Turkey hunting forum for turkey hunting tips
General Discussion => Turkey Hunting Tips ,Strategies & Methods => Topic started by: Disney on April 06, 2017, 07:47:10 AM
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What kind of useful gadgets or homemade things do you take along with you hunting? I'm not talking about extra strikers or different Calls or GPS or binoculars. Alot of us already do that.
My little thing is that I save small plastic or metal containers with lids. The kind that mints or candy come in, like Altoids. Then I cut up an assortment of different grit sandpaper in small squares, add a couple scuff pads and a few rubber bands. It's great help when you must touch up your calls and strikers. But it comes in handy when you see another turkey hunter and he needs sandpaper. I'll give him a piece to help him out. He'll remember you for that little piece of cheap sandpaper. Several times I ran into the same person in the woods and discovered I made a friend. We would talk and plan strategies so not to interfere with each other.
What do you take along?
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I always have a bag for Morels, zip ties, bought a little tripod for my cellphone so I can take pictures after a kill and of course a "knife" my Leatherman. I always seem to custom stuff to my use.
MK M GOBL
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I use chew cans with a sponge soaked in non alcohol mouthwash to hold a few mouth calls. much nicer to pop in a fresh call in your mouth over one that tastes like yesterdays coffee
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I can't be in the woods without a couple zip lock bags for cell phone and wallet.
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I carry a Leatherman Hunters Pruner. Very handy with a set of jaws for pruning, limb saw and a knife blade.
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Remington Turkey Hunter pocket knife
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I just can't be without my ziplock bag of "baby wipes".
When a certain thing needs attended to, I'm so happy to have them.
:newmascot:
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Compass, topo map's, multi tool, zip ties, ziplock bags, fire starter, small signal mirror, water bottle, replacement fiber optic rod, homemade turkey tote, cheep blaze orange vest to wrap bird in for the hike back to the truck.
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Small pill bottle with extra latex and rubber bands for my tube calls. Plastic bag the paper comes in to put over the gobblers head. Keeps blood out of my vest or off my pants. 2 big plastic garbage bags to help crossing creeks. Used one yesterday.
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I have a few bread bags in my vest and when I get lucky enough to get a bird, I put one over his head then my turkey tote make out of para cord and carry him out of the woods. No blood or mess on me, my gear or the back of the truck.
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coffee.... Don't go into the woods without it
Dawn cracking, birds gobbling, waiting for fly down... that's the best cup of joe a guy can have
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Chew tins have various uses mouth calls, sandpaper , chalk etc. plastic folding card carrier one side has my hunting license, the other my tags stays in a secure zippered vest pocket all season. One less thing to think about.
A length of cord or twine has a million uses. Especially tying on a tag.
Lastly I never go in the woods without a thermacell, extra fuel and extra repellent cards.
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Round containers that Scotch electrical tape comes in make for good mouth call holders and scotchbrite, chalk, etc holders.
Also, plastic pipe cutters, they are very handy for trimming limbs and briars
Wet wipes might be the most important, lots of uses for them
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A boonie hat for flydowns and mock fights.
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I bring a portable charger and charging cord. I use my iPhone as a GPS and like to know that I've got the capabilities to have a freshly charged phone in emergencies.
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Toilet paper... Good for wiping fogged up binoculars or glasses... Also good for wiping other "stuff."
Plastic bags: used for a number of things, including putting optics or calls in with unexpected moisture.
GPS: so I can find the car when I want to go home. Or mark a strutting area... Or follow my tracks back, so I can find whatever call or piece of equipment I lost while walking.
Fury knife blade which has a serrated edge on one side good for sawing branches.
Super-Duper Turkey finder... Just press a button and it locates every turkey within a square 1/2 mile... Great tool to have in the vest...
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35MM film canister to carry my chalk in....Sand paper, green or maroon pads, & rubber bands, too.
A bag of those 11" velco straps.....They keep box & paddle calls quiet in your holster...
A qt. freezer bag to cover a gobblers head held on with a reuseable 11" Velcro strap..I store my camera & TP in it, till I kill one.
A tupperwear container with 5 ft of paracord, latex gloves for cleaning him out, my Gerber knife, extra mouth calls.....
CLEAR Jumbo toothbrush holders to keep my strikers dry......
