Beginner Kit List

[maximus otter]

l’m a small-scale stalker of the three small species, never more than a mile or so from my car.

My essentials:

Rifle & scope, best you can afford.
Sling. (I like the Z-Aim style.)
Appropriate ammunition that’s under 2 MOA from your rifle. (Tighter is better.)
Quad sticks
Binoculars, best you can afford. ( X7 to X10 magnification.)
Laser rangefinder. (If not incorporated into binoculars.)
Knife with 4” to 5” fixed blade. Stainless is better.
Gambrel and/or “S” hooks for suspended gralloch.
Bag to carry your take back to the car. (I use a Napier Apex Predator bumbag.)
Pint water bottle for drinking/hand washing.
Vinyl gloves.
6” lengths of twine to tie off rectum.
Toilet kit. (You WILL get caught out - er - “big time.”)
Subdued-colour clothing appropriate to the conditions. Army surplus/hiking kit from charity shops is my go-to option.

Map of permission.
Copy of landowner’s permission in writing.
Basic cleaning kit: Boresnake plus 3’ of coiled, coated curtain wire & patches.
Emergency kit including whistle, torch, emergency blanket.
Basic first aid kit.

Not essential but b****y useful:

Basic thermal monocular. (Who knew that a 55lb roebuck could vanish in 6” of stubble?)

Surgical soft tissue forceps to assist in tunnelling out.
Photocopy of Page 1 of FAC with name & address blacked out.
50’ of paracord with a carabiner knotted to one end. (Carcass recovery.)
Drag harness.

maximus otter

 

[griff]

Copy of FAC
Permission letter
Insurance
First Aid kit + Celox
Survival blanket
Comms
Sharp knife and means to sharpen knife
Water + mars bar etc
Torch
Dog, essential.
Leave info on where and when you are going, and what time you are to be expected to return..

 

[geoshot]

I think it's funny that when you start you have minimal kit and you make it work. Then you have a middle stage of having more kit than you need and more expensive. Then after many years you realise it's not all needed and you par it down to bare essentials or at least this is what me and some people I know have don't.
The lesson from this is if you are starting from new if you are able to skip the middle stage you will be a wise man.
I tell people when it comes to spending money on stalking it's far better to spend it on stalking experiences like a trip to Scotland with friends than on the next fancy bit of kit.

Pretty much THIS
I used to need to either flatten the back seats in my car (Landrover or estate car ) or use the entire flat-bed of the pickup truck to get all the gear I "needed" with me, even for just one feckin session of deer-stalking!!
Now I can carry whatever stuff I've worked out that I really need with/on me in the pockets of a roe-sack and/or the pockets of my clothing
Extra bits of kit for a longer trip, mostly cleaning kit, can fit into a smallish toolkit which is left in the truck

What I need for the majority of MY stalking is;
Rifle, ammo, RF binoculars (thermal isn't an essential, but a sometimes), sticks, knife (I have a "few" fancy bits of kit but a Mora will do the job rightly), nitrile gloves, bag for gralloch, a few wipes

 

[finnbear270]

Copy of FAC
Permission letter
Insurance
First Aid kit + Celox
Survival blanket
Comms
Sharp knife and means to sharpen knife
Water + mars bar etc
Torch
Dog, essential.
Leave info on where and when you are going, and what time you are to be expected to return..

Neil, Don't forget the propane cylinder & Hob.

 

[Mountain Bug]

How many of us remember when all that was needed to spend a day in the woods was an air rifle or .22 and a pocketful of pellets/shells, nothing more but maybe a sandwich. If the weather was bad a raincoat or bin liner and bread bags over your socks if you didn't have wellies.


Scott

 

[JH83]

It’s all been said, but I’d emphasise a good head torch. Nothing quite as frustrating as trying to gralloch in the dark with an iPhone in your teeth. And get quality, as a crap one will let you down, and you’ll be back to the aforementioned iPhone in the teeth .

The only thing I’d further add is quality first aid kit with a CAT tourniquet. Seen some nasty injuries of late. A utility belt like the swede team one will accommodate all.

Other than that, it’s all covered.

 

[Mungo]

It’s all been said, but I’d emphasise a good head torch. Nothing quite as frustrating as trying to gralloch in the dark with an iPhone in your teeth.

Or even doing it in the dark, by feel!

 

[cooksey]

Jesus some of you carry some gear!
Rifle scope mod
Ammo
Sticks
Good sharp knife doesn't need to be expensive
Binos
And rope to drag.
Maybe a drink and a couple of mars bars if you feel that you might die in the 4 hours away from the house.
All of which tucks nicely into your coat pockets!

 

[griff]

Neil, Don't forget the propane cylinder & Hob.

Not all of us have LWB 110.

 

[opticron1]

Evening all,

As the title suggests I'm looking for a list of must have gear to get started with stalking and maybe some extra bits to look into as time passes. (This is excluding a rifle as I know what I will be getting in that regard).

