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Serious hunting is a gear-intensive business that sometimes requires several dozens of items. That’s why Gritr Outdoors, an outdoor and sporting goods store, has prepared a comprehensive list of hunting supplies to prepare your hunt pack for your upcoming adventure. The checklist can be helpful to both first-time hunters who simply can’t know everything in advance and more experienced hunters thinking about expanding their gear sets.
Hunting Clothing and Footwear
Simply wearing camo clothing doesn’t immediately lead to guaranteed success. There are other aspects that can be even more important than camouflage, such as movements you make, noises you produce, wind direction, and your smell. But hunting camo clothing is not only about patterns that aid in blending you in with the surroundings, particularly if you’re into bowhunting that implies close ranges. It’s also about comfort, warmth, and features like scent blocking, stretchy fabric, breathability, water-resisting and wind-deflecting membranes, a system of deep, zippering pockets, and others.
It doesn’t matter if you choose to go with solids or branded camo clothing. You should build a clothing system that adjusts for changing weather conditions. A typical system of hunting clothes consists of three layers. The base layer is a garment (short- or long-sleeve hunting shirts and long johns) with the good sweat-wicking capability to keep you dry. The mid-layer (fleece jackets, hoodies, and pullovers) is optional and multipurpose, serving as an outer layer for warm weather or an inner layer for cold weather. The outer shell layer (hunting jackets, vests, and pants) is your protection against the elements.
Also, don’t forget about other clothing accessories. Winter hunting gloves will prevent your hands from stiffening up, and a hat will keep your head warm. Spring turkey hunts require thin gloves and balaclava because birds have great eyesight. Hunting waders are a must-have for waterfowl hunting.
As for hunting boots, keep it simple. Choose stiff, supportive boots for mountain hunting and flexible, light boots for flat country hunting. Pack an extra pair of socks just in case.
Hunting Optics
Binoculars. Binoculars are the most versatile of optics instruments. A bino with an 8x or 10x magnification is ideal for spotting and continuous observing at short and medium distances. The objective lens diameter of 42mm is ideal for low-light conditions because it allows binos to be compact and transmit more light.
Spotting Scope. It’s far less portable than binoculars and requires a tripod, but if you hunt on open terrains, you want optics that glasses targets at long distances.
Rangefinder. It’s a must-have hunting gear for both bowhunters and rifle hunters because it displays the actual distance to the target and can calculate the angle-compensated distance needed to deliver your shot where it belongs. Premium hunting rangefinders connect to the manufacturer’s ballistics app, where you can manipulate all your data.
Hunting Aids
Game Calls / Decoys. These two pieces are essential stand-style hunting equipment because they help attract animals to the range. While decoys are used for hunting birds (ducks, geese, turkeys, and doves), a game call is a universal tool. They vary from simple friction turkey calls to handheld reed duck calls to complex elk calling systems that include a mouth call and a bugle tube. E-calls are an option when you need to take the sound source away from your spot.
Scent Eliminator. Bird hunters can skip it. Scent-eliminating sprays and liquids are recommended for hunters harvesting deer, coyotes, elk, and other mammals with a developed sense of smell.
Wind Checker. Wind data from a weather app won’t help you in the field because wind currents change direction all the time, and you need to be aware of where your scent goes. Wind checkers are usually bottles that you squeeze to disperse the unscented powder.
Doe Estrous. Hunters seeking ways to increase their potential for successful deer harvesting use doe estrous sprayed on a scent drag that you attach to your body and trail it to your stand location.
Comfort Enhancers
Buttpad. Waiting for an animal to enter your range can be a lengthy process, and if you have to stand all this time, that’s not fun. An inflatable seat cushion will make you comfortable when waiting, resting, or glassing.
Flashlight / Headlamp. A hand-held flashlight is a must-have for any outdoor trip. It’s helpful for spotting and illuminating distant objects. A headlamp, on the other hand, is intended to illuminate things near you. Besides, it frees your hands to do other tasks. Don’t forget to pack extra batteries.
Pull-up Rope. Many accidents occur when climbing into or out of a tree stand because of bows and firearms interfering with movements. A piece of pull-up rope will help you climb safely and then lift the gear.
Hanger. When the gear is on a treestand, you need something to hang it on to free your hands for operating calls, optics, or having a snack.
Rain Gear. Your rain gear set should include a pack rain cover and a rain suit.
Sunglasses. Glassing a deer through binoculars or aiming can be uncomfortable in sunglasses, but they will protect your eyes when waiting and resting.
Kill Kit
Hunting Knife (and a Knife Sharpener). It’s pretty obvious why a hunter needs a knife. Besides field dressing, you can slice food, cut branches and ropes, defend yourself, and so on.
Game Bags. These are essential pieces of deer hunting gear if you plan to break down an animal in the field. They will keep your meat clean, cool, and out of bugs and larva.
Paracord. This is a general-purpose tool. Typically, experienced hunters bring several ropes or paracords that differ in thickness. You can use one for hanging meat bags, dragging an animal, or mending your gear.
Field-Dressing Gloves. Rubber gloves will keep your hands out of blood and guts when field-dressing.
Deer Drag Harness. When a shot is placed a bit improperly, a deer or a similar-sized game animal can run away a bit and then drop in a place where field-dressing is troublesome. In such a case, you need trail markers to tag your entry and exit routes and a harness to drag an animal out to a place where field-dressing is not encumbering.
Bone Saw. This tool will help you cut through bones and joints.
Archery Tools
Some archery-related gear to pack in addition to the mentioned items includes a spare release (in case you drop one while on a treestand), string wax, and spare nocks.
Food, Water, Survival Gear, & Personal Items
Hunting often implies high-calorie expenditure. That’s why you need to stay energized. Pack some calorically-dense snacks and water in amounts that will keep you hydrated. Hunters often use hydration bladders that allow sipping water through the tube.
Survival gear includes water purification pills, a multitool, waterproof matches or a lighter, fire-starting sticks, a GPS (actually, a feature-rich GPS unit can be quite helpful during hunts thanks to such functions as a compass, 2-way radio, realistic maps, trail marking, and others), a warm blanket, bear spray, duct tape, and first aid kit. Personal items may include toilet paper, a urine bottle (for treestand and blind hunters), wet wipes, a recharger, and sunscreen.
We hope your preparation will come easier with our list of must-have hunter supplies. Good hunting, and stay safe.
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This content is brought to you by Randy Hankins.
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