What would you pack for a day hunt?

[Snowboy]

I hunt the Madawaska Highlands in Ontario Canada. My guide day pack includes lunch plus sardines chocolate bars and a hydration bottle. I have a first aid kit a fire starting kit a folding saw an extra knife an emergency blanket a Garmin Rhino an extra radio a compass and map a whistle some nitrile gloves a bug net an extra 10 rounds of ammo 8 x 32 binos TP Kleenex hand sanitizer and cough drops a small ground sheet a flashlight with extra batteries and a headlamp a light weight raincoat an extra pair of dry mitts and this year a Spot X as I am old enough others worry about finding me. If I am still hunting I attach my hunting coat to the top of my guide day pack.
All this is surprisingly lightweight and allows me to put between 6 to 12 miles a day on in very hilly terrain.

 

[Kaptoe]

I day hunt like I am going to break my leg and have to survive for 3 days. Nearly a full pack. I don't bring a hatchet but might add that to the kit

 

[UplandFreak]

I have an Garmin Inreach. Communication, map, help. Nice tool. Spare batteries for everything.
You can plan on being comfortable, or surviving. It all depends on how much weight you want to pack.

I also pack the Inreach every trip. Peace of mind really.

 

[Mike Matteson]

Where are you headed. It's a mile or two. Don't need the kitchen sink. Rain Gear, boots, cloths to layer up or down. Knife for gutting. You can bone out the deer that would cut the weight down a great amount in coming back. some plastic bags for that. A stone for your knife. Rope 100 feet. Small First Aid Kit and a space blanket for cover. A sit pad to keep out out the cool or if it's wet. If you got a rifle you don't need a pistol. 2- Flashlight one hat mounted. extra batteries and you don't need a 5- D cell flashlight either. A very good day pack. Remember you are going out for day not a week or 2 or 3 days.
I hunt in weather that ranges from -20 to 35 degrees or so with winds. I use a very little woolen glove with a heaver pair for extreme weather. The woolen gloves dry out quickly and not a problem to get your finger into the trigger well to shot. Led covers for your scope, a balloon to cover the end of the barrel. One other thing marking tape to come back it needing help to get the animal out.
SSS
Mike

 

[DNADave]

In all seriousness, I bring the following in a daypack (30L or less in volume):

About 8 feet of TP in a ziplock baggy
1 travel pack of Charmin wipes (makes the TP last longer and can be used as hand wipes if needed)
Some individually wrapped hand wipes (the multi-packs can freeze solid. No bueno when that happens)
Snacks (kind bars, jerky/dried sausages)
Water bladder and water filter (PNW, there's always a stream nearby)
A space sleeping bag (space blanket in sleeping bag form)
Some plastic that can be used as a cover (piece of tyvek works great. Tarps take up too much room)
Spare ammo
Fire starter and dryer lint in a zip lock baggy with a silicon pack in it to keep it dry
Spare socks
Rain pants and shell
Binoculars
Shooting rest (tripod or sticks)
First aid kit with bandages and ace wrap
External battery for cell phone
Magazine or book
Extra shoelaces and some cord (about 20')
Bone saw, knife/knives, and sharpener
Meat sacks (I'm an optimist)
Compass
Topomap of area
Drop table for cartridge using that day
Rangefinder
Headlamp and extra flashlight

 

[John Klingenberg]

We saw a giant moose just off the shore at the point of a peninsula. The plan was they would drop me at off on the backside of the peninsula and I'd walk through and get the moose. They'd bring the boat around after the shot. I jumped out of the boat with just a few things on me. I worked my way through into the cove but no moose. I thought I'd work the woods a little. To my later discovery the coast wasn't truly north to south and the cove and peninsula swung way west. I ended up way inland the further North I went. I spent three days in coastal Alaska with the clothes on my back, a bic, a knife, and my rifle. I never ever leave the house without a small three day pack now. Alaska is an extreme. Some places you're surrounded by roads and traffic etc. But my experience and after attending the PAWS search and rescue school tells me it takes a lot of manpower to find someone in one square mile. Always bring the TP!

 

[Muddyboots]

Going any distance where you may pack something out I would strongly recommend trekking poles. They give you 4x4 capability when carrying a load, when you are tired to prevent unnecessary falls, slippery conditions, potential lower leg injuries can be overcome with them, plus can act as shooting sticks in pinch.

+1 on whistle that is designed for loudness and some are quite loud. Even when you are hurt you can usually get enough steam to blow it loud enough for someone to locate you.

2 compasses - I've broken one and glad I had backup!

Extra batteries

Small 5 minute flares can start a fire under ANY condition.

I prefer headlamps that have low power settings to save batteries when walking on known 2 tracks or well marked paths. Keeps your hands free to balance better with trekking poles!

I'd pick and choose from all the lists provided which are quite good in this thread.

 

[Wyowind]

You really don't need much for a day hunt, as long as you promise to not get lost, not break your ankle, not stay out after dark, not get out of cell phone range, not have any run-ins with a grizzly bear, not get caught in any bad weather, not cut yourself while field dressing your deer/elk, not run out of gas, not get a dead battery in your truck, not get your truck stuck in some nameless two-track, not go out in the wilderness without a good map and compass and GPS, not put your pack down somewhere it can't be found again, not run into Sasquatch, etc.

If you just eliminate those things, you don't need much more than a rifle, binoculars, a sharp knife, and what you can put in your pockets.

 

[MNbogboy]

Not sure I would include in Ok, but in a Western Mountain Hunt, always!



Wet wipes either regular or the expensive scent free ones if you so desire...

Most importantly, have a plan, share the plan, and stick to the plan. That way people know where to look for you...

The non-allergenic baby wipes are virtually scent free (no perfume). Cheap. Double baggie them in zip locks, they stay damp all season.

 

[hunter0528]

Baby Wipes. Better than TP and more useful, for many things

 

[Wyowind]

Of course some people might be better off taking a partner than anything else they might stuff into a daypack!

 

[cvixx]

Don't forget the Fritos! If you don't eat them, you can use them to start a fire. They do burn well.

That being said, my daypack usually carries a small med kit, sardines, the above mentioned Fritos, some candy, a length of rope, plastic poncho and emergency blanket, Esbit stove and spare heat tabs, metal cup, a couple of the accessory packages from MREs, 2 bottles full of water (I prefer the 3/4 liter plastic whiskey bottles, much stronger plastic), sheath knife, folder, GPS and compass and, of course, the TP or wipes. n Don't hunt as much as I used to, getting old. For a hunt I'd add a deer drag, stone, some of those long plastic gloves to keep the gore (including Al) off of me. Probably other stuff that doesn't come to mind right now.

 

[Wyowind]

I thought I might carry less stuff (and less weight) in my daypack as I got older. Instead I now find myself carrying more stuff, not less. Most of that additional stuff is there for a reason. Either because of a situation that I found myself in, or my friends found themselves in, or because of other bad situations that I became aware of after the fact.

If you have ever been in a serious jam, whatever gear saved your neck will be guaranteed to ride along in your daypack forever more!

 

[DSheetz]

Wyowind , how true your statement is . I was elk hunting south of Douglas and the guys were making fun of what I had in my pack until it got dark on us and we still had a couple of miles to go to the trail head and weren't sure our ride was there . We had some hot tea and summer sausage and a small fire to warm up with while we waited for our ride .