What's in your vest?

Took the guns out of the safe today for some fresh air. Changed the choke tubes from late season pairings back to early (never did make it out for "one last hunt"). Figured I should go through and clean-up my main vest. I found a grouse feather stuck on the inside mesh.
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In one of the pockets I found a lost shell, 4 granola bars and 2 more feathers. It got me to thinking about what others keep in their vest.

I try to always have: latex gloves, flagging tape, fast food napkins (since you can't always find leaves), a few granola bars and a whistle/compass/temp gauge. The feathers were unintentional but now I wonder if I should keep them in there for luck.
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My licence is also in there but it's with my fishing tackle right now. Various other items will get switched out depending on the day and I usually have a small folding knife or upland multi-tool on my belt.

You?

Similar to you but with the following additions:

- flask of 16 year old Lagavullin
- jerky
- cohibas
- hurricane proof lighter

Edit to add:

- ziploc bag with a few bandages and polysporin

YES keep the feathers I had one I kept in my hat not on the outside in the brim always shot grouse wife washed my hat (not with my permission) never saw a grouse again till I found a road kill Grouse and put another feather in my cap(so to speak) :D

Same roads I hunted same spots superstition maybe but that's how I see it

A handful of those nice purple shells. A whistle. A Dogtra2500 T&B handset. Bottle of water and some azzwipe. Usually enough to get us back to the truck.

- Pair of clear shooting glasses (personally very important for me and I suppose also for folks who may have experienced twigs snap back with substantial force and hit eyes)
- Mini first aid kit including some painkillers, small roll of flattened TP
- Whistle, compass, GPS
- Leatherman Wave + a 5in fixed blade bushcraft knife (worn on my belt)
- Lightweight headlight
- Lighter + a firestarter
- 10ft coiled length of paracord
- 8ft of Gorilla duct tape wrapped around a credit card sized plastic
- A water bottle + a small flask of tea, couple sandwiches and some dry munchies
- 8-10 shells (20 or 28)

In the vest water, GPS with spare batteries, pruning shears. Most of the other items listed above in the jeep save the alcohol that's at home.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by terrym

Bottle of water and some azzwipe. Usually enough to get us back to the truck.

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How exactly is that measured???


That 16 gauge shell is a bit of a mystery as I'm quite sure that I brought the 20 for the last few trips.

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Originally Posted by Rodbender

YES keep the feathers I had one I kept in my hat not on the outside in the brim always shot grouse wife washed my hat (not with my permission) never saw a grouse again till I found a road kill Grouse and put another feather in my cap(so to speak) :D

Same roads I hunted same spots superstition maybe but that's how I see it

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My wife found a pair of my hunting pants and washed them. Took me a while to find them since they were folded... and in a drawer. I told her that they hadn't been washed since they became hunting pants. She asked: "Can the birds smell you?" Well... no... but.... never mind.

Small flashlight,compass,folding hunting knife,several Ziplock baggies,baby wipes,license/tag wallet,shell holders full.

On a side note, any good luck charms that you're willing to admit to? I don't necessarily have one but I have carried an empty shell from a memorable shot for a while afterwards. I do like the idea of keeping a feather (on purpose) in the vest and/or my hat. I do have tail feathers as book marks in each of my grouse books.

Besides the basics (lighter, bit of paracord, emergency blanket, etc., I also carry a life straw. Nice and light and God forbid, if I got lost I have unlimited water from any puddle, stream or pond.

I carry a knife, ziplock bags, plastic shopping bag, compass/gps, shot shells and a lucky snowshoe hares foot. Food/water and espresso at the car.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kickingfrog

On a side note, any good luck charms that you're willing to admit to?

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Yep, the pellets inside my cartridges. Some days those work, other days those are more attracted to trees trunks, branches, vacant spaces etc. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kickingfrog

On a side note, any good luck charms that you're willing to admit to? I don't necessarily have one but I have carried an empty shell from a memorable shot for a while afterwards. I do like the idea of keeping a feather (on purpose) in the vest and/or my hat. I do have tail feathers as book marks in each of my grouse books.

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yup, I do have a good luck charm that is always with me. His name is Tucker and i won't hunt without him.

This time of year: earplugs, a few shells, maybe a blank pistol, and a bunch of pigeon feathers.

Come fall, licence, shells, a granola bar, a homemade priest, and a bunch of twigs and leaves and feathers.

I don't carry much. I put in the stuff I think I'll need, depending where I'm going. The one permanent thing is a compass clipped to a strap, a legacy of the time I got lost. Knives and so on are in my pocketses or on my belt.

A compass ,knife, water, granola bar, cell phone, lighter, plastic bag, whistle, licence , map of area. And of course my dog or dogs.

Back in the day I had several little survival kits stashed away everywhere, but as the years passed I've stopped carrying them. Generally in the places I hunt now I'm never more than a few kms, and often much less, from my vehicle and I'm mostly in central Ontario. In part, having a cell phone has made me feel that the likelihood of spending a night in the bush less likely, and now that I've mellowed a bit as well I'm less likely to take some of the risks that I might have as a young man. Not saying that having some emergency stuff on hand isn't necessary (I do still have all that survival stuff in a pack that stays in the vehicle on every trip) just that I've become complacent and technology has changed things a little.

Edit to add:
I also have a gun sock that I bring as well if I'm hunting late in the day incase I end up out after legal light.

Personally, for ease of mobility, I try to prep all basic carry gear on my person to be lightweight as far as possible. Best to have essentials and not ever need any than need any and not have the stuff at hand.

In most areas, for example, the closest I hunt is Parry Sound, where mobile coverage isn't always available even on a clear logging trail. A simple incident perhaps such as a sprained ankle a mere 1000 yards away from a trail could become quite an unpleasant experience particularly if one is alone. The vehicle is parked usually 7-8kms away.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sharps4570

Personally, for ease of mobility, I try to prep all basic carry gear on my person to be lightweight as far as possible. Best to have essentials and not ever need any than need any and not have the stuff at hand.

In most areas, for example, the closest I hunt is Parry Sound, where mobile coverage isn't always available even on a clear logging trail. A simple incident perhaps such as a sprained ankle a mere 1000 yards away from a trail could become quite an unpleasant experience particularly if one is alone. The vehicle is parked usually 7-8kms away.

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well said!!

This is my first post on the forum. HoneyBee is my dog's name (GSP). I have a 4 year old son who is going to tread the trails with me this Fall and I'm really hoping he can turn into my good luck charm.....the dog knows I could use some luck, haha.

A good knife, a decent cigar, small plastic bags for cleaned birds, a grocery bag for hares, trailmarker, at least a dozen 1oz 12ga handloads in Federal paper hulls, a good lighter and a compass.