If I was the NewGuy at Camp

If I were the NewGuy at Camp, what would I want? That’s an interesting question. None of what I’m going say here is an outright endorsement/best of class recommendation of anything in particular. What I’m giving is based on a scenario of my nearly 2-decade experience at our camp and what I’d want to bring if I were starting over.

Clothing

Opening Week at Camp starts the second Saturday of November. Here in the Trans-Bluegrass normal temperatures are a low in the mid-30’s and a daytime high of the mid-50’s. By the end of the month both ends have dropped a good 5 degrees. There is also a great deal of variation. I’ve seen temps as low as the mid-teens, and high in the 70’s. My normal kit for first week consists of:

liner socks
heavy-weight poly underwear bottoms and top. GuideGear from Sportsmans Guide or Rothco ECWS is fine. $25 apiece is usually normal.
Wool blend mid-calf socks
A wool commando sweater
Camo uninsulated bibs
Hunter Orange vest with pockets
Hunter Orange hat (more on that later)

That’s what goes on before hitting the outside. This is by no means enough for the morning hunt, but it might be enough for the afternoon. In the afternoon, I might use and orange hoody or the shell of my quad parka. In colder weather, I will add an extra layer as needed.

Boots? I currently like insulated duck boots with rubber bottoms. However, I also have mid-height nylon upper hunting boots. Both work well. The point here is to be dry and warm. On the morning hunts I add insulated boot blankets once I’m sitting down.

Now for the outer layers. These are what I stuff in the duffel bag. I carry the duffel bag out and don all this stuff after I’m situated in the stand or blind. The reason is that these outer layers are too heavy to go schlepping around. They are for sitting long sits. Remember that the minimum of a Hunter Orange Hat and Vest are required by law.

Insulated bibs.and insulated quad parka. These two constitute orange “Orange Clown Suit” They can be Orange or Camo. Mine are rainproof.
A poncho for trips out to the blind in a downpour. It stays behind if there is no rain forecast.
Gloves. In the early season, I’ll use knit fingerless gloves with flopover mitten covers. If the temperature goes down, I’ve got insulated mil-surp shooting mitts from Sportman’s Guide. They’re the bomb
A wool milsurp balaclava.
Boot blankets that go one once I’m sitting down

The hat is something special. I like a fleece-lined bomber or trooper with earflaps and a brim. I’d point you to one, but they only come around maybe once a decade. eBay has them used. Most guys get by with an orange watch cap over a baseball cap. A Stormy Kromer is the only one that comes close, but it is $60.

Make sure you have enough changes to last you throughout your hunt.

Gear

I mentioned the duffel bag. Get one. Get a mil-surp nylon one with pack straps
A butt pad. It gets cold down there.
I walk out with a possibles bag as well. This keeps the small stuff like ammo, license and flashlight. I can drop the duffel, but the possibles bag goes with me everywhere.
Flashlights. Some at camp like a headlight. I prefer it in my hand.
Large and Small Carabiners. The large one can be strapped to the shooting rail to accept my rifle sling. The smaller ones can secure gear.
Ammo wallet. Mine are MTM. Most folks at camp carry them. 9 rounds is all you will need for the whole season
License holder– no longer necessary, but I find it still the best way to carry my license and tag, picture ID, and a pen. Mine stays pinned inside my possibles bag.
Thermos. A small-sized thermos holds enough coffee for the morning.
Knife — The Buck 110 Folding Hunter is the gold standard, but a $20 Folding Kabar is enough. The important thing is to have some kind of knife handy to open up a deer
Restraint system. If you are in a treestand you need a harness or belt or something.
Binos are optional but handy.
Carry a compass. It doesn’t have to be much, but we get pea-soup fog that knocks visibility to zero.

Deer Rifle:

This is all about personal taste and I have written more pieces on this subject than anything else, mainly because that was what I got the most questions as a pro-staffer. The short answer is that were I to go out today and grab a deer rifle for the general purpose of blasting a whitetail at our camp. It would be:

A 30-something. .308 WIN or 30-06 or something damn close.
It would shoot 150 to 165-grain whitebox softpoints within an inch or so at 100 yards. The point here is that top-shelf premium ammo will not make the deer any deader.
It would have a scope mounted similar to a Bushnell Banner 3-9X40 — I would not go cheaper, and I would not go much more expensive.

As to make/model, I would go for a Ruger American, Mossberg Patriot, or Thompson Center Compass. But if any decent bolt gun showed up in that general price range, I’d grab it.

Suggested Readings: