New Hunter - Bare Minimum Necessary Gear

[Swampster]

Sure is a long list. When I shot my first deer all I had was a sock cap, old brown coat, two pair of socks under my rubber boots, a knife, and a lever action .357.

 

[Swampster]

View attachment 163752This 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

I like that rifle!

 

[Swampster]

... if you can find a Clump of Cedars or a Big one the wind has blown down you'll have the start of a good blind.

Sometimes, the deer you are going for is already using that cedar blow down. I've not had that happen while hunting, but have seen it while hiking.

 

[Speedwell-Hunter]

Thank you. He did say bare minimum.

Welp bare minimum:
-proper clothes (wool base, wool mid, good outter jacket)
-bit of orange to comply wit da law
-gutting kit (only really need 2 knifes out of here, the belly hook knife and then the knife for everything else) with one of these (Amazon product ASIN B002ECKYSA)
-small bit of string for tying off the neck and anus during gutting process
-elbow long field dressing glove kit
-deer processors (NOT PROCESSOR, notice the S) saved numbers for season, when once is full you may have to call 5-6 more, have them all saved.
-hand warmers / toe warmers
-prefered gun with 10 rounds of soft points
-bit of rope to help drag deer out
-tree stand

thats my minimum

 

[Speedwell-Hunter]

Welp bare minimum:
-proper clothes (wool base, wool mid, good outter jacket)
-bit of orange to comply wit da law
-gutting kit (only really need 2 knifes out of here, the belly hook knife and then the knife for everything else) with one of these (Amazon product ASIN B002ECKYSA)
-small bit of string for tying off the neck and anus during gutting process
-elbow long field dressing glove kit
-deer processors (NOT PROCESSOR, notice the S) saved numbers for season, when once is full you may have to call 5-6 more, have them all saved.
-hand warmers / toe warmers
-prefered gun with 10 rounds of soft points
-bit of rope to help drag deer out
-tree stand

thats my minimum

typical field dress kit:

but you only really need these two out of the whole kit:

and then get a pair of garden loopers for bustn through the rib cage, like this:

 

[Chiflyguy]

Personally when i carry a rifle its my ruger 308, but my favorite is my cva accura mr muzzleloader i find myself carrying it more than any other i own. I killed four with it this season, most my shots are 150 and under and the accura just flattens our little deer with a little puff of smoke the muzzleloader will give you two extra weeks of good hunting and its not difficult to learn at all plus its alot fun rolling smoke

Yup
Love my Accura.
Killed both deer I've gotten with it.
That extra 2 weeks is nice

 

[Chiflyguy]

The Axis/Axis II is on my short list. Do you own one of these?

I got one in .308
Kick is less than my muzzleloader.
Ammo readily available.
Paid $499 with a bushnell scope on it.
I'm not as hardcore as a lot of guys here so my investment is low.
For clothing, a good set of bibs, insulated and non insulated are nice.
I have an olive drab fleece I bought off Amazon for $25 that goes under my jacket.
Remember that most of this stuff you are going to carry to the stand.
Including clothes.
DO NOT wear all your stuff walking to your stand, get overheated and expect not to freeze sitting there. If it's 25 degrees out, I walk to my stand in a long sleeve shirt and bibs.

 

[SolaBeard]

This is the mist important reply to this thread.

If you have private land, get a a tree stand now and get it set up in the spring and get it all figured out. Going on my third season and finally getting a tree stand and not looking back.

i've hunted out of both tree stand and ground blind this season (fall 22) and you'll have deer come in 10 yards from you when you're in the Treestand to the point where you can get your cell phone out and take a video

Big game changer and also you don't have to worry about all the scent control when you're in the tree stand, you're physically above the deer. That means you're sent trail is also 20 feet above the deer to which helps a ton.

Other than washing your clothes detergent, scent control, is all a scam, and I learned that the hard way. This forum was monumental in teaching me this lesson.

Huge rookie mistake. Other than some detergent, I would not spend a single penny on any sent stuff, urine spray, apple spray, corn spray, etc.

