Hunting brings a lot of benefits both directly to you and to the environment at large. A long hunting weekend can be a lot of fun and reap these benefits and more. However, the line between fun and stressful is often packing everything you need properly. Here, we’re going to take a look at everything you should bring on your next long hunting weekend.
Camping Gear
As you’re looking to go on a multi-day hunt, you’re going to be spending multiple nights in the wilderness. This is going to require you to pack all of the gear that you would need to pack if this were only a camping trip.
You’ll need a tent, as well as a sleeping bag or camping mattress. You’ll also need to bring pans, utensils, and fire starting materials for cooking food. Take the time to calculate how much food you’ll need to bring, and pack a cooler large enough to accommodate that amount.
Many hunters get caught up in the idea of “roughing it” and fail to bring personal hygiene items with them on their hunt. You won’t want to forgo packing these items only to get to your campsite and wish you had them. Bring any personal hygiene products you want and remember to grab any medications you need while you’re packing.
This is not an exhaustive list of camping gear, so be sure to do more research on what to bring. It may seem worth it to skip on some items to keep your pack light, but this will only serve to make you less comfortable during your trip.
Extra Ammunition
The last thing you want is to find yourself out of ammunition with a day left in your hunt. Take the time to calculate how much ammunition you think you may need, factoring in the potential that you may do some target shooting on your trip. It’s a good idea to bring more ammunition than you think you’ll need, for each of the firearms you’re packing.
A Properly Sighted Scope
It’s every hunter’s dream that a legal game animal will happen to walk right by their blind. Sadly, this dream typically stays a dream. More often than not, you’ll be shooting at a target from a significant distance, rather than close range. Shooting from a long distance based on eyesight is difficult, but using a scope makes it significantly easier. You’ll want to make sure that your scope is properly sighted, but this is not an issue and takes only a few minutes.
First-Aid Kit
A well-stocked first-aid kit is going to be crucial for a hunting trip. It’s okay to buy a premade kit, as long as it has the items that you would need in the event of an emergency. You should have a kit with the standard wound dressings, splints, and ointments used to treat common injuries. The Red Cross has a checklist for anything you might need in a comprehensive first-aid kit.
It’s important to remember that a first-aid kit can be fairly useless without the knowledge of how to use the items inside. Consider taking a basic first-aid course or reading up on the treatment of basic injuries, so that you will be prepared in the event of an emergency. It may fall on you to save your friend’s life, so it’s better to be prepared for anything that may happen.
Proper Identification
Because there are legal restrictions surrounding hunting, it is important to keep the proper identification with you at all times. This will include a photo ID, as well as a valid hunting license. If you come across a game warden without the proper identification, you may find yourself in some serious trouble.
Because the weather is often unpredictable, it is possible that your hunting license or other documents could get wet in the rain. Laminating your documents would keep them protected from water or tears, and is quite easy to do. It’s better to be prepared for bad weather than to see that your hunting license has been destroyed by water damage when you need it most. This is also a good idea for any maps you bring.
Tags and Bags
You’re going to need legal tags in the event that you make a kill. A tag is a permit that gives the hunter the right to harvest one animal, typically big game such as antelope or elk. The tag must be affixed to the animal immediately after it is killed. You’ll need to fill out the tag with any of the required information, as soon as it’s tagged. This will save you from getting into any trouble if you come across a game warden with a blank tag.
Game bags are going to be another necessity for the trip. Bring enough bags to correspond with the number of tags in your group. Game bags come in a variety of sizes, from big enough to hold the full animal to small enough to hold quartered game. The size of the bag you choose will be dependent on how far the meat will need to be carried back to camp. It’s easier to break the kill into manageable sizes for a long trek, so keep this in mind when purchasing bags.
Clothing
As with any camping trip, you’ll need to dress appropriately for the weather. Choose items that will retain heat, without making you overheat. Because you’ll be hunting, you may consider choosing garments in camouflage so that game animals cannot see you.
You must remember to bring at least one article of clothing in blaze orange. There will likely be other hunters in the area when you’re on your trip. It’s possible that someone may see your movement in the woods, assume its a target, and shoot in your direction. Wearing blaze orange will alert other hunters that you are a human and prevent them from shooting in your direction.
Multi-day hunts require a fair amount of planning to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. When all of the planning is done and all the gear packed, it will finally be time to set off for the campsite. It may seem a bit overwhelming at first but all of this planning will be worth it when you’re out in the wilderness enjoying a great hunt.