What You Need For An Idaho Mule Deer Hunt

As summer fades into fall, hunters start rummaging around their garages and getting gear together for their big mule deer hunting plans coming up. Almost every fall, you will be out in the field and think to yourself, “I wish would have brought that”.

So I have put together a list of some things I have found useful on mule deer hunts that I have been on in Idaho.

Idaho Mule Deer Packing List

A good pack
Optics
2 knives
A bone saw
550 Chord
Rope
Orange plastic marking tape
Phone/GPS
Extra batteries
Flight light
Space Blanket
Water pump
First aid kit
Extra socks
2 sources of Fire
Toilet Paper
ZIP Ties
Game bags

(For a full list with examples see the Pine Trees And Solitude Amazon List)

Gear list with field notes

A good pack to carry all your items in
Optics: Good pair of binoculars and/or a spotting scope
2 knives
A bone saw
550 Chord: The first way I am thinking of using the 550 chord is to put the animal on its back and use the chord to tie off the legs to nearby trees. This will open the animals underside up to allow you to start gutting it without the body moving around. I am especially thinking of any solo hunters who may not have the extra hands around to tend the field dressing.
Rope: One way to use the rope is to help drag the animal off the mountain and to a nearby road where you can go and get your truck. Rope also comes in handy for when you want to hang quarters back at the camp or on the mountain. You can use 550 interchangeably for the quarter hanging.
Orange plastic marking tape: Used for marking your way back to something. When I shot my last mule deer buck, I dragged him down to the road where I staged him so I could go get my truck. I used the orange plastic flagging tape to mark where I need to stop on the road to go and retrieve the deer. It comes in handy whenever you need to remember where something is. In fog, it comes in handy as well for marking your way back to a trailhead. Just leave a 2-foot piece on a tree limb and ensure you can always see the next marker.
Phone/GPS: These days your Phone is how you can use GPS/mapping programs like onX or Gohunt. Very handy tools. However, you must prepare for the worst. If your smartphone dies, you may want a GPS unit to help you get back to camp.
Extra batteries: For every type of electric device you bring with you.
Flashlight: I would bring a headlamp and a small handheld flashlight.
Space Blanket: Bring 1 or 2 even. They are handy. You can use them for an unexpected night’s stay in the woods if you shoot a deer at dusk. Also, you can use them in emergency situations for reflecting a campfire’s heat back towards you and signaling if necessary.
Water pump: There are various types of water filtering devices out there. I have seen straws, pills, and pumps. I would suggest a small and lightweight hand pump. This will allow you to take 1 or 2 bottles for having water on hand and be able to fill them up whenever you see a water source. This will prevent you from trying to carry an insane amount of water when hiking around the mountains.
First aid kit: A small first aid kit with some essentials will be fine. A couple of bandaids, some Neosporin, IB Preofine, medical tape, and maybe some gauze. You just never know when you will need it. But you will need it at some point.
Extra socks: Keeping your feet dry is essential to a good mountain experience.
2 sources of Fire: I would take 2 lighters and a magnesium and flint contraption. I would also throw in some kind of firestarter material. There are various types out there. All it is, is just dry and flammable material that will help you get a good start when building a fire in the event you need one.
Toilet Paper: We call it mountain money. When you are in the woods with a guy that needs some TP and doesn’t have any… you can just about buy the shirt off his back with a couple of squares. I also carry baby wipes. Personal preference.
ZIP Ties: These are the absolute best thing possible for attaching your tag to the animal. I have lost tags in the past. It’s not a good feeling. Just use a zip tie or 2 and harness the tag to the antlers and be done with it.
Game bags: I would take 6. 1 for each quarter and 2 for the rib cage. But you may be able to put more than one quarter in a bag when packing out. It all depends on what kind of setup you have.
Light bungee cords: For strapping the quarters to the pack frame.

A Word about Packs

Get yourself a good hunting pack. There are great options out there. What you are looking for in a pack is a “scabbard” for your rifle, a main compartment for your miscellaneous items, and the ability to fold it into a load-carrying platform so that you can strap a quarter of an animal to the frame.

Game Retrieval

The most traditional way of getting an animal out of the backcountry is quartering it onsite and then packing it out, back to your truck. There are a couple of tools to keep in mind depending on what kind of terrain you are in.

Game Cart: This would be great for a closed road close to where you got your animal down. Use the cart to shuttle your animal back to the truck that is parked at the gate.
Deer Sled: These are really handy for the lone hunter trying to get a deer off the mountain. When you are dragging the deer over the ground the friction creates quite a bit of drag. But with a deer sled , you can just slide the weight right down the mountain.

