The bare necessities

[rtracy2001]

My most recent hunting trip taught me a valuable lesson, no matter how much you bring with you, it does you no good in the truck. My brother, my oldest daughter (13) and I went hunting last weekend. In the morning hike I had my day pack on and felt pretty confident that I had everything I needed. As the day wore on, it got warmer and warmer. I finally had to take off my thermals (much to the daughters chagrin). Well by the evening hike, it was so warm that I didn’t want to carry my day pack anymore, so I left it in the truck. I was quite confident at that point that the hunt would be a bust, and comfort was the order of the day. Well, my daughter managed to shoot a nice mule deer doe (her first deer). As I got ready to show her how to field dress a deer I realized that my knife, along with most everything else I needed was in my pack. . . in the truck. . . about 1.5 miles as the crow flies. Luckily my daughter had her knife on her belt, so I didn’t have to field dress the deer with a pocket knife.

After we got home, I decided that a “Bare necessities kit” would be useful. This kit would contain the basics that any hunter (or at least I) would find useful or even indispensible while hunting. This kit would need to be small enough that carrying it would cause little or zero discomfort or inconvenience. I found a medium sized fanny pack in my stuff that I picked up at a yard sale for $.50 a few years ago, so I decided to use that to start with.

This is what I came up with:
1. 6” hunting knife (on belt of the pack)
2. Small first aid kit (on belt of pack)
3. Two 16oz water bottles (pack has two holders built in)
4. Three full sheets of newspaper and a box of matches in a quart Ziploc bag
5. Three quart sized, and two gallon sized Ziploc bags.
6. Roll of twine
7. Small LED flashlight
8. 3-4 paper towels in quart Ziploc bag
9. 6 pairs of latex gloves in a quart Ziploc bag
10. “Butt-out” tool (haven’t used one yet, it may not stay)
11. 4 moist towellets
12. 6-8 8” zip ties (these are great for securing tags, anal passages etc.)

I still have room for a full box of ammo, and my Garmin GPS (that I usually wear around my neck)

So what do you carry or consider necessary on a hunt?

[405]

Well, for sure I've never carried latex gloves or an "EZ butt out" thinga ma jig! :mrgreen:

In a small day pack: Binocs, couple of bottles of water, a few snacks, small roll of adhesive tape and some pads for 1st aid, small fixed blade knife with small diamond lap, parachute cord, magnetic compass, small shelter tarp, weather proof container of matches, butane lighter, small flashlight, weather proof container with small squares of teri cloth towel soaked in petrol jelly, small roll of orange surveyor's tape, hunting license, small roll of electrical tape. Not a large load at all-maybe half volume of the daypack. That's about it I guess.

[jsizemore]

Toilet paper to mark a blood trail and other stuff. Biodegradeable and at dark will sure lightup your backtrail when hit with the flashlight. White, of course. Duck tape for compression bandage, broken limb, cracked stock, etc.

[P.K.]

Magnezium fire starter, short of that a mini bic and a candle stump. Great fire starters in wet weather. Maybe a stash of birch shavings or pine cone "leaves". both are great at starting fire and take up next to no room in the pack. just my .02.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

[QUOTE=jsizemore;1433109]Toilet paper

small flash light snacks cell phone and about the same as the
rest of the posts ( that butt out thing)

had one i just could not use it it just felt wrong :?

[Lloyd Smale]

knife on your belt a flashlight in your pocket and a bic lighter and compass in your pocket will take care of most things.

[bearcove]

knife on your belt a flashlight in your pocket and a bic lighter and compass in your pocket will take care of most things.

That and a bit of 150lb cord

[P.K.]

That and a bit of 150lb cord

Do you mean 550 parachute cord? If so great stuff, the individual filling line is great too.

[bearcove]

No just cord like you use on a plumb bob.

