What stuff do you carry in the woods?

[dan ferguson]

corncobs,water to drink, lighter, bow and arrows, binocs. knife, folding saw. whatever my wife made from last night, cookies,rolls,etc.

[katie]

You go Killdeer!  Better leave her alone boys.
Kate

[STOBBER]

Just loaded my "new to me" catquiverII.
Thermacell
LED Flaslight/2 glowsticks
2 water bottles
Small first aid kit
Throw away poncho
T.P.
paracord
Lighter/firestarter
Jerky/can-o-beanie weenies
Spare pocketknife
Latex gloves
Everything wieghs less than 5lbs.

[Landshark160]

That's an affirmative on the pistol Killie.......never leave home without it!  

[heydeerman]

I have tried every kinga fanny pack around and hate em all. i bought some Tedman chew a couple years ago and got this cheap real small fanny that I love. I got a couple candy bars, tags and permission slips in a baggy, a pen, a couple batteries, small flashlight, small knife, cell fone and a water bottle in my pants pocket. 5 arows in my bow quiver and I'm in the woods ready to kill something.

[Problem Child]

For me in the public woods of Mississippi;
Small 1st-aid kit
Whistle
Two small lighters
Cotton balls soaked in vaseline
Small maps
Compass(2)
GPS
Xtra Batteries
Two Arc AAA Flashlights  http://www.arcflashlight.com/arc-aaa.shtml
TP
Small roll of Orange Flagging
Paracord
Light weight Poncho

It's really not much.

[bentpole]

As little as possible.My climbing stand,a compass,flashlight{ new batteries before every hunt] a good sharp knife,a disposable lighter,a couple of granola bars, a bottle of water a big 100% cotton bandana,paracord/ bow rope. I f I plan on hunting half a day [ sun up to say 12:00] loose the water and granola.I try to keep it simple. Do without any extra motion. [eating and drinking]. Oh a belt on me britches that I can use as a drag if I need it.

[Shawn Leonard]

Very little my bow and arrows and sometimes a flshlight. No knife or nothing, if I shoot a deer I just leave and go get the stuff I need. I always carry my clothes in a duffle on my back and my stand(I use a bracket system)so I really do not want to be weighed down by any more than that. This year I may carry some binos, never have but maybe!  I shoul dadd my cell phone to that as well, it saved me a long miserable crawl after a fall from a stand a couple of years ago. shawn

[woodchucker]

Bow,Arrows,Knife.  

[Mr.Magoo]

Knife, liquid stitches, matches, compass, headlamp, surveyors tape, water.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I guess i go in the Winnebago group....My day pack is 30 pounds and i don't step off the road without it in the area i hunt. In September the weather can change from the 70's in the day to the 30's at night very easily...i carry enough freeze dried food to survive on 3 days comfortably, a pack stove and lantern, first aid, and all the rest of the survival gear sealed tight in vacuum packed containers....It has a habit of raining quite seriously here at any given moment....i figure if i break my leg in one of those steep canyons, i'd just as soon be warm and have something to eat while the boys are looking for me.....i don't carry much water, but keep a filtration pump in my pack. unless i can find a spring and dig down into it a bit...ALL my water gets filtered anymore...that "Beaver Fever" is nasty stuff....

i spend most my hunting time alone... i try and give somebody a general idea what drainage i'll be in, but the only one that hunts side by side with me is my daughter.....Her day pack runs 15 pounds, and the girls got some sand to her too!

Kirk
 

[Jim Harris]

I hunt in National Forest's and sometimes, (rarly)wilderness area's. I carry a day pack with the following items: knife, rope, sharpener, trail marking tape, toilet paper, compass, moleskin, 2AA mini mag light with a LED bulb assemly,(ever try to change a bulb in a mini mag light in the dark? LED bulb assemly is much more reliable), matches in a water proof tube and magnesium fire starter, 2 water bottles, several zip lock bags, bandades, signal mirror, a space blanket sleeping bag (about 4"x 1 1/2"x 1"), 2 apples, 2 energy bars, trail mix, frs radio, (soon to be replaced with a Rino gps/frs/gmrs). If there any chance of rain I carry packable rain gear. In warm weather I carry a thermal shirt in the pack.(weather can change in a hurry in the Sierra's). Sometimes, I have a small digital camera. I wear my binocs on a harness to keep the strain off my neck. Sounds like a lot of stuff but it a goes in the pack with a lot of room to spare. Oh, and my tags are also in the pack. The day pack is a Rancho Safari Cat Day II fleece. Very well made and quiet pack. Jim.

[JEFF B]

where i hunt you dont need much just a bow quiver full of arrows knife etc etc poncho or rubish bag as a raincoat
a..wipe
foldingsaw
flaslight
compass
firstaid kit
lighter
sparebow string
bottle of water
health bars to eat
medication
day pack
spare clothes socks etc etc
well thats it not a lot realy.
wolfman.  

[Mike Orton]

Anyone notice a consistency here?  Folks that hunt out of the back 40, perhaps in the east side of the country seem to travel pretty light.  Folks west of the Missouri, well they generally hunt bigger land and consequently are prepared for a longer stay in God's backyard.

East or west, a bow, at least one arrow and a hand full of toilet paper seems like the common denominators.  Now I can't speak for the camo TP.  Usually mine starts out as non-camo type and by the time I'm done it's camoed up nicely.

My wife giggles at all my stuff I have.  I am both a minimalist (by preferrence) and a Winnebago guy (by necessity) depending upon where I'm hunting.  For instance, I leave in 2 weeks for Idaho and my day pack will be around 25-30 lbs.  I could easily stay a few days if necessary.  In November I'm off to the CT/NY line to hunt whitetails and expect to carry everything I need in my pockets.  

No matter where I hunt though my camelbak is second in importance only to my bow and one arrow. I gotta have my water. Next is my knife and compass, equally important to each other.

[pintail_drake2004]

i take my:
Bow/arrows
tree stand
rope
throwin' hawk (dual purpose for both hunting and trapping)
flint and magnesium strip
small flashlight
Clip-on 3 LED hat light
at least 2 knives
some TP
compass only if i am in unfamilar territory
watch
some kinda grub (trail mix, granola, jerkey, water)
cell phone/motorola radio
binoculars
grunt call, primos "lil' Can, fawn bleat,

[Larry247]

I've got more junk in my pack than i need i'm sure but its better to be safe than sorry.
scent killer
3-bottles water
Meds
folding saw
all the food that'll fit.
lighter,and matches.
extra clothes.
heat packets (LOTS)
extra bow string.
extra knife.
44mag mnt-light 2-speed loaders, (saftey) I'm to banged up to run much anymore LOL....
Couple tree steps.
Deer scents up to 4.
To much to be carrying thats for sure.
 

[Larry247]

I left out flashlight and my leoupolds.  

[styckbow]

normally I am a bit of a minamilist with just my bow witha 6 arrow quiver my lighter, my Grampas old bone handled pocket knife, a pair of moccasins and my binocs on a harness but this year I am going to try a pop-up so I will be adding that and a stool and maybe a litttle jerky in my pocket

[Ian johnson]

bow
4 arrows
catquiver
case trapper
boker two blade foldng hunter
flashlight
squirrel call(when squirrel hunting)
my ruger 22 handgun( only while stumpshooting in summer or early in the season when snakes are out)

[adirondack46r]

Minimalist here. Carry the bow/arrows, knife, flashlight and rope and about 5 pound of gray matter between my ears that I'm hoping will figure a way out of any mess I end up in.

(EXCEPT when I'm in the great Adirondacks - then I assume that I may spend a night or 2 in the woods no matter what my original plan is.)