Aside from lots of range time, what gear is a must have? I’m just gearing up for next season as a beginner hunter. I have my rifle, scope, knife, bino’s, and rangefinder. I plan to grab some shooting sticks, base and outterlayers, a pack, aswell as some quality boots. Anything else you’d recommend? I don’t plan to hunt multiple days just yet.
Located in Southern Utah, will be after Deer & Elk.
I only laugh at this because I’ve been with a couple of new guys that forgot to pack half a roll of TP. Lol
Over time you’ll find the comfort items that work best for you. I really like to have a little square foam pad to sit on - if the ground is wet or cold it keeps your butt warm and dry, and it’s more comfortable when sitting on a rock.
A really warm fleece beenie is also a must have - pulled down over the eyes I can lean back on a pack and take a nap any time of year. It is also a life saver if you ever get caught out over night.
I don’t do well if food runs out so I’ve always keep an emergency stash that isn’t normally eaten of a couple ramen noodle packs to eat dry and half a dozen packets of instant oatmeal to eat dry, but it could be anything that holds up to not being eaten right away and has calories. These two things never sound good unless I’m hungry.
I give one of these cow calls to everyone in the family - not to call elk with, but to stop a walking elk, deer, or antelope. It works so well I’m amazed every hunter doesn’t have one on their binocular strap - keep it handy and over time it becomes second nature to slip it in your mouth. Blow it just barely loud enough to hear and a walking animal will pause for a second or two. It will get a bedded buck to stand up, or sometimes get a stationary animal to turn for better angle. I’ve been a couple hundred yards from a mulie running full speed away from whatever was chasing it - at 70 yards blowing it stopped the deer in its tracks for a second.
The Elk Inc model is durable nylon with a rubber band for the reed - with a new reed every few years it will last for decades.
During the rut when spikes are kicked out of the herd it’s really fun to mess with them with these calls. Blow it just loud enough to hear and wait until it goes back to doing what it was doing, then blow it again - each time he will get more excited and some times they’ll run right at you. lol
I’d also recommend keeping your daypack packed all the time, even if it means duplicating some items. If it’s always packed and ready to go fewer things will be forgotten and what works well for hunting is also good for fishing and hiking in the off season. As we speak, if someone called and wanted to go shoot coyotes, pick up the pack, rifle, and head to subway for a sandwich.
A little 1/4” wide X 36” long micro tape measure can be a good learning tool. When you see animals actually make tracks in soft dirt or snow, measuring them will eventually give you a very good idea of the age. Old deer and elk often have big feet, and some individuals can be identified by an unusually large track. I also measure bear tracks on trails to give an idea of how many are there - one trail had 7 different bears using it, something that would have missed if they hadn’t been measured carefully.
