Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Advising a new hunter: what equipment is essential?

The OP was mainly about eastern hunting but I'd like to add something about western, when you might be several miles from the road in rough country. I carry enough to spend the night out. When it's cold, that will likely be more than during warm weather. I have several ways to start a fire and I've practiced lighting one at home. It's harder than it looks and takes practice. Some kind of space blanket and a way to stay dry - even in warm dry weather. Mountain summer rain storms can be fierce. A trekking pole can be a big help if you twist an ankle. If you don't want to hike with it, fold it up and put it in your pack. You might think you can cut a hiking pole if needed but in the arid west, many times that isn't possible.

Don’t forget snacks.

I like to have some little Debbie’s. Beef jerky / jack links. Couple diet Dr peppers.

All jokes aside…

If it’s a new hunter starting from zero.

Don’t spend a lot of cabbage to see if you like to hunt.
May not be his thing.

Contrary to the fires’ thinking, you can start out with a nice pawn shop gun.

I started out with a hand me down rem 742 jam-o-matic

keep the T.P. in a plastic sealed bag , get a small decent pack with your essentials tie a small portable chair to sit on , roll of black tape , couple of clothe pins .

keep the T.P. in a plastic sealed bag , get a small decent pack for your essentials tie a small portable chair to sit on , roll of black tape , couple of clothe pins .

Freezer bags are much more durable than sandwich or storage bags. They're well worth the extra cost.

Other than appropriate clothes and boots for the anticipated weather you need a firearm, cartridges, license, flashlight and a knife. Some TP in a freezer bag is always nice to have but there are other options, as we all know, to wipe our ass with and if you are going to be out all day water and some snacks/sandwich.

Oh, if you are hunting out of a tree stand then a safety harness is a must have.

OK - I got all smarty -ass and deleted the original, and cleaned it up here. "Need" is subjective, of course, to person, game, location, conditions, season. I'm assuming this is a "day-hunt", in and out, on foot. I like getting "back in", all day, so if the hunt is a tree stand 100 yards from the car, adjust accordingly. Tree-stand safety equip as mentioned above.

This is a mental exercise for me, not having hunted in the conditions/location described, and will definately be less than my current "needs" list for a day-long caribou hunt. Which now includes one or more ATV's. I haven't had to put my meat packing back-pack on since, in several years.

For the conditions as I understand them, this is what I would carry initially, based on 60 years of hunting varied locations: Again, for the way I would hunt.

Sighted in rifle and ammo, knife, license/tag, compass are mandatory. As is safety clothing required by regs. "Camo" is not necessary.

The rest one might consider not absolutely essential, but "highly advised"!

fanny or day pack for carrying "stuff" - tho pockets will work if minimalist.
marking tape for trailing/finding/marking the deer, regulations read, even carried.
flashlight
a scope on the rifle and binoculars (buy good and once, if possible!). Binocs are at least as handy in the woods as in open country. DO NOT use the scope to glass!!!!
2nd compass, possibly a map - both are cheap and light (GPS and/or other comms can wait)
25- 50' of parachute cord ( heavier if to be used as a pull-rope)
fire starter( ignition source, & maybe 1 or two fire sticks)
TP
Snacks- if even just some nuts and a candy bar
Water as needed, if needed (stuff is heavy!) Winter conditions can sneakily dehydrate - be advised,
Pain+ ointment, a few aspirin, a few bandaids, some "vet wrap".
Clothing/footwear appropriate to conditions
A "Space blanket" will keep rain/snow off, but ain't worth spit for body temp, in my 2X experience. Still worth carrying. It won't keep you warm, but it might keep you alive if things go south. Takes almost no space and weight.
Bug dope or head net as needed, or not.
Hearing protection, if that's your thing- it isn't mine when hunting.

Zip lock bags as required for compartmentalization, moisture of above items.

Do not forget to leave WRITTEN plans, location, etc. of your hunt, and stick to them.

Chit happens.

I carry the small “travel size” packs of dude wipes. Easy to put in a pack than TP.




Buy em at academy. Camping aisle at the Walmarks.

I’m enjoying the thread & sure appreciate the thoughtful comments.

Big Dave nailed my thoughts about not investing any more than necessary to make sure it’s his thing. I’ve offered to lend him a rifle but he wants his own - most of his other stuff, at first, can either come from his backpacking/hiking gear where he’s got lots of experience.

Good Boots
good socks (smart wool)
A sighted in rifle + 20 rds of ammo.
A kill kit(mora knife, 550 cord, knapp saw)
Packframe
tarp
more fivefifty cord
gamebags
headlamp
binocs
rangefinder
tripod
spotting scope.

We had a newbie at deer camp a couple of years ago. I took the opportunity to write a piece for the occasion:
If I were the new guy at camp

Our fellow had been the quintessential Buckless Youper. We helped him get his first buck. He was over the moon.
Sadly, our young prospect got henpecked and left a bunch of his gear out in the field and did not return this year.

+P+ These things are great. Bury your TP or carry it out of the woods.

I’ve been giving this thread some thought and thinking back to my own 12 year old first outings, my feet got cold in my shoes and galoshes. Everything else I could borrow. Who amongst us doesn’t have way more hunting stuff than we can ever use? Dad reasoned that since my feet were still growing that buying new boots would be a waste of money.
I’ve spent a lot of time looking for the newbies in camp that didn’t know the area, so a good understanding of the area and very good boots would be what I’d recommend. I’d loan them anything else and my #2, 3 or 4 backup rifle that would be better than anything that a new hunter would buy for themselves. Saddling a new hunter with lots of up front cost could be enough to put them off the hunting before they even get started.

Amazing how many people don't have the common courtesy to do this.

Regarding rifle and chambering, something that he will actually enjoy shooting (no magnums here), I'd recommend a 308 as the ammo options are limitless, the 6.5 CM would be my second for the same reasons. I would imagine someone here at the Campfire has a quality used rifle set up that would do the trick as well, no need to buy new if can be avoided, same for reliable optics. My dad killed truckloads of deer in his Dickies work pants and his Rem auto-loader (the one before the 1100 was introduced), you don't need fancy clothes to get started.

Is your buddy truly starting from scratch? If he’s not too good to utilize some pre-owned gear I’m sure the fine folks here at the fire can get him functionally equipped with some good stuff for a fraction of what it will set him back wandering into the local sporting goods store.

What size boots and clothes does he wear?
Are you talking Vermont deer hunting or somewhere that would require a little more reach?
Stand hunting? Tracking? Spot and stalk?


A few details could go a long way.

Stros

ya!

GWB

My pack always contains reflective thumb tacks for trailing in the dark. They are a godsend for marking blood and leaving yourself a visible path out of the woods.

I use bread crumbs...... signed, Hansel

Multiple mentors each having different opinions.