A piece of 1 1/2 PVC with poly end caps long enough to store my favorite wooden Hegler trumpet in, if it's damp out or T-storm's are in the area...I wrapped it with camo self sticking tape, so the white pipe isn't visible.....
All of my friction calls are in Tupperware containers....
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A wide variety of pouches (cordura or leather) that ive scrounged up somewhere that hold strikers, pot calls, sandpaper, glass rougher, gps, etc. Wipes, zip lock bags, saw or pruners or both. That's about it.
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I have a few chew cans with sandpaper emery cloth ect. one for chalk, one for calls. I have a chew can that is filled with cotton in Vaseline a book of matches and a lighter that is vacuum sealed for a fire starter. I also always have a Buckwing porta roof in my vest. Its an umbrella that you screw into a tree and is real handy for those spring pop up showers.It also works pretty good to put out in front of a kid or a buddy that cant sit still.
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I have a lot of special stuff I carry. I have a snakebitet kit, several lighters, backup battery for my phone with a pocket charger, tp, magnesium fire starter and some tinder, tp, seasoning, extra knife, and paracord. I hunt by myself and like to go in a Fer piece so I feel better being prepared if something should happen. This is all in a zip lock baby that I have slid into a crown royal bag to keep it quiet.
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Gps, compass, phone, portable battery charger, leatherman wave, N cell batteries, CR123 batteries, waterproof matches, zip lock bags, rubber bands, surefire C2 and a glock 26.
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Pocket juice. USB battery charger, some come with a built in flashlight too. I mainly use them for my camcorder, but it's also very useful if your phone won't last the whole day.
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Coffee, TP and Lunch.
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Latex/Nitrile gloves. I carry them during deer season also. Besides the obvious use for dressing out game, I put them on before I answer natures call.
They also come in handy if your hands are dirty and you want to eat any lunch you may have brought along with you.
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I have a snakebitet kit
I used to carry a snakebite kit as well... Until I read that most of these kits (including the one I had) often do more harm than good when bitten.
You might do a bit of research on the one you currently have in your pack (I would be curious as to what you find out).
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coffee.... Don't go into the woods without it
Dawn cracking, birds gobbling, waiting for fly down... that's the best cup of joe a guy can have
100% agree with this!! Nothing like it!!
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Not in my vest but I wear a Camelbak under my vest. I can burn through 3L of water in hard day of hiking/hunting. It's also much more convenient than pulling out a water bottle.
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When the need arises, TP becomes the #1 most important and useful thing real quick!!
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homemade turkey tote
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I hunt with my kids a lot so I carry extra gloves and face masks they always seem to lose something.I also carry camo make up to fill in the spots that their face masks don't cover.I also carry pruning shears and a short Gerber machete that fits in my vest it is great for clearing up spots so that a shorter hunter can see over the under brush.It is also used to clear likely future calling locations at the end of a day or a hunt when there isn't much going on it saves you time on your next hunt.
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Man some of you guys must hike a good haul with all these dooms day kits you carry lol!
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TP and Wet Wipes
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Zip ties for attaching your harvest tag. I bought a new turkey vest this year and I forgot to stock it with a few zip ties. The lanyard on my compass got pressed into service twice to tag my two gobblers. Still better than chopping off pieces of the strings from my boots.
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With 48 seasons mainly hunting in the mountains this works for me. TP,wet wipes, gps, compass, para cord, partially serrated knife, lighter, fire starters, extra batteries for gps, phone and red dot, extra water, large garbage bag, extra face mask and gloves, and sawyer water filter.
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A lot of the stuff mention and the first production turkey call i ever bought goes on all my hunts....
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A pair of Florian racket cutters ,light an well made
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I always have a good supply of cough drops along with a pad of paper and a pen to jot down the things that need attention once I get back home or before the upcoming next hunting season. I always carry two flashlights since one will go out at an inconvenient time. My slate and box calls are slipped into old socks for protection. A black plastic bag goes down before I set my ground lounger in place. This keeps my butt dry. Items that might get lost once I'm in my ground lounger have a small strip of orange tape on them. Never knowing the concentration of buffalo gnats or mosquitoes in the area I'm planning to hunt, I carry a head net. I also carry two sets of gloves, a mesh pair with cloth palms for warm weather and a cotton pair for cool mornings. While I'd love to have a cup of coffee before and during the hunt, from past experience I've learned that I'll need to pee at the most inconvenient time if I so indulge.
