Must have gear for beginner

[unfazed]

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.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Your starter list looks solid. Go hunt and reevaluate gear that works vs stuff that sucks and determine if you need anything additional or different.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

ankle gaiters
and get zip off boot height bottoms for your base layers
puffy coat and possibly pants depending on season

 

[NealS02]

Prioritize the best optics you can afford, quality boots, and an accurate (not necessarily expensive) rifle. You have a good list started out though.

 

[Bugger]

Tripod is a must. Makes glassing 10x more effective and is super stable to use for kneeling/sitting shots above the brush.

 

[Taudisio]

In order of importance, tag for the species you are hunting, knowledge of regulations and area you can hunt with that tag, a weapon (rangefinder is a must if you are bow hunting), sharp knife (knowledge of how to gut a deer if you’re solo, how to quarter an elk), boots, pack, game bags, binos, food and water, optional accessories are after this like camo. Little extra conveniences here and there, but I hunted for 20+ years and was more successful than most just using the above list. When I take a new hunter out, they better have the above list. Anything else they bring is on them.
I would highly recommend you have an experienced person go with you on an elk hunt. Killing your first deer will teach you a lot, and you could do this by yourself. An elk is a lot to move, and you will be wasteful if you are trying to move one by yourself without prior knowledge of how to gut/quarter and cool the meat.

 

[FranklinBluth]

Take care of your feet first. Nothing else will matter if you're dealing with blisters or other soreness from cheap boots. Lots of places to cut corners, but footwear is not one of them.

 

[TaperPin]

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.

 

[rootacres]

Invest in ONX if you haven't already. Get a lightweight compass.

Get good boots and a good pack. Packs can be found used on here for fair prices. Buy the boots new, break them into your feet. Buy once, cry once, plan on keeping them a long time. Hurting your feet and/or your back will make for a rough hunt. Other than that, you have a solid base, go hunt and have fun. Fine tune what worked, what didnt, take notes while hunting. Ive have a hunt list saved on my phone. It's fluid and has evolved over nearly a decade. Aside from medical and SHTF stuff, I use everything I bring on most hunts now.

 

[180ls1]

Before you commit to shooting sticks, grab Cascade carbon trekking poles and a Wiser Quick Stix adapter. Then your poles will work as poles, shooting sticks and something to glass off a well.

 

[prm]

A good compass and two headlamps.

Pack

Layering system (as opposed to just buying individual pieces that that may compliment each other.)

 

[WeiserBucks]

OP, we're all gear junkies here and you'll get a bunch of recommendations for awesome stuff that isn't absolutely required. Just go enjoy it and upgrade as needed.

 

[rootacres]

Tripod is a must. Makes glassing 10x more effective and is super stable to use for kneeling/sitting shots above the brush.

^^^ also what they said. You will miss animals without a tripod that you would have otherwise found. These too can be found fairly priced on here. Buy a used quality tripod off here over a cheap Chinese knockoff. I broke my first tripod on my first diy western big game hunt.

 

[InkedElkSlayer]

Next time you empty a little bottle of re-wetting eye drops, pull the cap off, dry it, fill it with baby powder, put the cap back on. Now you have a windometer… use it. Cheapest gear tip you’ll get today.

 

[adamm88]

I hunt in the east but my priority would be the following

Be able to shoot, being fit, having gear wont matter if you cant ethically kill a anmial
Be able to get were you need to go, Being fit for were your hunting

Gear wise
if you trash your feet or boots are uncomfortable that's the first thing that will ruin your hunt
Layers, make sure you know how to layer appropriately and not die. Sounds harsh but you can get in serious trouble with bad weather.

 

[High Climber]

I would add packable rain gear to your list, and some lightweight quality game bags to throw in your pack, not the cheapo cheese cloth. I take 6 for elk and 2 for deer.

 

[West.mass.hunter]

A GPS and TWO compasses. And spend time learning how to properly use a Compass. Absolutely life save if it's ever needed

 

[flyfisher117]

Buy a quality pack along with your quality boots and start learning. Before you buy shooting sticks work on utilizing your pack as a rest in the field. You may discover you don't need shooting sticks.

If the budget allows it get a tripod. It's a game changer for glassing and some can be used to shoot off of.

Snag some black ovis game bags when they go on sale. Make sure your kill kit is sorted out and ready to roll.

 

[lhbackcountry]

A good attitude and willingness to learn will take you far. be ready for most humbling and rewarding experiences Mother Nature can provide.

 

[rayporter]

a lot of gear is simply not needed to start. grow slow and find what works for you.


desire is vastly underrated. you cant do it from the couch or keyboard.