Hog Heaven June 17-19 2011 is on!

[bartcanoe]

Good to have you back Pete.

[Rick Butler]

Well now we're a six pack again!  Good deal Pete!

[Sean Butler]

Getting ready only 36 more days.

Here's what i have packed so far:
2 x mosquito head nets
1 x large mosquito net
1 cheap plastic poncho
1 cork for face darkening
1 mesh face mask
1 therma cell w/ 1 burtane and 4 pads
1 head lamp
1 LED flashlight
1 pair binos
1 compass
1 wind checker
1 hook for retrieving fallen items
1 animal cleaning kit (wipes, gloves, rope)
3 x knives
1 buck call (i know they're hogs but i've   carried it on me every since i could hunt)
1 roll of marking tape
1 small waterproof case
1 bandana
1 head wrap
not pictured is the camera i used to take the pic.  


So, I'm for sure going to need more thermacell charges, a resivoir for the inside of my bag, another flashlight, some extra batteries, leather gloves, a pair of clippers for the brush, a bit of rope, and right now thats all i can think of besides the essentials (IE bow and at least one arrow  :p  )

What is everyone else bringing down.

PS this pack i bought looks huge but the bottom does zip off if need be.

[petertschantz]

Still working on getting my kit settled Sean, but I know I'll be bringing the Thermacell and refills! I'm going to get some Permanone and treat all my hunting clothes before hand, does a great job on the chiggers and ticks.

I'll probably bring along about the same things, no buck call though  :cool:

God Bless

Pete

[sticksnstones]

I haven't started on the kit yet either. So far I've been tuning up the bow and breaking in three new strings. I replaced my old rest with a thinner one last night so I'll be moving all my nocks again tonight. Might change out cat whiskers for wool yarn balls this weekend on one of the strings for testing.

Next week I hope to setup and test out another dozen arrows and set them aside for the hunt, then resume wearing out the ones I've been using  

Week of the 23rd I should get serious about getting my gear together. So far the only thing I can't find is my binoculars, wonder if they ended up with the wife's stuff...

[Red Beastmaster]

The first time I went to Ray's I lugged even more stuff than that. Waaay too much!

Second time there I cut back even more. Still too much!

The third trip was this past Feb and I thought I had just the bare essentials: pocket knife, water bottle, rope, paper towels, rubber gloves, puff bottle, snacks, map of the property, flashlight, license, bino's, all in my bowhunters vest pockets. Even this can weigh you down by the end of the three day hunt.

It's finally starting to sink in with me. You gotta go light. Watch Ray and Mike, they only go out with a pocket knife, water, and their bow.

Next March we go back again. I'll only carry my water bottle and what will fit in my pants pockets.

Bows and quivers are another thing that has taken me a few trips to figure out. Geeze, I went into my first hunt with a heavy takedown recurve w/bow quiver AND a back quiver loaded with reserve ammo! Next year I'll have nothing more than my lightweight hybrid longbow w/bow quiver.

My footwear has gotten lighter as well. No more heavy rubber boots for me. You will cover miles of roads and then have to sloooow it down for a stalk through the woods. I wore my Cabela's Pinnacle boots last trip. They are light and high enough for getting into the wet areas.

We didn't have to deal with mosquitos but if I was going now I would take the Thermacell and an extra water.

[petertschantz]

Red, where did you get the map?

I'm planning on just toting a camelbak (small) and as little as possible.

Light bow and a side quiver.

Pete

[Red Beastmaster]

petertschantz

You have PM.

[petertschantz]

Thanks Red!

[Sean Butler]

Thats good advice.  last night after i posted this put the pack on... it seemed a tad on the heavy side.  Perhaps i'll scale it back and swap out for a camelpak with a just a knife and light in it.  

The bottom of that pack zips off and can used seperately from the bag maybe that is a better option.

[Rick Butler]

It's gonna be HOT down there, I'm taking a 100oz.(I get thirsty real fast) Camelbak hydration bladder, Binocs, a sheath knife, flagging tape, thermacell and my Garmin to get me back into the real gnarly places. And of course my bow with quiver attached.

[petertschantz]

yep, I'm a hydration nazi. Got good and dry one time deer hunting (I know better) and it took me several days to recover!

So I'll be keeping gatorade and water around and carry plenty with me afield.

God Bless

Pete

[sticksnstones]

Thanks for posting your packing list Sean, these replies have given me a lot to think about before creating my list!

[sticksnstones]

Alright here is my update. Last week I broke in 3 new strings and got a set of hot weather camo ordered (already got a set of medium weight to pack.) Been shooting 2 hours a night, every other night, mostly at 10 yards (but some at 15 and 20 too.)

This weekend I hope to sort through the garage and find my camelback, flashlight, knives, etc. More focused practice at 10 yards, I'm hitting pretty good to 20 so I'm taking it easy. Two strings got yarn balls to replace the cat whiskers. They may look goofy but they are quieter on my bow.

Next week I order my next dozen arrows and set them up (need to wait for payday.) Start shooting mostly 15 yards with a little 10 and 20 mixed in.

Range officer said he'd let me shoot his 3d pigs with broadheads when I'm ready, really nice offer. Another regular has been letting me shoot his black widows off and on to build strength (all 10-15 lbs more than my bow) I now know I'm way under bowed but I have lots of time to fix that before fall seasons kick in. Not going to screw myself up this close to a big hunt by changing now.

Bino's still mia, I'm pretty sure the wife got them... How many guys going to Hog Heaven don't take any vs compacts vs regular binos? I'll certainly buy and carry a pair if they are half as helpful as they are with mule deer or elk, otherwise if it's more of a whitetail swamp buck situation I think they'd be a distraction. What do the pro's say?

[sticksnstones]

Oh one other thought, should we take the "need 1 more" out of this thread's subject line?

[petertschantz]

30 days gents!

I'll be ordering a new set of arrows and broadheads this week and getting them ready for the hunt. Then get my hunting kit together and start shooting with it on.

sns, I'll be taking binos for sure. I don't have a compact set, but I do use one of the chest harness deals for them.

Probably ought to edit the title, not sure who has access to do that.

Pete

[Rick Butler]

Binos are a big help down there, even in the thick stuff.  I use them to pick apart the vegetation as my eyesight ain't what it use to be.
  I carry a pair of Leupold Katmai's that are 6x32 and  compact. I know Ray has said he uses the Leupold Yosemite in the same range.
Cabela's has the Yosemite's on sale right now for around 80.00 for the 6x30's.

[Rick Butler]

Sean and I went on a Road trip yesterday down to Lost Nation Archery to pick up some things.  Met the owners Larry and Janice, mighty fine people, they have a nice little shop there in southern Mich.
Anyway we picked up some premium Cedar shafts,fletching, nocks and broadheads to whip up some arrows for our Hill bows.  We may not hunt with them but they're definitely coming to Ray's with us.

[petertschantz]

Sounds like a fun trip Rick!

Pete

[sticksnstones]

Thanks for the input guys, and thanks for the lead on the sale! I think that is probably gonna be the pair I'll be carrying next month.

I'm a little jealous of your field trip yesterday, I've been shooting at a wheelie shop since Traditional Outdoor Supply is moving from Sand Lake down to Rockford right now. I can't wait til it's open again!
Thom