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I always pack a small, cheap shooting stick. Folds down small and I pretty much just hold on to the stick and shoot my shotgun one handed. I’ve got a bad arm so it makes it pretty convenient keeping my gun up while waiting on the gobbler to step into an opening.
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I carry a small flask of bourbon in case of snakebite. I also carry a small snake.
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coffee.... Don't go into the woods without it
Dawn cracking, birds gobbling, waiting for fly down... that's the best cup of joe a guy can have
Amen
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I carry a small flask of bourbon in case of snakebite. I also carry a small snake.
That's so funny it made my eyes water.
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Not in my vest but on my vest I've sewed buttons made from deer antler to each shoulder. Helps keep my shotgun sling in place while maneuvering through the woods.
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Stuff that goes with me that ain't directly related to the turkeys:
1) 2 compasses. One Lensatic and one pin-on as a backup.
2) A survival whistle-- If you get incapacitated, you can literally kill yourself yelling for help. The 3-shot thing is a complete fantasy. A whistle is the easiest way for folks to find you.
3) I never go out without a cellphone and/or a walkie-talkie. If I'm out alone, I want to be able to call for help. The walkie-talkies go out with everyone at the farm. Cellphone coverage is spotty at our place, but GMRS reception is solid.
4) Flashlight-- even if I don't need it.
5) Matches in a waterproof case.
6) A garbage bag.
I've only been semi-lost once turkey hunting. I came out of the woods and couldn't find the truck. It was my first time out at this place, and I missed the truck by 50 yards, but couldn't see it. I decided to walk 30 minutes to the right along the fenceline and then double-back and go 1 hour to the left. If I hadn't found anything, I'd go back to where I had come out of the woods and hunker down with a fire until found. It started raining. I had a poncho. After 45 minutes, following the plan, I found the truck and the rest of my hunting party. It was enough, however, to show me how life can come at you fast.
Here are some thoughts:
Shamanic Guide to Survival (short form) (http://genesis9.angzva.com/?p=8)
. . .and this one on garbage bags:
Garbage Bags as a Survival Tool (http://genesis9.angzva.com/?p=2723)
Oh, and one other thing, only it's what I leave behind. Before leaving for anything outdoors, even a 1 hour hike, I make sure someone knows where I'm going, and has a rough idea of when I'm getting back. There is an agreed drop-dead time, where they'll know something is wrong, because I haven't checked back in, and they know who to call. At Turkey Camp, I write it on a chalk board. If I'm off somewhere where I can't tell anyone, I leave a note in a baggie on the windshield.
I've been afield, a lot of it alone, and survived to my 60th year. In that time, I've hiked out on my hand and knees, and backpacked out on one leg and a crutch. I've come inches away from falling in a hidden sink hole and nearly walked off a cliff before sun-up. I've come close to succumbing from both hypothermia, and heat exhaustion. None of it was fun. Only some of it was avoidable. What got me out, most of the time, was being prepared to handle what I couldn't expect.
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wet wipes and GPS
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Individually wrapped wet ones are handy and easy to share if needed. I carry a few 2-3 foot sections of light wire rolled up in my vest pouch. They're handy for tying brush out of the way or making cover stay where you want it. Wire can also be used to secure a tag, fix a broken sling, or lace up a boot in a pinch.
Jim
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I usually am hiking well before daylight and use a headlamp. It's nice to have a red bulb for once I get close to turkey roosting spots.
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THERMACELL!!!!!!!!
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toilet paper and bug spray..the ultimate necessities haha
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Of course TP, but I always carry a screw in tree umbrella. I think I paid $20 for it. Not much use in a downpour but works great for light rain and can double as a half blind. Seriously, $20 well spent.
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I bought one of those inspection lights. You know? The ones with the VERY precise, bright beam that makes a nice, even, perfect circle. I mounted a green filter to it and use it once I feel my headlamp would give me away to birds on the roost. It doesn't bleed ANY light to the sides and I can still very easily find my way in the pitch black. I've tested it compared to a headlamp with a buddy about 25 feet in his treestand and he could see my head lamp HUNDREDS of yards away, but couldn't see the inspection light until much, much closer. In addition, I ALWAYS carry my thermacell. The inventor of that thing should seriously get the Nobel. ..