[TCLouis]

I would add to your list

3, three, THREE different methods to light a fire

1 Cheapie 9X12 plastic drop cloth

1 space blanket

1 large candy bar

[Crawdaddy]

1) 1 knife
2) 3 butane lighters
3) 2 flashlights, one battery, one the shake kind
4) toilet paper
5) peanut butter crackers
6) 3 bottles of water
7) 50' of small rope
8) GPS
9) camera
10) orange flagging tape

Sounds like a lot but it doesnt fill up half of a day pack. If I am going more than a mile from my vehicle it all goes on a freighter pack. Sometimes I get a few miles up a mountain side and dont want to make more than one trip unless i have too when carrying a deer.

[RP]

If it will work in the area I have a cell Phone I am not above calling for help some have GPS and video cameras.

[P.K.]

If it will work in the area I have a cell Phone I am not above calling for help some have GPS and video cameras.

You wern't the one lost in the corn maze were you?:smile:

[nanuk]

I'd have a 4x4 GMC, 10 gal of gas, my Stihl 044, 5gal of mix/gas, 3L bar oil

case of beer for the evening beverage

Shotgun with some slugs, SSG's, and birdshot, fishing rod with some tackle

if the road is nice, I'll take my popup camper and Jonboat with Oars and 4hp Evy

as a minimum

[Love Life]

Don't forget a pack of smokes and a can of grizzley long cut!

[clintsfolly]

A deck of cards so if you get lost start a game of solitaire and someone will walk up and say put the red 9 there! Just follow them out !!!! Clint

[MT Gianni]

I like to carry some candles, either a tea candle or a few birthday candles. They will start a fire with damp, cold wood easier than most things.

If you are one of Trand Tracy's relatives shoot me a PM sometime. He was Buzz Tracy's brother, Buzz liked to refer to himself as the Town Drunk of Soda Springs. He was a genius with metal and a great machinist.

[rtracy2001]

If you are one of Trand Tracy's relatives shoot me a PM sometime. He was Buzz Tracy's brother, Buss was aka the Town Drunk of Soda Springs.


The names don't ring a bell, but if Buzz was the town drunk, he could have fallen out of favor with the rest of the clan as they can be a pious sort. Most of my Tracy's trace back to Albion, Idaho, and Yost, Utah.

[krag35]

Wallet, Grizzly long cut, Schrade Pocket knife, toilet paper matches lighter in a ziplock bag, compas ( if hunting in country I don't know) Binos. 5 extra cartriges, and my rifle. I have a fanny pack full of "survival" stuff I leave in the pickup, along with a packboard if I need it. I never saw the need in carrying a bunch of stuff.

[45nut]

A deck of cards so if you get lost start a game of solitaire and someone will walk up and say put the red 9 there! Just follow them out !!!! Clint

Best yet!!

[btroj]

I don't worry all this stuff. I hunt deer on 120 acres, it is private land, barb wire fence, cabin in the middle. I don't worry much about getting lost. I don't even carry TP, easier to walk back to the cabin and a warm crapper.

I like the cards. I would take a book. Seems every time I try to read my wife does and wants to talk to me. I know she would have a phone.

[405]

Exactly. It all depends on where you are at or could get to. If exhausted after the 200 yd trek from 4 wheeler or 4 wheel drive to the blind, then not much is called for except maybe for a "Life Alert" pager. On the other hand I get a kick out of some of the "macho minimalist" posts that read something like, "all I ever need is an over-sized Bowie strapped on my belt and some toilet paper". Hah!

For anyone who does go on foot a little farther than the neighborhood stroll, there are basic absolutes that should be carried... for the sane of course. I also like the obligatory small, cheezy "space blanket" idea that gets promoted. Get into a cold, wet, stranded situation.... wrap up in one of those things and report back. They are a sure recipe for hypothermia! At best, the larger ones can be used for a fly cover to keep rain and wind off.

In open country, where the closest vehicle or town can too far to walk to or for those few who do hunt on foot and can cover lots of country, I think the "bare necessities" change.

