Good luck gear you always take hunting

[Betterinthebush]

I searched the forums to see if this subject had ever been discussed before, counting only one thread that a member started willing to lease himself out as a good luck charm (due to the exceptional good fortune of his hunting partners), I thought I’d share two small items that have gone afield with me. One for for a long time now. One more recently added. Both lucky.

My old beat up (now more gray than green) baseball hat. My wife hates it and insists on pictures taken with it off my head.

My great grandfather’s pocket watch. A new addition. It will go with me on every safari from now on. The two days I left it behind we saw no giraffe bulls and the wind was blowing and swirling fiercely. On the last day of hunting it went back in my pocket. Voila! Back in business.

Anyone else superstitious that takes “lucky” gear with them?

 

[Hedge774]

I don't know if I'd call it superstitious or OCD, but I carry a small (15L) pack, always. It has meds, FA kit, skinning knife, food bars, water, dude wipes (gotta have em!), cord, lighter, starter cubes, collapsible cleaning rod and jag (dropped my rifle muzzle down out of a tree once), 1000 lumen pocket light, and emergency (tin foil) blanket. It weighs 3 lbs without water and is very comforting to have on me. With it, I know I'm good and can focus on nature. Pretty lucky to me!

 

[Wade J VanGinkel]

Nothing specific like something that has to be there. But we'll always have something that's been on a successful hunt before. Can be jacket, boots, cartridge slide, Knife or whatever.
I have a good story though.
When my daughter was about 14 she was wearing some cheap hiking boots, only ones I could afford at the time. She wore them about 3 years before the sole cracked. Very successful years. Several bucks and elk taken. The next year she killed a bull and as I was getting things out of my pack I found one of those stupid shoes down in the bottom. Lol
She swore they were lucky and hid one in my pack.
I threw it away when we got home. She had several terrible hunting seasons after that and still blames me for throwing that shoe away. Lol
She has recovered and is a very successful hunter now.

 

[Betterinthebush]

Nothing specific like something that has to be there. But we'll always have something that's been on a successful hunt before. Can be jacket, boots, cartridge slide, Knife or whatever.
I have a good story though.
When my daughter was about 14 she was wearing some cheap hiking boots, only ones I could afford at the time. She wore them about 3 years before the sole cracked. Very successful years. Several bucks and elk taken. The next year she killed a bull and as I was getting things out of my pack I found one of those stupid shoes down in the bottom. Lol
She swore they were lucky and hid one in my pack.
I threw it away when we got home. She had several terrible hunting seasons after that and still blames me for throwing that shoe away. Lol
She has recovered and is a very successful hunter now.

That’s a great story.

 

[buffybr]

In probably my first 10 or so years of living in Montana I wore the same yellow plaid shirt hunting...

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Dad always brought a bag of licorice with us when big game hunting. His dad insisted it brought luck. During the Depression licorice would have been a luxury item so Dad figured there must be something to it. Didn't seem to work as well for us but I love licorice so didn't care. I'm glad we brought it along anyway. Gave us an opportunity to remember Grandad and talk about him. I hunt alone these days so it's not as important I guess. But last month gassing up for a morning of pheasant hunting "back home" in Montana what do I see as I'm paying for coffee but small bags of the same multicolored variety licorice hanging next to the till. "Give me two of those. One for me and one for my dad ... wherever he is." Boy, did he love that stuff ... almost as much as he loved black Labs and pheasant hunting. I am my father's son for sure ... and proud of it. "Here's to you Dad! Mmph, mmph. Dammit, where did I put the toothpicks!"

 

[Tundra Tiger]

I have a st of 6" spike caribou antlers from a year old cow I shot one of my first years in Alaska, as a 20something year old new teacher. I got dropped off via plane on Talarik Creek, near where the Pebble mine site is situated. I needed meat. It was April, and the season had been extended, with a same day airborne provision. A local pilot dropped me off in the morning with a plan to pick me up in the late afternoon. I shot that small cow minutes after drop off, and a much larger one an hour later.

While I was quartering that first small one a herd numbering in the thousands came running hard in my direction, split in 2, and flowed around me, the dead caribou and I an island in the middle. It was a such glorious day and hunting experience for a young, new-to-Alaska hunter, and I have carried those spikes in my pack on every hunt since.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

For Africa Yes, I have a cap from Bos en Dal that was given to me on my 1st safari. I have worn only that cap in Africa for 6 trips and taken 61 animals with it on.
Here at home pig hunting at night same thing, I have an old worn out cap that I always wear and we kill pigs.

 

[HankBuck]

I don't know if I'd call it superstitious or OCD, but I carry a small (15L) pack, always. It has meds, FA kit, skinning knife, food bars, water, dude wipes (gotta have em!), cord, lighter, starter cubes, collapsible cleaning rod and jag (dropped my rifle muzzle down out of a tree once), 1000 lumen pocket light, and emergency (tin foil) blanket. It weighs 3 lbs without water and is very comforting to have on me. With it, I know I'm good and can focus on nature. Pretty lucky to me!