I have done a lot of research but I don't want to just spend a load of cash on everything when I might not need it all tight at the start. I have also gotten quite tired of scrolling through reviews etc of all sorts of glass, shooting sticks, knives etc. I also dont have a ginormous budget so maybe not swarvoski and Harkila. Hoping that some of you might be able to advise on the bare necessities. Thanks

Not wishing to make it sound easy, but maybe if you could get a couple of stalks with a guide or mentor in your particular area- and with the type of deer you'll be concentrating on - you'll be able to pick their brains?
The gear I would use on the hill for Reds isn't the same as I would use in woodland for Roe, so it's always going to be a balancing act. You seem to be organised from a rifle point of view, so optics, waterproofs/clothing, gralloching kit, first aid kit and a rucksack/bag to carry it in.
How much you spend will depend on the spare cash, but it'll always cost you more than you think/dread/fear!
Enjoy!

 

[Dunwaters]

I photograph or screenshot all my documents and keep the phone with me.
I also screenshot my birth cert, address and next of kin details just in case I forget.
The car has a “ where’s it parked “ thingy that I’ve had to use a couple of times.
When you get within a few meters pushing the unlock button on the key fob produces a very useful flash from the indicators and switches on the inside lights.
Absolute life saver.

 

[sy247]

Loads of research but not used the search on the site it’s been done to death
But it also depends where and what your stalking, you aren’t going to carry the same on the hill walking miles as you would on a 400yard walk to a highseat.

That's a very good point.

Not wishing to make it sound easy, but maybe if you could get a couple of stalks with a guide or mentor in your particular area- and with the type of deer you'll be concentrating on - you'll be able to pick their brains?
The gear I would use on the hill for Reds isn't the same as I would use in woodland for Roe, so it's always going to be a balancing act. You seem to be organised from a rifle point of view, so optics, waterproofs/clothing, gralloching kit, first aid kit and a rucksack/bag to carry it in.
How much you spend will depend on the spare cash, but it'll always cost you more than you think/dread/fear!
Enjoy!

Excellent points. Most of my stalking is not far from a vehicle in the flat Norfolk and Suffolk landscape. I've recently started using wellies but wouldn't use them on the hill!

 

[25 Sharps]

Entirely depends on what sort of stalking you’re planning.

I shoot, roe, muntjac and occasionally fallow on local mixed or arable farms, 10 minutes from home with phone coverage.

Rifle + 5-10 rds of ammo
LRF binos (previously binos + LRF)
A few Gloves including disposable gauntlet type.
A few wet wipes in a bag
Back up knife - permanent on harness
Thermal
Small torch to clip onto cap
(All of the above on a vortex bino harness)
Main knife on belt
Quad sticks
Drag strap if fallow or long drag or both likely.
Mobile phone (has photo of FAC and permission)

That’s it!

 

[ofbiro]

Toilet paper? Water?

 

[Mungo]

Toilet paper? Water?

Sphagnum moss! Burn!

 

[kenbro]

Not wishing to make it sound easy, but maybe if you could get a couple of stalks with a guide or mentor in your particular area- and with the type of deer you'll be concentrating on - you'll be able to pick their brains?
The gear I would use on the hill for Reds isn't the same as I would use in woodland for Roe, so it's always going to be a balancing act. You seem to be organised from a rifle point of view, so optics, waterproofs/clothing, gralloching kit, first aid kit and a rucksack/bag to carry it in.
How much you spend will depend on the spare cash, but it'll always cost you more than you think/dread/fear!
Enjoy!

Bit of sense spoken there.

He wanted a list of Must have stuff to get started!
He specifically excluded the rifle, but some have told him he’ll need a rifle!
Oh, you need to start looking for a chiller or tall drinks cabinet!
You’ll need all the gear to gralloch deer!

Lots of people who pay by the stalk don’t even get an option to gralloch deer.
I suggest he gets himself a mate to carry all the gear while he enjoys his stalking.

Some take up stalking and find it’s not for them and don’t go again.
Too much unnecessary stuff been suggested for what the op asked. Imo.
Kb.

 

[Tim.243]

Bit of sense spoken there.

He wanted a list of Must have stuff to get started!
He specifically excluded the rifle, but some have told him he’ll need a rifle!
Oh, you need to start looking for a chiller or tall drinks cabinet!
You’ll need all the gear to gralloch deer!

Lots of people who pay by the stalk don’t even get an option to gralloch deer.
I suggest he gets himself a mate to carry all the gear while he enjoys his stalking.

Some take up stalking and find it’s not for them and don’t go again.
Too much unnecessary stuff been suggested for what the op asked. Imo.
Kb.

Where do you put your deer when you come home with one...?
Nice warm week coming up, fallow season just around the corner,
Lots of stalking is offered with a game dealer pay price so you can keep what you shoot or do you think people just want to shoot it and go home?

 

[sy247]

I used to hang mine in a muslin bag in the wood shed which is shaded with slatted sides so has good airflow before I got my chiller. Butcher quickly in summer.

 

[VSS]

Where do you put your deer when you come home with one...?
Nice warm week coming up, fallow season just around the corner,
Lots of stalking is offered with a game dealer pay price so you can keep what you shoot or do you think people just want to shoot it and go home?

How many deer does the average household eat in a year? Any recreational stalker who's shooting for freezer fillers can just get enough for what he wants during the colder months of the year, when an unheated outbuilding or garage is sufficiently cool for hanging and carcass prep.

I should say a chiller doesn't become a requirement until the stalker progresses beyond the basic subsistence level, and finds himself with a surplus, or cull targets to meet.

 

[Dickie]

Always need a chiller so someone can sell you S hook's and gambrels of various sizes and heights.