For general Deer hunting but mostly out East. I’ve got to give a buddy a list of essential items to get started and want to make sure my Looney bias doesn’t cost him a bunch of $ unnecessarily.
A 7-08 or 308 with a 2-7 or 3-9 Leupold 8x Vortex bino Havalon knife and blades Bic lighter Headlamp x2 For packing out deer on a budget- Military backpack with the good padded shoulder straps and padded waist belt. Molle II I think? $50 Firstlite merino wool gloves Smartwool socks Stan Potts cap (radar cap) 😃 Good boots 6” cushion seat 20’ of 1/4” braided nylon rope *Note* Always carry TP
The right boots and the right coat. Where back east? If in a swamp, Muck Boots are great. North or south? Makes a difference, especially for clothing. I like bibs but they are too warm at 50 degrees or higher.
In hardwoods I don't use binoculars.
3-9 scope on anything big enough for deer and legal in that state Get good gloves too, don't have to be expensive, just dry and warm.
A scoped rifle, binos, and a sharp knife. Those are the absolute essentials to go hunting. Anything else is just peripheral stuff that nice but not necessarily always needed.
I started out with my nephews by scaring the crap out of them.
With gear on, rifles ready, I'd then ask them "how far away is the nearest medic?" "how long will it take to get you to a hospital?"
When they all got good and quiet I'd then tell them "those gun safety classes weren't just for jokes. They're designed to save your lives by not needing to save your life. Act accordingly."
Hard to say what he'll need withour knowing a little more about how, when, and where he'll be hunting. Will he be doing morning and evening hunts where he can walk back to a cabin or vehicle for lunch, or will he be out all day? Close enough to the vehicle to drag one out whole, or will he have to cut it up and put it in a pack?
Sitting on a stand in cold weather it's hard to stay warm, but harder for some than others. Would he benefit from handwarmers for feet and hands?
Regardless, I'd suggest some kind of pack he can put extra clothes, water, and snacks in. A good knife, headlamp, TP, and a little talc squirt bottle to judge wind direction would be minimum for me. And whatever he needs to get his deer out of the woods, drag rope, plastic sled, or if he has to cut it up to haul it out, a couple of large garbage bags to lay the meat on, some game bags, and a decent pack for load hauling.
All good ideas. I'd include a few things: A little note pad and a pencil to jot down all the things you forgot or want to do differently next time A rangefinder, not to range specific animals, but to understand what actual distances look like in the woods Surgical gloves for handling meat 10' of 1" nylon webbing for dragging the deer out Headlamp in case he has to gut the deer in the dark
Okie John
Originally Posted by Brad
If Montana had a standing army, a 270 Win with Federal Blue Box 130's would be the standard issue.
Good boots A decent rifle well sighted in. Spend more on the scope than you did on the rifle. Good binoculars. A sharp knife. Layers of clothing to match the weather. A good first aid kit. A good fire starting kit. A small flashlight. A day pack A container of drinking water.
I consider those the bare minimum and you will need them in any type of country. You will add to that list as you hunt farther from your vehicle or further from help.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke 1795
"Give me liberty or give me death" Patrick Henry 1775
As most have said, you don't need lots of fancy stuff.
I'm pretty minimalist.
One thing I'd add is a compass. I know everyone has a smart phone now which is great until you loose signal or the battery dies. Pretty easy to get turned around in thick veg. especially in the dark. Just knowing which way the road is can be enough.
Some will laugh at this and that's fine. I hunt in some hella thick swamp and it goes on for a long ways. I'm in no real danger if I get turned around but it's nice to be able to follow a relatively straight line out in the dark.
Bore size is no substitute for shot placement and Power is no substitute for bullet performance. 458WIN
I remember one pronghorn antelope hunt that I went on where I got 20 miles from home and remembered that I didn't bring my .257 AI ammo. I got to my hunting area about an hour later than I had planned.
When we lived in western Colorado my wife and I both drew antelope tags in eastern Colorado. It wasn't until we got to our hunting area that she discovered that she had left her tag at home.
