As a seasoned hunter, I have spent years building my kit with the most valuable and trusted products. While every hunt is different, there are a few items I carry into the field every time.
HuntWise wants every hunter to succeed this season, so keep reading for ten hunting must-haves to consider for your gear pack.
1. A Headlamp
Most of my hunts begin and end with hikes under the stars. Having a reliable headlamp is essential to navigating in the dark.
The Black Diamond Storm 450 Headlamp is completely waterproof and has a super bright 450 max lumen output. Brightness memory and red, green, and blue functions allow you to stealthily walk into your stand without hampering your night vision or alerting every animal in the woods to your presence.
2. Camo Clothing
My go-to clothing system is the Endurance line by Drake Non-Typical. The Mossy Oak Terra Coyote blends in seamlessly among the post-oak trees on our Central Texas ranch or the mountains of the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico.
Their Full Zip Jacket is perfect for cool morning sits up through mid-season. The Jean Cut Pants include elastic stirrups to keep the pants tucked into your boots, and the soft exterior allows you to move quietly through the woods.
For colder hunts, I switch to the Stand Hunter's Silencer series. The built-in backpack straps free your hands from carrying the jacket as the weather warms up during the day, and the safety harness pass-through allows you to wear your harness closer to your body while still blocking the winter air on your neck.
Remember: HuntWise subscribers get discounts from our partners, including clothing outfitters like Skre Gear, RealTree, and Scentlok. You can save hundreds on the clothing you need to hunt comfortably year-round.
3. A Safety Harness for Tree Stands
I never climb into a tree or ladder stand without a safety harness; it's just not worth the risk of a fall.
The Hawk Elevate Pro is the most comfortable harness I have found, with its padded waist and shoulder straps. The large storage pockets allow easy access to your phone or gear, and the lightweight, silent bind cables won't make noise as you climb into your stand.
4. Boots
Rubber boots are great for keeping feet dry and limiting scent trails as you move through the woods, but most are heavy and fit about as well as the box they come in.
Mudtrek boots by Irish Setter are lightweight and breathable thanks to the neoprene backing, and they fit like tennis shoes. The shin of the boot is reinforced to protect from briars and the aggressive lug pattern keeps you stabile on your feet no matter how slick the trail.
5. Extra Socks
There is nothing worse than underestimating how deep that creek crossing is and going over the top of your boots. So, I always keep an extra pair of Darn Tough Midweight Hunting Socks in my pack.
These Merino wool socks wick away moisture to keep your feet dry, and the seamless toe design keeps you from rubbing blisters, no matter how far it is back to camp.
6. Pack Saw and Pruning Shears
I like to keep a folding saw and sheers in my pack for last-minute finessing of a stand. A single twig in your shooting lane could be the difference between harvesting the trophy of a lifetime or a deflected arrow and eating tag soup.
The Hunter Combo Pack by Hunting Made Easy has both a seven-inch mini folding saw and a heavy set of pruning shears.
7. A Good Rifle
I carry the Tikka T3x Lite chambered in 30-06 paired with a Leupold 4-12x50. This rifle is light enough to carry all day without getting fatigued, and the magnification range allows me to shoot quickly in either dense woods or open terrain.
The variety of loads commercially available in .30-06 makes this rifle versatile enough to take everything from white-tailed deer with a 150-grain bullet to large bull elk in the mountains with 180-grain, all by changing the load.
8. Binoculars and a Rangefinder
Good optics (like a great pair of binoculars) can make a world of difference when clearly identifying the game you are after at a distance.
I like to use 8x42 binoculars. They offer a great field of view without being too shaky when handheld. I pair my binos with a rangefinder, especially in archery, to know the exact distance of my target.
To set up my hunt, I like to range various rocks or trees in the area before an animal approaches.
9. A Good Knife
Everyone needs a good pocket knife.
The folding Tagged Out by Benchmade has a slightly curved blade, making it great for camping out a deer and notching that tag. The aggressive hand texture allows for a firm grip even when wet, and the orange high-visibility handle makes it easy to find where you laid it down.
10. The HuntWise App
Success starts with scouting, and my scouting always starts with HuntWise. I use the map feature to look for terrain features where deer may be bedding or feeding and to identify access and exit points that won't disturb the area.
My favorite map feature is that you can change the base layer from topographical maps to various satellite images showing how the area may have changed from season to season.
HuntCast shows you the weather forecast and how that may affect the best times to hunt for your target species in your area. RutCast is a great tool for finding the stage of the breeding season deer in your area are experiencing and how you should plan your hunt around it.
Use These Ten Hunting Must-Haves for Success This Season
We hope you find this list of hunting must-haves helpful, whether you're building your gear pack for your first hunt or looking for recommendations from an experienced hunter to improve the tools you take into the field.
If you don't have HuntWise on your phone yet, it's time to download it and explore the features we mentioned today (and others) to help you strategize your next hunt and get ahead of the competition for opening day. Download it today and get the first week free on us!