7 Cheap and Easy Hunting Gear Hacks
By PJ DelHomme
After paying for a license, gassing up the truck, and buying a few burritos from the gas station, chances are there’s not much left in your hunting budget. Fear not. With these cheap hunting hacks, you can at least feel like a million bucks.
Never Lose Your Knife
Grab a roll of blinding yellow tape and wrap a few yards around your knife sheath. The tape comes in handy when it’s time to wrap that notched tag around a set of antlers or a rear quarter. And the color helps when the sheath sprouts legs and walks away. Why they make camo knife handles and sheaths, I’ll never know.
Cost: $5
Zip Everything
Zip ties are like duct tape—you just never know when or why you’re going to need them. I’ve used zip ties to repair game trailers, attach tags in wet weather, fix a broken zipper, and the list goes on. Throw a few in your pack, and you won’t regret it.
Cost: $7
Fix Rifle Slip
When I hunt with a pack, my kids expand their four-letter word arsenal every time my rifle slides down my shoulder. The solution? Sew a giant button onto your pack strap to act as a sling stopper.
Cost: $1
Latex Up
The next time you’re at the doctor’s office, ask the doc for a couple of pairs of exam gloves. Don’t be shy; you’re paying for them in the long run. They’re great for keeping your hands relatively clean the next time your elbows are deep in an elk’s chest cavity. Of course, you can always just buy some at the store, too.
Cost: Free
Wipe It
Whether you’re wiping blood off your elbows or just trying to freshen up a little before the drive home, do yourself a favor and throw some wet wipes in your pack. They are a lot like brushing your teeth after a long night. You may not smell clean, but man, you will feel clean.
Cost: $5
Swiss Army Shoelaces
I love it when I can get double or triple-duty out of one item. In a pinch, paracord shoestrings double as firestarters when frayed. Just be sure to make them long enough so you can spare a few inches and still hike out with your boots on.
Cost $4.50 for 50 feet
Gardening Butt Pad
At some point on a hunt, you’ll want to sit down to eat lunch, glass some hillsides, or just take a break. I’ve tried sitting on nothing, which makes for a cold, wet butt. I used my pack, but my potato chips turned to powder, and my sandwich was even less inviting. Treat yourself to a butt pad. I borrow grandma’s gardening knee pad, and then just buy her a new one. It’s worth the free meal she tends to cook when we come over.
Cost: $4
PJ DelHomme writes and edits content from his home in western Montana. He runs Crazy Canyon Media and Crazy Canyon Journal.
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