Gear for southwest Idaho?

[Joey D]

I’m fairly new to Idaho and hunting in general. Will be trying my luck at mule deer with my rifle. Any recommendations on gear and or layering?
So far I have:
Badlands 2200 pack
North Face furnace 20 degree bag (will probably add a liner)
North face storm break 2 tent
REI air rail 1.5 sleeping pad
Cheap redhead boots (will be replacing)
Sitka ascent pants
Sitka ascent l/s shirt
Columbia rain jacket
Columbia fleece
Kings xkg transition jacket
Costco wool blend socks
Msr pocket rocket stove & cook pot
Sawyer squeeze filtration system
Kill kit
Vortex binos w/tripod
Rangefinder
First aid kit
Other misc odds n ends.

Thank you!

 

[realunlucky]

My advise-- go hunting with what you have and stay responsibly close to the truck. That way if any one piece has a catastrophic failure your only only out the long hike back to your truck. You'll get a feeling of what's working for you and what needs replacing. It'll save you money and narrow your search window.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[Lumberjack09]

I’m fairly new to Idaho and hunting in general. Will be trying my luck at mule deer with my rifle. Any recommendations on gear and or layering?
So far I have:
Badlands 2200 pack
North Face furnace 20 degree bag (will probably add a liner)
North face storm break 2 tent
REI air rail 1.5 sleeping pad
Cheap redhead boots (will be replacing)
Sitka ascent pants
Sitka ascent l/s shirt
Columbia rain jacket
Columbia fleece
Kings xkg transition jacket
Costco wool blend socks
Msr pocket rocket stove & cook pot
Sawyer squeeze filtration system
Kill kit
Vortex binos w/tripod
Rangefinder
First aid kit
Other misc odds n ends.

Thank you!

Quality boots will be worth the $$$

 

[idahodave]

If you wanna kill deer/elk in Idaho with any regularity, buy the best boots and binoculars you can afford. Go where others can’t/won’t go. Everything else matters waaay less imho.

dave

 

[Joey D]

If you wanna kill deer/elk in Idaho with any regularity, buy the best boots and binoculars you can afford. Go where others can’t/won’t go. Everything else matters waaay less imho.

dave

Thank you for the sound advice.

 

[downthepipe]

Do you have a plan for when the animal is down in terms of packing it out? Does your pack allow expansion or room for meat? Or are you just planning to kinda gut it out? I hunt SW ID and I have a similar size pack but I only use it for scouting. When I am actually hunting I move to a 5500 size pack with a meat hauling system.

Other than that I bet you will be fine but I will echo others and say a good pair of leather hunting boots will be important if it’s dewy or certainly if rainy or snowy.

Other little things to consider which you may already have:
Wind indicator powder
Orange flagging tape
Can your Bino tripod support a shooting saddle?
Trekking poles

 

[MidTnHunter615]

Best boots and binos you can get your hands on, I love the darn tough and smart wool socks. Also a good trek stick

 

[Reddawg]

My advise-- go hunting with what you have and stay responsibly close to the truck. That way if any one piece has a catastrophic failure your only only out the long hike back to your truck. You'll get a feeling of what's working for you and what needs replacing. It'll save you money and narrow your search window.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

Excellent advice here. Just go for it and you’ll learn what needs to change.

 

[Deucebump]

My advise would be to spend a few nights out well before the hunt or season starts. No better way to trail run and test gear than in the real environment. And dont forget to be physically prepared, meaning to do some heavy training hikes. Adding 1/2 a deboned deer to your pack changes everything and when its miles out, you need to be ready.

And Ill agree with the best boots and binos you can afford, and break those boots in well before the hunt!