what's in your pockets/on your person when hunting?

kickemall

WKR
Joined
Feb 10, 2013
Messages
969
Location
SD
Same thing I carry everytime I put on pants. Knife, lighter and pocket size waterproof Streamlight. I figure no matter where I am, urban or rural, I can survive a lot of shit with those three things. Funny how much I find myself using them throughout the day around the house.
 

WTFJohn

WKR
Joined
May 1, 2018
Messages
367
Location
CO
I try to keep my pockets fairly empty, usually just a folding knife, lighter, and cell phone. My bino harness carries everything else, and is something that is always on me. In there I have wind checker, ear plugs, lighters, extra ammo, lens cloth, tags, Garmin Inreach mini, Petzl e-light, bandaids/aspirin/advil/water tabs in a vac sealed pouch, and a honey stinger waffle w/ some Justin's PB. There's usually a pistol on the harness as well.

This all fits in a AGC Cub Max, and has been relatively unchanged for the last few years. I try not to leave my pack or get separated from it, but with what I have in the harness it's not the end of the world to be away from it for a few hours or most of a day.
 

Beendare

WKR
Joined
May 6, 2014
Messages
8,317
Location
Corripe cervisiam
my front pockets;
bic Lighter, chapstick, wind checker, small compass, pocket knife, phone...sometimes calls.

If its an afternoon hunt I also have my headlamp in a cargo pocket...and typically my RF in a cargo as well.
 

GreenNDark Timber

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 22, 2017
Messages
298
Location
Arkansas
Front right pocket - Benchmade Bugout, Lighter with Duct Tape wrapped around it and wind checker (if I haven't already lost it)

Front left pocket - phone and mouth call pouch if elk hunting

Right Cargo - Right wool glove and open reed elk call if elk hunting

Left Cargo - Left wool glove, head lamp
 

83cj-7

WKR
Joined
Dec 26, 2020
Messages
1,068
Location
West Virginia
Glock 43! I always hunt near or around populated areas and have had some very scary situations arise with trespassers and just crazy people.
 

TheGDog

WKR
Joined
Jun 12, 2020
Messages
3,271
Location
OC, CA
I almost never separate from my pack. But when I have? headlamp, Havalon Bone Collector 2 Blade folder w/ scalpel. My lil Sig P238 .380acp and an xtra mag and/or BearSpray. Lense wiper cloth on me always. liner gloves and facemask/balaclava get shoved into cargo pocket. If bow hunting release stays on me all day. If moving greater than 20yds away from pack, I'll take off the guide lid and bring with. It has TP/Wipes the snack/packaged foods, a meat bag, extra glasses and *can* fit eCaller and MOJO into it as well. Always keep another light in the guide lid and spare batteries And the Garmin InReach mini stays in the Guide lid all the time.

EDIT: Forgot to mention Sawyer mini filter.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Dec 6, 2020
Messages
577
Location
Shenandoah Valley
For Eastern whitetial hunting no matter my loadout, I always have two items: A whistle, and a space blanket. The whistle would help search parties looking for me. And a space blanket will be enough to keep me warm for many hours, and also gives a search party a large visible flag of sorts to better find me.

Depending where and how long I hunt, the third thing would always be water, and a Sawyer Squeeze filter/bag.

Another thing I seem to always have, but not always critical, is flagging tape. I keep the whistle, and a few feet of flagging tape in my bino harness all the time. I always take my bino harness when I hunt. There is always more stuff depending on scenario, but the above is what is always with me every time.

Andrew Skurka has some great articles on what to carry when hiking/backpacking, etc, and it really helped me realize what is actually helpful to carry with you given each scenario I hunt.
 

fngTony

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 18, 2016
Messages
5,121
Just gloves or maybe a task specific item. Everything else has migrated to my pack belt pockets.
 
Joined
Sep 9, 2012
Messages
1,992
Location
BC
Left Microtex shirt pocket carries the Leupold rangefinder, right shirt pocket my iPhone inside a pint freezer bag when the weather is wet. Right front pants pocket has chapstick and a clean white cloth handkerchief for cleaning glasses and optics. Cargo pocket below has a a pair of very light Microtex type gloves and my species licenses and PAL (Possession and Acquisition License)...not required for bowhunting but you need a photo ID so I use it. If separated from the pack on a stalk the bear spray goes there too. Also a Leatherman in a sheath on my right hip.

Left front pants pocket has a very small vial of eye drops and a Carmex container of Vicks (for allergies if the season is right) and another with sunscreen. Cargo pocket carries the inReach in a pint freezer ziplock bag. Rear pants pockets typically have a couple folded sheets of paper towel (toilet paper).
 

mcseal2

WKR
Joined
May 8, 2014
Messages
2,674
Pockets ZT452CF knife, lighter, chapstick, phone

Bino harness I don’t take off, lighter, wetfire cube, 1AAA Fenix light.
 
Joined
Feb 1, 2021
Messages
17
Left pocket is my olight flashlight/headlamp. Right pocket Benchmade griptillian and an ink pen. M&P shield 9 in a holster at 5 oclock. Wallet and phone on me somewhere. If its a stand hunt I often pack my Bible to read as well.
 

dtrkyman

WKR
Joined
Oct 2, 2014
Messages
2,971
Knife...Bic...always.

Sometimes, trail mix, if it's cold I put it in front pocket to warm it up, frozen M&M's suck! release aid, a light kuiu beanie, face mask.

All kinds of stuff randomly winds up in them, but I prefer the minimum!
 
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