I’m going to go deer hunting for the first time in my life this year. I’m planning on doing the gun hunt in Wisconsin. I’ve got the rifle, stand and blaze orange jacket. What other essentials would I need to invest in before I go.
Thanks,
Steve 
A good pair of warm boots is a must. Try to make sure they are water proof too. Cold, wet feet can ruin any day in the field.
A good pair of warm boots is a must. Try to make sure they are water proof too. Cold, wet feet can ruin any day in the field.
skhartke, heres my list. A sharp knife for skinning, water bottle to drink from and for cleaning hands, a clean rag to wipe hands on to keep the knife from sliping. A garbage bag for the heart and liver. A drag strap for pulling out your deer. A dry pair of socks just incase yours get wet, you’d be amazed how much better you feel dragging out your kill in a dry pair of socks. Your deer tag! and a disposable camera for pictures is a must. I bring a snack or two also, hope you get your deer!
skhartke, heres my list. A sharp knife for skinning, water bottle to drink from and for cleaning hands, a clean rag to wipe hands on to keep the knife from sliping. A garbage bag for the heart and liver. A drag strap for pulling out your deer. A dry pair of socks just incase yours get wet, you’d be amazed how much better you feel dragging out your kill in a dry pair of socks. Your deer tag! and a disposable camera for pictures is a must. I bring a snack or two also, hope you get your deer!
ONE LAST THING…………….TOILET PAPER!!!!!
ONE LAST THING…………….TOILET PAPER!!!!!
While in your stand, it’s nice to have something to hang stuff from if there isn’t a convenient branch, so an EZ-Hanger will give you a place to hang your fanny pack, rifle, calls, etc. Definately take Dan’s advice on the water for washing up with. Wipe your nose once with deergut tainted hand and water’ll be first on your list next year. Spend a few bucks on Hot Hands and you’ll be able to stay out longer or at least be able to bare the cold in comfort. A compass, flashlight and lighter. God gets a kick outta watching me walk in circles coming off my stand at night.
While in your stand, it’s nice to have something to hang stuff from if there isn’t a convenient branch, so an EZ-Hanger will give you a place to hang your fanny pack, rifle, calls, etc. Definately take Dan’s advice on the water for washing up with. Wipe your nose once with deergut tainted hand and water’ll be first on your list next year. Spend a few bucks on Hot Hands and you’ll be able to stay out longer or at least be able to bare the cold in comfort. A compass, flashlight and lighter. God gets a kick outta watching me walk in circles coming off my stand at night.
lol shawn, im not one for gutnose eigther and walking in circles in the dark. Good idea on the hanger and flashlight to check for blood or where you need a light at. If im lost and walking in circles I atleast want to see where im lost at, lol, boy that brings back memories. Don’t be afraid to use a marker on a tree, but most your animals will be on the edges of the deep woods. 
lol shawn, im not one for gutnose eigther and walking in circles in the dark. Good idea on the hanger and flashlight to check for blood or where you need a light at. If im lost and walking in circles I atleast want to see where im lost at, lol, boy that brings back memories. Don’t be afraid to use a marker on a tree, but most your animals will be on the edges of the deep woods.
“The List” will depend heavily on who you ask and where/when they hunt. Here in Iowa, for instance, I never take water to clean my hands with because it’s pretty rare to have a shotgun 2 season without snow on the ground. In Wisconsin and Minnesota, gun season is during the rut, so my list for one of those places would be a lot more like my bowhunting list. With that in mind, the following is what I would normally take when bowhunting:
—
Pre Season (stand hanging)
—
Backpack to hold everything
Tree Steps
Folding saw
Pruning shears
Machete (Note 1)
Cordless Drill
Pole saw (Note 2)
Tree Stand
Tree Steps (Note 3)
Screw-in hook to hang stuff on
—
1. The machete is because I hunt in thick, thick, miserable brambles. There is no way a human can walk through it unmolested, and even with insulated carhartts on they will poke through and leave bright red bloody scratches on my legs, arms, neck, and face.
2. My pole saw is a plastic job with a saw on one side and a clipper with a rope on the other. It extends to 16′ and has been used at it’s full length. About 90% of the branch trimming that I do to create shooting lanes I can do with the clipper (branches < 1 inch), with a handfull falling victim to the saw.
