What not to take hunting

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Lnf Crzr said:
When I got lost with my Son at a State park…. (Tho Rare, It can happen) I was far away from the road, It was getting dark. Only had enough battery to make a call or two. Lucky no emergency happened like a injury.
I used the Phone to call a hunting friend and Brother in the park to “Find Us”

I was very happy to have my phone with me-and enough reception to make the call.

Like I said- We could have been out there All Night Long.

Ps-This was years ago before “Smart Phones”. It was a “ Not Smart “Flip phone- yet Saved us.
If not a phone, have some way to communicate with others besides prayer and smoke signals. Emergencies and injuries can happen.
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OMG! I just spent the last three days in the woods with out a phone and never saw another soul! How did I ever survive 67 years hunting and hiking with out a phone.
 
Jack Ryan said:
OMG! I just spent the last three days in the woods with out a phone and never saw another soul! How did I ever survive 67 years hunting and hiking with out a phone.
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Did you have a injury happen? Did you get lost? Did you have a heart attack or stroke happen? Did you fall unexpectedly and have a emergency occur like a broken leg? Did a Bear or Cougar attack you? Did your tree stand break and your on the ground in pain, by yourself? Maybe you slipped on the icy creek your crossing and Cracked your Head on a Rock, Gauged your Eyes on some sharp branches…. Or Maybe a Family member is in a terrible accident and your needed at home instead of relaxing quietly in the woods?!?!

These are precautions- Some of what has been posted here are tools for precautionary occurrences.

If not, I’m glad none of that happened- However those things CAN happen. It would be a sensible decision to Make a Preperation just incase that does happen……..

Or, At your age- Just hope for the Best, Maybe none of those things will happen and take a chance

Oh and carry a Second knife… something “COULD” happen to the 1st one. I’m sure many here have lost a knife at one point in time. I know you stated “Never” carry more than one.

Guess you didn’t make it to Eagle Scout
 
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I don't use a phone hunting. I understand people use the camera and need communications for an emergency. I use a separate camera (film actually) and a radio. Something like Spot or Inreach can also be a good alternative to a phone where there is no signal. Where I hunt, there is no cell signal. So a phone is mostly good for the camera and I have better ones.

I don't take a laser rangefinder. I won't say you "shouldn't" because people work out their own ethic. The guy bowhunting with a LRF isn't doing worse than me without one and a rifle. Just know that you don't need one.

For me, binoculars have been the single biggest aid. I can conceive of going without, but it would drastically reduce the quantity of opportunities. I can see how it might not reduce the best quality opportunities, but even if I'm passing many lesser ones, they're still encouraging me. Bear in mind I'm in the west where I see game out to four, eight, twelve-hundred yards all the time. If I was hunting in a stand or dense woods, I doubt I would glass so much.

For me, better load-bearing is the most needed upgrade. I took a 7-liter pack which held everything I needed to be several miles from the truck, water, snacks, FAK, game bags, knives, extra clothing (down vest or windbreaker). So I didn't need a big pack. I have 30 and 60L packs for hiking and backpacking but didn't need that volume to go for a two or three mile walk from the 4x4. What was killing me was poor loadbearing. To the weight in the little 7L pack, add the rifle, optics, binocular, and my (rather large) camera, my handgun (EDC), flashlight, gloves, mittens... and my loadout ends up being something like 25 pounds. I need to put more of that weight on the loadbearing system of a bigger pack even if I don't need the bigger internal volume. I packed quarters too, which could be a significant factor but the most I packed them this last season was a mile and it didn't really factor compared to all the days carrying a few pieces of heavy gear.
 
A sensible Post on being prepared.
westernrover said:
I don't use a phone hunting. I understand people use the camera and need communications for an emergency. I use a separate camera (film actually) and a radio. Something like Spot or Inreach can also be a good alternative to a phone where there is no signal. Where I hunt, there is no cell signal. So a phone is mostly good for the camera and I have better ones.

I don't take a laser rangefinder. I won't say you "shouldn't" because people work out their own ethic. The guy bowhunting with a LRF isn't doing worse than me without one and a rifle. Just know that you don't need one.

