| Going hunting? You'll need gear. All kinds of cool gear. Clothing.
Boots. Hats and gloves. Knives and flashlights. Cooking gear and water
bottles. Camping equipment. Maps and compasses. Binoculars. The list goes
on. And, of course - firearms, ammunition and cleaning equipment, plus a
set of wheels... Shopping Strategies. If you've hiked, camped or
fished before, no doubt you'll have a good deal of this stuff already.
Well and good. It would be quite a financial hit to try to put an entire
ensemble together in one go. If you're starting
more from scratch, remember that:
 | You don't have to get everything at once - start with one game
species, start with the basics; leave some stuff to put on your wish
lists for birthdays and holidays (poring over mail-order catalogs during
the off-season is lots of fun) |
| Buying new stuff at full price doesn't have to be the way - you can
buy things on sale, you can buy them used, you can shop in "military
surplus" or thrift stores |
| Martin and I have found some great prices for good equipment in the
mail-order catalogs, by looking for the "loss leaders" - items sold at a
steep discount to help persuade you to start shopping from that catalog
- or "close-out" items that are being replaced by a new product line |
| Don't forget garage sales, swap meets, and the classifieds - if you
know what you're looking for and take your time, there are some great
bargains out there |
| Borrow stuff from your uncle; root around in Grandpa's basement |
Basic Equipment for the Outdoors. In the following paragraphs,
let's look at the basics you need to have along on pretty much any trip in the
outdoors. You will, of course, need to make adjustments for specific game
animals and terrain/weather conditions.
Clothing. You need to dress to protect yourself from the weather
(rain, wind, cold, sun). Your clothing should be:
| Layered - not a massively insulated single outfit, but
rather a series of thinner garments that can be added to or subtracted
from as the weather conditions dictate - or as you warm up or cool
down in action (example: underwear, shirt, sweatshirt, outer jacket) |
| Waterproof but Breathable - the layer closest to your skin
should "wick" moisture away from you so that you don't get clammy when
hot and freezing when you cool back down; and the outer layer should
"breathe" - allow perspiration moisture to escape to the outside while
retaining its ability to shed rainwater. And of course you want to
keep out the rainwater. |
| Quiet - as you stalk through underbrush, you will be
brushing by lots of branches and grasses. Some materials - nylon, for
instance - make a lot of swishing noise under these conditions and
will give away your presence. So look for outerwear made of materials
that are quiet when brushed against. |
| Burr-resistant - if you find yourself spending half an hour
every night picking burrs out of the material of your jacket and
pants, you'll know why we advise that you look for outerwear made of
burr-resistant materials. Our favorite is something called "saddle
cloth" - it's waterproof, breathable, tough as nails, but very quiet
when you're pushing through the brush. |
| Roomy - there's a fair bit of scrambling that goes on in
sneaking around in the bush. So your clothing needs to afford you a
full range of motion for your legs and your arms. |
| Camouflaged - while there are many hunts where you will be
required to wear some flame orange clothing for safety, the rest of
your clothing should be chosen so as to offer your some concealment.
Earth tone colors and/or camouflage patterns will help break up your
outline in the field. |
Boots. Protection and comfort for your feet is critical. This is
not the place to scrimp if you can avoid it. Your boots need to be:
| Sturdy - they need to protect your feet from rocks, and
give you some ankle support. Just how high a boot you choose is a
matter of personal preference. |
| Waterproof but Breathable - just like your jacket and
pants, your boots need to shed water but allow perspiration moisture
to escape. Remember that waterproofing is rarely "absolute" - you need
to maintain it with frequent cleanings and applications of boot wax,
oil or grease. |
| Steady - good soles are a must to give you steady footing
in a variety of terrain |
| Broken In - Make sure you've broken in your boots by
wearing them around town for a number of days to soften the leather up
a bit, fit the boots to your feet, and toughen up the spots on your
feet where there is some friction. The last thing you want is to get
your feet blistered up miles from anywhere. |
Protecting Your Extremities. It makes sense to have some choices
- and some spares - where protecting your extremities is concerned:
| Head - we carry baseball caps for all-around wear and
to shade our eyes from the sun; wool caps for colder weather; and
hoods on our jackets for those real downpours |
| Hands - our handwear collection includes wool fingerless
gloves (to allow fine finger control, easy access to triggers etc.),
thicker wool or neoprene mittens, and heavy mitts if we're going to be
sitting still for extended periods in really cold weather. It's a good
idea to carry a spare set of your favorite gloves in a plastic bag if you're going to be
working in wet weather. |
