What's in ur pack??

[ZAG]

Knife, butt out. Grunt call.

[Otto]

I packed mine earlier this week:

Flashlight, extra batteries, flagging tape, grunt call, doe bleat can, binoculars, range finder, small ziplock with small pocket knife, small plastic bag for heart, tags and twist ties, a pen, plastic gloves, paper towels. Also a foam seat, gloves, face mask, paracord rope to pull up bow and backpack to tree stand, strap for safety harness.  Bottle of water, small thermos of coffee added in the morning, usually don’t bring any snacks.   Phone goes in a pants pocket along with a sharp finger knife in a sheath on my belt.    

[Bucksnbows]

I’m not sure I saw anyone mention a battery pack for their phones. I carry one that can recharge my phone several times if ever needed. All the other items I carry have been covered multiple times. 
 

My backpack changes with the weather. I add and subtract based on temps. On my potential all day gun sits, i probably have at least one kitchen sink in there. But on those days, I have a very short walk from quad to stand and the weight doesn’t bother me. 

[ShootEm]

5 hours ago, Bucksnbows said:

I’m not sure I saw anyone mention a battery pack for their phones. I carry one that can recharge my phone several times if ever needed. All the other items I carry have been covered multiple times. 
 

My backpack changes with the weather. I add and subtract based on temps. On my potential all day gun sits, i probably have at least one kitchen sink in there. But on those days, I have a very short walk from quad to stand and the weight doesn’t bother me. 

Spare battery pack is one of the best things to have in today’s world. Not even just for hunting purposes. I actually just used mine last night to charge my phone to be sure it still was working and holding charges properly before the season really ramps up. Anker makes some great stuff that does everything you need it to!

Edited October 1, 2023 by ShootEm

[Wolc123]

Several of the items in my pack do more than one job.  Rubber gutting gloves is probably the best example of that.  I blew it on a doe,  last December 26, by not properly using them for the “secondary” purpose (Muzzle cover).

I had hunted the tail end of the Buffalo Christmas blizzard of 22 that morning, with my muzzle uncovered.  Big mistake, because lots of wind driven snow got into the end of the muzzle of my T/C  Omega 50 cal.  

The warm gun was freshly loaded that morning, which allowed the snow to turn to water, penetrate thru the rifling grooves, and compromise the (2) T7 pellets behind the bullet.  I left the gun out in my unheated barn, when I went back in the house for lunch.

The water damage was already done to the powder though.  After lunch, I made the very difficult snowshoe track, to my back tree stand near a turnip patch, thru powder snow up to 6 feet deep.  
 

About 30 minutes before sunset, a fat doe made her way into the turnip patch back there about 50 yards away, and was munching on the tall frozen greens.  I settled the crosshairs behind her shoulder and squeezed the trigger.  

There was a lot less smoke than usual and a very light “thud” instead of the usual loud “bang”. The doe raised her tail and disappeared into cover.  The bullet likely didn’t even make it half way to her. 
 

As bad as loosing that doe was for me, my neighbor had it even worse on New Year’s Day.  He too had hunted with his muzzle uncovered on the morning of the 26th .  He also left his loaded gun out in his barn after.  He had the exact same thing happen to him on the Afternoon of Jan 1, on “the biggest buck that he ever seen”, broadside at 60 yards.  

When it comes to gutting gloves, I can get by with just one, having all the fingers. I use that one for the messy parts, like pulling the lungs and heart.
 

  There’s one more deer left on the right from my current pair.  I haven’t used the thumb yet .  Hopefully, that will get me thru early ML season up north in a couple weeks.  It always rains quite a bit up there then.

 

 

 

[Robhuntandfish]

I turn my long armed gutting gloves inside out after use and put the heart in there, then tuck it in the deer cavity while dragging out. 

[Otto]

16 minutes ago, Robhuntandfish said:

I turn my long armed gutting gloves inside out after use and put the heart in there, then tuck it in the deer cavity while dragging out. 

I use them to collect the other glove and the gloves I put over them so I can toss them later.  I like the heart in a nice clean bag and they weigh really nothing.  i have one to put my knife in too, for cleaning later. 

