What would you pack for a day hunt?

[MNbogboy]

You seriously carry a spare tire? Man up! Don't get a flat and you won't need a spare. How about a spare transmission? Shoot, man, by the time you're done, you might as well pull a 5th wheel with a shop. You city drivers amaze me.

What's more important out west is load range E tires. If you fall in a deep slimy rut laced with sharp rock those extra plys on the side walls might save you. You probably won't need a spare if you stay on the black top. I certainly wouldn't go anywhere without a spare and that includes any trailer I pull. Trouble is nowadays a lot of young guys don't know how to change a tire safely.

 

[DSheetz]

I got some tires that were supposed to be 8 ply side walls . I slid side ways on a hill side on some snow and ice , and hit a rut both tires on the down hill side popped off the rim . I was only ten miles from town but sure was glad to have my small air compressor . Only had them for two days and didn't have them at the end of that day . I kept , and still do , plugs to get me to town if needed . I don't know where some of the big nails come from out there .

 

[MNbogboy]

Yes, forgot to mention the plugs & small compressor....have plugged many a hole on the vehicle and never did have to change them. Might be easier to teach than tire changing...lol

Tool kits included normal mechanics tools & jumper cables. We changed out & repaired a muffler in the mountains north of Martindale, Mt.....you can never be too prepared.

Will need a stronger pack-frame to get all we take on a day trip away from camp!..

Over the years have stopped & helped many hunters in distress. Gave a guy the spare tire from my 1959 Ford once. Helped a lost hunter from Florida in Wisconsin once who had walked many miles the wrong way on a power line in the dark through swamps. He collapsed when he reached my camp. We drove him back to where DNR searchers had set up their base camp looking for him.
Changed 4 tires for a kid from Toronto while traveling across ND one time. He didn't have a jack.

Yep you never can be too prepared but certainly can be underprepared.

 

[Don A Parsons]

Me too !!!

I enjoy this thread since it offers ideas,,, no one is telling others what to do,,, only ideas and suggestions... of course I read all threads this way...

I'm adding a few things to my packing...

There are a few folks that go missing once in a while,,, kind of a crappy situation when the temperatures drop below freezing,,, especially if their not prepaired to stay a night or 2...

A few lbs of just incase or nothing...

I shared this on another thread of a fellow that went ulta light hunting for the day with 3 bullets... thats it...

He dropped into the lower valley on a sheep hunt and found him self in the thickest of buck brush surounded by a pack of 7 to 9 wolves,,, they were working him until he let a shot go,,, he got a duster shot on 1 wolf with his second shot...

1 bullet and the pack was still on him,,, he yeld and attacked them enough times to scare them off...

It was the most fear he has ever felt in his 30 + years of hunting,,, now his ulta light hunting is the belt of 20 bullets...

Very rare he said,,, I agree,,, then there is the what if's,,, and could it happen...

I don't know,,, nor do I want to find out...

The Rocky Mountain Range has its share of non friendly critters,,, I'm not going to test it my self...

Don

 

[Bwana Barry]

I've previously posted what I normally take in mine back on page 1 maybe 2 . But to all those who are on the don't take nothing more than a knife and gun one quick question . Do you carry a spare tire in your vehicle? It's kinda the same thing . Not trying to start an argument but just saying

In S Africa - two spare tyres.

 

[flyguy1]

I really don't know about all you City Hunters. You all take every comfort of home you can carry. I'm not sure how many thousands of miles I've walked in the mountains bu I've NEVER needed 90% of the stuff you guys can't leave home without. When I camp I don't take that much Crap with me. baby wipes, hand Sanitizer, walking sticks, bug spray, 2 flashlights, 2 & 3 knives, sharpening stones, saws, tents, tarps, 100' of Rope, Books, OMG people you are going on a Day Hunt, I've lived off Grid with less stuff than you all want to pack with you on a day Hunt. do you guys have to take your wives with you to cook too?

Not to cook no, but those double down bags are sure snuggly

 

[Alex Wheeler]

I have found I can fit everything I need for a day hunt in the mountains in my bino harness. Binos, rangefinder, headlamp, flashlight, knife, fire starter, few extra rounds of ammo, couple hand warmers and my tag. I have used this setup for a few years now and love it.

