13 Unusual Things to Take in the Treestand With You

Here is a baker's dozen unusual hunting items, and you didn't even know you needed them.

If you thought that you only needed ammo, camo, and a hunting knife to hunt for whitetail deer, you were sadly mistaken.

Here is the newest list of the unusual hunting gear that you never knew you needed, all in one convenient place.

Whether you are archery hunting or just looking for the next thing in high quality hunting gifts for big game, you may get an outdoor edge with some of the odd collection combined herein.

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While scent control is paramount, a knife sharpener can be a must, and a water bottle goes without saying; this list of things you could use at a moment's notice is as important as it is comically genius.

From the obvious to the sublime, a deer hunter's dream is never fully realized until a deer is in his sights. Whether in a ground blind or 30-feet up in a tree, these are the sorts of things that are forever ready to come in handy, before or after the shot.

Some of these things you've already used or may even keep in your bag. For those that look herein and cringe at the fact that we're sharing the wealth: remember that we are a brotherhood and a sisterhood and we all want each other to be successful. Right?

When have a little extra room to bring a few more things into the stand, you can refer to this list.

1. Metal Binder Clips

For that unfortunate time when a zipper breaks off, or to keep a scent pad attached to your boot, these little works of genius can save the day.

I even like to use one to pull back my balaclava a bit since it covers my head so well and gets in the way of my peripheral vision.

2. Kindle

A Kindle makes virtually no noise since there are no pages to turn and can be wired into the internet by creating a WiFi hotspot on your phone if necessary.

Maybe one of the best uses is to download an audio book to listen to while you wait, although most of us would much rather hear the sounds of nature around us, and wouldn't think to let something distract our hearing.

3. Hearing Enhancement

There are more than one set of hunters ears that you can purchase to make the sounds of the outdoors much more distinct to your ears. Many if not all of them have a feature that shuts down their function at the onset of high-decibel noises, such as a firearm muzzle blast.

4. Pellet Gun

Since tree-rats are an inevitable distraction, and are pretty much fair game and in-season during the deer hunt, a pump or even a CO2 fired plinker can be the difference between listening to squirrels and silencing them for good.

5. Turkey Call

A slate works well, but a mouth diaphragm is easy to apply and hands-free to use. The soothing sounds of a fall turkey can relax the most pursued deer there are.

Check your local regulations to make sure that it's okay in your home area, but many states have fall turkey seasons that run right up to and during deer season.

6. Cigar

I personally hate this idea, but too many folks do it and swear by the success it gives them. Just based on this concept alone, many companies began many years ago to create and sell many deer related products that burn, waft, smolder, and generally create an airborne scent trail that deer can't resist.

7. Blanket

Even one of those survival tool, easy to fold, foil-backed blankets can help a hunter stay much longer in his tree stand. For today's backpacks, there can be a lot of extra room for even a fair sized cover that can comfort even the hardiest of hunters.

8. Bird ID Manual

We're all bird watchers in the tree, whether you want to admit it or not, so you may as well know what it is that you are looking at.

A pocket bird guide is a great stocking stuffer, and one of the best gifts you can receive as a hunter.

9. Hand Mirror

From using it to glance behind you to giving a deer something to think about, and even making them stop in their tracks, a small mirror can be of good use. You can even use it to check your camo face paint.

10. Peanut Butter

One secret of successful deer hunters is the use of one of our favorite spreads to keep deer in our area. Where legal, peanut butter is a sure way to entice deer to come back to an area for a nice snack.

Probably the best reason to have peanut butter in your bag is this: you can eat it right out of the jar or dip crackers right in.

11. Thermometer/Barometer

There are any number of barometers, thermometers, and even altimeters in the Google Play Store. While you may not need to know the exact height of your location in your tree, you could find out! By the way- knowing when a cold front is working its way through is paramount to the deer hunters success.

12. Folding Filet Knife

I've been using one of these for many years. There are butt-out tools and other cutting implements for getting around the anus of a deer and separating the sphincter from the body of your animal, but after trying many things, I just break mine out and work it up through the pelvis, circle it around inside of the the skin, and separate it from the deer, easily.

13. Nail Clippers

These little clippers can get through the toughest items in a jiffy and take up next to no space at all. Sportsmen everywhere have been using this simple tool forever and know what a difference they can make in a pinch. Honorable mention: tweezers.

Short of a bottle opener, night vision goggles, or some basic paracord, it seems that we've covered just about everything. Deer hunting comes in many forms. We may sit in our deer stand in the cold weather to chase wild game, but when hunting season is on we just want to know that we've covered all the bases. We may never get it right, but that doesn't mean that we ever give up either. 

What odd items do you have in your hunting kit?

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