I hope everyone is staying dry on this rainy, rainy Thursday… What a way to open deer season! If you’re lucky enough to be a bow hunter, or a gun hunter in a Game Zone that allows it, today is officially the day! In honor, I decided to do a little combo with the essentials of deer hunting and a photo or two as a little still-hunting throwback for #tbt. I don’t typically take a lot of action shots when still hunting, but I guess that is pretty self-explanatory. “Hey! There’s an 8 pt. I am going to take him. Here, hold my phone/camera and take a picture of me while I… Ohh.. Nevermind… He ran off.”
Exactly.
I know it can be super hot this time of year, and that keeps a lot of hunters out of the woods, lest they pass out from heat exhaustion or get carried away by birds mosquitoes. But, sometimes you just get the itch (no reference to mosquitoes, I assure you) and you just have to get in the woods. Whether you are after a monster buck, a doe, or a mean ol’ hog, these essentials are sure to help you get there!
First stop – weaponry. I have to admit, I have never bow hunted. It’s not that I don’t want to, I just adore my rifle and have never really gotten into it. I am sure that if I gave it a try, I would fall in love… This season, perhaps? Dad? Thoughts? I digress. Growing up, I used Bo’s (my grandfather) Winchester Model 70 .308, a bolt action. It now belongs to my dad and I. Love. It. We also have a lighter-weight Remington .308 (similar), perfect for stalking, that is a bit smaller. Still, I just can’t help but love the weight of the Winchester. Makes me feel like I can’t miss, ya know? I mean… I have missed. But not often :). Hah.
It did bag me these two one morning a number of years ago.
Ahh… Moving on. What else do you need? Well, camouflage is an obvious one. Most of our stands have some sort of camo material around them, so the upper body is mostly what I focus on. For the upper body, I really like all things Under Armour. That’s what I am wearing in the picture above. Hot or cold, there is something for every temperature, and they make things in camouflage prints. Bottoms are typically some type of heavier-duty material, like the Carhartt overalls also in the photo above. When it’s really hot, I kind of cheat on the hunting clothes, though. I just pull out my trusty bug suit, toss on a darker colored t-shirt and some lightweight jeans, throw the bug suit jacket over all of it, and call it a day. The one I have has a hood with a fold-over face mask attached. Two birds, one stone. Boom.
Let’s get the official list going, shall we? Like I said, [1] bug suit is a must, at least for the first few months. To hold the rest of my gear? A [2] backpack (similar to this one), and it is typically filled with a variety of items ranging from camouflage gloves to a mini crossword puzzle book. Necessary? Doubtful. Do I ever get bored? Yes. Crosswords it is. So I don’t have to worry about accidentally knocking the backpack out of the stand when I get up to stretch excited after a shot, I always have a few [3] stretchy cord with hooks to attach it to the stand somehow. It is not a good feeling when you scare a doe away because your backpack fell 15 ft onto a bunch of crunchy leaves below.
Other items: [4] Thermacell. Don’t question it. Just get one. And don’t let it fall out of the stand with your backpack. As I mentioned, my bug suit has one attached, but I always have an extra [5] face mask, along with a hat, in case I forget the suit. Hey, it happens. I keep some [6] gloves in the pack, as well. In warmer months, I try to wear super light-weight ones just so I’m not waving pale hands around trying to get mosquitoes from flying into my ears. When it’s cold, I prefer the fingerless ones vs. regular gloves. I find it easier to grip the rifle and pull the trigger that way.
Next, [7] binoculars. Binocs allow more light through their optics than our eyes, so they can help you see better during the pre-sunrise and post-sunset hours. On the subject of optics, a [8] rangefinder could make or break your hunt. you don’t want to miss a 350 lb boar because you misjudged the distance. Plus, they are fun to play with.
Update #1: [9] Scent control. It’s always a good idea to minimize your scent when hunting. We southeastern hunters can have a somewhat tougher time doing so, particularly this time of year. Yes, I’m talking about how our bodies react to being covered head to toe in camouflage, in 95 degree heat, on a September afternoon. You don’t have to be working out to sweat like you are. Scent control can go a long way in preventing your scent from wafting too far.
Update #2: After a few trailing experiences, and thus the tips for trailing post, I added surveyors tape to my list of essentials. You won’t always need it, but it’s a pretty handy “tool” to have on hand for marking spots along those hard-to-find blood trails. If you don’t have tape, just make sure you at least have a [10] flashlight. Early morning hunts and dark evenings deep in the woods mean you have a pretty good chance of walking right into a pine tree or tripping over an oak’s protruding root (I’ve heard…). Don’t make the mistake of trying to shimmy 20 feet down a tree in a climber without a source of light, because you were too stubborn to come down earlier and now it’s dark thirty.
PS – Check out this list on Wide Open Spaces!
What about scent control when you are hunting? Do you ever use Scent-Lok suits or cover sprays?
Hello! That's a good question… I do sometimes use it (that’s why I added it to the list), but often forget… But, I know people who swear by it. If you don’t have it, you can definitely still have a good hunt – as long as you are aware of which way the wind is blowing and sit accordingly, you should be good to go!