I do the same thing.I always have a couple feet of duct-tape wound around each of my hiking poles...always there and handy when needed...and I have many times!
Patience.....
(I know, its not gear, but arguably more important than any single piece of gear)
Flagging tape is a must for marking trails. I also carry a couple blaze orange items in my pack to hang close by for increased visibility of important items or kill sites.Flagging tape. I've used it for marking my pack if I take it off to go and make a stalk (it's amazing how well a gray pack blends into the endless mountains of granite when above tree line), marking the exact place where I shot an animal, and then the subsequent blood trail (this worked out very well for finding my son's first moose kill that ran off through the dense woods for about 250-300 yards before expiring). I've also used it for marking poor/overgrown trails to help with finding my way back to camp in the dark.
I also carry a small tarp in my backpack. The visqueen is very lightweight and folds up into a 7" squareI have a 9x7 tyvek tarp. Works for a shelter, meat prep or ground sheet.