Besides guns/bows, what are some must haves every time you go out on a hunt . Anything you discovered after years of hunting and wish you had found sooner?

Willing participants, in other words, DEER and hopefully big ones!

Thermacell will be a must have next weekend.

I second a thermacell

Rangefinder, bino's, phone, tags, TP

Gun, bullets, and knife are the only necessities but I will use a thermacell and buddy heater from time to time

Hands down, Mr. Buddy and an insulated blind. Oh, and a 2 gallon jug.

Thermacell for sure!!! I bought extra refills this year. Two years ago we had heavy rains in October and academy sold out

DONT FORGET THE TOILET PAPER!!! I HATE using a leaf!!

Face paint

Cut your drawers off and use them if you forget the TP.

When bowhunting....rangefinder is invaluable

Small flash light, ink pen, pee jug.

Binoculars, knife, ammo, flashlight. That's the must haves.

camo, bino, thermocell, ammo, rangefinder, flashlight, knife, talcum powder, pen, water, sunflower seeds and iphone - hunting license,

PATIENCE....

I have had to do that before---i hate going commando, especially in a Ghillie Suit!!

ESPECIALLY if all you have are cedar trees!

Dang it man!!! I hate it when that happens!

Use a sock if you have to.

Used socks before, then t-shirt. Leave the underwear alone.

or mesquites!

A pen or marker for your deer tag, ear muffs or ear plugs during rifle season. Those are 2 things that I've forgotten and regretted.

I carry a backpack with all kinds of stuff:

Binos, snacks, pee jug, water, phone, TP, knife, flashlight, rangefinder, thermacell, gloves,....I'm sure there's something I'm forgetting.

Gun (or crossbow), knife and binoculars
If I remember the knife and binoculars

Been there, done that.

Big Deer with lots of Antlers

Just recently, in the last few years, I started carrying a small tripod for my cell phone. Some of the best memories are pictures in the field... And I usually hunt alone.

Really good binoculars, range finder, shooting sticks.

If I would of learned the importance of shooting sticks sooner, I would have been more successful with my opportunities.

Camera. I like taking photos as much as hunting.

Safety gear for climbing in that stand!

Small flashing disc light or glow sticks, military grade. Nothing like NOT being able to find your way back to a down buck or a field dressed deer in the dark.

Excuse my ignorance or lack of knowledge, but what exactly is a thermacell?

In my backpack I carry binos, headphones/ear plugs, knifes, TP, extra batteries, water/snack etc.

Like others said on here i carry a back pack with me that has the same various things already mentioned. Things i have not seen mentioned is my hand held gps, a roll of survey ribbon and a good light to track blood trails. I hunt in east texas where it can get thick and you can get turned around real quick. I always have my Glock 22 with me too

I'm sure the OP has a general idea about what is needed, but I always have a backpack, blind bag, etc I take and put everything in that I wished I had the last time I went. It will be filled with the obvious stuff, but don't forget the food and drink (non alcohol for me) you can enjoy while on stand. My 10 year old is with me on most hunts and it will also be filled with things to keep him busy should it be a slow day. I take that bag out with some things in it, but bring it back with a ton of memories....so leave a pocket open for those!

Just googled the thermacell like I should have done before asking, I'll have to look into these further!

You can get the thermacell at Academy and I think Walmart has them.---Or you can order on line. They work really well and the deer do not shy away from them if they get a whiff. It sure beats spraying yourself with OFF or any other deet spray which deer will shy away from

Thanks I'll check them out. Be good to have around camp area at night as well.

Thank you for all the responses. Thermacell is something I had not heard of. Always learning something from the guys on here!! I only bow hunt and a good range finder is on my Christmas wish list .damn September has been an expensive month!!

Ziplock bags.

When I hunt the SHNF for deer I bring

headlamp
flashlight
pen & documents
ziptie
contractor bag to haul out my 4 quarters head and backstraps. Works great!
rangefinder
monocular
thermacell
lighter & waterproof matches
a few emergency blankets just in case
small camo umbrella (super useful for rain and as cover)
arm gloves and knife
a few extra rounds
compass w/ topo map of area
water and brunch

Back when deer hunting was really a sport, and girls didn't do it, I needed a lot of things. Now all I need is my rifle and knife. We have a cushy camp. There's a lot of difference between tent camp hunting and what it's turned into today.

All the above but this year I'm including a portable charger, power supply for my phone, just in case too many Netflix shows or game goes into overtime...

All of the above and big jug of 40 creek

I walk in with my flir handheld. I keep Most everything else in my blind besides my rifle.

This year I’m adding a blow dart gun to my blind. Squirrels better watch it.

Bug repellent

Can we talk grunt calls, scent away and scent attractants.

What has worked better than others in the past?

Tick repellant. Off does not seem to phase them.

Release (a must)

Thermocell (an East Texas must)

Water

Knife

Beer/Whiskey/ice chest, Mr. Buddy Heater, wasp spray, off, mixers for whiskey, propane bottles for Mr. Buddy, Deer jerky from last season, extra bullets. Thats about it!!!

I would like hunting with this guy. He gets it

ugh....

Last year the deer laughed at me for showing up 'underpowered' with just an I-PAD;
I'll show 'em whos boss this year!: HP RealTree XTra. . . .
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Essentials other than gun, ammo, and clothing. Many other items not considered essential.

1. Cell phone in case of an emergency or to call for assistance

2. Compass to keep from getting turned around when scouting or looking for a deer. Never needs batteries.

3. Pocket knife to cut out the date on a tag

4. Pen to fill out tag info

5. TP

6. Flashlight on evening hunts

7. Thermacell if there is any chance of mosquitos

8. Blaze orange vest or cap to wear going to and returning from the stand

Beer

Deet

By myself, I really don't need anything other than rifle, ammo, binocs, and iphone. If I have 1, 2 or god forbid all 3 kids with me, I need 3 fully charged ipads, 5 pounds of snacks, 3 gallons of kids drinks, 30 kids books, 300 toys (per kid), 2 bb guns, 1 nerf gun, dvd player, 10 movies, toilet paper, wipes, 3 changes of clothes, heater, blankets, pillows, and valium (for dad). If I bring all that, we can hunt a solid 45 minutes in the stand before we get in the truck and corn roads.

The good Lord willing, someday I'll have this "problem".

Nailed it!!!!!!

whiskey, bang stick, binocs, cell phone, light - in that order....

how long does the Thermacell butane ctg. last? Website says each strip
last 4 hours; going to Guadalupe Delta WMA for yute hunt next month, so
buying my first Thermacell,,,maybe not the last

i never forget extra's of critical stuff i,e, guns, ammo, lights, warm clothes
and rain gear; i can go without booze for a couple of days & even eat less, but
that's what i see as important

I want to say they last about eight hours. I keep extras in my backpack. When the mosquitos start biting you it's time to change it out.

Deer.