3. A climbing stick is definitely the way to go here, as once it’s on they are as rock-solid as a ladder and I feel 100% safe and comfortable climbing into and out of my stand. They are well worth the $40 and the extra effort of carrying them in. The screw in steps should be placed as far to the sides of the path of your climb as possible as many injuries from falling occur when an arm, leg, or piece of clothing snags a step on the way down. I pre-drill with the cordless using a 1/4″ bit – you just need big enough to get the point buried
—
On my person (Hunting)
—
Weapon and all necessary implements for it’s use
Bow
Arrows/broadheadsx3
Arrows/field pointsx2
Release
Rope to pull unloaded weapon into my tree
Fanny pack
Knife (Note 4)
Folding saw (Note 5)
Grunt call
“Doe in a can” (Note 6)
Rattle bag (Note 7)
Cover scent
Snack food
Tree Belt/Safety Harness
Binoculars
—
4. Get a solid fixed-blade knife with a 4-6″ blade. Folding or lock-back knives have their place, and it’s not in the field dressing a deer. When field dressing, you can run the knife up the side of the sternum and crack through the ribs where they join together at the front. This will make your job of ‘taking the insides out’ much easier, but will eventually destroy any knife with moving parts.
5. Speaking of making your job easier, a folding saw is the ultimate weapon when field dressing a deer. I don’t know how easy this will be to explain, but here goes: Usually guys will cut down the pelvis, wedge their knife point in the soft bone that connects the center, smack the handle end to drive the point into the cartelidge and use their knife blade to crack it and twist to break it open. This is death to your knife, and is a really, really dangerous thing to do. Carry a folding saw ($8 at Wal Mart). Use your knife to cut through the hide and meat down to the bone on both sides of the center. Then take the folding saw and lay it parallel to the deer’s body and cut through the bone and cartelidge (sp?) on both sides of the center bone. Extract the entire thing, then you can pull all the nasties from underneath without worrying about tainting the meat in the area. If this is unclear, someone can post and I’ll try to dig up a picture on the ‘net and more words to help.
6. Also known as the ‘can of whoop A##’
7. This can be as tricky as you’d like to make it. I carry a rattle bag because it’s convenient, but I know guys with no less than 4 sets of rattling antlers (sheds soaked in water for at least 24 hours) depending on the stage of the rut. During the early pre-rut, the deer are just sparring and you want nice tickling with light antlers. About two weeks before the does start getting hot, the bucks will separate from their bachelor herds and really begin to go at it. This is the time when the establish dominance, and you can’t find a big enough set of rattling antlers or bang them together hard enough. Make sure during this time you’re huffing on the grunt call and rustling leaves and branches while you rattle. Once breeding begins, the bucks have established an order of dominance and the big boys will be keeping their does well away from other bucks. During this time, the dominant deer will not repsond to rattling because they fear another buck might harp in on their action – smaller bucks may still respond if they are not tending does (looking to harp in on another bucks action, like above). This is the time to use the can-o-whoopin’ and I have literally had a spike buck run 100+ yards across an open cornfield in response to it. Once breeding is complete, the bucks will eventually start regrouping into bachelor herds and some light sparring takes place during this time as well (usually January here in Iowa), but I wouldn’t expect them to respond tremendously well to rattling.
—
In the truck
—
Gas Lantern (Note 8)
Flashlight
Camera
Heavy rope
Toilet paper (not for that)
—
8. When blood-trailing a deer at night, you will find a gas lantern 5x more useful than a flashlight. I have used both in after-dark trailing adventures, and the gas lantern covers a much wider area and shows blood a lot better as well. I have both white gas and propane lanterns, and the propane seems to burn brighter, but that may just be because the gas lantern is 40 years old and could use a good cleaning. An important tip for blood trailing that is worth noting is to always have a buddy with, even if he sucks at it. As you find blood, mark the trail with the toilet paper, which will dissolve when it rains. Have the second person scan in the direction you’re moving with the flashlight periodically looking for movement and shining eyes. If you see the deer get up and move, get out of there and give him more time. This is especially common with a marginal hit to the vitals (dark blood) where you want to go back in the morning rather than risk loosing the deer by pushing him. Snow will make your job 100 times easier. Rain will make it pure hell, and never abandon a trail in the rain as it will be washed out and impossible to find the next day. If you think you got a muscle hit (red blood, not frothy or bubbly), keep pushing the deer as fast as you can. You need to keep him moving if you want to recover him. The rope is to drag his carcass out.