All money wasted. I learned that lesson in the fall of 2020 the hard way lol.

Thanks! I won't have access to private land right away, so it would have to be a mobile stand. I'll continue to look into it!

 

[SolaBeard]

I got one in .308
Kick is less than my muzzleloader.
Ammo readily available.
Paid $499 with a bushnell scope on it.
I'm not as hardcore as a lot of guys here so my investment is low.
For clothing, a good set of bibs, insulated and non insulated are nice.
I have an olive drab fleece I bought off Amazon for $25 that goes under my jacket.
Remember that most of this stuff you are going to carry to the stand.
Including clothes.
DO NOT wear all your stuff walking to your stand, get overheated and expect not to freeze sitting there. If it's 25 degrees out, I walk to my stand in a long sleeve shirt and bibs.

I like the way you think. While I'd like to have a really nice gun and a really nice scope, I'm not going to be out there every week to justify spending that much right now. I've enjoyed reading posts like yours and others who have a simplistic approach to hunting. Thanks for the input, sir!

 

[MUP]

Again, don't get too overwhelmed with all the gadgetry. Legal necessities(licenses and blaze orange), good clothes and boots for the weather, gun (and ammo) and knife. This should suffice unless you're planning a very long hike into the forest.

 

[Chiflyguy]

I like the way you think. While I'd like to have a really nice gun and a really nice scope, I'm not going to be out there every week to justify spending that much right now. I've enjoyed reading posts like yours and others who have a simplistic approach to hunting. Thanks for the input, sir!

Don't get me wrong.
If this turns out to be "your thing", upgrade your equipment slowly.
Just reading some posts here, there are some guys that live for deer hunting here. That's awesome.
I'd rather fish.
I've got enough fly fishing stuff to open a store.
To me, fly fishing is the buzz.

 

[mike243]

Gun knife rope, leave the tree stand alone till you learn to scout and hunt from the ground, you will never recoup the $$ you spend getting all the have to haves lol

 

[Mag]

It sure looks like you are getting a lot of solid advice here but don't get overwhelmed. Like any other hobby, there will be trial and error but persistence will pay off. To me, one of the best ways to learn your craft will be finding other hunters to hunt with and learn from. Some of us had Grandfathers and Fathers and others have grown lifelong relationships with those they hunt with. Good luck. Investing the time before actually hunting will make all of the difference in the world.
I think though if you packed everything that has been listed in this thread you may need to hunt close to a road so the U Haul can be close

 

[mike243]

Forgot a roll of paper towels they do double duty

 

[SolaBeard]

It sure looks like you are getting a lot of solid advice here but don't get overwhelmed. Like any other hobby, there will be trial and error but persistence will pay off. To me, one of the best ways to learn your craft will be finding other hunters to hunt with and learn from. Some of us had Grandfathers and Fathers and others have grown lifelong relationships with those they hunt with. Good luck. Investing the time before actually hunting will make all of the difference in the world.
I think though if you packed everything that has been listed in this thread you may need to hunt close to a road so the U Haul can be close

That's so true about the uhaul! I've also been encouraged in learning that there aren't as many necessities as I thought!

Do you have any good advice about hunting public land?

 

[Tenntrapper]

Do you have any good advice about hunting public land?

Are you a praying man? If not...learn how to...

 

[SolaBeard]

Are you a praying man? If not...learn how to...

I am. And I'll continue to be. I'll have to add this one to my list

 

[Swampster]

Yup
Love my Accura.
Killed both deer I've gotten with it.
That extra 2 weeks is nice

You've killed two deer with an Acura? I've killed one with my Tacoma. I've had several others that barely got away.

 

[Chiflyguy]

You've killed two deer with an Acura? I've killed one with my Tacoma. I've had several others that barely got away.

That's funny.

 

[348Winchester]

I love a minimalist approach to hunting. Side question: do you think there's a specific rifle that lends itself to that type of hunting?

It would not be a rifle. 12 gauge shotgun.