For me, binoculars have been the single biggest aid. I can conceive of going without, but it would drastically reduce the quantity of opportunities. I can see how it might not reduce the best quality opportunities, but even if I'm passing many lesser ones, they're still encouraging me. Bear in mind I'm in the west where I see game out to four, eight, twelve-hundred yards all the time. If I was hunting in a stand or dense woods, I doubt I would glass so much.

For me, better load-bearing is the most needed upgrade. I took a 7-liter pack which held everything I needed to be several miles from the truck, water, snacks, FAK, game bags, knives, extra clothing (down vest or windbreaker). So I didn't need a big pack. I have 30 and 60L packs for hiking and backpacking but didn't need that volume to go for a two or three mile walk from the 4x4. What was killing me was poor loadbearing. To the weight in the little 7L pack, add the rifle, optics, binocular, and my (rather large) camera, my handgun (EDC), flashlight, gloves, mittens... and my loadout ends up being something like 25 pounds. I need to put more of that weight on the loadbearing system of a bigger pack even if I don't need the bigger internal volume. I packed quarters too, which could be a significant factor but the most I packed them this last season was a mile and it didn't really factor compared to all the days carrying a few pieces of heavy gear.
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As far as what to carry it is always more than I need, but not everything I should :confused:

I have mentored a few hunters. I always emphasize on keeping them warm.
1) Firearm or bow
2) Ammo
3) Compass
4) Waterproof boots
5) Warm clothing in layers
6) water
7) food.
8) knife
I carry much more, but don't want to bankrupt a new hunter.

I normally dress lighter than them because I want to get cold first.
 
I took my phone yesterday, for a number of reasons. 1) I have to drive 25 miles to get there, accident on the way and I'd need the phone. 2) Broken leg, fall on a stob, tumble down a ravine, falling tree - you can call in and be located on the GPS function. I'm 68 and I have read of some kids getting hurt out there, if I hear you I might come and help.

I did use it to verify where I thought I was compared to the crude MDC map given out in the parking lot, and, I was right. It verified why there were cows grazing on the fence line 60m way. Phones have come a long way since the misdirection they gave in Desert Storm I but I still rely on map and compass when out. One thing I do is get the map online and review it the day before to familiarize the lay of the land, ponds, ravines, wooded areas etc with an overhead sat photo (which are frequently summertime shots and mostly worthless.)

Stuff I took and didn't use: The spare 10 round magazine of ammo. Either of the two knives, or the three pair of nitrile gloves for dressing out a deer. A chapstick. Or, for that matter, the gun, too. If we were to really pack according to actual number of times we used something, we could lighten things up far more. Haven't shot a deer from a stand in a few years? Sell it. Less to carry.

Stuff I forgot: Toilet paper, drag rope, hard caramel candy. I suppose I could drag the deer by one of the dozen major points on it no problem, and the woods are full of natural tp. ; )

Things I found: trash in the parking lot and a matching Bud light can I saw afield. Empty Vodka bottle, too. I'm beginning to question my priorities.

I did use the propane cooker for lunch instead of just eating a sandwich, it warmed up a can of broccoli and chicken just fine with the new silicone long spoon I bought. Worked great, and I didn't have to carry so much.
 
Although our grandson didn’t have a Hide-A-Key somewhere on his truck on opening day of deer season this year (as I told about in my previous post) he did have some kind of an “AAP” on his cell phone that showed the boundaries of the private property we were hunting next to. He said he could even find the property owner’s name if he wanted to.
We really didn’t need that information because my wife and I have hunted that area for close to 40 years, so we know what part of it is public BLM land, and what part of it is not. Besides, we already know who owns the private land we were hunting next to, don’t like him, and are not about to beg his permission to hunt his land when there’s just as many deer on the surrounding public land.
Nevertheless, I thought our grandson’s APP was pretty neat. And I thought it might come in handy for hunters (including our grandsons) that haven’t hunted in that area for as long as my wife and I have.:thumbup:
 
hq said:
The most expensive toilet I've ever used was in the middle of eastern Lapland, approximately 40 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Forgot TP, didn't even have hand towels, it was late season so leaves on the ground were all slick and mushy, but I had my wallet with me.