———-
Whew! That took a while. Hope it helps someone.
After looking back it looks like a lot of stuff, but it all fits nicely into a backpack.
Good luck and stay safe out there this year.
“The List” will depend heavily on who you ask and where/when they hunt. Here in Iowa, for instance, I never take water to clean my hands with because it’s pretty rare to have a shotgun 2 season without snow on the ground. In Wisconsin and Minnesota, gun season is during the rut, so my list for one of those places would be a lot more like my bowhunting list. With that in mind, the following is what I would normally take when bowhunting:
—
Pre Season (stand hanging)
—
Backpack to hold everything
Tree Steps
Folding saw
Pruning shears
Machete (Note 1)
Cordless Drill
Pole saw (Note 2)
Tree Stand
Tree Steps (Note 3)
Screw-in hook to hang stuff on
—
1. The machete is because I hunt in thick, thick, miserable brambles. There is no way a human can walk through it unmolested, and even with insulated carhartts on they will poke through and leave bright red bloody scratches on my legs, arms, neck, and face.
2. My pole saw is a plastic job with a saw on one side and a clipper with a rope on the other. It extends to 16′ and has been used at it’s full length. About 90% of the branch trimming that I do to create shooting lanes I can do with the clipper (branches < 1 inch), with a handfull falling victim to the saw.
3. A climbing stick is definitely the way to go here, as once it’s on they are as rock-solid as a ladder and I feel 100% safe and comfortable climbing into and out of my stand. They are well worth the $40 and the extra effort of carrying them in. The screw in steps should be placed as far to the sides of the path of your climb as possible as many injuries from falling occur when an arm, leg, or piece of clothing snags a step on the way down. I pre-drill with the cordless using a 1/4″ bit – you just need big enough to get the point buried
—
On my person (Hunting)
—
Weapon and all necessary implements for it’s use
Bow
Arrows/broadheadsx3
Arrows/field pointsx2
Release
Rope to pull unloaded weapon into my tree
Fanny pack
Knife (Note 4)
Folding saw (Note 5)
Grunt call
“Doe in a can” (Note 6)
Rattle bag (Note 7)
Cover scent
Snack food
Tree Belt/Safety Harness
Binoculars
—
4. Get a solid fixed-blade knife with a 4-6″ blade. Folding or lock-back knives have their place, and it’s not in the field dressing a deer. When field dressing, you can run the knife up the side of the sternum and crack through the ribs where they join together at the front. This will make your job of ‘taking the insides out’ much easier, but will eventually destroy any knife with moving parts.
5. Speaking of making your job easier, a folding saw is the ultimate weapon when field dressing a deer. I don’t know how easy this will be to explain, but here goes: Usually guys will cut down the pelvis, wedge their knife point in the soft bone that connects the center, smack the handle end to drive the point into the cartelidge and use their knife blade to crack it and twist to break it open. This is death to your knife, and is a really, really dangerous thing to do. Carry a folding saw ($8 at Wal Mart). Use your knife to cut through the hide and meat down to the bone on both sides of the center. Then take the folding saw and lay it parallel to the deer’s body and cut through the bone and cartelidge (sp?) on both sides of the center bone. Extract the entire thing, then you can pull all the nasties from underneath without worrying about tainting the meat in the area. If this is unclear, someone can post and I’ll try to dig up a picture on the ‘net and more words to help.
