If you’re interested in establishing a permanent hunting camp, you may want to start with a temporary set up that you can try in a couple of locations before you build a permanent structure. The ideas below can increase your safety and make your hunting camp experience an enjoyable bonding event free of hazards.

Maintenance Tools

Gun Cleaning Kit

Your hunting trip may require you to carry a gun in damp, cold conditions. Keeping things clean, oiled and as dry as possible will make it much easier to hit your target. A simple gun cleaning kit that you can carry in a pack is critical.

Bow and Arrow Care

Carefully monitor the condition of the center of your bowstring at the end of each day and be ready to replace it while on the trail. Make sure you have a place to unstring and store your bow each night to avoid losing spring, and carry wax to keep wooden bows protected against damp.

Security Tools

Consider a Camper

If you plan to hunt in bear country, don’t plan to stay in a tent. Be prepared to sleep in something hard-sided. Invest in something hard-sided for your butchering and skinning site as well.

Your food, your garbage, the animals you hunt and their offal can all attract bears. Consider investing in a small utility trailer with a metal floor to use as a skinning and gutting shack that you can easily hose out after cleaning up. You can also hitch this up and move it far from your camper each night to keep down your exposure to scavengers that will be drawn by the blood after you secure the meat and skins.

Butchering Gear

Make sure that everyone involved in the butchering process has

a face-shieldan apronrubber bootsglovesplenty of disinfectant

You’ll need plenty of water at your butchering site, which you may want to establish far from your camper, especially if you plan to hang deer or other items you’ve hunted.

Meat Processing Tools

Fuel

Even if you don’t need the horns and bones of the animals you’re hunting, you may want to display your trophies. Getting the skulls boiled will make it much easier to keep the bones clean and white, though you may need to bleach them. Make sure the propane cannisters are full

Cutting Tools

If you plan to take the hides with you, your knife collection may need to include a skinning knife as well as a bone saw. As long as everything has a good quality sheath, you may be able to carry all your cutting in a bucket. After cleaning the kill, you can fill the bucket with water for rinsing and cleanup.

Living Tools

Keep the Lights On

A small solar generator with a panel can make it much easier to keep your phone, flashlight, GPS and other tools fully powered during the day. If you have a sizable vehicle, consider setting the panel on top and running the power line through to the solar generator inside your rig to avoid theft risk.

In addition to keeping the lights on, make sure you have room on your phone for lots of photos! Your hunting trip may be old hat to you, but for those celebrating their first hunt, you will want to record the experience.

Eat Well

Consider investing in a 12 volt refrigerator that can also be used as a freezer. Depending on how much game you are planning to eat while out on the trail, you can fill this freezer up with game as you empty it of the food you packed in.

You can also use a cooler that you can line with the frozen foods you pack in to keep foods such as

eggsmilkcheesebread

secure, cool and unavailable to pests and scavengers while you hunt.

Keep the Bugs Away

Depending on the time of year you hunt, making sure you have a mosquito repelling tool can keep your tent, cabin or skinning spot much more comfortable. Many of these handy tools are rechargeable.

Chairs and Beds

Hit your local camping supply store and try on a chair until you find one that really fits your height and weight. Make sure you have a chair that supports you effectively from hip to knee in particular.

Poor sleep destroys your vacation time and may impact your accuracy with a weapon. Air mattresses and camping pads may do in a pinch, but if you can’t sleep on the ground and you know it, get a cot.

Cleaning Up

Get a pump-up camping shower. Even if you aren’t planning to fully strip down and shower on your hunting trip, they’re a handy way to transport water, clean up pots and pans, and spray down your skinning and gutting area.

Your time at hunting camp will be much more enjoyable if you have the tools you need to maintain your hunting gear, the meat you clean, the skins you plan to keep and your physical body. Make room for maintenance tools in your gear and invest in a camper or tent that will keep you warm and secure. When you have the right ground for a permanent structure, your gear will be ready to load in and use immediately.

(Originally posted by HLNews)