Mainely Outdoors: My Other Bucket List

Sometime during the last decade the term Bucket List became a recognized part of the lexicon of the English language. For folks closing in on retirement age, it’s a personal list of things they’d like to do and places they’d like to visit before they “Kick the Bucket.” These individual wish lists of adventures vary for each of us and serve to make life more fulfilling, exciting, and enjoyable.
My alternative “bucket list” relates to my near fanatical pursuit of hunting and fishing opportunities, and it actually involves a real bucket. With so many small game, big game, upland bird and waterfowl seasons currently at hand, perhaps my outdoor-oriented bucket inventory might aid other sportsmen in their endeavors. Whether it’s a day-long duck or deer hunt or just a couple of hours at daybreak in a goose blind or walking a tote road for partridge, certain equipment is essential.
Since my plethora of gunning gear won’t all fit in my hunting vest or jacket, I came up with the storage bucket idea. There are certain items that really need to be on your person while in the woods, others just need to be nearby, like back at the truck. If you have a couple of dozen essential items packed in a sealed, waterproof bucket, it can go in the vehicle, boat or UTV in any weather, and will not spill if knocked over and float if necessary.
In the pioneer days, travelers on wagons or horseback, trappers in canoes and hunters with packhorses had a wood box of essentials called a wanigan. Some outdoorsmen used a leather pouch known as a possible bag for muzzleloader accessories and a few other items that not only were necessary, but might possibly save an early settler or woodsman’s life. I’m not sure my bucket list of items fall in the life-saving category, but they will certainly make any hunting venture simpler, comfortable and more enjoyable.
Jump into the 21st century and several commercial manufacturers actually offer a wide selection of knapsacks, fanny packs, back backs, waterproof bags and plastic bags to carry and protect gear. There are even a few five-gallon buckets with inner compartments  and constructed with padded, swivel covers and sturdy handles for anglers and hunters to carry some extra gear as well as provide a comfortable seat. My personal buckets are three- to four-gallon size, white, round or rectangular containers, which previously held cake frosting. Inexpensive, easy to obtain and replace at the local grocery store and perfectly serviceable for packing “possibles.”
The first item that should be in everyone’s hunting bucket, and the one sportsmen hope never to need — a small first aid kit. I use an eight-inch square heavy duty zip lock freezer bag to keep my mini medical pack together, dry and clean. I pack gauze pads, cotton swabs, Band-Aids and a roll of first aid tape to start. A roll of dental floss has myriad uses as does a tube of super glue; it can even be used to close wounds and stop bleeding. A needle, tweezers, and safety pins go in a plastic vial and in another I place a few Tylenol, ibuprofen, antacid and Benadryl. If you’re going afield more than a day, a couple of pills of each prescription medication is a good idea. I carry a sturdy belt knife for cleaning and skinning big game, but put a heavy duty Buck folding knife, a small file and a stone into my bucket in case of breakage or loss. I also pack a handyman tool and a 10-inch folding saw, it can be used as a bone saw to quarter big game if necessary, or just to clear brush and limbs for a tree stand or blind. Since I hunt upland birds and waterfowl frequently I keep a set of heavy duty game shears in my bucket, far easier, quicker and safer for removing wings and legs than a knife.
Since I may be working with blood when dressing out game animals I pack a couple of pair of plastic gloves, paper towels, moist wipes and antibacterial hand sanitizer in a two-ounce plastic squeeze bottle. I also have a couple of large garbage bags and several smaller sizes of plastic sacks to store game so blood doesn’t get all over the cooler and ice packs. A couple of times in a pinch I’ve used the big garbage bags as a set of waders to cross a stream and even as a makeshift rain poncho.
Put a half roll of toilet paper in its own baggie and add it to the bucket, you’ll never regret it! I store extra shells to match the rifle or shotgun used on each outing and a compact but powerful flashlight or headlamp. I also keep a waterproof, shockproof digital camera that’s just larger than a deck of cards in my possible cache.
No one ever plans on being stranded overnight, but vehicles malfunction and humans become disoriented. Pack a plastic sheet or reflective foil emergency blanket, parachute cord, a butane lighter, duck tape and electrical tape and bright surveyor’s tape. It’s amazing what you can do with these few items.
As far as electronics, I’d suggest a GPS to supplement your compass, a cell phone and a two-way radio with a range of 14 to 20 miles if available, they are smaller than a cell phone and seldom suffer dead zones.
I’m sure your individual “Bucket List” will vary from mine in various aspects, and will be comprised of different items depending on the intended quarry. I change a few of my items from moose to deer to duck season, but many are year to year staples.
Perhaps this basic series of possible necessities may serve as a guideline to establish your very own bucket of gunning gear.  My outdoor motto has always been; It’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it!