New Hunter - Bare Minimum Necessary Gear

[megalomaniac]

Gun, good binos, sharp knife, good lightweight flashlight/ headlight. Thats all you really need.

If you are hunting far away from your vehicle, I'd throw in a decent backpack to haul the meat out with.

 

[ttf909]

Id also watch the hunting public channel. Start at the beginning of his videos .

This may be a silly question, but is there anything you need to do to your clothes after you buy them to prepare them for a hunt (mainly thinking that department store domestic smells, etc.)

 

[Wrangler95]

Good advice from everyone but dont know your budget but when I started deer hunting in 1967 I only had a gun,shells and blaze orange hat and vest!You can get by with this bare minimum!

 

[HuntnFishEastTN]

Have you had hunter safety course yet?

 

[philsanchez76]

Apologies if said already but I'd say the 2 most important things for me have been good boots for doing tons and tons of off season scouting. Now is the best time by the way. And a good hunting app (I use onx) so you can mark what you see when you're scouting and so you can see your gps track and scout larger areas more efficiently (not scouting same areas twice by accident etc). Also it'll help ya not get lost on big tracts of land. If you don't do this all your gear and gun won't do ya any good cuz you won't be seeing deer.

 

[ttf909]

Got a tick off my pants yesterday so always spray your boots with permethrien spray like sawyers brand and keep your pant leg tucked in your boots.
Always let someone know where u will be and when to expect you back.
Always use a safety harness in elevated stands.

 

[Snake]

I wash everything in All Free and Clear detergent. It's unscented, and does not irritate me where other detergents do. The Scent-a-way stuff is good too(and should be going on clearance soon if it already is not), but we already buy the All for every day use.

Baking soda works and is cheap .

 

[Snake]

What size are you maybe some clothes people could donate to you . I have alot of camo , it's not the expensive kind but I don't think the deer mind

 

[CritterGitter]

This was my setup on the last deer i killed. Settin against a log. A turkey hunting lounger type chair is the way to go for max comfort

 

[webfeet7]

I never hunt without my backpack with a knife, couple pieces of rope (helpful for dragging), small folding saw, hand warmers, headlight, and binoculars!

 

[beefydeer]

water and snacks

 

[Pilchard]

The old timers I grew up hunting around carried a gun, a knife and a snack in their pocket. That's all.

Now it seems we carry a bunch of nice-to-haves in the woods which have been mentioned here. I'm guilty of this.

If I could only pick a few things beyond the basics it would be shooting sticks, a butt pad and a flashlight.

 

[EastTNHunter]

Where in East TN are you? I'd be willing to let you try some seats out and may even have some spare clothing left, although I gave some away.

Don't spend tons of money on expensive hunting clothes. Camo is overrated and unnecessary. Military surplus can be your friend for many things. Get mil surp polypropylene waffles base layers. Use Walmart fleece pullovers or thrift store wool for mid layers. Use mil surp BDUs in any color or pattern available except for white or the urban stuff. Get a cheep fleece neck gator and toboggan. Buy mil surp wool glove liners and wash them well in advance of the season because they will stink. You can upgrade individual items later if needed, but these items all work. Your hunting coat may require you to buy something for hunters because it's designed for a low activity level, and will need to be really warm and quiet.

Cheap no name blaze orange is all that you need, not some chic brand name.

Don't buy scents or gimmicks or items just marketed for hunters. Wash your clothes in whatever brand of "free and clear" or equivalent detergent you want.

Most importantly, hunt the wind.

 

[BDS05]

I wash everything in All Free and Clear detergent. It's unscented, and does not irritate me where other detergents do. The Scent-a-way stuff is good too(and should be going on clearance soon if it already is not), but we already buy the All for every day use.

Get a tote just for your clothes / gear.

 

[SolaBeard]

Here are the minimum requirements in my opinion for TN hunting. As stated, you can get some decent clearance deals at Academy or Wal-Mart. They don't have the best but still decent starter gear that will get you by.

