Deer hunter's daypack

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I have the luxury of deer hunting close to home. In most cases it's only a 10min ATV ride to my back door, therefore I have never been one to pack my pockets with a bunch of luxury items. Gun, knife, ammo, permit.
Lately my boys and I have been reaping the benefits of staying in the stand or blind all day.
So I have added to my pockets and game pouch
Binos
Snacks/lunch
Book or tablet
Rangefinder if bowhunting
Xbow cocking cord
Coffee
Phone battery pack/cord
Etc.
Edit to add some stuff I forgot...:
Bic lighter
Surveyor's tape to mark blood trails or stands
Permanent marker
Compass on coat zipper.
Zip ties
2 flashlights
I think I will empty my pockets and put it in a pack like my boys do.
Maybe an old dog can learn some new tricks after all.
What's in your pockets or pack for an all day big game hunt?
 
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Given that I may be a good couple hours hike back to the vehicle or camp. Nothing heavy in itself lots of small items (other than the Nalgene of water) but it all adds up...ounces are pounds and pounds are pain. I

First Aid w/Tourniquet, deet
3 ways of starting fire, candle, and some pine pitchy heartwood
Phone
Extra pair of socks
Nalgene water bottle
Steripen
Hanky to screen water ahead of steripen
Headlamp
Multi-Tool
Collapsable bone saw with wood blade as well
Small compass
Paracord
Small roll of marking tape
Kindle (only sometimes)
Extra battery pack that will charge phone, headlamp
Game bags
Wipes
Poncho and Emergency blanket
Food for the day, bars, mountain house, instant coffee, jerky, dried fruit
Small alcohol stove
Small aluminum cup/pot
Grocery sack for trash
Rangefinder

Things on person would be Binoculars, spare ammo, fixed blade knife, rifle and pistol.

If I'm exerting myself hiking I'll have my mid layer clothes, balaclava in the pack as well until I'm to the point of not wanting to sweat.
 
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I carry a frame pack so I can carry out meat if I get one. Contents off the top of my head:

- Spare ammo
- Water bladder
- Emergency blanket
- Trail Mix/Energy Bars/Snacks
- GPS
- Compass
- Rangefinder
- Phone
- Optic Cleaner Pen Tool
- Game Bags
- Plastic Garbage Bags
- Ziploc Freezer Bag with butchering stuff - knife, folding bone saw, sharpener, rubber gloves, zip ties, some paper towels, etc.
- Parachute Cord
- Basic First Aid Supplies
- Emergency blanket
- Matches and Flint Starter
- Toilet Paper
- Weather appropriate additional outerwear - hat, gloves, poncho, etc.

Rifle and binoculars carried separately. Looking over that list, I probably carry too much crap with me.
 
yote.jpg
I carry this eagle industries "yote" pack (something the army didn't ask me to give back). As a useful piece of mil equipment re-purposed for hunting, this thing ranks up there with a field jacket liner! very handy in a blind or hanging next to me in a stand. It has a 100 oz. hydration bladder, but this time of year when I am only sitting 3 hours or so, I only put 1-1.5 quarts in it. That large exterior mesh pocket is expandable, and can hold some cold weather gear, and my quiver with 4 bolts too. I carry 2 knives, multi-tool, a headlamp, a surefire 6P, a rangefinder, batteries for the lights, rangefinder, and any sights that require batteries,extra Xbow cocking rope if that is what I am hunting with, , compass, 2 chem lights and biodegradable engineer tape (both for tracking), License in a small orange wallet thingy, TP, and copenhagen. During the early bow season, I also have a thermacell and several reloads- cause Florida. It sounds like a lot of stuff, but altogether it weighs less than 10 pounds. After I kill a deer, I walk back to the house, dump most of my gear, and get a 4 wheeler and a drag rope to recover it.
 
I have the luxury of deer hunting close to home. In most cases it's only a 10min ATV ride to my back door, therefore I have never been one to pack my pockets with a bunch of luxury items. Gun, knife, ammo, permit.
Lately my boys and I have been reaping the benefits of staying in the stand or blind all day.
So I have added to my pockets and game pouch
Binos
Snacks/lunch
Book or tablet
Rangefinder if bowhunting
Xbow cocking cord
Coffee
Phone battery pack/cord
Etc.
Edit to add some stuff I forgot...:
Bic lighter
Surveyor's tape to mark blood trails or stands
Permanent marker
Compass on coat zipper.
Zip ties
2 flashlights
I think I will empty my pockets and put it in a pack like my boys do.
Maybe an old dog can learn some new tricks after all.
What's in your pockets or pack for an all day big game hunt?