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Small survival kit, small personal first aid kit, snacks, thermacell, extra butane and mat, range finder, small headlamp with red light mode, Leatherman tool, TP in 2 ziplocs, Thermaflask of water and a turkey toter dowel with paracord, ratchet clippers and folding saw. If gameland hunting I carry an extra Mt bike tube and a CO2 inflator and tire tool.
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I carry a camera for when I finally do get my first turkey, flashlight in case it is needed going in though I find I like to use a red or green clip on light that clips to my hat bill. A change of socks, batteries, cell phone, normally some pepperoni and pre peeled hard boiled eggs and a chunk of cheese. (I am on the Atkins Diet so everything has to be low carb and as close to zero sugar as possible) Some damp paper towels in a zip lock bag to wash hands off after eating so as not to mess up my calls. Small campers salt and pepper shaker for the eggs. TP 2 knives at least, knife sharpener, zip ties to put tag on bird, multi tool with scissors, Hobo knife, fork, spoon, corkscrew combo if I have brought along something hot to eat when I get back to the van. Something to drink. Also I keep a old blood donor card, old drivers license and contact info in my backpack, back tag and wallet in case there is an emergency. Aleve with some cotton balls stuffed in bottle to keep them from rattling as I won't take my oxycodone when I am driving or handling a firearm. Of course calls, sandpaper, chalk, green scotch bright pad, decoys and something blaze orange in case I get one. Also I went out and bought a bunch of camouflage handkerchiefs/bandanas to both blow nose and wipe sweat away. I am shocked at how many people will pull out a red, white, blue or black handkerchief to blow their nose or wipe sweat away, it is just asking to get shot at during turkey season. (Or a white one during deer season) I also have to use a cane on some terrain so I bought one with the V in it to help stabilize gun and the V comes off and I can screw camera to it for a less shakes picture. I know what you are thinking but where I hunt I don't have to walk far and some of that is left behind in a dry box in the blind if I am hunting where I can safely leave stuff.
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I bought one of those inspection lights. You know? The ones with the VERY precise, bright beam that makes a nice, even, perfect circle. I mounted a green filter to it and use it once I feel my headlamp would give me away to birds on the roost. It doesn't bleed ANY light to the sides and I can still very easily find my way in the pitch black. I've tested it compared to a headlamp with a buddy about 25 feet in his treestand and he could see my head lamp HUNDREDS of yards away, but couldn't see the inspection light until much, much closer. In addition, I ALWAYS carry my thermacell. The inventor of that thing should seriously get the Nobel. ..
I have found that as long as you keep your light pointed straight down at the ground, turkeys won't spook off the roost. If you let it shine away from you even very slightly, and especially if you turn it upward they will fly outta there fast.
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An oddball thing I carry when I'm hunting with decoys is a 3/8 black pipe tee. It works great to push decoy stakes into hard ground.
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Wet wipes
35mm film canester for chalk
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Rope, a military belt for carrying bird.I've taken a little camp stove.a wash towel to remove camo, other things.
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Forgot, I also carry my Epipen in case I get stung as I am allergic to bees and my Asthma pump in case I have an attack.
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Not a vest or pack item, but a gun rest for my left knee. An hour or so, real still with a shotgun on the knee cap? Pure misery ! Oh, and always carry a good knife. Where I hunt, don`t really need all the survival gear.
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A Primos slick stick takes care of all my pot call tuning and maintenance in the field, and it's quiet and all in one thing.
Wet wipes are handy for a few reasons.
A couple of the larger wire ties (like bread wrapper ties) to put tags on. They will last a few seasons. After reading a post above, I may switch to a longer piece of string for that purpose. That could be handy for a few other things too.
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It's a little larger than most of these gadgets listed here, but I like to carry a 4 panel stake blind with me into the woods. It doesn't do well to fully conceal you, especially if you're taller, but it works wonders in breaking up your outline a little more and helping conceal the use of friction calls. First time I used one I had a hard time finding my set-up when I was finished with pursuit of a bird that gave me the slip.
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TP, pocket knife, small amount of paracord, first aid kit, water bottle and snacks.
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I carry a little pair of fold up scissors to notch my tag and either cut the string or zip ties I use to attach the tag.
I also carry a little 3" folding jak knife in my vest for good luck that a good friend gave me,It has wild turkeys on it.