What's in your pack?

[Wudstix]

compass/GPS
map
lighter(s)

[Ray Hammond]

Snickers
fiddle faddle
little debby cakes
beef jerky
M&M's
granola bars (but only the ones covered in chocolate or caramel with nuts on top)
flashlight
flaggin tape

[robtattoo]

Ray.

Do you ever findthat hunting gets in the way of your picnics?

 :D  :D  :D

[tim roberts]

Ray,
Do you want to come hunt elk with us?  With the stuff you carry, I could quite worrying about the G-bears.  
>>>Tim------->

[Ray Hammond]

Nah, I use all that stuff to bait up hogs!!!
You've seen my picture...I wouldnt eat that stuff..it makes you fat!!!!!!!!

Tim, I will come hunt elk any time you want - its my favorite animal to hunt...even more than pigs.

[Tox Collector]

I always carry a fanny pack; it has shoulder straps as well as waist belt for comfortable support.  I always use an American Leathers Hill style shoulder quiver carrying between 16 to 18 arrows (licenses are pinned to my quiver).  I just looked in my fanny pack and found the following:
 
one small camp saw(7" blade/6 oz.),
one roll of bright orange fluorescent surveyors tape,
push tacks with illuminated/flourescent heads,
spare leather laces (in case my quiver breaks down),
toilet paper,
a "cat hole" spade/digger,
waterproof/windproof matches with two candles   and fire starter,
leatherman tool,
four mini maglites,
one very bright LED flashlight,
one Princeton Tec 40 flashlight,
three predator calls and one crow call,
one Bear broadhead file in leather case,
one miniature first-aid kit,
one miniature survival kit and band-aids,
one small pruning shear,
parachute cord,
digest of game laws for CT and MA,
longbow stringer,
knife sharpener,
whistle (ACME Thunderer),
Lenspen by Leupold to clean binocular lenses,
emergency space blanket,
bow string wax,
folding scissors,
extra camera film,
minature thermometer,
small magnifying glass (see slivers, etc.),
a copy of "You Alone in the North Woods" (The Lost Person's Guide),
6 Advil pain pills,
small Nalgene water bottle,
cell phone (usually doesn't work though in the areas I hunt)
one or two pints of water, and
a small lunch with a couple of snacks as well.

I also carry a belt with the following:

double bit belt axe,
belt knife (either a camp knife or a skinner),
small digital camera,
compass,
bear spray,
binoculars,
topo maps are rolled and put into my quiver unless they are the folded type which then go under my shirt, and
sometimes a small camp seat goes on my belt as well.

My vehicle (a Jeep Wrangler) carries all kinds of recovery equipment, extra water, blankets, extra clothes and footgear, saws, axes, come-along, etc., and a winch as well.

I may have a few too many flashlights -- I don't mind being caught out in the woods at night -- but it works better when I have light to read my map and see where I'm at.  I'll have to re-evaluate the flashlight situation though.

Fully loaded, I am toting between 10 to 12 pounds in the fanny pack.

[hormoan]

First things first
TP &
Wet Wipes to clean up what number one don't    


                  Brent

[Onestringer]

Dude, I looked in my pack the last couple of weeks after a 4 month season, and it looked like a womans purse.  I had one or two of everything.

Scott

[Roadkill]

Orton and Tox, wow.  I carry most of that.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I hunt the coastal mountain ranges in Oregon for elk and black tail deer. My pack weighs in around 30 lbs, and have been given a hard time about it by a few hunters. This area we hunt is SO steep, and Soooooo thick with vine maple and other brush, you could get turned around 100 yards off a main road, and end up spending the night easily. i carry all the basic survival gear mentioned above except the GPS. The Whistle is a must guys. Some of the extra things i carry i haven't seen listed is :

a 20 oz.dried meal always stays in the bottom of my pack.
a small lantern and mountain climbing stove that use a small propane butain canister.
a water filtration pump
a road flare
Glow sticks...Light weight! And are life savers!
matches, fire starter, and spare batteries all sealed in seperate vacume packed packages.
jerky,chocolotte,trailmix & one Folgers one cup coffee packages. (these food items i restock daily, IF i make it back to camp.
The most important thing is ultra light rain gear. the rest is mostly creature comforts.

