Vicki and I make about 20-25 trips each year as we travel around the country teaching people to shoot shotguns. And yes, we carry our guns with us when we go!
We have gotten packing down to a science. Rarely do we overpack, and we always have what we need. However, we’ve taken this to another level. We have “ditty bags” for the hunts we go on. We have one for dove and quail hunts, one for duck and goose hunts, and one for deer hunts. Having the small items that you need on a hunt in one bag makes it almost impossible to get caught in the field without something you need.
Our ditty bags are soft-sided with zipper openings. Any kind of bag will do, as long as it is camo. There are an endless number of configurations of fanny packs and backpacks on the market. Get one that suits you. It does, however, need to be camo. It makes it easy to hide. Remember the birds are 10-30 yards high and they can see things you might not realize they can.
Here are some of the things we carry in our bags:
If you are allergic to wasp stings and have medication, let someone else in your party know and make sure they know how to administer the medication. If you don’t know if you’re allergic to wasp stings, include some Benadryl in case you get stung.
In doing research for this story, we ran across a first aid kit made by a company called Swab Plus. The kit contains Q-tip-sized swabs with antiseptic/anesthetic and swabs with iodine in the plastic handle. All you do is bend the cotton tips to the side and the liquid flows through the sterile cotton tips. The kit also includes Band-Aids. You can find it at your local pharmacy without a prescription. We bought extras – one for the Jeep at the hunting lease, as well as the camp house.
From what I hear it is going to be another “El Nino” wet year, and that means mosquitoes. Spraying your pants legs and boot tops if you are chasing quail or doves also helps to keep the chiggers and ticks away.
Knife
Preferably a sharp one to cut whatever needs to be cut. I like one with two to three blades, with one blade having a point sharp enough to remove a splinter or thorn. A Leatherman tool also comes in handy.
The last ¼ of a roll of toilet paper smashed flat in a small plastic zip bag can be used for things other than what it is intended. Toilet paper is handy for marking a trail for other to follow, marking a spot you wish to return to, drying out a call, cleaning your glasses etc.
Don’t go hunting or shooting without them. Hearing protection has come a long way in the last ten years. Some earmuffs allow you to hear what is going on around you but protect your hearing when the gun goes off. There are custom-fitted earplugs with the same kind of electronics in them. Although they are expensive, they do add to the overall enjoyment and safety of the hunt.
If you hunt often, a good set of electronic hearing protection will allow you to hear while protecting your hearing, I ask you to do one thing: the next time you go duck hunting, get one foam earplug and put it in only one ear. After the shooting stops, take it out. You will be shocked at how much better you can hear out of the protected ear.
We never go to the field without our chokes and choke wrench. You never know when the wind might change and the shots become longer or shorter. Adapting your equipment to the situation at hand can have real advantages.
Never load your gun until you are set up and ready to hunt. When the hunting is over, unload your gun and pick up around you. Taking a wild shot at a stray bird while walking to or from the duck blind or when picking up the decoys is an open door for a hunting accident. One more bird is not worth it!
You have to have them if you are going to hunt ducks or geese.
A mini-mag flashlight that has 2 fresh AA batteries on a lanyard big enough to go around your neck is handy for untangling decoy lines, looking for ant beds, and searching for things in your ditty bag. A larger flashlight, however, is preferable when walking to and from the field or blind.
An eight-ounce plastic bottle of water comes in handy for quenching your thirst after a long walk or on a hot day.
Lightweight and heavyweight gloves could be stored in a plastic zip bag with a face mask. I like to take an extra face mask for someone in the hunting party who just has to look up!
Can be placed in a plastic bag with a small bottle of cleaner for cleaning glasses. I prefer to clean my glasses with a cotton cloth and cleaner to reduce the possibility of scratches on the lenses. Always wear glasses when shooting a shotgun – or any gun, for that matter. In a bind, this clean cloth could be used for a compress on a bad cut or puncture wound. If this ever happens to you, you will be glad it was clean!
An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure.
Any medication you are taking should not be forgotten. Carry enough for 24 hours just in case of car trouble or getting stuck or any other emergency that might delay your scheduled return. Packing soft items in a zip bag allows you to squeeze the air out of them and take up less space!
Always repack your ditty bag when you return from the field or when you get home from the hunt. Replace anything you have used. Check the batteries in your flashlight and replace if needed. Make sure everything you carry in your ditty bag is ready to go for the next trip, before putting it away.
To have all these things in one place is a great comfort, because when you need them you only have to go to one place to get them – unlike my wife’s car keys!