[cas]

Apparently there's lead in my pack. 

Saturday night in camp I hefted the thing up and grunted.... "Good lord."  Since I was going to be sitting about 80 yards from the front door, I started taking things out of it. Life straw, don't need that. Emergency space blanket, nope. Pack cover I never remember is in there, nope. First aid kit, no. Extra hat, no. Little pouch with glow sticks, lighter, matches, compass, swiss army knife, nope. emergency flashlight, nope. Toilet paper? Wipes? Nope, not even those.  Map? Not worth pulling out of it's tucked in spot. Tourniquet and shears, leave them attached to the internal molle rack.  I had already set the  water bottle aside. So basically it was empty.  I lifted it up again... "ug, good lord, no wonder it's so heavy, it's just heavy!" 

The only thing I added was my thermal spotter and a small thermos of coffee I didn't touch. (I only stayed out two hours).  During gun season I'd have two, three more hats, now that I need orange. (a warmer one to wear over my normal one. An orange rain hat. And a light light orange fishing boonie with with brim cut off. I learned that lesson last year. I'm hot, I'm starting to sweat, normally I would take my hat off to cool down. But if I do I'm not legal.) 

 I often have another thick pair of gloves in there. Often a fold up Thermarest pad to sit on. Something to eat. My wallet. One of my phones. Extra ammo to for as many guns as I have with me. lol  Water bottle. Thermos with coffee.  When I'm really feeling froggy I'll strap my big tripod to the pack. Uff da!

Edited October 5, 2023 by cas

[Ncountry]

One day last year I packed my warm clothes in my pack so I was ready foer the morning (I normaly walk in with a light shirt on). Well thanks to my "friends" I happened to carry around an extra 12#s of gatorade that morning. lol.

It was nice of them to make sure I was hydrated.

[crappyice]

I clearly have a previously unknown fear of the dark. On my first hunt I found 1 flashlight in my pack, 1 head lamp in my pack, 1 flashlight in my vest and 1 headlamp in my vest, and yet another headlamp in a pouch I have secured to my climber, and of course 1 flashlight in my trunk....guess my wife and kids didn't borrow my lights and not return them after  all!!

[Otto]

I must have 5 headlamps, not including junk ones from Harbor Freight.  Dam if I know where a single one of them is.  Not in my pack, I know that! 

[Robhuntandfish]

9 hours ago, Otto said:

I must have 5 headlamps, not including junk ones from Harbor Freight.  Dam if I know where a single one of them is.  Not in my pack, I know that! 

Ever hunt with @crappyice?  

[cas]

14 hours ago, crappyice said:

I clearly have a previously unknown fear of the dark. On my first hunt I found 1 flashlight in my pack, 1 head lamp in my pack, 1 flashlight in my vest and 1 headlamp in my vest, and yet another headlamp in a pouch I have secured to my climber, and of course 1 flashlight in my trunk....guess my wife and kids didn't borrow my lights and not return them after  all!!

I have a multi function "emergency flashight" in my pack, and I put a headlamp in there as well.  Then I usually have a thin Streamlite in my pocket.   But then, I walk around with anywhere from 2 to 5 flashlights on my most days, depending on what time of year it is. (since two live in my winter coat)   I used to secretly laugh at a friend of mine who carried a flashlight everywhere, dismissing it as some of his "Tactical Timmie" behavior (which he truly is). But once I started, it was truly life changing.  I use it all day long and don't know how I lived without it. (especially now as the eyes are aging, I use it mush more) 

Edited October 5, 2023 by cas

[cas]

I also have "don't shoot me lights" that have on me walking in/out in the dark.  When I was younger I used them occasionally.  Then about 20+ years ago, I ran into my neighbors father in law walking down the road in the dark. He proceeded to tell my friend and I how there were two bucks up in the field across from the house a while ago, but it was too dark to shoot.   The two bucks were my friend and I.

So after that I started looking like a Christmas tree walking in and out. 

[crappyice]

3 hours ago, Robhuntandfish said:

Ever hunt with @crappyice?  

Not yet!!! But a hunt with @Otto (or preferably a meal!) is on my list!!!!