Essential Bow Hunting Gear List Items

The dog days of summer are in full effect, and although the temperatures may be hot and humid it will soon be time to trade in the Bermuda shorts for your Bone Collector Clothing.  That’s right, early season whitetails are just around the corner and the time for preparation starts right now! While you might be working hard setting trail cameras up, hanging stands, or installing fall food plots, your hunting backpack might be left with a lack of attention. Here is a bow hunting gear list, “must-have” items for deer hunting that you should start packing now.

The late summer months are an excellent time to break out the Hoyt and start slinging some arrows down range, to ensure that you are dialed in come opening day.  The late summer months are also an excellent time to begin going through your early season bow hunting gear list to make sure you are good to go, come opening day.

The whitetail hunting season can really be broken into four main parts, the early season, the pre-rut, the rut and the post-rut.  Those who have spent a great majority of time in the deer woods, time may also contend that the late season would be a solid candidate for a fifth part to the whitetail hunting season.  There are a lot of reasons why these different periods are important.  The number one reason is that the deer behave differently during each period of the hunting season, so as a result, the tactics that  someone deer hunting would use may change during the course of the season, especially when archery hunting.  The point here is, that the gear and equipment you may require, ensuring success when deer hunting will most likely very somewhat as you change from period to period.  This article will dive into a few items on the bow hunting gear list that you need to make sure find their way into your backpack when hunting early season whitetails. In reality, these items seem to be the ones most often forgot!

Scent Control is the Name of the Game

During the early whitetail hunting season, the temperatures can be extremely variable regardless of where you are in the Country.  During the early fall, temperatures can range from the high 80’s to the high 50’s depending upon where you are.  This fact alone makes scent control a very important factor when it comes to success during the early season.

There are several tips that a hunter can follow when early season bow hunting that can greatly reduce the risk of increasing your chances of being winded both traveling to and while in the stand.  Taking your time traveling to your set is a great tip that can help keep the perspiration down and keep your relatively scent free.  Being sure to not wear you’re hunting clothes while traveling to your set, and changing once you find yourself in the tree or blind can also make a world of difference.  While these tips are both effective, they are not cure-alls.  A white-tailed deer’s most powerful sense is his sense of smell, especially during the humid and hot early season, so taking all the proper steps to ensure you are as scent free as possible is critical.

One “must-have” item that needs to make its way into your bow hunting gear list is an odor eliminating field spray.  Odor eliminating sprays are a critical at any time of the whitetail season, but are especially critical when early season whitetail hunting.  During the early season when the temperatures are warm and deer hunters are more likely to perspire, it may necessary to utilize odor eliminating field sprays multiple times while traveling to the set and while hunting.  This fact alone makes scent eliminating field sprays something you literally cannot leave home without during the early season.  Field sprays like Liquid Alloy, especially when used in conjunction with odor eliminating outerwear, antiperspirant, and a pre-hunt scent control regiment will help you level the playing field against a buck’s first line of defense, his nose!

Double or Nothing!

Whitetail hunting often requires a high level of concealment in order to be successful.  This fact certainly holds true when it comes to archery hunting.  To be totally concealed requires hunter to be covered from head to toe.  Although often over looked and underappreciated, having a good pair of camouflage gloves and a face mask are two pieces of gear that definitely need to be in your bow hunting gear list.

We’ve all been there, you find yourself strapped into the stand.  The weather is perfect and you finally have the right wind for the set.  You strap yourself into the tree; reach into your pocket for your facemask and gloves only to find they are not there!  Instead they are laying on the dash of the Chevy, doing you no good.  Keeping an extra face mask and an extra set of gloves is something that every hunter, regardless of the period should keep in their pack.  Ensuring that you have a spare set of gloves and an extra face mask will keep you in the game this fall!

Knowing is More than Half the Battle

Archery hunting whitetail deer is not easy.  Successfully harvesting a whitetail deer with archery equipment is even more difficult.  When it comes to archery hunting whitetails, conditions must be perfect and all the pieces must fall into place perfectly.  In order to be successful, requires the hunter to stack the odds in their favor to the fullest extent possible and leave nothing to chance.

One piece that is key to not forget in your bow hunting gear list is a reliable range finder.  A range finder can help take the guessing game out of archery hunting, and as result increase the confidence of the archery hunter, and as any archery hunter knows being confident in your shot is critical.  In today’s world of modern archery hunting, an archery hunter can purchase an excellent range finder that can perform the tasks that archery hunters require from name brand companies like Bushnell without breaking the bank.  If you have been strapping into your early season sets without the aid of a range finder, it is about time you did!  Chances are you will wish you had made the change sooner.

A Little Extra Punch

In the world of archery hunting whitetails, broadheads are the name of the game.  With so many choices for an archery hunter to choose from, it can be difficult to make the selection.  What archery hunters require a broadhead to do is fly true, cut deep and ensure the animal is dispatched quickly.  Broadheads like G5’s HAVOC line of broadheads can offer an archery hunter all of that and more.

While it isn’t necessarily required to be in your early season pack, it is always a great idea to carry an extra set of broadheads.  You just never know when you may run into an unforeseen issue where an extra broadhead would come in handy, so consider keeping an extra set of broadheads in your pack this early season.

Cut to the Chase

During the early archery season, the vegetation can still be fairly significant.  Having a means to address any problematic vegetation can be an often overlooked tool that can truly make a significant difference when it comes to being successful during the early season.  Having a folding saw, pruning shears or at least a heavy duty folding knife can help early season archery hunters to make the last minute adjustments that can make the difference between making that critical shot and missing.

The Right Tools for the Job

Archery hunting, regardless of the time of year can be an equipment heavy sport, and as a result having the right tools to make an adjustment on the fly or simply fix a probable can keep you in the tree come the early season.  A couple of items that should always make their way into your early season pack are a trusty Allen wrench and a container of knock glue.  During the early season months, with warmer temperatures still present, adhesives such as knock glue can sometimes become loose and lose their adhesion.  Having a small container of knock glue can help you address these issues in the stand, should you notice your knocks becoming loose.

Of course, with most bows, adjusting everything from the draw weight to the pins on the sights require an Allen wrench.  Keeping a wrench in your early season pack is always a great idea, and will likely come in handy more times than you just might think!

Other Bow Hunting Gear List Items

You will run into a set of issues while bow hunting in the early season. These extra gear considerations just might resolve some of these matters. The first is of course bug repellant! The early season can be miserable without the right protection! This just might be the season to employ and throw a Thermacell Unit into your deer hunting backpack.

The next consideration is always a critical part of a bow hunting gear list…an extra release. Putting an extra bow release into the pack ensures you are always ready to hunt. What is worse than not being able to hunt? Getting up in the tree only to realize it’s a giant tease without having your bow release!

The early season is just around the corner, and although right now the whitetail bucks are busy feeding and growing antlers, soon it will be time to shed the velvet.  Now is an excellent time to begin taking a look at your bow hunting gear list and begin taking inventory to ensure that you have everything you need to warrant your success.  If you take the time to confirm that a few of the “must-have” items mentioned above are in your bow hunting gear list this early season, you will be well be ready for a smooth and successful fall.