Day hunt pack essentials
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: JW
18-Jul-20
What’s in everyone’s packs on day hunts? What do you never leave camp without??? Let’s hear em!
From: JohnMC
18-Jul-20
Toilet Paper
From: JW
18-Jul-20
Got that and baby wipes!
From: JohnMC
18-Jul-20
Extra Toilet Paper
From: LINK
18-Jul-20
Wipes, water, a snack, kill kit, first aid kit, lighter, rain gear, head lamp, calls, battery bank, compass. I might be missing something but that’s basically all that’s in my daypack. I have thrown in a sleeping bag in case I want to spike out over night. I’ve spent a night spiked out with just a space blanket and I won’t do that again. I would absolutely not leave without wipes, water and the kill kit, I suppose everything else is negotiable.
From: Rock
18-Jul-20
Tags and licenses, paracord, game bags, extra tab, sharpener for touching up broadheads, headlamp, camera and phone
From: Norseman
18-Jul-20
Rain gear or contractor bag, fire starter & lighters. Water filtration.
From: JTreeman
18-Jul-20
All the above I think, plus I always have a mini-tripod and little Bluetooth remote for my IPhone. Just in case I actually kill something and want to take a hero pic. Makes it WAY easier when by yourself.
—Jim
From: JW
18-Jul-20
i just ordered one yesterday Jim.
From: welka
18-Jul-20
Good ole compass for when you get too far or deep and no signal for gps/phone, immodium, lots of water, spare flash light, etc, etc, Most probably have their own "checklist" and we amend ours every year. Good luck
From: txhunter58
18-Jul-20
Packable rain gear, a flashlight and always take a real compass.
Don’t ever, ever leave your truck wothout rain gear. It might be a warm sun shiny day and a buck or bull runs across the road in front of you... But you follow; shoot and wound, track for a mile and finally find him! Now it is staring to rain and getting dark an you don’t have A light or your rain gear!
From: txhunter58
18-Jul-20
From: Norseman
18-Jul-20
Amen to that!
From: WapitiBob
18-Jul-20
I haven't been anywhere in the USA where my phone gps didn’t work.
From: txhunter58
18-Jul-20
Like I said, be sure and always carry a real compass, as a backup for technology. I have a gps/compass watch, but I don’t bet my life that it will always work.
From: Paul@thefort
18-Jul-20
All of the above and EXTRA BATTERIES FOR HEAD LIGHT. SPOT MESSENGER.
From: Aspen Ghost
18-Jul-20
Benadryl, map. I carry a small piece of plastic cut from a trash bag in case the ground is wet and I want to sit.
From: Wan2bMountainman
18-Jul-20
Super glue! Lighter than duck tape and can be used on injuries or for gear repair.
From: Castle Oak
19-Jul-20
A small flask of my favorite brown libation just in case I get snake bit or need a touch to celebrate a kill.
From: DanaC
19-Jul-20
A fleece vest takes up little space but can buy you a lot of 'core' warmth if the weather chills. A pair of light gloves, ditto. Depending on time of year, spare socks (and a couple of bread wrappers) can be a blessing. Small headlamp to back up the flashlight in my pocket. Plus the 'essentials' listed above.
From: JL
19-Jul-20
Alot of good items above. To me...along with some of the above, it would make sense to build up a pack with survival for several days in mind. A knife is your most important survival tool...I have two....a skinner and a leatherman. A small signal mirror would be handy. Next would be a real small med kit with some aspirin, anti-histamine, pain reliever..etc, alcohol wipes, tweezers, maybe a band aide or two. I also carry a folding hand saw for cutting bones or in case I have to make a shelter...which I've done before in the mountains during a windy snowstorm. If you're going real remote a space blanket that has one side in international orange so you can be seen from the air easier. Some twine/line for duel use of field dressing or making a shelter.
I suppose when it's finished you want a pack that is as light as possible yet packed with essentials. How much would that weigh?? I've weighed full packs for a caribou hunt flight but never day packs. Anyone ever weigh their day packs?
From: Graveyard
19-Jul-20
Along with the items already mentioned I carry a few small plastic canisters of cotton balls coated with vasoline. Works great for starting fire when dry stuff is tough to find
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Jul-20
From: Lost Arra
19-Jul-20
ground hunter: I'm a corn nut guy too but never again in the elk woods. Busted a molar on one in the San Juan Wilderness.
From: Jaquomo
19-Jul-20
I carry a prepackaged survival kit everywhere. Sits in the bottom of whatever pack I'm carrying at the time, even summer scouting and fishing.
A must-have is a mini flashlight to change batteries on the headlamp. Try doing that sometime in the pitch black and you'll understand.
From: welka
19-Jul-20
Not necessary for single day, but if you are going to be in for a couple, another is "tooth cap paste" just in case you break a tooth on a granola bar or peanut, etc. As big a a thimble from Walgreens.
From: W
19-Jul-20
Two flashlights and an extra release.
From: JCarrowthem
19-Jul-20
Forest, What type of pack is that? I'd like to look in to it Thanks
From: JohnMC
19-Jul-20
No one said Leukotape. Always keeps some wrapped around a lighter.
From: HoytHntr4
20-Jul-20
I don't think I've seen 550 cord mentioned, always handy to have some in the pack for multiple uses
From: 76aggie
20-Jul-20
Toilet paper, fire starter, headlamp, minimal 1st aid kit and rain gear are my basic essentials when hunting around home. I do bring more when on an away from home hunt in the real boonies.
From: maxracx
20-Jul-20
All the above plus a half a doz zip ties. Sorry if mentioned before.
From: APauls
20-Jul-20
Probably about everything most people take on a 3 day bivy lol....
From: IdyllwildArcher
20-Jul-20
A day pack? Tags, food, water, game bags, head lamp, cell phone, rain gear if it's in the forecast. Usually TP, but not always. I still can't believe so many guys use baby wipes. If you have so much butt hair that you need baby wipes to clean up, then you need to remove said hair.
I bring the stuff people mentioned on an overnight trip.
And I do have a mini compass attached to my pack, but I don't think I've ever had to use it.
From: Destroyer350
20-Jul-20
I cant believe no one mentioned "napping gear". Mid day naps are the best part of elk hunting! Bring a thermarest z seat or cut up a z lite so you can keep yourself off the ground and out of the sap.
From: razorsharp
20-Jul-20
Didn't see any tracking materials. Reflective tape/clips for night and extra TP or some paper towel for daytime blood trail marking. I also have a military tourniquet for WORST case scenarios.
From: Z Barebow
20-Jul-20
I know Lou referenced this, spare light/headlamp.
A few years ago, I was hiking back to camp in rain/snow mix. I missed a turn and was temporarily “misplaced “ (bear in mind this was a brutal day and I was already exhausted). Still a couple of miles from camp, and the headlamp went out. Not batteries. Just snap and it was dark. With rain and cloud cover, it was dark dark. How do I find the spare headlamp? I used the backlight from my GPS to find it in my pack. (No phone at the time) Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
From: Z Barebow
20-Jul-20
From: Norseman
22-Jul-20
Amen to that!
From: chukarchump
22-Jul-20
Depends on how far the season has progressed. I hunt all season long and my daypack always starts out more complete at the beginning and by the end I am carrying water, a snack, TP and my knife. Sad but true, lol.
