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August 29, 2008

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Essential Gear for Deer

April 18 2008

	Written By - Steve Plantz - 04/18/2008
Link to Original Article here

I have been deer hunting now for 24 years and in that time I have accumulated a massive amount of toys and gadgets for my obsession of chasing whitetails. I deer hunt from Sept to the end of Dec with bow, shotgun, and muzzleloader so the gear that I am going to talk about here can be used by any deer hunter for the most part. The products that I will be talking about here work well for me but they might not be right for you, everyone needs to try out different brands to see what will work for them the best. Obviously the first thing you are going to need to carry all this gear is a good day pack. The first pic is the one I use "Cabela's Deluxe Whitetail Day Pack." I love this thing with three large pockets two on the sides and one in the front, straps across the front to strap on your coat and or coveralls so you do not get sweated up on your walk to your stand, you also can add straps at the bottom of the pack as well. This thing has plenty of room for all of your gear for a day in the deer woods. To give you an idea of how old mine is the camo pattern on it is Treebark, this should give you an idea of just how long this pack has been around. From what I have heard Treebark is starting to make a comeback.

The first thing you are going to want to put in that pack is a first aid kit along with a good plastic whistle in case you would get hurt or lost in the woods, why a plastic whistle you ask? Plastic will not freeze to your mouth in very cold weather like a metal one can and a whistle is louder and will last much longer than your voice. Of course you are going to want to have your favorite calls with you, here are some of my favorites again these calls work for me you will want to try different ones to see what you like the best. Two of my favorites are âHunter's Specialties True Talker with Rattling Bag.â The True Talker reproduces several different whitetail sounds thus eliminating the need to carry other grunt calls, I still do carry other calls but if I had to pick just one it would be the True Talker. I like the Rattling bag because it is not bulky like rattling horns are, some deer hunters prefer the horns because they feel they sound better than the rattling bag. I have used both and have had deer come into both the horns and the bag. Another grunt call I picked up last year is the âPrimos Buck Roar Deer Callâ I have not used this one long enough to make up my mind on how effective it is and would like to hear from others who have had success with this call. The other kind of calls I like to carry in my pack are can calls there are several brands and models to chose from, I like the âPrimos Can Calls. Another item that I picked up last year and have not made up my mind on yet if it is all that effective is âThe Cough Silencerâ I am also interested in hearing feedback on this product, is it a useful tool or just a gadget to catch deer hunters? Of course what pack would be complete with out a rope to pull up all your gear into the tree stand, the problem with a rope is that no matter how much I try to neatly rap it up it always seems to get tangled up on me. Well I found something to replace my rope, A âTreestand Strapper Retrieverâ with a 30-ft. web nylon strap coiled inside a plastic case, this thing is awesome just hook one end to my belt loop and the other to my gun or bow and up the tree I go, once I get in the stand just crank it up and the strap neatly rolls up just like the strap on your boat winch! Once you get your bow or gun up into the tree and your pack with all your gear you will need something to hang all this stuff on, for my bow I like the âEZ Hanger Bow Holdersâ for the rest of my gear like my pack and bow quiver I use the smaller screw in hooks, there are several brands out there to choose from. If you are bow hunting it is also a good idea to carry a tool pack including: allen wrenches, extra fiber optic replacement pins, screwdrivers, anything you might need to repair you bow in the field. Other items you might want to have with you are matches, TP, extra face paint, and a hand held GPS, the list can go on and on.

During the peak rut I will spend all day on stand from dusk to dawn so it goes without saying that you will want a flash light or two. I have a headlamp for climbing in and out of my tree and also carry a couple of âMini MagLiteâsâ and donât forget extra batteries. For those nippy days on stand you can not beat an assortment of hand, foot and body warmers, there are several brands to choose from. To help pass the time when I am in the stand all day I will bring one or two of my favorite magazines like âNorth American Whitetailâ along with some snacks like granola bars and candy bars and a bottle of water, some of you may prefer coffee. Of course if you have something to drink you are going to need a pee bottle.

Once you are settled into you tree stand you will want a good pair of binoculars with âBino Strapsâ to keep them out of the way when you are ready to pull back the bow or squeeze the trigger, there are a few different brands and styles out there to choose from. Do not forget to throw in a good portable saw for trimming some shooting lanes and a âWind Checkerâ to be sure and stay down wind of that big buck. I always have some Kleenex handy for those nippy days when my nose starts running, blowing your nose can also sound like a buck snort.

Once you bag your big buck there are some essentials you will need to field dress the deer, of course it goes without saying you will need a good knife there are several styles and brands to choose from, I use a âBuck Folding Knifeâ that I have had for several years. Something I got a couple of years ago was a pelvic bow saw and now would not be without one, there are a few different brands out there but I prefer the âSagenSawâ because it has a blunt plastic end that helps prevent breaking the bladder. Another tool I picked up this year but have not tired yet is the âButt-Out Toolâ this looks like it will be a very handy item to make field dressing a little bit easier. For the real dirty work I have latex gloves, I like the âPlaytexâ gloves for dishwashing they are much stronger than the medical ones. A container of âWet Onesâ moist wipes for cleaning up your field dressing tools and any blood on the deer for pics, and I also throw in an assortment of zip loc bags to use as mini garbage bags for the used Wet Ones and one to carry the heart in. A few other items I have to make tagging the deer easier is a paper punch to punch out the dates on the paper license and a plastic zip tie to attach the tag to the deer. Another item I am planning on investing in this year that will not fit in my day pack is a âGame Cartâ to haul that big buck out of the woods with, I am just getting to old to be dragging all that dead weight.

Last but not least do not forget to bring a camera to get some great in the field shots before you field dress your deer, I carry my digital camera with me but you could also get a inexpensive disposable camera if you do not feel comfortable bringing your digital camera into the woods.

In closing I would like to leave you with one last item and if your remember nothing else from this article please remember this, always and I mean always let someone know where you will be and what time you will be back anytime you go hunting it just may save your life someday. I wish you all a very successful and safe hunting season this year but most of all please letâs be safe out there!

PS: I am not sponsored by any of the products or companies I have talked about here, most of these products I have used for several seasons and they work well for me.

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Steve Plantz ~ IDO Field Staff

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