6. Also known as the ‘can of whoop A##’
7. This can be as tricky as you’d like to make it. I carry a rattle bag because it’s convenient, but I know guys with no less than 4 sets of rattling antlers (sheds soaked in water for at least 24 hours) depending on the stage of the rut. During the early pre-rut, the deer are just sparring and you want nice tickling with light antlers. About two weeks before the does start getting hot, the bucks will separate from their bachelor herds and really begin to go at it. This is the time when the establish dominance, and you can’t find a big enough set of rattling antlers or bang them together hard enough. Make sure during this time you’re huffing on the grunt call and rustling leaves and branches while you rattle. Once breeding begins, the bucks have established an order of dominance and the big boys will be keeping their does well away from other bucks. During this time, the dominant deer will not repsond to rattling because they fear another buck might harp in on their action – smaller bucks may still respond if they are not tending does (looking to harp in on another bucks action, like above). This is the time to use the can-o-whoopin’ and I have literally had a spike buck run 100+ yards across an open cornfield in response to it. Once breeding is complete, the bucks will eventually start regrouping into bachelor herds and some light sparring takes place during this time as well (usually January here in Iowa), but I wouldn’t expect them to respond tremendously well to rattling.
—
In the truck
—
Gas Lantern (Note 8)
Flashlight
Camera
Heavy rope
Toilet paper (not for that)
—
8. When blood-trailing a deer at night, you will find a gas lantern 5x more useful than a flashlight. I have used both in after-dark trailing adventures, and the gas lantern covers a much wider area and shows blood a lot better as well. I have both white gas and propane lanterns, and the propane seems to burn brighter, but that may just be because the gas lantern is 40 years old and could use a good cleaning. An important tip for blood trailing that is worth noting is to always have a buddy with, even if he sucks at it. As you find blood, mark the trail with the toilet paper, which will dissolve when it rains. Have the second person scan in the direction you’re moving with the flashlight periodically looking for movement and shining eyes. If you see the deer get up and move, get out of there and give him more time. This is especially common with a marginal hit to the vitals (dark blood) where you want to go back in the morning rather than risk loosing the deer by pushing him. Snow will make your job 100 times easier. Rain will make it pure hell, and never abandon a trail in the rain as it will be washed out and impossible to find the next day. If you think you got a muscle hit (red blood, not frothy or bubbly), keep pushing the deer as fast as you can. You need to keep him moving if you want to recover him. The rope is to drag his carcass out.
———-
Whew! That took a while. Hope it helps someone.
After looking back it looks like a lot of stuff, but it all fits nicely into a backpack.
Good luck and stay safe out there this year.
I am not sure but some people are freaked out about the CWD, so maybe a pair of latex rubber gloves, like what the Dr’s where when they give you a physical. that way you aren’t using your whole jug of water to wash your hands. also a sharpening stone to sharpen your knife after gutting one, you may want to touch the edge up before skinnning. I also pack candie bars, anything with sugar in it. you will be surprised after you get all dressed, loaded down with gear, and get out to your stand, you will be tired. a nice little sugar rush will help keep you alert, or in my case, sleep soundly, but sugar is a good thing. also, a phone or a 2 way radio if you have one, that way, if you do happen to get lost, you would be able to either call somone, or use the 2 ways and scan the channels to get help. and a few bandads never hurt anyone. little cuts on your hands from the knife slipping do hurt, alcohol wipes, to disinfect the germs on your hands, like after using the toilet paper. they are light weight and do not take up much room in the fanny pack. and if that aint enough stuff, just sit on a field in your truck and you never have to worry about forgetting something. 
good luck, and don’t forget shells, bring more than just a handfull, trust me on this one. it is a long story that i will tell someday, but 7 shots was not enough.
shane
I am not sure but some people are freaked out about the CWD, so maybe a pair of latex rubber gloves, like what the Dr’s where when they give you a physical. that way you aren’t using your whole jug of water to wash your hands. also a sharpening stone to sharpen your knife after gutting one, you may want to touch the edge up before skinnning. I also pack candie bars, anything with sugar in it. you will be surprised after you get all dressed, loaded down with gear, and get out to your stand, you will be tired. a nice little sugar rush will help keep you alert, or in my case, sleep soundly, but sugar is a good thing. also, a phone or a 2 way radio if you have one, that way, if you do happen to get lost, you would be able to either call somone, or use the 2 ways and scan the channels to get help. and a few bandads never hurt anyone. little cuts on your hands from the knife slipping do hurt, alcohol wipes, to disinfect the germs on your hands, like after using the toilet paper. they are light weight and do not take up much room in the fanny pack. and if that aint enough stuff, just sit on a field in your truck and you never have to worry about forgetting something.
good luck, and don’t forget shells, bring more than just a handfull, trust me on this one. it is a long story that i will tell someday, but 7 shots was not enough.
shane
Careful, two-ways are illegal to even have on your person in Iowa, and if you have them in your truck expect that you’ll get a going-over with the fine-toothed comb if the DNR stops you.
