thinking through the basic hunting / camping equipment required

Grumpy

The Grumpy Grease Monkey mechanical engineer.
Staff member
I got asked

"what are the basic accessories or basic equipment Id need to go hunting,
other than a rifle ammo and a licence."

well obviously at least to me, theres a fairly long list of basic tools or clothing,
and for your safety and ease of getting game out of the field,
once you've dropped that deer or elk, or if you get injured or have car trouble , and to lessen individual travel expenses,
its a very good idea to hunt with one or two hunting partners

read through these linked threads,
keep in mind you'll need to keep warm, and dry , and you'll need the ability to feed your self and start a fire, you'll need a back pack that handles significant weight in gear and meat,comfortable, shoes or boots that give good support and traction,a hat with a wide brim too shade your eyes, a warm parka or jacket, and at night you'll need a warm sleeping bag and a 4 season tent! and the cutlery and maybe a few pots, a canteen or several water bottles, and food and game meat transport materials too, be able to dress out any game you kill and keep it cool until you can get it home.
I generally assume I may be out away from camp at least over night, if things go badly and youll want to be able to survive if the temp drops well below freezing or your caught in a hard rain storm at about 34 degrees



heres a quick memory jog list, for hunt day pack
(remember you might be forced to stay out over night, & weather is unpredictable)

skinning knife
(once the games down you will need to start processing its meat and removing entrails or the meat will rapidly spoil)
kukri
(
a decent size kukri in my opinion is much superior to a hatchet and while not ideal, can be used as a gutting and skinning blade, but it allows you to chop wood effectively also, and if you need to cut and build a tri pod to raise the game to dress it out a kukri is far better than a skinning blade)

compact blade sharpener
(
if your blade is not kept razor sharp your working far harder than you might other wise

compass & area topo maps
If you can,t maintain a good sense of dirrection and distance youll easily get lost or at least spend a great deal of time covering areas that you don,t need to
canteen
if your covering any distance, and expending physical effort you need to stay hydrated, you don,t need to spend a great deal, a 2 ltr soft drink bottle or maybe two, in your day pack will work

licences and area rule book

cell phone
(
emergencies do happen and rapid access to help is a huge benefit (pack a spare battery and/or solar charger)

several lighters and
several mil surplus trioxane heat tabs, in ziploc bags

having the ability to rapidly build a decent fire for heat and light might save your life

granola or chocolate bars similar to food/energy source

wide brim rain proof hat

keep the sun out of your eyes and rain or snow from running down your neck is almost mandatory

rain poncho
(getting wet in freezing temps can be lethal)

2 gallon zip lock bags
(keep gear, food, licences, lighter, knives from getting wet

small block & tackle hoist & rope(50 ft parachute cord)

youll appreciate one of you have large game down

spare ammo
you really should carry at least 15-20 cartridges, you have no idea what conditions youll encounter or how long youll be out away from a source of re-supply

heavy hoodie jacket & synthetic down, down vest
a poncho, light vest and jacket in your pack could easily be the difference between being miserable or reasonably comfortable

large plastic tarp
a lean-too as a make shift shelter can be very useful

meds you might need
aspirin
Oxycontin
lip chapstick
water purification tablets, or water filter/pump

GPS
pack of wetnaps
toilet paper
emergency food
on your belt
large knife or light tomahawk, or kukuri
the cold steel (TRAIL MASTER, or ( KUKRI) are good choices
canteen

anything that could get screwed up if you fall in a creek like medicine, licences, cell phones etc. gets double zip loc bagged

aussie.jpg

both pieces of equipment noticeably increase your ability to spot game.
ehg1.jpg


https://www.duluthtrading.com/mens-...MI3JG22I366AIVaQiICR3AygE7EAQYASABEgJ7W_D_BwE
btw adding a vest under a parka goes a long way toward keeping you significantly warmer
ehg2.jpg

a decent down vest and polar fleece hoodie under a parka sure helps on sub zero mornings
ehg3.jpg

comfortable insulated boots with good ankle support and an agreasive tread are nearly mandatory
the sharade woodsman
http://www.knifeoutlet.com/shop/10Expan ... e=SCH165OT

sch165ot.jpg


this is a darn good value in a skinning and dressing game knife

http://www.survival-gear-guide.com/schr ... inued.html

http://www.amazon.com/Schrade-Timer-Sha ... B000IE3ZKA



41K%2BebdPCEL._SL500_AA280_.jpg


now if your looking for a dirt cheap knife of above average quality for its price both of the knives above do a decent job, Ive used both for many years and while each has its good/bad features both are very handy, I prefer the woodsman by a slim margin as its a bit more useful in my opinion , but either will dress out deer or elk quite effectively
when combined with an ez-lap pocket diamond hone
EZLM.jpg


kukri2.jpg

Ive found this Kukri far more useful than a hatchet, for various
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/back-packs.2809/#post-72534
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/elk-hunting-tips.1095/page-2#post-82790
 
