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5 Bowhunting Equipments That You Can’t Miss Out On!

If you’re a hunter, your instincts would tell you to prepare everything beforehand and then set out for the kill. Even if you can’t manage to get all necessary hunting gear, your partner just may have a few tools in handy. Either way, hunting is no fun alone, and it sure isn’t fun when you kill a rabbit but you forget the knife at home! Blaming your partner at that moment won’t do any good either.

Of course it would be even more frustrating to leave your gun at home on a hunting trip; but I’ll have a hard time believing that someone would actually forget something like that. Also, a hunter will be required to bring their own provisions like a canteen and some bags of chips and food. The quintessential lighter and all those basic stuff. It really will be redundant to go over them, because if I really have to, you should rather choose a different hobby.

So, as we have established – it’s very important that you bring all necessary hunting tools. When you’re all decked up with the right gear and the perfect hunting partner, the feeling of winning over game becomes unforgettable. Discounting the absolute basics, we will be discussing some of the most essential bowhunting gears that you might miss out on during your next hunting trip.

Marking Your Way Through The Trail

You just can’t leave home for hunting without a flagging tape! Just think about it. It’s easy to store and comes in various colors. So you could keep it anywhere, from your pockets to your backpack and not lose sight of it. So why do you need it? Flagging tape can be used to track blood trails. So for example, you successfully injured an animal but it still got away, you could follow its blood trail and mark every point you go with a piece of the tape.

This way you can track the direction it’s heading towards, and also catch it quickly by learning its movement pattern. This is especially helpful when it’s raining and the blood trails disappear. You can also mark tree stands and other important positions with the tape so that you can keep track of your direction and find your way out in case it gets dark.

Hunting Knives For Cutting Trails And Skinning

When you’re done for the day with your bows and arrows and want to start preparing your game for food, you’ll need a set of hunting knives. But why exactly would a hunting knife be needed?

A hunting knife is a multipurpose tool. You’ll need a hunting knife to cut the meat into usable pieces, quarter the game for transport and for skinning the animal. There are various kinds of hunting knives, suitable for different purposes. For example, some hunting knives are more appropriate for cutting down leaves and bushes on your pathway, while some can be used to even kill animals. These knives can be easily carried and moved around, so you can store them anywhere. You’ll never go wrong with a hunting knife by your side.

GPS And Compasses

In prehistoric times maps, GPS or compasses didn’t exist and yet people were pros in hunting, because without hunting, their chance of survival was slim. Nowadays, hunting is not a survival tactic, it’s rather a thrilling sport. To stay safe in a sport, it’s important to take precautions, and one precautionary equipment is using a tracking device. Getting lost in the middle of the woods while looking for game may add to the thrill, but if it’s getting dark and you need to head home fast, you’ll need something that can allow you to return home safely.

This is exactly why you need a compass, or better yet, a GPS enabled device. There are some devices that can help you understand the region and its hunting grounds better. Some devices also come with radio, which allows you to keep track of other hunters, in case you get lost.

A Hunting Binocular… Because Why Not?

You could have a zest for hunting but unfortunately you don’t have the senses of a cheetah to be able to smell and spot your prey at a distance. Here is where binoculars could come in real handy. When choosing a binocular, you must consider certain specifications, such as magnification power and lens diameter. Also you should check the field of view provided by the lens, so that you can get a rough idea of how far you could see.

If you wear glasses, you might want binoculars with eye relief. Binoculars may be tough to carry around while you have your bow and arrows in hand. According to bowhunting enthusiast Fabian Hensher, having a binocular harness would greatly help you with that. A binocular harness that can camouflage perfectly in the forest would help you hide and hunt more stealthily.

Waterproof Boots And Rain Gear

Imagine you’re hunting with all you got, and you’re running around from one spot to the next, looking keenly for your next game. Eventually you see a deer. You have all the bowhunting equipment that you could possibly need to take it down, skin it, quarter it and bring it back home.

You feel confident that you can take it down, but then, your prey begins to run away. You’re sure that you were silent and they didn’t spot you. The answer suddenly rains down on you (pun intended), drenching you from head to toe. The only thing you can do is mutter “Oh, that’s why!”

Boots

Quality boots are a no brainer for a backpack hunt, as a single blister in the wrong place, or beat up feet can instantly end a hunt, even the hunt of a lifetime. Good boots are expensive, but you get what you pay for. It’s mind blowing how fast rock piles and sharp shale will destroy a cheap pair of boots.

Some of my buddies really like the Kennetreks, and La Sportiva’s, but my favorite so far are the Lowa Tibets. I’m finally retiring my pair to home after putting 3 sheep hunts, 2 goat hunts, and a brown bear hunt on them, the most I’ve gotten out of a pair of boots. I could probably stretch it to another sheep hunt, but I like to quit while I’m ahead.

Rain Gear

Depending on where you’re hunting, your rain gear needs will differ, but here in Alaska, or anywhere that has the potential to rain for days on end, I only use rubberized or pvc type rain gear like Helly Hansen Impertec.

Some of the “breathable” rain gear out there is light and works great when you can dry it out frequently, but the problem with all of these fabrics is that they are not actually waterproof. In sustained weather, the fabric will eventually become saturated, and at that point is worthless. The vast majority of the time you can get away with using it in AK, but when it fails will be the time you need it the most.

Final Thoughts

Once you have loaded the back of your truck with the camping gears (if going for a long hunting trip), tools and provisions, double check if you have got your bow hunting gear and/or your gun (No, seriously! Do double check! And check the ammo too). Now that the basics are taken care of, it’s time to see what we have learned from this article:

1. Check if you have your marking tape: You don’t want to lose your target or get lost in the woods.
2. Check if you have your GPS, Map and Compass: Again, we can’t emphasise the importance of not getting lost in the woods enough.
3. Check if you have your hunting knives: Get a whole set that can help you cut through wood, flesh and bones, as well as, help you skin and quarter your kill.
4. Check if you have your Binoculars: Spotting your prey from a distance before it spots you is one of the indispensable tactics for the hardened hunter. As mentioned in the 3rd tip in our Bowhunting Basics Guide, spotting is an essential part of a successful hunt.
5. Check if you are prepared for the rain: Wearing a pair of Nike Air can sure help you navigate the woods comfortably, but only until you step into a puddle of mud and keep walking with splooshy noises. And not to mention if the skies try to rain on your paraded (pun intended). Bring them along, it saved me a lot of times from episodes of flu and cough.

Double checked everything? Good. Let’s rev that engine, head out in the woods, arm ourselves and find us some game. Happy hunting!