- Wicking base layer pants and top (preferably merino)
- Warmer base layer pants and top (if really cold)
- Outer regular pants layer
- Outer shirt layer (I prefer a windproof hoodie)
- Possibly an insulated or fleece vest if really cold
- Insulated bibs (preferably windproof and at least water resistant)
- Insulated jacket (preferably windproof and at least water resistant)
- Decent pair of insulated, waterproof boots ( I wear mucks)
- Thick and thin merino wool socks
- Blaze orange hat and vest
- Something to sit on - chair, cushion, millenium tree seat, etc
- Gloves
- Hand warmers
- Ear / face covering if your face gets cold easily
- Some type of scent free detergent (doesn't have to be hunting) to wash clothes in
- Some scent free soap to shower in
- Scent free deodarant

I would consider that the bare minimum. Other things to consider are binoculars, shooting sticks, backpack to carry stuff in, grunt call, scent spray, etc. A decent knife to field dress a deer is good as well, however, I have field dressed a ton with a Case pocket knife as long as it's sharp. I carry a specific knife now but not absolutely necessary.

My advice is to not get too caught up in a lot of the gadgets designed more to catch a person than to kill a deer but focus more on reading deer sign, considering wind direction / thermals, and learning how to use the terrain of the land to your advantage.

Another piece of advice is to shoot the first legal deer that you see, period. Don't get caught up in the hunting shows or even the deer posted on here. That will come with experience and goals will change if you get into and enjoy it.

The main part though is to have fun. You will learn a lot from trial and error.

What a great list, Larry! Lots of stuff I didn't think about or at least forgot about. Thanks a lot!

Does there tend to be a brand of clothing that is a good quality for the price? Or a house brand you prefer over another? Also, may be silly, but do you always wear camo or do you sometimes wear stuff like Carhartt?

 

[SolaBeard]

Where in East TN are you? I'd be willing to let you try some seats out and may even have some spare clothing left, although I gave some away.

Don't spend tons of money on expensive hunting clothes. Camo is overrated and unnecessary. Military surplus can be your friend for many things. Get mil surp polypropylene waffles base layers. Use Walmart fleece pullovers or thrift store wool for mid layers. Use mil surp BDUs in any color or pattern available except for white or the urban stuff. Get a cheep fleece neck gator and toboggan. Buy mil surp wool glove liners and wash them well in advance of the season because they will stink. You can upgrade individual items later if needed, but these items all work. Your hunting coat may require you to buy something for hunters because it's designed for a low activity level, and will need to be really warm and quiet.

Cheap no name blaze orange is all that you need, not some chic brand name.

Don't buy scents or gimmicks or items just marketed for hunters. Wash your clothes in whatever brand of "free and clear" or equivalent detergent you want.

Most importantly, hunt the wind.

Great stuff, thanks! I appreciate keeping the budget in mind. Didn't consider mil surp. I'm in Roane County.

 

[SolaBeard]

Good advice from everyone but dont know your budget but when I started deer hunting in 1967 I only had a gun,shells and blaze orange hat and vest!You can get by with this bare minimum!

I love this mentality regardless of budget. Thanks for the reminder!

Just curious, what type of rifle did you start with?

 

[SolaBeard]

Have you had hunter safety course yet?

I did a loooooong time ago. Maybe 20 years ago. Not sure how to see if it's still active. Do they expire from youth to adult?

 

[SolaBeard]

Apologies if said already but I'd say the 2 most important things for me have been good boots for doing tons and tons of off season scouting. Now is the best time by the way. And a good hunting app (I use onx) so you can mark what you see when you're scouting and so you can see your gps track and scout larger areas more efficiently (not scouting same areas twice by accident etc). Also it'll help ya not get lost on big tracts of land. If you don't do this all your gear and gun won't do ya any good cuz you won't be seeing deer.

I know zero about scouting. Any good resources that introduce the basics? Thanks for the feedback!

 

[SolaBeard]

Got a tick off my pants yesterday so always spray your boots with permethrien spray like sawyers brand and keep your pant leg tucked in your boots.
Always let someone know where u will be and when to expect you back.
Always use a safety harness in elevated stands.

Good reminders, thanks!