The Only Pieces of Gear a New Hunter Needs
- glenveenstra
- Mar 3, 2023
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 5, 2023
It’s often overwhelming to see all the different gear available for hunters. Especially when you’re starting as a new hunter. It likely feels like you could spend 10 thousand dollars on equipment and still not have everything. It’s true; you can. But you don’t need to.
There was a point in my hunting career when I acquired all types of new gear. Then one day, while I was sitting in a tree stand with all my new equipment, not seeing any deer, I realized that I had more success in my earlier years as a bow hunter with nothing but my bow and a granola bar in my pocket.
As a hunter that was new to bow hunting, I was ambitious about scouting and putting in the time to figure out where the deer were. I was so dialed into the wilderness and the area I was hunting that I was successful despite having nothing but a bow and a knife.
Nowadays, I still find myself looking through all the new gear that comes out each year and purchasing too much of it. What can I say? I’m still somewhat of a gear junkie at heart. I just know now that it’s not necessary. Can it be helpful? Absolutely. But it’s not a requirement.
There is, however, some gear that is required—the must-haves. Then some gear’s strongly recommended. So let’s start with the must-haves.
Must haves:
Weapon
This is obvious, but it’s at the top of the list. It’s tough to kill animals with your bare hands. Take your time when choosing your first weapon. You’ll likely be using it for years. Choose something you like and something that fits you well and is suited to the type of game you plan to pursue. Not sure whether to start with a gun or bow? Check out my article, "Should I start hunting with a gun or a bow?"
Knife
Another non-negotiable. Don’t ever head into the field without a knife. I hardly even leave my house without at least some sort of pocket knife clipped into my jeans pocket. Not only will the knife be necessary when field dressing and processing game in the woods, but it’s also a critical survival tool should you ever need it. To learn more about choosing your first hunting knife, check out this article: How To Choose Your First Hunting Knife.
That’s it. Technically that’s all you need to start hunting. A way to kill an animal and take the meat once you do.
As I mentioned earlier, some of my most successful years of hunting only involved those two pieces of gear.
That said, you and I both know you won’t stop at just those two. So here’s my list of gear items you should consider that will help make you more effective in the field.
Recommendations:
Backpack
This can be as simple as a small daypack for storing extra items while hunting. Things like extra food and water, a first aid kit, maybe some survival gear or a headlamp, and a spot to put your jacket when it warms up later in the morning. If you’re hunting big game and planning to carry the meat out of the woods with your backpack, you’ll need a larger pack with a good structure.
Headlamp
Most often, the best hunting happens in the early morning hours or close to dark. While you technically won’t be hunting in the dark, as that’s illegal, you’ll likely need to get to or from your hunting spot under cover of darkness. It’s also a great safety measure, even if you’re not planning to stay out that long, in case you get caught out late. Many options are out there, and many are pretty economical.
Clothing
Most new hunters think of camo when they think about must-haves for hunting. While camouflage clothing can be great and sometimes helpful while hunting, it’s definitely not a must-have for most hunting.
When you see someone in head-to-toe camo with an orange vest and hat on top, you have to ask: is the camo really helping?
Now I’m not against camo, and I think it's beneficial for specific hunts like archery deer and elk or waterfowl hunting. However, when choosing clothes now, I focus first on the quality and fit of the clothing before worrying about the camo pattern. I have a lot of hunting clothes that are solid earth-tone colors and function amazingly. What’s nice about that is that I wear these clothes year-round, not just in hunting season.
You’re looking for quality materials that are tough but also wick moisture and dry quickly. Hunting puts you in some of the harshest weather conditions at times. You want to be ready with clothing that will keep you warm and dry fast if you get caught in the rain or fall in a creek. Merino wool and quality synthetics are always good options.
Survival kit
This is on my must-have list, but I’ve listed it here under recommended because you can technically hunt without it. I don’t leave the truck without it, whether hiking or hunting. This should include first aid items like bandages, antiseptic, and gauze and a way to start a fire and purify water. An emergency shelter or lightweight tarp is also a great addition to this kit.
Consider water, shelter, fire, and communication when customizing your kit. If you have those four things, you should have no problem staying alive until someone finds you.
Binoculars
Some people think binos are a must-have, but I hunted for years before even buying a set. That being said, once I did, my effectiveness increased dramatically. Of course, if you’re hunting relatively dense timber, it’s less critical.
The bigger and more open the country you’re hunting, the more effective optics become. I’m often shocked at how I look over an open area with my bare eyes, not seeing a thing, then go back over with my binos and see an animal standing in plain sight, blending into the background.
Range finder
This isn’t necessary for all hunting. For example, birds, small game, and waterfowl are all done without a rangefinder. Likewise, gun hunting can be done without a rangefinder if you’re erring on the side of caution before taking a shot that might be outside your effective range. For archery, though, this is on the must-have list.
You cannot ethically hunt with a bow if you’re not using a range finder.
There’s too much arc on the arrow. Some people think they can guess how far away something is, but things can be deceiving in the woods. Being out on your estimate by just a few yards can mean a wounded animal, and we owe it to the animals to be better than that.
Game bags
Game bags are on the must-have list if you plan to quarter or debone meat in the field. They protect your meat and keep it clean while letting it breathe to cool down.
Those are the two most important things once you kill an animal. Get the meat cooled as quickly as possible, and keep it clean.
Tree stand or ground blind
This piece of equipment should be very high on the priority list, depending on the game you plan to hunt. For whitetail deer hunting, this will most likely be the difference between getting shots at deer and not for a new hunter.
There’s such a big learning curve when you’re new to hunting, and being in a tree stand or ground blind can help stack the odds in your favor and forgive some mistakes that new hunters make.
Also, being concealed from the animal you’re hunting allows you to move without being seen, and that’s a massive advantage, new hunter or not.
Navigation
This is a big subject, and I don’t want to get too deep on it here. We can’t overlook it, though. You need a way to navigate through the woods safely. Learning orienteering is fantastic if you can, but I realize not everyone will do that.
To start with, do these two things, and you should be fine:
1) Buy a mapping app to download maps onto your phone when you’re out of cell service. This turns your cell phone into a GPS. Go Hunt, Gaia, and ONX are three good options for mapping apps. If you're in Canada, Huntstand and Ihunter are also good options. I’ve used all of them.
2) Buy a compass and understand the basics. Even if I have my mapping app running, I always at least know what direction I’m heading and which direction I need to travel to get out. For example, if you’re parked on a road that runs east to west, and you know you’re hunting on the north side of the road, then you know that at any given time, if you get lost, you must head south to find the road. You may not navigate right back to your vehicle, but you’ll get out of the woods safely.
コメント