Camp/Truck

Extra change of clothes: After a long day of hunting, you are most certainly going to be sweating. It’s always nice to have a change of clothes at the truck.

Clothing Considerations

Boots

Boots are a pretty important part of your overall mule deer hunting kit. You will most certainly spend a lot of time on your feet. So let’s take a look at some considerations for boots.

Seasonal considerations

Let’s start by thinking about what kind of weather your season is going to be in. In Idaho for example you have the early fall bowhunting season which can get extremely hot, especially in recent years. Then you will start to get into the rifle seasons which will be in the heart of October.

Depending on what region of the state you hunt and what unit you will be hunting, there are seasons that go into November as well.

Hot weather

For the hot weather you want a boot that is going to be able to withstand the rugged terrain that mule deer hide in and at the same time allow your feet to breath and dry out as much as possible. When reading the product descriptions online you want to look for “breathable” being the key element.

It’s is also a balance with water-resistant or waterproof. Make sure they have these qualities as well. Even though you know the temperatures will peak into the 80s and 90s later in the day, those cold rocky mountain mornings are still crisp and the morning dew will drench your feet.

Mid Fall

There are a ton of options out there for mid-season boots. These are going to start to incorporate different levels of insulation so do your research online for different brands in regards to how much insulation you want to have in your boot.

Most of these mid-season boots will have a combination of leather and gortex and probably some rubber around the bottom of the boot. I will say this about boots with the extra rubber around the heels and toes: it’s really nice to have it.

The country that mule deer are in is rocky, and rough and can be hard on your gear. These extra pieces of material can make your boots last much longer than a pure leather boot.

Cold weather

If you know you will be in snow, then go for a pack boot. Essentially it is a snowboot with a rubber bottom and ensure it comes up to at least mid-calf level. Gaters can help tremendously in the snow.

For those that do not know, they are a waterproof sleeve that hooks onto your bottom lace and wraps around your boot and pant. This will ensure no snow gets into your boot and pants from the ground level.

All Leather

If you end up going with an all-leather boot you can add extra water resistance by spraying it with a water-resistant spray. Take the can with you in case you need to reapply. This will make your leather like a ducks back and let the water just roll off of it.

There are many variations out there in hunting stores and online. Here is one from REI.

Leather boots may require break-in period if you are buying them brand new. I recommend you start walking around the block as often as possible before taking them out in the field.

This will start letting the creases start to form around your ankle and foot’s natural motions.

Blisters

Some of the newer boots out there may not need a break-in period. But when you get your pair and start wearing them, you will know if they need to be broken in or not.

If they are stiff then, go ahead and assume they need to be broken in.

To prevent blisters you could try using a liner sock. This is a thin sock that you wear under your actual boot sock.

It creates a second piece of skin essentially, so that the outside sock can slip against the liner instead of your skin. This will prevent the blister from happening. After a good break-in period, the liner won’t be necessary.

Pants

Western hunters are going to want something that is silent, light, tough, and water-resistant when it comes to pants.

There are a lot of good options out there from brands such as First Lyte. There are also cheaper options to be found online and in person from hunting retailers like Cabelas and Bass Pro Shops.

There are also even cheaper alternatives from off-brands that can be found on Amazon. Just make sure you can stay dry out there. Nothing makes a man more miserable than being soaking wet and cold.

One season I simply didn’t have the cash for a top-notch brand of hunting pants, but I had about $70. I opted for a pair of 5.11 tactical pants. They worked pretty well. They are tough as hell and are water resistant.

Upper Body

One recommendation for the upper body would be to layer up.

Start with a quick-drying shirt. An athletic type of shirt would work great. Cotton just holds water too easily and it can get cold real quick. Then I would put on a tight fitting long sleeve shirt/light fleece type of sweatshirt. Then I would put on my outer coat. The logic here is you can always peel off layers as need be.

Coats

There are lots of types of coats out there, so first narrow it down to what type of weather you are expecting. For a mid-season rifle hunt in Idaho, I would recommend something like a First Lite Hybrid, or this Scent-Lok Helix coat.

You can wing it with a lot of different coats out there. I see a lot of Carhartt working-type coats that are extremely warm and tough. Although water-resistant, in continuous downpours they will eventually soak up the moisture.

So whatever you choose for your coat, I would recommend buying an outer waterproof shell to keep you dry out there, if don’t have access to an all-purpose waterproof hunting coat.

Hat

Get yourself a good baseball hat to keep the sun off your face. For when it gets frigid pack a beanie.

As you keep hunting, your kit will undoubtedly change with the various conditions and terrain you hunt, but now you should have a good base to begin with.

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