Plenty of checklists online, which can be great if you have bearers to handle all the dead weight items. Some pro influencers use certain items, some hunters find their unique circumstances are improved. What a great majority of us miss out is having a sense of priority over some of it.
Like, how much ammo? If it's white tail deer, it just takes one shot, and much as I practice and do use standard capacity 30 round magazines, my state disallows them - ten in the mag maximum is the limit. After 45 years, I just use 5 round mags in my AR's, less dead weight. Whatever you take with you into the woods has to be packed out - and hauling it with a deer, too, gets strenuous.
Do I need a scope, binoculars, rangefinder, and spotting scope, too? In the day, a scope was the luxury, and if you had that, you ranged with it looking for deer. That's multipurpose, just don't do that with other hunters to check out their exotic camo or what old gun they have. That's what the binos are for. Yes, it's still an issue after all these years, nobody talks about it.
So, if some of the above isn't being carried, what is more important? In inclement weather, I vote for gaiters. For the neck, and for the boots. Keeping slush from going down your neck or wetting your boots helps a lot, trapping heat at the primary loss zone, the neck and head, and also keeping your feet warm with minimal weight with another layer - which is how you dress. Thin sweat resistanting skin layer, fluffy but porous insulation layer, then hard wind layer to stop heat loss. For most, wind is much worse. First day of season here will be 65 for a high, but also 14mph with gusts higher, and that creates heat loss equivalent to 50F. I won't really be spring like at all, it will be a cutting wind to fight.
As for food, it's usually best to take ready to eat in the field, with most of the packaging removed to cut down on noise. And pack out the container. This year I have two silicone waffle bottles, which aren't crinkly cheap plastic and collapse quietly. The hot coffee in its own thermos (even better with a sippy lid) and snacks in coat pockets where you can get to them.
We have to check in deer by cell phone now, I have that app loaded, a map, cloth tape measure, ink pen, zip tie, etc etc in a zip lock to keep it together. Every state is different but a lot of the administrivia is required. Better to have it collected not missing from which pocket did i put that in . . . .
I've seen a lot of changes in deer hunting over 45 years, and despite being told for decades which camo, which scent, which rifle, which ammo, and which side of a tree to sit against, I still see successful younger men in a orange hoody, white t shirt, jeans, and a lever action getting the job done. Kind of like the Amish, they must not have media to tell them how they are doing it wrong. Don't get bogged in the details, just get out there where the noise can subside and you can hear the foot steps. Oh, another armadillo. Oh well.
Like, how much ammo? If it's white tail deer, it just takes one shot, and much as I practice and do use standard capacity 30 round magazines, my state disallows them - ten in the mag maximum is the limit. After 45 years, I just use 5 round mags in my AR's, less dead weight. Whatever you take with you into the woods has to be packed out - and hauling it with a deer, too, gets strenuous.
Do I need a scope, binoculars, rangefinder, and spotting scope, too? In the day, a scope was the luxury, and if you had that, you ranged with it looking for deer. That's multipurpose, just don't do that with other hunters to check out their exotic camo or what old gun they have. That's what the binos are for. Yes, it's still an issue after all these years, nobody talks about it.
So, if some of the above isn't being carried, what is more important? In inclement weather, I vote for gaiters. For the neck, and for the boots. Keeping slush from going down your neck or wetting your boots helps a lot, trapping heat at the primary loss zone, the neck and head, and also keeping your feet warm with minimal weight with another layer - which is how you dress. Thin sweat resistanting skin layer, fluffy but porous insulation layer, then hard wind layer to stop heat loss. For most, wind is much worse. First day of season here will be 65 for a high, but also 14mph with gusts higher, and that creates heat loss equivalent to 50F. I won't really be spring like at all, it will be a cutting wind to fight.
As for food, it's usually best to take ready to eat in the field, with most of the packaging removed to cut down on noise. And pack out the container. This year I have two silicone waffle bottles, which aren't crinkly cheap plastic and collapse quietly. The hot coffee in its own thermos (even better with a sippy lid) and snacks in coat pockets where you can get to them.
We have to check in deer by cell phone now, I have that app loaded, a map, cloth tape measure, ink pen, zip tie, etc etc in a zip lock to keep it together. Every state is different but a lot of the administrivia is required. Better to have it collected not missing from which pocket did i put that in . . . .
I've seen a lot of changes in deer hunting over 45 years, and despite being told for decades which camo, which scent, which rifle, which ammo, and which side of a tree to sit against, I still see successful younger men in a orange hoody, white t shirt, jeans, and a lever action getting the job done. Kind of like the Amish, they must not have media to tell them how they are doing it wrong. Don't get bogged in the details, just get out there where the noise can subside and you can hear the foot steps. Oh, another armadillo. Oh well.
