Absolutely use a safety harness. It's as important as the safety on your gun.


When I'm hunting I take a fanny pack with the following:
A sharp knife
A length of rope to drag my deer
A Butt Out tool--not absolutely necessary as you can use your knife to cut around the deer's anus, but helpful. Look one up on youtube to see if it's for you.
A box of rifle shells
An ink pen to fill my tag.
A headlamp or a flashlight--I prefer a headlamp to keep my hands free while dressing a deer.
an arm's lenght of twine or heavey string to tie off the anus and bladder when field dressing and to tie on the deer tag.
A couple of freezer bags for the heart and liver.

If you're concerned about scent control, keeping wind in your face is most important, and you can surely take deer by doing nothing more than that. A cheap way to help your scent is to wash your clothes with some baking soda or odor free detergent, and store them in a rubbermaid tub with some cedar branches. I don't even bother with that myself.

I have one of those collapsible chairs with a strap that I sometimes sling over my back and take in to the woods. I find a downed tree or pile of brush and get set up in it and call it good. Or, I just stillhunt.