Nov 30, 2013 4 min read

Bear season has come and gone and, as usual, none of my hunting buddies spotted so much as a black hair or a pile of you know what.

Now, it’s time to find that big buck that has been seen all fall.

Tomorrow will be the biggest day of the year to most hunters. Those planning to hunt in the northern mountains are already there or running to get ready to leave. All too often, the mental condition of the person, combined with the rush, is forgotten.

It might be an unimportant item, but sometimes it is the thing you forget to take with you that can make or break your hunt.

I would think it is rare for someone to forget their rifle, but I know a couple of fellows who have forgotten their ammunition. If the rifle is chambered for a common cartridge, finding ammo is not a problem, even in the more remote parts of the state. But if it is rare ammo, the lacking hunter is in trouble.

I once knew a fellow who placed his .264 Mag rounds in his hunting boots, then forgot the boots. Talk about a double whammy. Bare feet and an empty rifle.

This is one of the reasons it is wise to stay with one of the more popular cartridges. Shoot a 30-06 or a .270 and ammo is available everywhere from Tidioute to Roulette. Shoot a .284 and all I can say is lots of luck.

It’s more likely that a drag rope or knife will be the things you forget, and when that 10-point buck is on the ground in front of you, a pencil and string will be needed.

Footwear is important, as my friend found out when he placed his ammo in one of his boots.

Personally, I would be lost if I forgot my binoculars. I find that a small camera is a handy item that is also easily forgotten. After all, you want a picture of your trophy.

I find I forget less if I make a list and check items off as they are placed in my bag.

And don’t forget to tell someone exactly where you are hunting. If there’s a problem, that’s always important.

• There are two popular ways to hunt deer. The first is the sniper method.

Using a flat-shooting rifle with a high-power scope, the hunter sits on a hillside and watches another.

His shots can range from 200 to 600 yards. This method of hunting requires more shooting skill than hunting skill.

One difficulty of this kind of hunting is counting points at 500 yards. It does require good optics, along with a rifle that shoots less than one-inch groups at 100 yards.

Binoculars are not a luxury but a necessity. I also usually have a spotting scope.

The other method of downing deer is actually hunting them by moving slowly through the woods and jumping them from heavy cover.

Two things are important when doing this.

One is slow movement. Most people move through the woods too fast.

The other thing is the ability to see the deer before it sees you. You must learn to look for parts of a deer, such as legs or the Y shape created by the muzzle and ears.

A quick to the shoulder rifle also helps.

When I say a moving deer hunter needs a fast rifle, I don’t mean fast repeating shots. I am referring to how quickly the rifle gets to your shoulder and fires an accurate shot.

If you miss with your first shot, you seldom hit it with any after that.

Good luck tomorrow. I’ll be out there shivering just like you.

• My hunting partner Bobby Rogers of Ruff Creek bought what he thought would be the perfect bear rifle, a lever-action 45-70, only to send it back to the manufacturer.

Instead of crying, he acquired a Henry 45-70. While it shot very well, the bears didn’t cooperate.

Incidentally, Henry has become the No. 1 maker of lever-action rifles.

George H. Block writes a Sunday Outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter.