If you don’t plan to quarter up your game in the field, loading larger animals into your vehicle, especially by yourself, can be difficult. As long as you have a receiver hitch on your vehicle, the Kill Shot Deer Hoist 500-pound capacity game hoist is an excellent option for hanging and loading game in the field.

We bought this to use at our property, where most areas are accessible either by truck or UTV, and it has made loading larger animals a breeze for us. My father (71 years old) especially likes this as he still likes to go hunt by himself from time to time, making it possible for him to load larger game solo.

When elk hunting in the backcountry for multiple days straight, chasing them up and down mountains, there is nothing like a nice shower to revive and bring you new life. A hot shower can be a little tough, but several portable shower options use the sun to heat the water enough to give you a warm shower. I purchased the Advanced Elements 5 Gallon Summer Shower because it was well-priced and received good reviews on Amazon. I took this to Colorado for 9 days, and it was a godsend to have with me.

I had never used trekking poles before and didn’t think I needed them, but in preparation for another backcountry archery elk hunt in Colorado, I decided I would give them a shot in the event I had to pack out an elk. Boy, am I glad I had these for this hunt! My hunting partner and I each harvested a bull elk almost two miles up the mountain, and these poles made a massive difference while packing out. These Covacure Trekking Poles take up very little space and add minimal weight to your pack.

I purchased Ghostblind Predator Mirror Ground Blind in preparation for multiple public land draw hunts in Texas, where I wanted a quick ground blind setup option in areas where I could not hang a lock-on or spots I did not want to bring a tripod. I had seen these Ghostblinds on hunting shows in the past, and the concept was something I wanted to try out. These blinds are pretty neat and offer a truly outside-the-box approach to concealment. Unfortunately, the blind did not meet my expectations, but it could work well in the right environment.

Anywhere you hunt requiring you to pack out the game or leave quarters hanging overnight, you must have good game bags to keep your meat from spoiling or getting contaminated during extraction. I have used the Koola Buck 2X heavy duty game bags for elk hunting, whitetail, and nilgai hunting on public land and packed out three large animals with these bags in the last 12 months, including an elk that I had to leave hanging overnight for a two day pack out. These bags held up very well and are well worth the money.

Any serious hunter that takes their kids with them knows that you quickly default to a “comfort” strategy after 1 or 2 “cold” mornings in a deer blind. My family owns a 106-acre piece of land in West Texas that we purchased for the family to hunt with multi-generations (my dad, my brother, my kids, and nephews). We had one of our most hunted homemade blinds, “The Frog Blind,” we called it, overlooking one of the best spots on the property. But after years of wind, rain, and varmint infestations, it was time to upgrade The Frog Blind to something more comfortable and kid-friendly.

In 2021 we added an All Seasons Feeder Big Chingon to the ranch and have loved that blind, but this spot is on a hill with a little more limited vehicle access, and I wanted to purchase something a little lighter for this spot to ease in our setup. After a lot of shopping around and research, we chose the Texas Hunters Products 5×7 Wrangler model, which was a similar price point to the Big Chingon at a $4699 retail price.

Over the last several years, Vortex has become a significant player in the optics industry due to their quality products at a fair price and an unmatched lifetime, no questions asked warranty. I own several rifle scopes made by Vortex and purchased both the 10×42 Crossfire HD and 12×50 Crossfire HD Binoculars. I use them for hunting whitetail in Texas and elk out west for both rifle and archery hunts. Paired with the well-recognized Vortex Optics GlassPak Harness and carrying case, these binos are comfortable, lightweight, and clear optics for stand hunting, glassing, and spot and stalk style hunts.

In thick brush country and areas with minimal tall trees for saddle or lock-on hunting, a tripod is an excellent addition for a quick setup that gets you off the ground and elevated to see above the brush. The Millennium T100 10ft Tripod is a tremendous run-and-gun setup. It’s lightweight and can be set up and ready to hunt in under a minute. This is a great tripod and exceptionally well-built. I purchased this tripod this season for three public land draw hunts in the South Texas brush country, and I had great success with this setup and enjoyed using it on the hunt.

My preferred hunting methods are stalking or in ambush from a tree stand. However, my kids are now 6 and 4 years old, and my nephews are 1 and 3. I don’t mind sitting in a box hunting blind during rifle season with the kids or on the freezing late season mornings in West Texas. I have built several deer stands in the past. But when the price of lumber skyrocketed in 2020, I looked to ASF Big Chingon Hunting Blind for box hunting blind options.

Their headquarters is only 10 miles from my house. I decided on the Big Chingon model. This model comes in a 5-foot and an 8-foot platform. I have been very happy with this well-built tank of a hunting blind.

Spika is an Australian-based company specializing in gun safes, hunting clothing, and accessories. I was not familiar with the Spika brand until I found this pack shopping. The reviews for this pack were solid, and the price point was very competitive, so I decided to purchase one. I had an external frame pack that I used for a Colorado elk hunt previously, and it was very uncomfortable and too bulky for my liking. I decided to go for an internal frame pack that was lighter but still sturdy enough to pack out larger animals if needed. On my first hunt using this pack, I successfully got a mature whitetail buck and a cow nilgai that I packed out with this Spika Drover Hauler Pack. I was extremely pleased with the versatility, functionality, and comfort of the Spika Drover Hauler Pack.