With the season already begun in some places…….I know Rob/Pa’s thread about recovery will soon be back on top of the page. Good stuff….and I encourage everyone to read it.

What I’d like to ask everyone to do is……look at your tracking gear before the season starts. I went into my first tracking job Ill-equipped for the task at hand. I didn’t have good lights. Even after that…..my second tracking job was hampered by not having REALLY good lights. After that time…..I put together a tool box containing:

2 spot lights
2 surefire xenon flashlights
2 regular flashlights
toilet paper
2 way radios
extra batteries

Not telling anyone what to do…..you guys have your own methods. Just giving everyone a reminder that it’s almost upon us.

Good luck…….good tracking.

get a lantern. Extra mantlesand spare fuel.

You forgot Peroxide, it really makes those tinyblood spotsstand out.

definently something we ALL have to be prepared for.

in my truck i carry a spotlight, multiple flashlights and extra bulbs and batteries...funny that my hunting gear doubles as emergency gear, and stays in my truck all year lol..and in my pack is atleast 2 flashlights and batteries and a roll of flagging tape. TP is great...you dont even have to go back and pick it up...i like the flagging tape though...and i like going back the next day to collect it. weather or not it was a successful ending, you can learn by going back the next day. i went back to do a giant grid search with a small army...but went in early alone to collect my tape. the trail looks 100% different in the daytime.

while hunting at home i go straight to my buddies house. i go there to tell the story, give the deer time, gather help, and get the coon hunting lights. they are coon hunters and have a couple "miners" lights with headlamps, spotlights and battery packs. 1000x nicer to use than any flashlight. more comfortable too...leaves your hands free to move brush and crawl on your hands and knees etc...

also always have my 2 way radios in the truck...we used them during the giant body search the next day we put on. think there was 8 of us and we covered a TON of land leaving no leave unturned.

thats one thing that is nice...a group willing to help search for a body after all sign has been lost. i lost sign last year at about 11pm..searched another hour and couldnt pick nothing up with 4 of us looking. it started raining. we gathered man power and hit it hard the next day in the pouring rain. those are the friends that you never forget. anyone that will help you search for a deer in the cold pouring rain is definently a good friend!

school im kinda up a creek...im solo...i got friends but dont know who i can count on to be there to help if i need it. got 1 friend from home i know would help..if he had the time at the time..and a couple others...i just dont wanna be in that situation...i like my setup at home.

thats another thing that some guys might not consider before letting an arrow fly. time. do you work the next morning?? are you able to call off or go in late?? other obligations?? never know what hes going to duck the arrow or you will shoot the wrong yardage or pull the shot etc etc....

Ask if someone helping you is color blind Trust me

Extra TP for you pal

good post somthing we all have to think about

Jeff, if you're out there tracking long enough to need toilet paper, you'd better improve your shooting.

J/K, good tips. The peroxide is a good tip too. Another one is to have no more than 3 in your tracking party and some say that is one too many.

Good list gmmat. The one thing that I also usr are glow sticks. I found that while tracking at night you can really get a good feel for the direction of the deer.

LOL. I remember that story.