OCD Hunt Prep

mxracer317

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Went out and did some camping/scouting with my 8-year-old and had a blast!

I am OCD about making sure to have what we need, but not over-packing.

What do you guys do to get ready for your hunts, etc?

Are you making lists? Organizing items in plastic tubs? Or just grabbing last year's backpack and hoping for the best that you have everything?! LOL.

I'd love to hear some tips that you use to organize your truck & backpack with camping/hunting items.

The goal is to cut down on prep time and being able to head out on a trip at a drop of the hat.

...Or maybe I'm being too OCD and overthinking it. ;) :ROFLMAO:
 
I keep all of my bird hunting stuff in a tote ther I can grab and throw in the truck, along with whatever else I may need (overnight or not). My big game packing is usually more detailed, depending on the nature of the hunt.
 
I not only use clear plastic tubs, I enclose them with black garbage bags. Then I stick duct tape with the listed items to the bags. I hate having my tubs covered in dirt. I have a tub exclusively for Peak and Mountain House. A tub for camp clothes. A tub for hunting clothes. A tub for....you get the picture. It's pathetic actually.

There was a time I looked like someone from the Grapes of Wrath. A sleeping bag tied with a length of rope, some visqueen in case it rained and a package of hot dogs. Fast forward a bit and I'm in a tent, add a mattress from the Deseret Industries. Then a folding table, camp chair....ugh....

I just finished a scouting trip to Beaver east and Monroe in Utah. By looking at my truck, you would have thought I was assaulting Everest.
 
When I go solo I take only the bare necessities. When I take my wife or someone new I take way more than I need to ensure the comfort of others. Each year my solo list gets refined and lighter. It also depends if it is an early archery hunt or a later rifle hunt where snow is a factor.
 
I already have everything set out for my September CO muzzleloader hun, I have for a few weeks. Spreadsheet up to date and color-coded as well.

I could leave tomorrow and my gear would be dialed in, but I’m sure I will spend several more hours “getting it ready…”
 
The anticipation is half the fun!

Kill kit, clothes and toiletries, rifle, ammo, binoculars, tags, meds, cc.
 
I have a horse trailer with all of my tack already loaded. I add hay and grain to the front compartment depending on the number of days in the field.

Personal gear fits in a pack with clothes, ammo, guns and binos. When I camped, all the kitchen and food fit into 4 wooden panniers. Minor items fit into saddle bags. Perishables fit into an ice chest that we bought on the way. Everything but my pack and ice chest were loaded all of the time.

It probably related to my career where I was in a camp about 7-8 months per year for 15 years. I'm not against a camp but found that they diminished my flexibility where I am prone to changing drainages daily given the conditions.
 
I like to grab the bag and go off on a few day long adventure if I'm alone. Sometimes it gets hairy other times its fine. I like to live with some mystery. If I have guests ill overpack.
 
the only things i know i bring too much of are batteries and knife blades

i mostly throw everything on the floor and organize it out to visually make sure i have everything. lists don't help me much, i need to visually see it all and do a mental checklist while looking at it and putting each item in pack or tote.

then i need to frantically dig through everything in the truck at every gas stop when i think of something i need to make sure it's packed, even though i did pack it. that's what my ocd tick is. usually that's the tags - i'll dig em out and hold em and double check they're the right tags at least three times between house and trailhead.
 
I use the attached checklist. I modify it periodically depending on whether or not I need everything on the list.
 

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