Preparing For The Hunt

You might be ready for the hunt, but is your gear?

Vehicles

Most of us rely on our vehicle to get from home to where the hunting is, so make sure you give your vehicle the once over before the serious hunting begins. Apart from general servicing being up to date, it's a good idea to check over your tyres; recovery gear; lighting and electronics - anything that could go wrong out in the bush needs a close inspection!

Gear

Before the roar you should give all your gear a good check over, particularly if you haven’t had it out much over the summer.

Optics

It's always a good idea to test out your optics and perhaps give them a clean up prior to any hunt. A quick wipe with lens cleaner and a lintless cloth will do the job. Bino harnesses should be given a clean and checked over for proper fit and adjustment.

Backpack

Get to know your backpack and all the adjustments. Load it up with the weight you expect to be carrying out and follow manufacturer's instructions to ensure all adjustments are as perfect as possible.

Boots

Most leather boots a need a bit of TLC servicing through out the year, if you haven’t done it already, now’s the time to do it. Check with your boot manufacturer if you’re not sure how to care for yours.

Got new boots? Make sure you’ve broken them in, get out and spend as much time as possible in them. This will help you avoid blisters and rubbing – a sure way to put a downer on your hunt.

Tech Gear

It's critical to re-charge and test any communications or power equipment you plan to use during your hunts. This may include; UHF radios, satellite communicators, power packs, solar panels, and any batteries and cables that you may need for use and/or re- charging. It's easy to forget one type of cord or battery and have your whole system fail, so be sure to check over every function and need that your devices serve. If you're using a satellite communicator, check your plan is current and suited to your upcoming hunts, and be sure to test out all hunting gear prior to heading bush.

When utilising power packs and solar panels, it's important to test them out to understand their capacity real life conditions before you need to rely on them in the bush - know your equipment and its limitations!

First Aid Kit

Even if you haven’t had to use this much and your stocks aren’t depleted, its advised to give its contents a once over and check its all in date and functional. Have you got the right first aid for the terrain you’re going to be in?

Permissions and Licenses

Nothing worse than going on holiday to find your passports expired. Don’t let admin bring an early end to your hunt! Check well in advance that your license is valid, as well as any licensing applicable to the state and region you plan to be hunting in. Always check out any government department websites for updates before you head out. Where private land permission is your key to access, be sure to double-check with property owners or those organising access.

Plan Ahead:

Get to know the land you’re ging to be in

Whilst our phone and its GPS system is rarely far from our hand, its always good to spend as much time getting to know the area you’re hunting before you head in. Get familiar with the lay of the land, boundaries, watercourses, and types of vegetation cover to ensure that you have the right kit as well as the skills and fitness to take it on. You can even do some e-scouting online. Be sure you download maps you might need in areas of no signal.

Check the weather conditions

Having the right gear for the conditions can be the difference between making it home safely or not. Being prepared for the terrain is one thing, but the weather is another. If you get stuck on the mountain overnight, do you have enough to keep you warm? If the weather turns and the heavens open, can you keep yourself warm and dry? If the sun is beating down, will you have enough sun protection to keep you going?