You forgot the kitchen sink. ;)

I use a surplus two quart canteen holder with a carrying strap to hold all my 'possibles', but for regular and M/L hunting. (of course the M/L stuff isn't in there during regular gun season.) I have it on here, it's peeking out above the coyote.

yoter.jpg
 
I have a shoulder assisted hip pack with the following for what I call my LRRP hunting day trips.

In addition to weapon and ammo.

First aid kit
Knife
License
Flashlight
Compass
Paracord
25’ of rope
2 cans of sardines
100 oz CamelBak

The pack only weighs maybe 15 lbs but the CamelBak adds another 7 or so. No better way to carry a bunch of water though.

I never usually get more than a mile or two from the vehicle. I hunt pretty thick woodland/scrubland.
 
If its a quick evening hunt i wear a small fanny pack or just shove stuff in my pockets but most the time I am not far from the truck. If its an all day gun or rut hunt then a backpack is present and if its an out of town, hike in a few miles hunt a backpack is present with more stuff.

Close to home/evening hunt:
Tag, Phone, Pistol, Pocket Knife, Pull rope, Mask, Gloves, Crossbow cocking rope, bino's, rangefinder, headlamp, carabiner for harness and tree rope for harness, clippers, tree saw and small fenix flashlight. Most of this is either shoved into cargo pockets or a small fanny pack. If its an evening hunt we generally don't track till dark, so I leave all my knives and such in my waterproof bags in the truck bed along with rope to drag it. I have lately been carrying the fanny pack with a bone saw, outdoor edge gut hook and knife along with cleaning gloves.

Close to home/all day hunts:
Tag, Phone, Pocket knife, Pull rope, Mask, Gloves, Crossbow cocker, Binos, rangefinder, headlamp, flashlight, headlamp, carabiner, tree rope, 2 bottles of Gatorade or camel back installed in pack, grunt call, bleat can, clippers knives, dress gloves, saw, etc. Snack bars, batteries for lights and headlamps, pistol, backup phone charger. If gun hunting it will be a 20rd box of ammo in the pack as well.

Out of town hunts:
Everything above with an extra mag for the pistol, compass, map of area, camel back with water, bottled Gatorade, sandwiches, ammo for rifle, maybe another hooded sweat shirt, and walking stick. When I hunted a National forest I would hike in a few miles all up hill and would carry an internal frame pack that fit all my cold weather bibs and coat so I didn't sweat.

If its muzzleloader season I have all that crap in there too. :)
 
You forgot the kitchen sink. ;)

I use a surplus two quart canteen holder with a carrying strap to hold all my 'possibles', but for regular and M/L hunting. (of course the M/L stuff isn't in there during regular gun season.) I have it on here, it's peeking out above the coyote.

View attachment 874019

I back pack in for the day. Would like to see a pic of your canteen.
TKS
 
I use a backpack aswell, but don't carry much. Knife, call, lighter, flashlight, stainless thermos full of water (no crinkle soun like a plastic bottle) , Pancho, light/heavy gloves and most importantly butt wipes LOL, for when nature and calls and cleaning hands after gutting the deer.

But the main purpose of my pack is to hold my "heavies" which is my cold weather hunting gear . Right now it's a Cabela's wooltimate coat and a set of puffy mil surplus primaloft pants. with full length zippers for easy of putting on. I never walk around with my heavies on, I dress to be warm enough while walking or stalking and save my heavies for idle sits to stay nice and toasty. My pack is just big enough to fit everything in it.

Edit to add:

Usually have a hot seat strapped to the back of my pack aswell.
 
It really depends. At times I may only be a 10-15 minute walk from the truck. Other times I may end up 4-5 miles from the truck. If I'm more than a mile or so away I carry enough to spend the night and survive the weather at the time just in case something goes wrong.

High energy snacks and water always go.

A candle and at least 2 ways to light it. No point in trying to use a fire starter when a burning candle is the best way to get a fire started. A large heavy duty trash bag takes up next to no room, but makes a good waterproof survival shelter as well as something dry to sit on. Pull it over your head, cut a hole to see out of and breath and sit down pulling it down to your ankles. Having 2 is even better pull the 2nd up from the bottom. Light the candle inside the bag for a heater.

Instead of rope I use one or 2 of these
https://www.amazon.com/Lashing-Straps-YITAMOTOR-Roof-top-storage/dp/B07C3VHFZT/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=MB0MC36C1MJW&keywords=tie+down+straps&qid=1574797150&sprefix=tie+down+,aps,182&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFSWjJXWVYxT1pQUEcmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA1MDE5MzhBNThSMUxHU01ETFUmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDAyNzgyOTZNMU5XN1lBT1lQMCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

If I know I'm going to be out all day and covering lots of ground in rugged conditions a good meal is a big plus. Freeze dried backpacking food weighs little as does the stove and fuel. Don't need that often, but it is a good idea at times.