@Hedge774 - I think you’re “Smart & Prepared” for carrying that Pack, in any emergency it could make an important difference.

 

[HankBuck]

In probably my first 10 or so years of living in Montana I wore the same yellow plaid shirt hunting...
View attachment 734722View attachment 734723View attachment 734724View attachment 734725View attachment 734726View attachment 734727View attachment 734728

@buffybr - those are Great photos and I enjoyed looking at them - real hunting pictures and not a “fashion show” of matching Camo outfits and the latest gadgets, black rifles, suppressors etc.. (how did you ever take such great trophies with ‘Primitive’ equipment?) ! You’ve taken some fine trophy’s and from a young age….Congratulations !

 

[HankBuck]

I searched the forums to see if this subject had ever been discussed before, counting only one thread that a member started willing to lease himself out as a good luck charm (due to the exceptional good fortune of his hunting partners), I thought I’d share two small items that have gone afield with me. One for for a long time now. One more recently added. Both lucky.

My old beat up (now more gray than green) baseball hat. My wife hates it and insists on pictures taken with it off my head. View attachment 734499

My great grandfather’s pocket watch. A new addition. It will go with me on every safari from now on. The two days I left it behind we saw no giraffe bulls and the wind was blowing and swirling fiercely. On the last day of hunting it went back in my pocket. Voila! Back in business.


View attachment 734501

Anyone else superstitious that takes “lucky” gear with them?

@Betterinthebush - when I was 17 my Father gave me a Buck 110 knife for Christmas and that’s been on my Belt on all Big Game hunts for over 50 years (including many “Lucky hunts”). I NOW also carry a smaller Custom Buck 112 in my pocket - a gift from my Son….Two knives, both very meaningful to me.

 

[Betterinthebush]

@Betterinthebush - when I was 17 my Father gave me a Buck 110 knife for Christmas and that’s been on my Belt on all Big Game hunts for over 50 years (including many “Lucky hunts”). I NOW also carry a smaller Custom Buck 112 in my pocket - a gift from my Son….Two knives, both very meaningful to me.

That sounds like good luck indeed.

ETA; my youngest son came home this past weekend for early Christmas. I gifted him a new knife. A Buck 110. Had it engraved by Buck with his name and the knife’s name: “Field Scalpel”. He lost his original i gave him when he left for college. He put it right on his belt and said “now I just need to get it wet”.

 

[HankBuck]

That sounds like good luck indeed.

ETA; my youngest son came home this past weekend for early Christmas. I gifted him a new knife. A Buck 110. Had it engraved by Buck with his name and the knife’s name: “Field Scalpel”. He lost his original i gave him when he left for college. He put it right on his belt and said “now I just need to get it wet”

@Betterinthebush - that’s nice that you had your Son’s knife engraved and I’m sure that knife will always be special to him…he must’ve been upset to have lost the first one you gave him.
My 110 from my Father was Not engraved but I later took that knife and had my initials + the date he gave it to me`engraved on it. My Son had the 112 he gifted me engraved w/my initials and the date he gave it to me. Whenever i take a deer and my Son is not with me - I immediately take photo of the buck w/that knife resting on the deer and text it to him.

 

[Flbt]

Atomic fireballs
A grate uncle got my dad in the habit of keeping some in his shirt pockets.
I have all ways had them. Have passed it on to kids , grandkids, nephews nieces grate nieces and a grate nephew in law.
There just hot enough to wake you up if you get sleepy
And they work great on cough and stuff nose

And it’s kinda funny watching the kids when they first start eating them.

 

[mdwest]

I don’t have a “lucky” item.. but I do carry around an “oh shit!” kit for when luck runs out lol..

Small medical/trauma bag, spare batteries for everything I have that requires batteries, water, food, fire making kit, phone, garmin inreach, list of key contacts, address of closest hospital, dude wipes (for the real emergencies! ) and a few other things…

All of that stays on me in a small pack.. then I have a similar load out in my side by side.. and my truck has a much more extensive load out under the rear seat in a larger pack (full med kit, tools, tow straps, etc in addition to the load out I keep on me and in the side by side..)…

 

[Flipper Dude]

In probably my first 10 or so years of living in Montana I wore the same yellow plaid shirt hunting...
View attachment 734722View attachment 734723View attachment 734724View attachment 734725View attachment 734726View attachment 734727View attachment 734728

Classic. Just classic.

 

[farmer_john]

I don't know if I'd call it superstitious or OCD, but I carry a small (15L) pack, always. It has meds, FA kit, skinning knife, food bars, water, dude wipes (gotta have em!), cord, lighter, starter cubes, collapsible cleaning rod and jag (dropped my rifle muzzle down out of a tree once), 1000 lumen pocket light, and emergency (tin foil) blanket. It weighs 3 lbs without water and is very comforting to have on me. With it, I know I'm good and can focus on nature. Pretty lucky to me!

Im in the same boat. I have a kit designed to be able to go to most countries with and deal with most situations.
Ive seen too many things go sideways in my travels to not be somewhat prepared.