Weve pulled a couple guys out of those hills half dead after spending 24 hours in 42 degrees and rain before with no pack or not enough gear.

I don't believe in hunting those mountains with anything less than enough to survive a couple nights in relitive comfort. all of us carry small two way radios and never dive off into a drainage without letting someone know the general area you are heading... i hunt alone...BUT....i hunt pack heavy and safe.

[frassettor]

Very interesting thread 

[EHK]

One item I see missing from many responses is a roll of TP.  Good for those inevitable nature calls, and great for marking challenging blood trails with something biodegradable.

[Terry Green]

Ah, and oldie from 2007...

I hunt light, so not much for a day hunt.

Knife, light, baby wipes, and lunch n water.

[frassettor]

Ah, and oldie from 2007...

I hunt light, so not much for a day hunt.

Knife, light, baby wipes, and lunch n water.

Simplicity is key 👍
I like the idea of not worrying about stuff and focus on the hunt ect. But in turn, I like to have what I need just in case . I don’t believe in carrying everything but the kitchen sink

[mgf]

It depends where I am, weather conditions and type of hunt.  I don't need much to walk a few hundred yards and climb into a tree stand on a warm October day hunting a small property.

On the other hand I'd carry a lot more hunting the national forest in November when I need to cover ground looking for a spot to hunt.

[WhistlingBadger]

I get into some pretty serious back country chasing elk sometimes, so my day pack contains what I need to process a carcass and even spend a night out in the mountains away from the truck.  My pack has a large main compartment, and two smaller ones.  For a day of chasing critters that might take me far away from the truck, this is my standard load:

Outside/On straps:
Elk calls
Bear spray
Couple quart water bottles

Main pouch:
Collapsible trekking pole
A warm shirt, hat, gloves
Maps
Enough food to keep me going until after dark

After-kill pouch:
Knife (Don't like wearing a knife on my belt; it hangs up on brush when I'm stalking)
Sharpener
Pack saw
1 medium game bag for packing out the first load of meat
Blaze tape
Coil of parachord to tie elk legs out of the way while I'm cutting
2 Gallon zip locs for small game
Sharpie marker for signing tags
A lightweight blaze vest (so some idiot with a crossbow doesn't decide to take a poke at the antlers I'm packing out, and/or to make it easier for Search and Rescue to find my body if things really go down the tubes  )

Emergency pouch:
Small First Aid kid
Iodine tabs for purifying water
SOL bivy sack (yep, that's a real brand name; says it all)
Spare bow string
Super glue
Small roll of gorilla tape
Small ferro rod fire starter
Butane Lighter
A few cotton balls smeared in Vaseline
SPOT
Head lamp with spare battery

Sounds like a lot, but most of these are very small items, and they all come in handy when I'm several miles from the road with a critter down, getting dark, and a storm blowing in.  Makes a manageable load. 

[trad_bowhunter1965]

I think in 2024 I realized I carry to much shit in my backpack things I carried for for 20 years never used so I downsized to a small fanny pack in it I have the following
1. small first aid kit band aids, Leukotape, Alive, eye drops and a tourniquet
2. two game bigs paracord 50 feet
3. one heavy duty Compactor Kitchen Trash Bag, Learned this from fishing guides in Alaska
4. two bic lighters and fire starter/baby wipes
5. water and a snack. and knife sharpener
6. back up bow strings

[Roger Norris]

[Eggs benedict]

Lone wolf assault treestand w/ 2 sticks w/ aiders
Bow w/ quiver and 3 arrows
AGC KISS bino pack
8 oz water
Tree stand straps
Bow hanger
Wind checker
Pull up rope
Clothes on my back and any extra clothes I attach to my treestand.

I leave all my field dressing and drag out stuff in the car. Usually after the kill I take all my stuff back and just come back w/ my field dressing kit.

[Jegs.mich]

First aid kit, flashlight, handsaw, compass , lighter ,fero rod, and water bottle. Knife is in my pocket so is pull rope and granola bar.