Get your check book out.....
That's probably truer now than ever, even though no unit opens as late as 502 did back in the 1980's.
That said, even when hunting 502 in a season that runs long, if a hunter develops bivouacking skills and good sense to go along with the skills, such as will enable an honest evaluation of weather and other risks, the adventure can be tackled with a decent pack, good durable boots, a great ensemble of layered wool and synthetic clothing, a high quality synthetic sleeping bag (wet down is worthless), a closed-cell sleeping pad (I recommend foregoing the extra comfort of inflated pads for the infallible reliability of closed cell foam) and a Gore-Tex bivi. Even on the windswept Beartooth Plateau there are rock slabs and clefts, even campsite windbreaks erected by climbers, that permit one to shelter from direct wind. Dog hair stunted timber is a few hundred to perhaps as much 1500' below the top in enough places that it offers handy shelter in really critical situations.
I am simply addressing clothing and minimal shelter requirements here of course. One still needs food (probably half-again what one thinks they'll consume per day) and means to prepare it (I'm still partial to liquid fuel stoves such as MSR's XGK EX--if stove ever fails or gets broken the fuel is still usable for fire starting), water container and a pot in which to melt snow, not to mention their actual hunting gear such as weapon, ammunition and optics.
Given my own experiences when 502 was larger and opened later, I would not enter the country without snowshoes and ice ax. The ice ax was not part of my initial kit, but became an essential component after the one truly ticklish challenge that I encountered; and that particular adventure was actually encountered on the trail. In a shaded chute, an old snow patch had settled and frozen into essentially a sheet of ice. It was my first entry from that approach, and was well before the advent of Google Earth as an armchair scouting aid. It was late, I was tired and did not know what safe alternatives were available to gain the top before dark. I crossed the crusted chute, but found it almost impossible to kick footholds into the frozen surface, even though I was wearing rigid mountaineering boots. The next time I encountered such conditions I was carrying an ice ax. Crampons would have accomplished the task well, but I honestly haven't encountered extensive enough conditions to justify their weight. An ice ax is a much more versatile solution, as it provides additional climbing and hiking support especially if the hunter is successful and is burdened by a heavy meat pack during their egress.
I've noticed photos posted by MT Gomer in which he was wearing goggles in tough conditions. I have no experience with them myself, but they seem a good idea. I can see where not only the wind and spindrift, but snow glare as well could be well attenuated by the proper goggles. Certainly a bit of kit I'll consider if I convince myself to make another trip.