It’s also illegal here to use your truck as a stand – Missouri it is legal.
Careful, two-ways are illegal to even have on your person in Iowa, and if you have them in your truck expect that you’ll get a going-over with the fine-toothed comb if the DNR stops you.
It’s also illegal here to use your truck as a stand – Missouri it is legal.
Two ways are legal in WI for everything except getting around the “party hunting” rules, ie. the person tagging the deer still must be within non-aided voice or sight range.
Ther is nothing better for coordinating deer drives. No guessing when the standers are in position, when to start, getting someone back in line, etc.
Two ways are legal in WI for everything except getting around the “party hunting” rules, ie. the person tagging the deer still must be within non-aided voice or sight range.
Ther is nothing better for coordinating deer drives. No guessing when the standers are in position, when to start, getting someone back in line, etc.
Blood trailing.
The last couple of years I have used a cordless spot light when tracking, it really makes the blood more visable. Only problem with them is, even the good ones only last about a 1/2 hour so buy a second battery if you get one.
Blood trailing.
The last couple of years I have used a cordless spot light when tracking, it really makes the blood more visable. Only problem with them is, even the good ones only last about a 1/2 hour so buy a second battery if you get one.
I have found that instead of using the latex gloves like the doc uses. I go to a farmer friend of mine and get a couple of gloves that he uses for artificial insemenation of his cattle. New ones of course. I like these because they come all the way up to your shoulder and they are big enough that you don’t have to take your coat off while gutting your deer.
I have found that instead of using the latex gloves like the doc uses. I go to a farmer friend of mine and get a couple of gloves that he uses for artificial insemenation of his cattle. New ones of course. I like these because they come all the way up to your shoulder and they are big enough that you don’t have to take your coat off while gutting your deer.
mossydan mentioned a bag for the heart and liver, which is the right idea. But we party hunt and I remember carrying the heart of my first buck with me all day without the convenience of a bag. Our rookies still have to do this. Anyone else carry on this tradition?
mossydan mentioned a bag for the heart and liver, which is the right idea. But we party hunt and I remember carrying the heart of my first buck with me all day without the convenience of a bag. Our rookies still have to do this. Anyone else carry on this tradition?
I WOULD SIGHT IN THE RIFLE UNLESS THAT IS ALREADY DONE, AND CARRY A GPS TO MARK HOME BASE IN CASE YOU NEED TO TRACK A DEER(ESPECIALLY IN DARK) IN THICK OR UNFAMILIAR TERRAIN.
I WOULD SIGHT IN THE RIFLE UNLESS THAT IS ALREADY DONE, AND CARRY A GPS TO MARK HOME BASE IN CASE YOU NEED TO TRACK A DEER(ESPECIALLY IN DARK) IN THICK OR UNFAMILIAR TERRAIN.
the only reasons that we have the 2 ways, is becuase 2 of the people that we hunt with are not in the best medical condition. that way whomever is closest can get to them. also, if we have a wounded one and need help tracking. other than that, as far as i am concerned, they can stay in the box. once the guys that are not doing so hot decide to hang up the rifle, they will probably go back into the box.
shane
the only reasons that we have the 2 ways, is becuase 2 of the people that we hunt with are not in the best medical condition. that way whomever is closest can get to them. also, if we have a wounded one and need help tracking. other than that, as far as i am concerned, they can stay in the box. once the guys that are not doing so hot decide to hang up the rifle, they will probably go back into the box.
shane
You guys remember those snake lights that you could wrap around a tree or something. I use mine to hold next to the ground. The light shines out over the leaves right next to the ground when tracking. For me its the best one i can think of and packs easily into a bag or fanny pack. Two batteries lasts me more than 5 hrs of tracking at night. Thier nice, no bending over, they illuminate the blood real well, easy to spot it.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
