I have to be a little more cautious now.

But as much as I'd like to go ultra-light, I've never had much discomfort from my over-packing, and I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.  

No matter what, I always have a flashlight, Leatherman (with knife, file and pliers), compass, lighter, bottle of water, parachute cord, gloves, bug dope, diabetes stuff, 2 Clif bars, cell phone, binoculars, GPS, first-aid kit, and a wood-cutting tool: saw, hatchet, pruners, machete, or a Leatherman with a saw. But I usually have extra stuff like game calls, seat cushion, clothing, camcorder, or my most recent acquisition, an SOL Escape bivy.

A small washer/dryer is a plus.......

[SKITCH]

Thnks folks. This will definitely help me better plan for days in the woods!!