Not exactly hunting, but one winter when I lived in NW Montana a friend and I went to Lake Koocanusa, west of Eureka, ice fishing. When we got to the lake, I had my .30-06 and bullets in case we saw any coyotes, but I had forgot my fishing rods. We didn't catch any fish or see any coyotes.
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.
Sin wouldn't be so attractive if the wages were paid immediately. ,,............... No Democrat left behind. Vote them all out.
You all have forgotten the most important thing, toilet paper!!!
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 .
[quote=hanco]You all have forgotten the most important thing, toilet paper!!!
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 .
[quote=hanco]You all have forgotten the most important thing, toilet paper!!!
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.
Sin wouldn't be so attractive if the wages were paid immediately. ,,............... No Democrat left behind. Vote them all out.
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.
Last edited by las; 01/29/23.
The only true cost of having a dog is its death. "It would have been a good distance shot if they hadn't been so far away". Seth Kantner in "Shopping for Porcupine"
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
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.
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.
My other auto is a .45
The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory
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?
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.
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.
“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away”. Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Originally posted by Brad.
Absolutely a rifle, bino, and knife are important. ..but they don't need to be super high end starting out. But as many have pointed out, the right clothes for the weather are very important. Talk to either an experienced hunter from the region, or someone who works outdoors all day to see what works.
Truck keys, rifle (SKS or AK), lawn chair for the hunter in the bed, a cooler of beer and bottle of rockgut for the driver, a good spotlight and a saw to hack the trophy antlers off.
I’m obviously being sarcastic but unfortunately I’ve seen that scenario play out too often.
A guy needs a good rifle, a sharp knife and a willingness to learn, everything else is superfluous.
�Politicians are the lowest form of life on earth. Liberal Democrats are the lowest form of politician.� �General George S. Patton, Jr.
For deer here in MI, certain basics are essential. Others can wait. He needs a Hunter Safety Course and a license. He needs a place to hunt which will be easier if he has an Atlas/Gazetteer and county plat book to show property boundaries. He’ll need warm clothes and boots. He’ll want a cheap daypack to carry stuff and a seat cushion to keep his butt dry when he sits. He’ll need a flashlight, Bic lighter and a knife. TP trumps all when it’s needed. Most any rifle is fine as long as it’s legal and reliable. Low recoil and a well sighted scope will be best. A local mentor is best of all. Maybe he can find one.
As most have said, you don't need lots of fancy stuff.
I'm pretty minimalist.
One thing I'd add is a compass. I know everyone has a smart phone now which is great until you loose signal or the battery dies. Pretty easy to get turned around in thick veg. especially in the dark. Just knowing which way the road is can be enough.
Some will laugh at this and that's fine. I hunt in some hella thick swamp and it goes on for a long ways. I'm in no real danger if I get turned around but it's nice to be able to follow a relatively straight line out in the dark.
No, everyone does not have a fking smart phone. My only phone has been hanging on the wall the last 29 years.
As most have said, you don't need lots of fancy stuff.
I'm pretty minimalist.
One thing I'd add is a compass. I know everyone has a smart phone now which is great until you loose signal or the battery dies. Pretty easy to get turned around in thick veg. especially in the dark. Just knowing which way the road is can be enough.
Some will laugh at this and that's fine. I hunt in some hella thick swamp and it goes on for a long ways. I'm in no real danger if I get turned around but it's nice to be able to follow a relatively straight line out in the dark.
No, everyone does not have a fking smart phone. My only phone has been hanging on the wall the last 29 years.
Too bad. It would fit in your possibles bag next to your spare flints. 🤭
Actually, I did without a smart phone for a long time. Now I’d be lost without it.
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.
Have NEVER encountered a hunter "several miles" from their truck or road in Washington, Oregon or Arizona. Usually we see them within 300 yards of it. Oh, wait...saw a guy hunting bear with a goose gun ~1/4 mile from the parking lot near Mount Baker/Mount Shuksan.
Good point about storms. Next time you see a Memorial Shelter...you'll know what happened.
Don't ask me about my military service or heroic acts...most of it is untrue.
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