Up here in NH, we don't need to worry about water. There is always some natural springs or brooks around, and the water is very cold, clear, and clean. My list looks like this...
- Ruger SRH .480 with 2X Burris scope
- Pistol Packaging Bandito cross-draw holster with 10 extra rounds in the shell holder
- hunting knife
- 2 compasses, one pin on, the other in my pocket as a backup
- parachute cord drag rope, pen, paper towels, and rubber gloves in a bag in the jacket pocket for dealing with any successes
- small Celestron binoculars
- cell phone
- grunt call
- bleat call
- doe estrus scent, and scent pads on my boots
- a couple snack bars
When there is snow or rain, I also carry a camo seat pad hanging from my belt in back to sit on.
I have a pair of electronically assisted muffs that I use on the range. I have tried them hunting with mixed results. They do amplify background noises, and will protect my ears when firing. However, between dry leaves in the breeze, and the annoying chipmunks and squirrels, the background noise can be deafening. Same thing on a rainy day with rain drops on the leaves. After a couple tries, I left them home. Maybe I'll try them again on a snowy day when the woods are really quiet.
If there is snow, or bright sun on fall leaves, I wear my dappled black on hunter orange jacket and orange hat. If it is dingy, cold, and rainy, then I wear my khaki army jacket and only a hunter orange hat. Not sure if it matters or not. Deer are not supposed to see color, but a bright intensity spot of hunter orange has to look out of place on a dark and gloomy day. Any movement will also show up like a neon sigh. With my green army jacket, I have had deer almost step on me on dark days. I find a dark spot of cover under a spruce tree, and take off my hat. Just this year, I talked a big buck in with a doe bleat call and dropped him with one shot at 20 yards.