| Feet - we each own lots of pairs of thick, comfy hiking
socks. Some people like to wear thin silk or synthetic socks
underneath to help wick moisture away from the feet and reduce friction. For sure
you need spare socks for longer trips in rainy weather - one set in
your pack in a plastic bag, and another back at the car to save you
from having to drive home with your toes all cold and squishy-wet. |
Backpack - Or Fanny Pack. Whether you use
a backpack or a fanny pack is a matter of personal preference. For me,
fanny packs were out of the question while Martin was too small to carry
much of any consequence in his own little pack and I had to be the "sherpa" for
both of us. Now that he can be his own beast of burden, there are times when
I prefer a fanny pack - though for our longer hikes I find I stay with the
backpack. You want your pack to be:
| Comfortable to wear - soft wide straps and well balanced (for a
larger backpack, perhaps also with hip straps to better distribute the
weight) |
| Waterproof, or nearly so (critical things should still be sealed
up in plastic bags) |
| Big enough to carry what you need on a longer trip, but able to be
strapped down to a smaller size for shorter trips |
| As sturdy as your outer clothing - it'll get scratched just as
much by branches |
| Camouflaged (ideally, the same pattern as your favorite hunting
jacket) |
A note about backpack straps: watch out for the noisy ones. If you're
wearing whisper-quiet stalking outerwear but every passing branch makes a
huge scratching noise against your nylon backpack straps, you're defeating your
purpose. Look for packs with quiet straps, or cover the straps with some
quiet material yourself.
What Goes In Your Pack. What you need to have with you, at a
minimum:
| Drinking water. Don't leave the car without it! |
| Food (at least some snack food such as candy bars or "trail mix") |
| First-aid kit (include "mole skin" to keep chafing spots on your
feet from becoming blisters; also include a snake bite kit if you're
headed into "rattler country"; and of course any medicines either of
you need to take - pills, asthma inhalers etc.) |
| "Space blanket" for warmth in case of accident |
| Flashlight (and spare batteries, if you're going any distance from
the road) |
| Map (laminated in plastic or otherwise protected) and compass |
| Matches or lighter (if expecting wet weather, include some fire
starter material, protected against moisture) |
| Spare ammunition for your hunting firearm |
| Hunting license, game transport tags etc. |
| Sun block (we use one that also contains insect repellent) |
| Sunglasses |
| Hearing protection |
| Spare socks, gloves and/or hats (in bags to keep them dry) |
| Your spare clothing layers (or room to carry the ones you'll take
off) |
| Some rope (parachute cord is extremely strong and takes up very little
space) |
| A bit of paper and a pen or pencil (for noting down information
about landmarks, good locations, game animal behavior etc. - or to
leave a note in an emergency) |
| Toilet paper. Oh, you don't want to forget that... |
Depending on the type of trip you have planned - type of game,
anticipated weather extremes, whether or not you plan to be separating
from your young "huntin' buddy" during the hunt) you may want to add some
other things:
| Two-way radios |
| Cellular telephone |
| Global Positioning System (GPS) unit |
| Camera (if your "good" camera is so heavy and bulky that you're
tempted to leave it behind, take along a "throwaway" (single-use) camera; if you
don't, you're liable to drop the beast of a lifetime and have no way
to prove you're telling the truth...) |
| Supplies for your hunting dog if you have one along (leash or
electronic collar; some high-energy snack food; whistle; special first aid kit
etc.) |
| Tools and materials for field dressing game (skinning knife, latex
gloves, game bags etc.) |
| For planned overnights: tent, sleeping bag, cooking utensils etc. |
Other Stuff. There's stuff you need that you may carry
separately or carry in your packs:
| Binoculars |
| Knife (and maybe a small sharpening implement) |
| Spotting scope (if you're going to be scouting across great
distances) |
| Any special equipment needed for the particular type of game
you're after - such as calls (mouth blown or electronic) |
| Seat cushions (if you're planning to sit for any length of time,
these can really "save your butt" - Martin and I spent the longest
time trying out seat cushions before we finally found some that really do the
job for us) |
Take Your Time Accumulating Gear. Hunting is an activity that
can take you into all sorts of adventures in a wide variety of outdoor
settings. And it will give you and your young companion many years of
enjoyment together. Give yourself time to put together the collection of
gear that'll serve you best. For starters, it would be a huge financial
hit to try to acquire everything at once. Perhaps more importantly
still, you need to acquire some experience in the field to be able to
tell what works best for you. Put together a very basic equipment
package to get you and your huntin' buddy started in this fine activity;
as your experience level grows you'll build up your own ideas about what
sorts of clothing and other gear are best for you.
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