Like yourself, in my state, most of the areas I hunt are less than 2mi from a road, so I don't feel the need to carry a bivy or a kitchen sink for these short range day hunts.
I used a 5.11 Push pack for a couple seasons. Rides nice, holds a lot more than you'd expect, and has the right mix of pockets/compartments to be practical. The zippers are kind of loud, and I lined a the Velcro component (one pocket under the flap on the exterior of the main compartment) with duct tape to eliminate noise. The side pouches are the perfect size for bottled water, and the zipper pulls hook over the bottle lid to keep closed.
I got the first one as a gift, wasn't really expecting to use it for anything until I gave it a chance. My wife and I have bought 3 more of these packs since then for varied purposes from a DSLR field holster to a baby diaper bag to a hunting kit.
These are what I've been using the last few years. "Fighting Load Carriers" from the local surplus shop, with various components. The tan pack is usually pretty loaded up, as that's my coyote hunting kit, so it has a decoy and an E-caller on board all the time. The green one flexes for all of my other hunting, you can see the right breast is empty for string clearance as it's set up here as I had it rigged for bow hunting as pictured. Everything has it's own place/pocket, well secured, and readily accessible during the hunt. Plus, I have less money into each of these rigs than other packs like the 5.11 would cost. I'm not a huge fan of military surplus gear since it's often attributed to a certain "type," but you can't argue with the functionality of PALS/MOLLE II.
One thing I'd encourage you to keep in your day pack, even though the name of the game is low volume and lightweight, is a 1st aid kit. While you might not be too far off of the beaten path and in good cell phone reception, the time it takes for 1st responders to reach a disabled hunter's location, let alone find them in the woods and transport back to the "bus" is a lot longer than you'd like it to be. Where I usually hunt is only 2miles from any given road, the nearest ambulance barn is 30miles away, and the nearest proper hospital over 45min. It's wise to have SOME supplies to keep you alive long enough for someone to find you. Definitely worth carrying the weight.