This photo is of me on one of those hunts some years back. The closest town or vehicle is 75 mi away. No roads, no cell towers every 5 mi and even if sat phone had been available, the weather could easily prevent aircraft help for DAYS. The bare necessities were NOT an over-sized Bowie hanging on the belt and some TP in the pocket. :)

[nanuk]

Hey 405, what were you hunting?

and how would you get it all out?

[Hardcast416taylor]

What with all the items jammed into the day pack, plus a little extra ammo for a possible handgun or for the main firearm. Nobody mentioned taking along a firearm!Robert

[trickyasafox]

I love the butt out! make sure you have a separate bag to store it in after use. I also carry alcohol wipes to clean up after dressing game.

As I have bad allergies, I also bring a couple benedryl / generic equivalent. It is not uncommon for the dander on a fur bearing animal to set me sneezing while dressing them out.

I carry:
- a small fixed blade mora with a finger guard and plastic handle. weighs a couple ounces.
- a bright flashlight- generally a solarforce that does over 200 lumens with good batteries
- a drag rope that hooks to my safety harness
- a cell phone with good charge (good signal where I hunt)
- one full reload for whatever gun I'm using (2 if BP)
- small FAK
- license
- blaze orange piece of clothing for walking in and out
- snack/drink
- latex gloves
- camera

in my pockets I normally have a lighter and other little assorted things that are handy.

all of it fits in my safety vest. I don't hunt in very remote areas, so if I get lost I can basically just walk in any direction for 30-40 minutes and hit houses. Most important thing I have is that vest- my father fell out of a tree a couple years ago. Thank G-d he was ok. Next day we went to the store and bought a vest each. they cost over 100 dollars but his safety belt obviously wasn't good enough to keep him safe in the tree.

[405]

Hey 405, what were you hunting?

and how would you get it all out?

Super Cub. Drop hunt- AK Peninsula.

Like any of those hunts you pack it out load by load to a pick up point or your camp. Then wait and hope weather allows a visit from the friendly cub driver.

Friends and relatives scattered around AK so have spent a lot of time there since the mid 70s. While the Peninsula can have the absolute worst weather, the worst I experienced on a drop hunt over an extended time was not on the Pen but in the upper Nushagak divide area.

On a goat hunt, my nephew was caught in a severe storm a few years ago down in Se AK, I wasn't along. He'd spike camped in high country and had 90+ wind, rain, ice roll/shred his tent down the side of mountain. He huddled (like not getting up!) in a sleeping bag wrapped in the remains of the tent for 3 days- til the weather broke.

[gnoahhh]

Like most of y'all I have fine tuned the gear I find to be essential, and carry it in a day pack. Thinking back to how my old man and his buddies hunted does give me pause. I don't remember seeing anybody back then (pre-40 years ago) carrying a day pack. I didn't start using a day pack until maybe 20 years ago myself. Pop would just stuff a couple candy bars, short piece of drag rope, and some ammo in the pockets of his Woolrich coat and come back in at dark, usually dragging a deer.

[Dorado]

Well, I like to be prepared but there is such a thing as being too prepared. If I'm hunting in a blind I'll take just a few things such as a knife, spare ammo, chair. But if I'm on foot I carry a bit more.
-Spare ammo
-Sturdy fix-blade knife on belt
-Paracord
-Strong rope about 50 feet
-Tarp
-Binoculars
-Assorted Ziploc bags
-Snack
-FAK
-Flashlight
-Headlamp
-Matches, Lighter, Magnesium fire starter
-Candle stub
-Bone saw
-Duct tape
-GPS
-Water
-Spare socks
-Space blanket works well to draw attention if you need it.
-Sling shot
Believe it or not all that really doesn't take up much room and isn't that heavy. A friend of mine taught me about carrying a sling shot. If you ever get a bird, squirrel, or something alarming on you a slingshot can be used to get rid of them without making a lot of noise.