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Oxycontin .... trust me , if your 50-70 and back packing 50-90 lbs of meat out of some deep canyon,
that may be over a mile and several hundred to over a thousand feet difference in elevation,
having a few aleve, aspirin, and even a couple Oxycontin available is a huge help.
I generally have my doctor provide a prescription for about 20 tablets,
before every years hunt,or every other years hunt.
most years I only use a couple or less,
but if you feel like crap they take the edge off....

yeah, elk hunting , deep canyon country, is partly a masochistic endeavor
but Ive learned over decades that you can use your head and think through your options,
and one of those is not finding yourself with rather serious discomfort that can be lowered significantly.
its not like Ive got any tendency to become addicted, I've done that for 5 decades,
and most years of the 20-30 tablets maybe 3-5 get used on a 12-14 day hunting trip.
I don,t think thats the least bit unreasonable and I doubt any doctor that is prescribing you,
only 20-30 tablets every 2 years would be concerned either...
keep in mind if the pills are over two years old they get flushed as they loose potency,
Ive brought 12-15 tablets back to the doctor to show him a couple times that they were past the expiration date,
he knows I don,t abuse them, but like having a, parachute,a fire extinguisher or a spare tire,
if you need it you really need it
immediately.
yeah I understand some people are prone to being addicted, I don,t think thats an issue ... ,
I think its a personal issue some people have, like alcohol abuse,
I'm not much of an alcoholic either...
a quart of brandy or vodka can last several years in my house,
and a six pack of beer goes at least a couple weeks..
its not me, but the wife in most cases that may have one with dinner.
btw my doctor instructed me to drink at least one beer a day,
as I occasionally get kidney stones and he says a single beer a day may help flush kidneys some.
I joked with him..
saying a doctor prescribing , a patient, be told too drink a beer once a day must be rather odd......rare?
 
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Oxycontin .... trust me , if your 50-70 and back packing 50-90 lbs of meat out of some deep canyon,
that may be over a mile and several hundred to over a thousand feet difference in elevation,
having a few aleve, aspirin, and even a couple Oxycontin available is a huge help.
I generally have my doctor provide a prescription for about 20 tablets,
before every years hunt,or every other years hunt.
most years I only use a couple or less,
but if you feel like crap they take the edge off....

yeah, elk hunting , deep canyon country, is partly a masochistic endeavor
but Ive learned over decades that you can use your head and think through your options,
and one of those is not finding yourself with rather serious discomfort that can be lowered significantly.
its not like Ive got any tendency to become addicted, I've done that for 5 decades,
and most years of the 20-30 tablets maybe 3-5 get used on a 12-14 day hunting trip.
I don,t think thats the least bit unreasonable and I doubt any doctor that is prescribing you,
only 20-30 tablets every 2 years would be concerned either...
keep in mind if the pills are over two years old they get flushed as they loose potency,
Ive brought 12-15 tablets back to the doctor to show him a couple times that they were past the expiration date,
he knows I don,t abuse them, but like having a, parachute,a fire extinguisher or a spare tire,
if you need it you really need it
immediately.
yeah I understand some people are prone to being addicted, I don,t think thats an issue ... ,
I think its a personal issue some people have, like alcohol abuse,
I'm not much of an alcoholic either...
a quart of brandy or vodka can last several years in my house,
and a six pack of beer goes at least a couple weeks..
its not me, but the wife in most cases that may have one with dinner.
btw my doctor instructed me to drink at least one beer a day,
as I occasionally get kidney stones and he says a single beer a day may help flush kidneys some.
I joked with him..
saying a doctor prescribing , a patient, be told too drink a beer once a day must be rather odd......rare?
Yeah I was reading up on Oxycotin last night.
Sakler family in NY are Billionares from it.

When my Bud Bill was dying he was prescribed Oxycotin.
Liquid oral form.
I was given the Job of getting and Delivering it to him safe.
I had every low life POS wanting his Meds.
More than once I punched the Corvette to 140-150 to shake them.
He got his Oxycotin of course Bill.
 
think through your options CAREFULLY, you need to stay warm and dry as much as possible
you can easily spend many hundreds of dollars MORE THAN it should and more than what's required







 
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