Your hunting bag…

[WoodsieEC]

As my season draws to an end, I unpacked my backpack which I take hunting with me and was wondering what everyone else keeps permanently in theirs and was I missing any critical items?

My pack always has…
A water bladder
Sunblock
Small pack of wet wipes
Small pack of tissues
Disposable glasses/lense cleaners
Couple of plasters
Spare battery for rangefinder
Blue cable ties to mark animals
Knife
Bike multi tool
Short length of paracord
Pen/Marker

This excludes the usual items that are added/removed like snacks, ammo, caps, gloves, beanies, sunglasses.


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[Epsilon]

I also include at least one of those metalized foil emergency blankets.

[AK-Gunner]

A water bladder
Sunblock
Small pack of wet wipes
Small pack of tissues
Disposable glasses/lense cleaners
Couple of plasters
Spare battery for rangefinder
Blue cable ties to mark animals
Knife
Bike multi tool
Short length of paracord
Pen/Marker

- matches
- storm lighter
- fire starters
- compass
- map of the area
- CAT
- elastic classic polo wraps (meant for horses, but will help you walk when you twist your ankle or knee and have to walk back to the camp or car)
- tweezers for removing possible foreign objects from under your skin
- bright LED flashlight preferably with blinking mode
- yellow smoke grenade meant for airsofters (yes, you may have to be medevaced by a chopper and wearing hunting gear it's a bitch to find you in the bush)
- toilet paper in a waterproof bag
- spare Merinowool socks

If outside Finland:
- water purifier

[pre 64]

Depends on the hunt.
Some hunts....an orange in the pocket is all.

It feels like the older i get the more becomes the importance of planning and preparation.
Besides ammo , it sometimes feels like i carry more than what i did on a 3 week army patrol in Angola.

Anyway , a combo of the previous posts goodies , depending on the hunt and terrain and normally a copy of my hunting license and letter from land owner. I allways have a light weight , waterproof , fold up into nothing poncho in the bottom of my bag.

[treeman]

Not many will believe what is in my bag, Pe" Fourie calls it "Die Wonder Sakkie"

My hunting bag is a attachment for my shooting sticks to aid carrying around while keeping hands free, it is packed when food is in to a almost solid state. Most of the bags contents are "what if " items.

The small top compartment has a mini sharpening stone, tape measure, a mini torch, pen, paper and collapsible cup(for when I need to share my drink with some stranger)

The larger compartment below that has a length of cord, two hooks with handles for dragging animal, a set of miniature reading glass's, a packet of various pills, a lighter and spare ammunition.

The main bag has a 400 x 400 mm heavy plastic ground sheet to sit on when its all wet in the mornings(hate damp pants underwear), a gutted toilet roll, a spare knife,range of cable ties, a small role heavy duct tape, collapsible rod to remove stuck cartridges or bullet.Also a water proof disposable poncho, a mini beanie, and I forget some things right now. A few repair type items and a decent torch for tracking in the dark. There is also a compartment with surgical gloves and a carpet type knife with the blades that snap off to produce a new sharp edge (a must if hunting pig and W/Hog which blunt knives too quickly).
The top and easily accessible part of main compartment then has a 500 ml water, a container with solid foods, and a small container of sweets, also a shooting stick strap which holds shooting sticks across back if I ditch the bag at a point.There are also a half dozen yellow patch's 10 cm x 10 cm for marking a complex trail for others to follow and safety pins, a safety vest and another larger yellow square for if I ever walk in front or below of shooters, I pin it over my hunt hat. A pair of tweezers.

The out side of bag has a attached sun glass case with a pair of glare cutting glass's for when it is a into setting sun situation. There are also reusable zip ties that hold and highly compress the extra cold days extra clothing once the day warms up.

The strap has a knife and oil stone attached and the shooting sticks has a gut hook attached to them.

I have just added to above as I remembered stuff - hence the broken sentences, not willing to retype

20210829_204243 by David Frank Allen, on Flickr

20210829_204300 by David Frank Allen, on Flickr

[ady]

I don't know where you guys go hunting or for how long.

I don't have a hunting bag. I've never had a need for one.

I sometimes take the following. A camelbak, some snacks, knife and cell phone or radio. Maybe some binoculars and a jacket in the vehicle.

