Thermacell without question. If I was forced to choose any accessory outside of the clothes on my back and my bow, it wins hands down. I don't know what I did before I owned this thing. I am surprised on a daily basis in south Louisiana that I encounter people who haven't heard of it. I keep two in pack, one in truck, and one at home.
Second would be the combo of saddle and lone wolf lockon, and 1sticking or srt. I can function just as well with both, and my pack in on public land has gone from 40+lbs to 12-20lbs depending on how cold, self filming, etc. That drastic of a weight change allows me to hunt more, and mostly, makes the walk/scouting (now the same thing, I'm always carrying my gear even when scouting) fun again. And SRT makes climbing trees fun again. The walk in and the climb used to be work. Total game changer.
I have a little 2" long grunt call I got for 5 or 6 bucks on clearance about 5 years ago. No tube, soft rubber. you actually breath in to make the grunt. I always breath in as I draw back, let out a little breath as I settle my pin on a deer and release. I just close my lips at end of breath when I draw if I need to stop the deer. then let it fall out mouth around neck. I don't have to make that annoying bahhhhh sound. Man I hate that noise.
Satellite imagery/topo maps is probably the biggest time saver prior to going afield, or even back at the truck trying to figure a spot out. Cuts out 90% of the area I should scout or hunt. It isn't a substitute for boots on ground, but I like to think of it as getting me on the dance floor. Now I've just got to pick a partner.
Sawyer tiny little water filter. I'm a firm believer in the saying "every problem in your life can be solved by drinking more water." But water is heavy. If I know I'm hunting near water, I usually bring no more than a liter. That little guy is worth its weight in gold.
"whitetails" by Bob Sheppard. Eye opening book that applies the scientific method to hunting. I like what Infalt and Eberhart are doing, but in my opinion, their techniques required a level of focus and effort to perfect that most hunters can't afford. Bob's book meshes well with their messages, and basically takes a considerably more conservative approach to hunting. I think it's an excellent foundation for any new hunter, before moving on to more advanced techniques like hunting bedded mature deer and defying their noses.
camouflage huggie over my tether ropeman - I really hated staring at bright carabiners all hunt long
http://saddlehunter.com/community/i...-are-shiny-and-made-of-metal.3026/#post-36207
two way radios - I hate cel phones and texting my hunting buddies. two way radios "make it fun again" - we had them on our Missouri trip last year, and I don't know how I saw as many deer as I did I was laughing my ass off the whole time. they make the cool little clear earpieces and microphones that clip to your collar so you don't even have to move if you've got deer on you. helpful when cel signals aren't there too.
Pressure canned venison - discovered this, and cannot think of a faster more efficient way to consume the less desirable bits of deer meat. If you don't know it - google it.
milkweed pod - obviously can't take credit for this. But I hunt some unique terrain, and seeing what the wind is actually doing and not the prevailing wind direction has been very important to success.
