Essential Hunting Gear Checklist: Make Your First Hunt Successful

Being well-prepared for your first hunt is essential to declare the day a total success! Even though various hunting trips call for different equipment, there are a few items that you should never leave home without. While there’s the obvious stuff like your license, the following hunting gear will help keep you safe and comfortable and allow you to enjoy your hunt even more.

Hunting Backpack

You may have all the gear in the world but without an appropriate backpack, you may miss packing all the important items that could perhaps save your life out there in the wild. Therefore, browsing the range of high-quality hunting bags and finding one that will provide enough space for you to store your gear is of vital importance when preparing for your first hunt.

Of course, since hunting requires you to spend time outside, in conditions ranging from sunshine to rain and even snow, it’s important to find a backpack that’s weather-resistant and waterproof. Additionally, a bag that offers enough compartments for organisation will keep all your possessions secure, ensuring that nothing is lost when you stuff them inside.

The style of hunting bags can vary greatly. There are contemporary variants of the backpack as well as the classic design that you would wear while hiking through the woods. However, when looking for a decent hunting backpack check the measurements on the packaging to make sure you order the appropriate size for yourself. You can always look online for assistance if you don’t know how to measure yourself.

You’ll probably use a hunting pack for a very long time, which is a good justification for investing in something of quality. Being made of durable and easy-to-maintain materials, professional hunting backpacks are a worthwhile investment as they’ll look brand new for many years to come so you won’t need to buy a new pack every season, leaving you space to invest in some other type of hunting equipment.

Hunting Clothing

Hunters are frequently and seriously at risk from the weather. At temperatures as high as 40 degrees, hypothermia can occur when your body loses heat more quickly than it creates it, causing your core body temperature to drop.

Investing in quality rain gear is one of the best methods to safeguard yourself from hypothermia. A good rain suit will reduce sweating by providing adequate ventilation, which will also stop moisture produced by the body from getting trapped.

Another great way for controlling moisture when hunting is to wear base layers. Base layers help keep your skin dry by wicking sweat away from the body. There are many different base layer textiles, including natural fibres like merino wool or silk, synthetic fibres like polyester and nylon, and others. Some hunting clothing companies specialise in base layers with extra durability and scent-blocking properties.

As a novice, the least important piece of hunting clothing that comes to your mind is socks but it’s one of the essential ones! Why? Because you will be able to move around freely and comfortably in any weather if you keep your feet dry and in good condition. Avoiding cotton is the first piece of advice when wearing socks while hunting. Having socks that remove moisture, offer protection and warmth, and prevent blisters will pay off during your hunt, just like a crucial base layer.

Essential Navigation

Hunting is popular because it allows us to spend time outside and return home, but thousands of Australians get lost in the woods each year. It’s critical to be fully aware of your current location, your destination, and any potential terrain you may encounter. Traditional navigational tools like a map and compass have long been considered essential, but only when used correctly by the hunter. Sadly, not enough people are taught how to orienteer these days.

The traditional paper map and compass have essentially been replaced by hunting GPS devices. Although they come in a wide range of prices and features, GPS systems have helped many hunters find outdoor navigation to be fairly simple and affordable.

On the other hand, using a hunting app on your smartphone instead of a GPS device is a quicker and more affordable alternative. Even if you don’t have cellular coverage, you’ll be able to utilise all layers and tools, access your position, save Waypoints, and use offline maps. Moreover, the latest hunt apps even feature 3D maps to give you a better sense of the terrain.

Visual Aids

Having decent visual aids while hunting is a must! While a rangefinder for determining shot distance and a spotting scope and tripod for seeing far hillsides are good haves, it’s crucial to have a reliable pair of binoculars to be able to evaluate your target and the surrounding area before firing a shot.

The best pair of binoculars for hunting will rely on your desired level of magnification and your ability to carry a certain amount of weight. Your demands could be met by anything from the smaller 832 to the 1556 binoculars. Depending on the type of hunt and the hunting region, accessories like a bino tripod or bino harness could also be useful.

Emergency Supplies

Never leave the house without an emergency supply. They are equally crucial to have with you as any other clothing item or piece of equipment. Take the following items as the absolute bare minimum you should consider having with you in case of emergency:

· Water and a system for purifying it – UV filter and iodine tablets.

· High-calorie foods with 40 per cent carbs, 30 per cent protein and 30 per cent fats.

· Space blanket or emergency bivvy sack for shelter.

· Two lighters wrapped with duct tape and a waterproof magnesium striker for starting a fire.

· Illumination flashlight, headlamp, and extra batteries.

Experienced hunters have picked up a few tips and tactics over the years about what they like to carry in their hunting packs. As a result, two huge lawn bags that have been cut open make a great ground cloth for game meat as you butcher an animal. They are also great for keeping clothing and equipment dry especially when crossing streams, or in the worst situation, they can form part of a survival shelter.

Bringing a few tiny items like a pen, pad or sharpie will be worthwhile, whether for taking notes and observations while hunting or using the sharpie to write notes that won’t smudge in the rain. One sharpie may easily be wrapped in around 10 feet of duct tape, as a pro tip.