Having the right hunting gear with you can make all the difference to your trip, and is a big factor in whether or not you bring home a trophy buck.

Choosing a rifle specific to the terrain is naturally important

The reason is partly indirect – if you’re comfortable with your equipment, comfortable in your clothes and not suffering from cold or struggling with your rifle or bow, then that leaves you free to concentrate solely on tracking, remaining undetected and shot placement. One of the biggest decisions you have to make is selecting your weapon.

Check out this article on ARCHERY HUNTING EQUIPMENT and CHOOSING A RIFLE here for more info.

Hunting can at times be rather a dangerous sport. There is always the risk of injury from your prey turning on you, but also if you’re setting up in a tree stand for example there’s the risk of a fall. These may seem remote chances, but they happen every year to an unlucky few. How those few fare, whether they are found quickly or how serious they’re injuries are partly depends on the kit they took with them.
Firstly, you should always dress for the occasion. Sturdy boots and a coat are rather obvious, but make sure to take plenty of layers too. If you’ve been sat in your stand for a few hours with a chilly wind blowing through your clothes – you’ll be thankful for an extra two layers to put on. Likewise, taking off a layer at a time after trekking up a hill and building up a sweat is much better than taking off a heavy coat and exposing yourself to a chill.
There are a few more items that you should always try to take with you when you go after whitetails, or any game really.

You don’t have to have all of these, but the more you have the better. They don’t take up a lot of space and you could fit most of

Where's the buck?

them in a standard day pack.

The first and perhaps most obvious is a medical kit or bag. Make sure you have some bandages, and some kit you can use to make a tourniquet for one of the worst-case scenarios.
Second a cell phone or radio to keep in touch with your partner, or if you’re alone to phone home.
Carrying water is a pain as it’s quite heavy, especially when you’ve been hauling it around for a few hours – but I always carry at least 2 litres to drink over the day. If you catch a trophy buck earlier on, it can be useful doing preliminary prep.

Have a couple of energy bars in your pack too – just in case you have to stay out for longer than you planned.
You’ll probably already have a good hunting knife that you carry around religiously, but if not make sure you have a good one. It should have a decent sized blade and a handle you can hold and work with comfortably.
A couple of carrier bags, some rope and a multi-tool are some of the things that I probably use most often – and of course – don’t forget some toilet paper!

If you’re hunting alone it might be a good idea to prepare a few more things to keep you going if misfortune strikes – such as a whistle, signalling mirror and a space blanket (foil survival blanket).

Having said all that, the thing that will define whether you catch a buck or keep you alive after an accident more than any amount of hunting gear, is your attitude. Don’t panic, and keep you’re spirits up as much as possible. If you approach even the worst situations with a can-do, adventurous attitude you’ll stand a far better chance of coming out unscathed – and with a monstrous buck and all!