Water filter

https://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Produ...63&sprefix=hiking+water+filter,aps,159&sr=8-6

Sturdy fixed blade knife with 4"-5" blade in addition to a sharp 3-4" knife for game processing.
Extra socks
Compass
GPS plus extra batteries
Jacket strapped to the outside I don't need it when moving, only sitting.
Small 1st aid kit with ibuprophen and other meds as needed.
 
A candle and at least 2 ways to light it. No point in trying to use a fire starter when a burning candle is the best way to get a fire started. A large heavy duty trash bag takes up next to no room, but makes a good waterproof survival shelter as well as something dry to sit on. Pull it over your head, cut a hole to see out of and breath and sit down pulling it down to your ankles. Having 2 is even better pull the 2nd up from the bottom. Light the candle inside the bag for a heater.

I always have a 4"x 1" long candle with my pack as well. Like you a candle is much easier to light a fire than many other ways. I also make a kit for each of our vehicles with a lighter, matches and a candle in a ziplock bag, for emergencies.
 
My kind of hunting isn't that strenuous or labor intensive.
I usually hunt in an enclosed box blind and usually don't have to walk more than a quarter mile to get to it.
So my list of things to include are not as intense as most. For instance I don't carry signal mirrors or a compass. Just no need when I can darn near see the truck and I'm on land we've leased for years that I know like the back of my hand.

I carry:

Binos
snacks
thermos of coffee (unless I'm in a tree stand. Then I usually skip the coffee and just pack a bottle of water)
knife
first aid kit
book to read if I get bored
pipe and tobacco
Tink's 69 (if they're rutting)

That's about it.
I'm not an all day sitter though. I know full well I'd kill more deer if I was. But I sit a few hours in the a.m. and a few in the p.m.
Mid day is spent around the fire shooting the bull, or taking a nap if we stayed up too late the night before.
 
The boy scouts ruined me over 50 years ago when they said be prepared.
I hike in about a mile max. This year I got a buck and a doe 75 feet from my suburbia garage
I maY still go in for coyote.
Daypack.
License, knife, double drag, buttout tool, dressing gloves, coffee, water, fire starter, small foldable saw, pruning snips, snacks, headlamp, flashlights, pen, extra gloves, e tra clothes ( I peel down to skin, use my tshirt as a towel, air dry and redress into dry layers, coat and quilted shirt strapped on back
Garbage bag, space blanket and pocket poncho. Solar charger.
Hot seat too.
At 70, I started carrying a PLB.
Surprised i didnt see this on anyone's list but did see a gps.
 
If there's one thing that I can offer that is a no-brainer...its zip ties. They can do everything from boot laces to tourniquets. They weigh nothing.

Gatorade bottles dont rattle like crappy water bottles. Neither does kid's juice pouches.. I used them one year.
I have a Stanley flask. It packs easily in a pocket too.....filled with water, of course.
 
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A plus on the zip ties.
They are in my license holder to attach the tag to the ear.
Pa game comm says to tag a deer through the ear. If having it mounted, a safety pin will be better than slicing the ear, if it even matters to a taxidermist.

I had no safety pin and tied the tag to an antler. Later on, found out this was not a legal way to tag.

I used the garbage bag to get through a small stream.
 
If there's one thing that I can offer that is a no-brainer...its zip ties. They can do everything from boot laces to tourniquets. They weigh nothing.
Gotta have zip ties and toilet paper. I use the tp to mark blood trails. That way I can see it with a flashlight at night and it is bio-degradable. Just put a 2"x2" piece on a limb near the blood drop.
 
I use the tp to mark blood trails. That way I can see it with a flashlight at night and it is bio-degradable .

I think you wrote about that once before. That's a nifty idea btw.


In the pack, the last time I went out to some local wooded acres near a public hunting area I had:
Fire making kit
two tin mugs; one has a bale, to heat water/food
A pound of pinole
half a pound of raisins
jerky
coffee
Pipe tobacco and pipe
First Aid Kit
Extra Knit hat and Elbow length mits if the weather turns

Now when I go into the Appalachians, into the State Forest, or go South to the GW National Forest:
Added to the above in case I get stuck out there overnight...,
A water purifier filter
An extra 16 ounces of water in a separate container than the canteen
Chocolate
Pair of leg warmers
wrapped around the outside of the pack is a wool blanket, and a piece of oil cloth

I carry ON me, my hunting knife, skinning knife, patch knife, small tomahawk, hunting bag for my rifle, powder horn, and my flintlock.
As well as my hunting permit, ID, and cell phone to check-in the deer, and car key.