 

[flyguy1]

As an "oh by the way" before you put too much stock in space blanket, try it out on a cold day first. After carrying one for years I did and was surprised. Blocked the wind, but so would have an industrial-sized trash bag which costs almost nothing and is way tougher. Both will not breathe and get you damp in short order. A good breathable bivy bag while pricey weighs only a pound and if you do have to spend an unexpected night out is good insurance. Outdoor Research Helium Bivy is a good one but there are many. YMMV and like anything else on the internet I'm sure someone died while using it etc etc.

 

[sp6x6]

In SA The PH was running late to get me from stand bow hunting.I walked back about 3 miles in dark.I got a real *** chewing.Like remember those leopard bait we have out.And this isnt MT,showed me off main paved road where bus driver got out for relieve and a leopard ate him.Guess it better to be lucky than good

 

[MNbogboy]

I have found I can fit everything I need for a day hunt in the mountains in my bino harness. Binos, rangefinder, headlamp, flashlight, knife, fire starter, few extra rounds of ammo, couple hand warmers and my tag. I have used this setup for a few years now and love it.

When I go "light" in WI & MN that's about what I take with the addition of a few snacks & gatorade. If I get lucky and bag something I walk back 1 - 2 miles to the truck, shed some clothes & heavier gear ( including my rifle ) I return with a game cart or sled and more gatorade....in my late late 60s and it's getting tougher.
Out west I have a bigger pack & bone my game so I'm loaded down with fillet knives, sharpener, game bags, paper towels, meat tarp, bone saw for any keeper antlers etc.
Even made a folding cart (approx. 4 lbs. & 6" wheels) that fits in my pack for flat prairie pulls but have not yet had a chance to try it.

 

[George Dean]

I am also in MN and have found that the wolves will beat the CO to the bones every time.

Is that considered poaching?

 

[Quintus]

No, I guess I have actually never read the line in the regs about carcass being litter if you dress it on site. Most hunt camps dress their deer and dump their ribs and spines out in the woods. The wolf comment was just a frustrated jab at the mis-guided introduction of wolves, the further misguided management of wolves, and the fact that the complete disappearance of Minnesota moose is blamed on climate change. We are expected to believe the 7,000 wolves have nothing to do with it. Sorry for the hi-jacking. I'm better now.

 

[zog]

I have found I can fit everything I need for a day hunt in the mountains in my bino harness. Binos, rangefinder, headlamp, flashlight, knife, fire starter, few extra rounds of ammo, couple hand warmers and my tag. I have used this setup for a few years now and love it.

If you put all that in your bino harness, where do you put your binos? (Real question, not a wisecrack)

 

[MNbogboy]

No, I guess I have actually never read the line in the regs about carcass being litter if you dress it on site. Most hunt camps dress their deer and dump their ribs and spines out in the woods. The wolf comment was just a frustrated jab at the mis-guided introduction of wolves, the further misguided management of wolves, and the fact that the complete disappearance of Minnesota moose is blamed on climate change. We are expected to believe the 7,000 wolves have nothing to do with it. Sorry for the hi-jacking. I'm better now.

You are right on. Actually you can dump a carcass on private land. I always dump mine 100 yards from the house & every winter the coyotes clean up & scatter the bones.
Where we hunt on public land in the superior national forest the wolves have decimated populations in some areas. The deer seek refuge near private cabins around a lot of the lakes.
The USFS & USDA collaborated to propagate the wolf packs in the early to mid 70s. They never were endangered in MN. But they also transplanted them to WI, Yellowstone Park and other places. Bad move with some serious anti-gun overtones. The Canadian wolves we have here are not native to the West where they have run rampant. The wolves out there are partly/mostly responsible for the complete EXTINCTION of the last mountain Caribou in the lower 48. You won't hear that on the "fake news".
The MNDR also did mention that the wolves were at least partially responsible for the moose decline.
Every time these young liberal "tree huggers" do something it ends up in catastrophy.
End of my rant (not really).

Sorry for the hijack! (Not really).