That emergency dump cost me a €5 bill.
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Reminds me of a guy playing golf one time and had to take a dump. Got done and nothing to wipe with.
Two guy were walking by and he asked it they had any TP or paper towels, NOPE.
He asked if they and a regular towel, NOPE
Do you have an extra tee shirt, NOPE.

Do you have change for a Hundred?


-------------- -


Don't take a person who can't sit still or wants to go sit in the truck after an hour or so.
 
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Another cell phone app that helps- Hunt app
On X
It’s nice to have , Helps to keep you from being on someone’s property your not supposed to be on.
 
Lnf Crzr said:
Did you have a injury happen? Did you get lost? Did you have a heart attack or stroke happen? Did you fall unexpectedly and have a emergency occur like a broken leg? Did a Bear or Cougar attack you? Did your tree stand break and your on the ground in pain, by yourself? Maybe you slipped on the icy creek your crossing and Cracked your Head on a Rock, Gauged your Eyes on some sharp branches…. Or Maybe a Family member is in a terrible accident and your needed at home instead of relaxing quietly in the woods?!?!

These are precautions- Some of what has been posted here are tools for precautionary occurrences.

If not, I’m glad none of that happened- However those things CAN happen. It would be a sensible decision to Make a Preperation just incase that does happen……..

Or, At your age- Just hope for the Best, Maybe none of those things will happen and take a chance

Oh and carry a Second knife… something “COULD” happen to the 1st one. I’m sure many here have lost a knife at one point in time. I know you stated “Never” carry more than one.

Guess you didn’t make it to Eagle Scout
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LOL, don't get TOO serious. It really is none of my business if SOMEONE out there wants to pack a leather sofa bed ten miles in to the woods. It serves two purposes at least, nice and cushy to hunt from and a soft bed to sleep on in the evening. LOL! But the question WAS ASKED.

Yes, I've had injuries when hunting. Mostly the result of falling out of trees. My phone didn't catch me nor even cushion the fall.

I'm a man. I am NEVER lost. I'm right here every time I look.

LOL, bear or cougar? Really, is that serious? What would you do with your phone for THAT? Dial 911 or the zoo?

Make it to Eagle Scout? Nope, but I knew a few eagle scouts who never made it to 67 either so I'd score that one about even.

I just can't take the rest of that serious enough to even mock it.
 
Hey its all good, Sir. No disrespect.
I have kids at home- take my oldest hunting…. Need a phone incase a emergency happens. I understand the need to get away from a phone.

Yet - Precautionary measures should be taken. Hence why I also have a Compass, Or First aid kit in my truck.
Oh and yes, Some people hunt in Areas with Bear and Cougar, Those animals do exist and after a attack, if able- I’d try and CALL for …. um- HELP!

After, awhile ago - at “Never” carry more than 1 knife I Disregarded your post.

Jack Ryan said:
LOL, don't get TOO serious. It really is none of my business if SOMEONE out there wants to pack a leather sofa bed ten miles in to the woods. It serves two purposes at least, nice and cushy to hunt from and a soft bed to sleep on in the evening. LOL! But the question WAS ASKED.

Yes, I've had injuries when hunting. Mostly the result of falling out of trees. My phone didn't catch me nor even cushion the fall.

I'm a man. I am NEVER lost. I'm right here every time I look.

LOL, bear or cougar? Really, is that serious? What would you do with your phone for THAT? Dial 911 or the zoo?

Make it to Eagle Scout? Nope, but I knew a few eagle scouts who never made it to 67 either so I'd score that one about even.

I just can't take the rest of that serious enough to even mock it.
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A cougar has been seen sitting on the dam of my pond. This area is not known for cougar.
Most of the population will tell you there is not now or ever been a cougar in this area.
I do not go into the pasture without being armed and have a phone.

On a bow hunt for deer, in Mew Mexico, we came across some bear tracks on the game trail we were following. Paying close attention to the trail and the brush around us, we kept moving. Suddenly, the trail had 2 sets of bear tracks and 2 sets of boots tracks. Looking around, we realized, we had walked a huge circle. About 100 yards behind us, we could see movement through the brush.
I had never been so happy to know I could out run the fat ass I was walking with.