[treeman]

My bag mostly stays at vehicle, but if I need it I have almost anything in it. My bag how ever does go with me when I hunt other peoples hunts, where I get dropped some place in the morning and collected after dark type of hunt, then my bag is on my back.
But!!! as mentioned earlier it usually stays at some central point, usually the vehicle, only because its closer than going back to camp.
Saved many a hunt for someone that bag of goodies, especially the stuck case remover.

[AK-Gunner]

I don't know where you guys go hunting or for how long.

Usually in the forests and marshlands stalking elk, deer, fox, hare or birds, sometimes walking for 10 or more hours. You get hungry during the process so you might want to bring some food, usually wors and boiled eggs and something to make a fire with. You may hurt yourself four hour walk away from your bakkie, so better have what it takes to fix yourself well enough to get back on your feet. You'd better have a compass and a map since they don't run out of batteries and the terrain here may vary during one walk from almost impenetrable thicket to vast open areas with no obvious landmarks. And there's the thing called shadow loss (different from the telecommunications loss of signal) when you just can't tell where the sun is hence no knowledge of your bearings.

If you happen to get a fracture on your leg which is easy to happen in here with our sometimes rocky terrain, your movement stops right there. An open fracture may also call for a tourniquet, so better have that with you, not at the car. Hope you brought your cell phone with full battery so you can call for help, then you'll need a whistle I forgot to mention earlier to guide the search party to you, a smoke to pop if they sent a helicopter to pick the camouflaged you up, or the flashlight if it gets dark. It gets very cold here in the fall and early winter nights and you will not survive the night without proper extra clothing and a fire. Better get warm or get found before your hypothermic heart gives in.

It's not like British wing shooting when you walk ten yards from your Range Rover to the pillbox and start killing pheasants someone throws from behind a cover before you never getting your shiny boots dirty. There is such a place in here too where the lazy and rich may go experience the thrill of shooting birds bred to be shot by them, but that's not what I would call mainstream. Or even hunting by the definition of the Oxford English dictionary.

Depending on the place we hunt at we may also have opportunities to move with a car from multiple place to place, but usually it's one hunt - one walk and it may take the whole duration of the daylight. The bag is usually loaded for the worst case scenario, then you don't have to think about the contents where ever you go out to hunt.
When I hunt roe deer I don't take my back pack with me, I just step outside and the game is on

[treeman]

Usually in the forests and marshlands stalking elk, deer, fox, hare or birds, sometimes walking for 10 or more hours. You get hungry during the process so you might want to bring some food, usually wors and boiled eggs and something to make a fire with. You may hurt yourself four hour walk away from your bakkie, so better have what it takes to fix yourself well enough to get back on your feet. You'd better have a compass and a map since they don't run out of batteries and the terrain here may vary during one walk from almost impenetrable thicket to vast open areas with no obvious landmarks. And there's the thing called shadow loss (different from the telecommunications loss of signal) when you just can't tell where the sun is hence no knowledge of your bearings.

If you happen to get a fracture on your leg which is easy to happen in here with our sometimes rocky terrain, your movement stops right there. An open fracture may also call for a tourniquet, so better have that with you, not at the car. Hope you brought your cell phone with full battery so you can call for help, then you'll need a whistle I forgot to mention earlier to guide the search party to you, a smoke to pop if they sent a helicopter to pick the camouflaged you up, or the flashlight if it gets dark. It gets very cold here in the fall and early winter nights and you will not survive the night without proper extra clothing and a fire. Better get warm or get found before your hypothermic heart gives in.

It's not like British wing shooting when you walk ten yards from your Range Rover to the pillbox and start killing pheasants someone throws from behind a cover before you never getting your shiny boots dirty. There is such a place in here too where the lazy and rich may go experience the thrill of shooting birds bred to be shot by them, but that's not what I would call mainstream. Or even hunting by the definition of the Oxford English dictionary.

Depending on the place we hunt at we may also have opportunities to move with a car from multiple place to place, but usually it's one hunt - one walk and it may take the whole duration of the daylight. The bag is usually loaded for the worst case scenario, then you don't have to think about the contents where ever you go out to hunt.
When I hunt roe deer I don't take my back pack with me, I just step outside and the game is on

************************
Agreed my bag has everything from last lesson or I wish I had brought along in it. When I do not need it it is left at nearest point, but its so great when I need it.

[dammitgriff]

How much is too much to pack? And how do you pack out your quarry if you are miles (er, kilometers) from your vehicle and already loaded down with gear, especially if your hunts are done solo? And in high summer? What are the possible dangers of encountering predators that smell blood on the ground…or on you?