Hi guys, new hunter from down south. I was wondering what people take with them for day hunts. If you take a pack, what size do you take and why?
If you take a bumbag, are there any you reccomend and and how do you transport your kill home?
If you go ultralight, how do you do it? Big pockets, hunting vest, webbing and what do you always take?
Currently I am using a small pikau (that can be a bit of a pain) and a small generic bumbag that is working pretty well.
I find that the moment I put a Swanni and a game bag in my pikau there isn't room for anything else.

I use the stony creek bum bag. Will get another if it craps out.



Have PLB spare lighter, tiny torch, bandage and medical tape in front pocket. Always.
As you see the knife.
Bought the other little pouch which holds my phone for navigation and ammunition.
The big pouch holds whatever I need for the day. eg Food, water, cooker, headlamp.
Top opens up into backpack for meat.
Love it, but not always easy to get backpack tucked away again. Also not most comfortable when full of meat.
Always have my jacket on or around my waist.

bufferzone wrote on Oct 30^th, 2020 at 5:57am:






Left the main pouch open in both photos, but you can see the top portion open to roll out the back back.
Still quality material on the backpack part.

woah

Depends on how you hunt, where and for how long.

I hunt with a pack on my back and bunk down where I find myself - works for me, and has for a lot of years.

So - 35 liter frameless pack that holds all I need for two to four days out - doesn't hamper me shooting with it on as it doesn't have fat-arse straps as there's not a lot of weight in there.

Took me a lot of years to work that one out, used to camp and return to camp each night - and didn't always make it. Spent a lot of unplanned nights out which is never fun, so now I've always got 'camp' with me.

I also never wear a belt, can't stand the bloody things, so knives and what else goes on a belt goes in my pack and spare ammo in my pockets.

Different for everyone I suppose, went the pikau route when I was younger and that worked, but have seriously skinned down on bulk, weight and 'tits on a bull' items and the pack works better for me these days.
Throw away your swanni, they're only good for sleeping on if you don't have a pad, and biff your long pants - unless you got really ugly legs that don't photograph too well. Lots of  options out there, just gotta work out what works for you.
I don't cook while hunting either - though I do like a fire for company sometimes ....... and a cuppa before bed.
My food is pre-prepared and I 'pick' at it as I go along - and my pack gets lighter .........

I'm not 'ultralite' - can't afford that, but would go that route if I was younger and had more loot .......... look up 'Creed' who used to be on here.

I cook when I'm out possuming - or did 'til I quit that not so many years ago. I would be out there 12 days at a time and had a lot of canvas up - I ate well doing that, had to as I could be walking up to ten hours a day.

For hunting I prepare 'oat cakes', which is really just home made muesli bars made from steel cut oats, diced dates, figs, chia seed, whizzed nuts (no teeth) and honey.
I make them for the kids lunches too, they're moist, will last for a week and are nice to eat - quite filling.
I also carry tins of sardines and will eat one a day - sometimes a can of tuna. I'll have them with hard biscuits I suck - or rusks.
I carry prunes and dried apricots which I individually wrap in plastic wrapping and I carry those in my pockets.
I met an Israeli guy who did all that years ago - he called it 'grazing'.

Doing it that way I'm carrying no cooking stuff - which for me now is just weight and bulk. I do carry a beer can cooker which runs on meths - it all sits inside a 400 ml titanium cup including sugar, tea/coffee and milk powder.
Last time out I took coffee sachets which I'll do again - nice to have during the day and a hot drink in the evening is quite luxurious.

I'm not over worried about proper nutrition over short trips like that - just that I'm eating food that will keep me going.

My bag, pad and fly cost me a small fortune, but they are lightweight and have little bulk - and clothing is merino, home made fleece tee shirts, down jackets (2x) sleeveless and sleeved (bulk down to nothing) and hooded rain jacket. I got in the habit of wearing longs possuming as I was always on my knees - and have a lightweight pair of pants my nephew gave me that you can't wear a hole through - bloody impressive.
Got a blue mesh thing I wear over the top.

If I shoot something I hang the bugger in a tree and bunk right there - my hunting's done.
Nek morning I deal with it - or carry it out whole, along with all the stuff I carried in. I'm too old to do that any more, but I can still carry the straps and hindquarters - and because I got my home on my back I don't have to do it all in one day if I get buggered.

If I have a fire I'll burn my tins and stash them out of the way, they rot away in no time - otherwise I carry them out.

My wife also makes jerky and dehydrates seasonal fruit which I'll take too - without being silly about it.

In effect, it's the only way I can still go hunting ........... and I very much doubt I'm the only one doing it that way.

Creed goes even lighter - he prepares cooked meals then dehydrates them. I've never done that - on a long trip maybe, but just eating 'ready to eat' suits me - no preparation, you done all that - just pull it out and eat it.