We started yelling and throwing rocks
The bear, black, around 250#, stood up. We kept yelling. He turned and left.

We made the trek back to the truck and moved to another area.

Doesn't matter that you don't expect to encounter a cougar or bear. You MIGHT.

Slowing our pace, we continued. The bear followed the trailer.
 
When I first started hunting the area I go to - 45 years ago - there were interesting and expedient deer stands in the woods. One was a chrome legged kitchen chair 16 feet up in a sapling with no visible steps to get to it. They were on the off side and it made sense to approach it then kind of slide onto the seat.

Another was the LazyBoy recliner appropriately located near a saddle on a ridge. Of course, any time I saw it was after a pouring rain and it was still draining water down the cushions. No way was I sitting on it. Which reminds me, the only time I ever took a poncho, I used it for a ground sheet in a layup, then as the afternoon wore on and rain was becoming a reality, my son and I got into one of those unspoken ego battles and we walked out not using them in pouring rain. He almost got a shot at a buck - didn't seem to phase it at all it was coming down in buckets. Once we got into the truck we realized our coats shed most of it and we were still dry. Haven't taken the poncho since.

The hunting area changed early on - they logged out a long valley and opened it up. We cursed the MDC for ruining it but the reality was the next few years it was filled with deer - I spooked more in there than any place else. Then we had a major ice storm which destroyed the old oaks, opening up the canopy and causing a lot of brush to grow up rather than deeply carpeted runways under the trunks. Again - lots more deer and they have remained since. Those hallways of leaf mulch weren't very sufficient for whitetail survival.

In our state now we tag the deer and use a phone app which requires an ink pen to write down numbers, plus a tape measure. Next year I'm not taking them into the field. Karma is your friend, watch as I have to drag one out, get stopped by an agent, then explain my reverse psychology. 45 years and I've seen agents in the field twice.
 
I do take binos, and they are not small: 15x50. I usually climb up on a mountain, settle into a saddle or on a hilltop, and set up with my tripod and spend hours looking for/at little Coues whitetails that are far, far away. I rarely find them without the glass, and I usually have a rangefinder as well. It helps to know how far away things are, helps me to plan approaches if I’m going to do that, helps me making shots. I hunt in western terrain with centerfire rifles.

I usually carry at least two knives, game bags for holding meat after quartering, and I usually do a lot of hiking.

I do take food, my phone, and a handheld HAM radio for places phone reception is spotty or bad. I don’t take another camera unless I’m just hiking, not hunting, and then there won’t be a rifle.

Used to fill a large Alice pack. Dumb, dumb, dumb. I hike when I hunt, climbing steep mountains. Sometimes I use a camelback day pack, and sometimes an Eberlestock. Water goes in a bladder in the pack, with a drink tube. Which pack depends on where I’m going and how far I’m going. I pack my pack, do practice hikes, then take everything out and go over it and eliminate stuff to cut weight. I typically take 9 rifle rounds in the pack and 4 or 5 in the rifle. A jframe .38 with shot in the first chamber, or Glock 26, usually goes along.
 
Lnf Crzr said:
Hey its all good, Sir. No disrespect.
I have kids at home- take my oldest hunting…. Need a phone incase a emergency happens. I understand the need to get away from a phone.

Yet - Precautionary measures should be taken. Hence why I also have a Compass, Or First aid kit in my truck.
Oh and yes, Some people hunt in Areas with Bear and Cougar, Those animals do exist and after a attack, if able- I’d try and CALL for …. um- HELP!

After, awhile ago - at “Never” carry more than 1 knife I Disregarded your post.
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Have to admit after thinking about it, I have two with me every day. Benchmade auto and the Leatherman Wave. Not for any fear of losing one. I want the saw on the Leatherman hunting and use the auto for making tooth picks more than anything else in a tree stand. I've gutted deer at one time or another with either one though they wouldn't be my first pick for the job on purpose. Either one would be plenty by their self.

I guess I can go with more than one knife if they are little ones and don't serve more than one specific purpose but what most guys would call a dedicated "hunting" knife should be plenty for trimming a branch on the way up a tree and still nimble enough to gut a deer.