LD
 
I have carried a surplus one quart canteen on my belt before, but it's been many years since I was back far enough in the woods to need one.
I have about a half dozen of these. I typically carry two. In the bottom I place a large folded plastic trash bag. The cover is insulated inside and sometimes will be used as a hand warmer. The Plastic trash bags can be used along with Poncho on rainy days to sit on, protect gear, etc. During Scouting days, I will take along a extra water container and place in a tree and marked on GPS.
They are inexpensive. I buy them at Sportsmen's guide for around $10.00. They hold 2 quarts. Can attach to back pack and they are collapsible. Can place in backpack without cover.

q96P54b.jpg

I also use these: I bought them to store my ammo and to carry to the range. Much better and more convenient than a box of ammo. They are heavy duty and one bag holds 50 9mm rds. They also have so many other uses. Store toilet paper, food,flashlight batteries and other items needed in the field.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZZS4BO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Plymor 3" x 5", 4 Mil (Pack of 100) Heavy Duty Plastic Reclosable Zipper Bags
 
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In addition to many of the items aforementioned in this thread, my wife always carries a few special items (an inhaler, an epi-stick, and a couple of cheap, paper dust masks like you can find in most any hardware store) to deal with her life-long struggles with asthma and allergies. And she carries them in a fanny pack right up front - where she can get to them in a hurry.
Depending on the weather (if there's snow on the ground, there's not much sagebrush pollen floating around) my wife sometimes dons one of her paper dust masks when she leaves the truck. It looks kind of funny, but those masks keep out all kinds of dusts and pollens that could trigger an allergy and/or asthma attack. Besides they're cheap, and weigh next to nothing.:)
 
Besides the "normal" stuff; snacks, water, 1st aid, safety, etc., I also add a field dressing kit consisting of:

a couple pairs of examination gloves
shoulder length gloves
a couple blue shop towels
Drag rope
Wyoming bone saw: https://www.wyomingknife.com/saws.htm


Ziplock bags for tenderloin.

Shoulder length gloves:
https://www.amazon.com/Royal-Should...ocphy=1017538&hvtargid=pla-385598136195&psc=1

the examination gloves keep the shoulder length gloves from tearing easily and keep me from getting blood on yet another hunting coat/shirt.
 
Ziplock bags for tenderloin.
We're liver eaters, so we each carry a gallon zipper bag for a deer liver. The bags keeps the blood off all of the other stuff in our daypacks. We used to just throw the deer liver back inside the carcass after field dressing. Then we would cuss every time it fell out as we dragged the carcass back to the truck.:mad:
 
It really depends. At times I may only be a 10-15 minute walk from the truck. Other times I may end up 4-5 miles from the truck. If I'm more than a mile or so away I carry enough to spend the night and survive the weather at the time just in case something goes wrong.

High energy snacks and water always go.

A candle and at least 2 ways to light it. No point in trying to use a fire starter when a burning candle is the best way to get a fire started. A large heavy duty trash bag takes up next to no room, but makes a good waterproof survival shelter as well as something dry to sit on. Pull it over your head, cut a hole to see out of and breath and sit down pulling it down to your ankles. Having 2 is even better pull the 2nd up from the bottom. Light the candle inside the bag for a heater.

Instead of rope I use one or 2 of these
https://www.amazon.com/Lashing-Straps-YITAMOTOR-Roof-top-storage/dp/B07C3VHFZT/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=MB0MC36C1MJW&keywords=tie+down+straps&qid=1574797150&sprefix=tie+down+,aps,182&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFSWjJXWVYxT1pQUEcmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA1MDE5MzhBNThSMUxHU01ETFUmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDAyNzgyOTZNMU5XN1lBT1lQMCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

If I know I'm going to be out all day and covering lots of ground in rugged conditions a good meal is a big plus. Freeze dried backpacking food weighs little as does the stove and fuel. Don't need that often, but it is a good idea at times.

Water filter

https://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-SP105-Filtration-System/dp/B00TOX6UM6/ref=sr_1_6?crid=HXW3VK15X5H9&dchild=1&keywords=hiking+water+filter+straw&qid=1574797363&sprefix=hiking+water+filter,aps,159&sr=8-6

Sturdy fixed blade knife with 4"-5" blade in addition to a sharp 3-4" knife for game processing.
Extra socks
Compass
GPS plus extra batteries
Jacket strapped to the outside I don't need it when moving, only sitting.
Small 1st aid kit with ibuprophen and other meds as needed.
The trash bags are great for throwing the meat in when you have to pack it out.
 
I usually walk in to where ever I am still hunting. It depends on the weather but I like to bring along a poncho of some sort to cut the wind if it's cold even if it is not raining. Rain gear cuts the wind nicely but often is not orange. I do take along a roll of plastic flagging for blood trail marking. It is so easy to miss a blood trail especially if walk away from it for whatever reason like making a big circle to find a deer that you are pretty sure is down. TP works too but not in the rain or snow.

I don't carry anything special that has not been mentioned. But it all depends on how far I have to walk.
 
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