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Here is my list, in the order I forgot things last season. Each one comes with the gear that fixes it.
1. The tag
Left it on the kitchen counter. Drove 90 minutes. Drove 90 minutes back. Got to the trailhead as the sun came up and the other trucks were already parked. Now the tag lives in a dry bag, and the dry bag lives in the pack, and the pack goes in the truck the night before.
Dry Bag for Tag, License, and Phone
The tag goes in here, and the bag goes in the pack the night before. This is the whole system.
2. Rangefinder batteries
Mine uses a CR2. The gas station does not sell CR2s. Buy a spare and tape it inside the case.
Laser Rangefinder (1000+ yard)
Angle compensation matters more than max range. Most shots are inside 300. Most misses are from guessing.
3. The right glove
I had one glove. The left one. The right one was in a different jacket, which was in a different closet. The fix is not “be more organized,” the fix is gloves that live in the pack.
Fingerless Hunting Gloves with Mitten Flip
Warm hands until the moment you need a trigger finger. Buy a pair for the truck too.
4. Hand warmers
I remembered the hand warmers. I’d just used the last two on an October scouting trip. The 40-pack is the correct quantity. It feels excessive. It isn’t.
Hand Warmers, 40-pack
Cheap, light, and the difference between sitting still for three hours and going home at seven.
5. Something to sit on
A frozen log is not a chair. A closed-cell foam pad weighs nothing and turns three hours into five.
6. Game bags
I had no plan for what happened after. The animal was down, it was warm, and I had a pack and a knife and a lot of optimism. Game bags. Four of them. Light, washable, and they keep the meat clean on the walk out.
Game Bags, Set of 4 (synthetic)
Breathable, reusable, keeps the meat clean and the flies out. Pillowcases are a lie your uncle told you.
7. A sharp knife
Mine was “pretty sharp.” Pretty sharp is a lie you tell yourself in September. A replaceable-blade knife means it’s actually sharp every single time.
Field Dressing Kit with Replaceable Blades
A fresh blade for every animal. No more sharpening in the dark with cold hands.
8. Paracord and a small pulley
Dragging is for people who like back problems. Even a cheap pulley cuts the effort in half.
9. A headlamp with red mode
See the headlamp roundup. The one with green mode is the hunting pick.
10. Water
I packed a 20-ounce bottle for a full day. I am not sure what I was thinking. Two liters minimum, and a filter if you’re walking far.
11. The forecast
Checked it Thursday. Hunted Saturday. It snowed. Check it the morning of, and pack the rain shell even if the sky is clear, because the sky is a liar.
Good luck out there. Shoot straight, and check for your tag twice.
