RE: Too much gear?
I typically carry what fits in my backpack and not much else (aside from my weapon of choice for the day). In Georgia, temps can range 30 degrees swing in a few hours, so, I will typically carry some warmer weather gloves and face cover for when the temps start to climb, a snack, binoculars, range finder (if I am using xbow), a book to read, grunt call, rattles, a few extra ammos, and that's about it. This also leaves room to put shucked clothing back into the backpack when it gets too warm.
Cheers!
MadOtis