I wouldn't carry and EXTRA anything just because "Ya never know you might lose it." Heck there would be no end to that line of thought if it ever caught hold of ya. Well, I guess may be, ONE extra bullet...
 
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I try to go into the woods with minimal.

Knife x2-paracord-compass-fire starter
Rifle/Handgun or Bow
cell phone

range finder

Water/snack ? Maybe

That’s about it. Unless my Terrain and type of hunt changes.

When I went out West or Africa- Binos a must - Food -Day pack with extras.
 
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A cellphone is pretty much dead weight
where I go. No signal at all. If you're
hurt a loud whistle would do a better
job for summoning help.
Hopefully, everyone has enough sense to
leave a game plan with a responsible party
and a detailed note on their vehicle's dash
in a conspicuous spot for whoever might
come looking after you don't show at the
appointed time.
Just me- there's big cats and hungry feral
hogs and recently the bears have shown up in the area. I'm more worried about
people than I am about falling or critters.
The two legged pinheads in my region worry me more than any other disaster that might befall me.
If I get to where I can't enjoy being in an
isolated remote area without worrying
about what might happen, I'll stay home
away from all the haints in the woods.
JMHO- going to the grocery store with
all the foggy brained hoodrats worries me
considerably more than being in the bush
where I'm able to use whatever means of
defense I can muster without worrying
about imprisonment or lawsuits
 
With the amount of private ground islands everywhere nowadays, a phone has become almost a necessity to ensure one is on public ground out west here, utilizing OnX app with gps.

Out west we have millions of acres with patchwork private acreages spread throughout hunting areas, it’s nice to know where one can hunt as not all are posted properly. It allows me to hunt up to private and know it.

Cell service is poor in a lot of areas I hunt but OnX works with downloaded maps and GPS, so no cell service required.
 
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BreechFace said:
With the amount of private ground islands everywhere nowadays, a phone has become almost a necessity to ensure one is on public ground out west here, utilizing OnX app with gps.

Out west we have millions of acres with patchwork private acreages spread throughout hunting areas, it’s nice to know where one can hunt as not all are posted properly. It allows me to hunt up to private and know it.

Cell service is poor in a lot of areas I hunt but OnX works with downloaded maps and GPS, so no cell service required.
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A cellular device being helpful? Na….. couldn’t be- Just watch where the sun rises and sets to know direction. Property lines, No need for them- and emergencies don’t happen if your careful.

Ha
 
My needs vary a great deal by where and what I am hunting. I hunt with my son and he carries too ,much for both of us, lol.
 
As much as I have collected butane lighters the only thing I found them really useful was blocking a 20 round mag to 10 and meeting State requirements. I've got apparatus to make fire but never take it. I really wonder why I bought it now. The propane stove had a lighter for it and stayed in the truck.

And a first aid kit? Of course it makes sense and should be in my kit. Reaching into a slippery deer dressing it out, sharp knife at hand, a firearm, treacherous footing, multilegged vectors - never did. Even in basic, other than the required wound badge. "You never need it until you need it" has some sense to it, I should leave the extra magazine in the truck and take the kit. I just never have. Now that I think about it, taking it might actually cause me to need it, oh no! I've used a first aid kit less in the field than a rifle.

I did take a FM stereo with me in the last FTX during Basic - 38 years ago, and have at other times, but you can't hear that chipmunk pouncing up making a racket like a 10 pointer if you do, so, I quit. Someone mentioned they take a paperback, I tried it once, and still fell asleep. Now I just pick a more comfortable spot.

There are plenty who take a camera and we see their pics plastered all over the net, usually with their long rifle barely perched in the tines of a massive rack. This is where the cell phone works ok, I was out in 14F weather one morning and noticed frost flowers growing where I was trying to track a deer. As I circled back they kept getting bigger, and the deer sign smaller. Gave up and took pics of the flowers. Basically what happens is that as the moisture freezes in colder air capillary action keeps feeding it from below ground and it comes out like a Slurpy at the Stop and Rob. Not as tasty tho, I imagine. When you don't have dead deer pics it's a good conversation starter.

I agree that there are things to take - and the next time you may not need them, even on the same ground. It changes every year.
 
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