Travel Tips for Adventurous Bowhunters

August 18, 2022
By Curt Wells

Query: I’m beginning to journey for my bowhunting adventures. What suggestions do you might have for me? Walker Innerst, by way of e-mail

Reply: My first recommendation — should you can drive to your bowhunting destination, do it. You’ll get monetary savings, you possibly can carry the whole lot you would possibly want, and there’s no want to fret about missed/delayed flights, misplaced baggage, or getting your animal house. Your schedule is yours.

Clearly, we’re compelled to fly to some adventures, so listed here are some extra suggestions. First, I like to recommend including a day on each ends of your journey, particularly the entrance finish. In case your baggage don’t present, you might have a day to get that resolved. This might be vital in case you have a bush flight ready for you.

When flying into Canada, e book flights with no less than a 90-minute layover on the airport the place you’ll undergo customs, so you might have loads of time to catch your subsequent flight. Ensure you have a passport that isn’t near expiring. Additionally, obtain Canada’s ArriveCan app to your telephone and fill within the info till you might have a receipt to indicate the customs officer. It’s a good suggestion to make use of your telephone to take images of your passport, driver’s license, Hunter Training card, vaccination report, insurance coverage playing cards, and every other necessary documentation, simply in case you lose one thing.

My recommendation is to keep away from Vancouver and Toronto if attainable. These two busy areas are infamous for shedding/delaying baggage, particularly if it seems to be looking gear. To that finish, keep away from camouflage baggage or any baggage which may tip somebody off that you just’re a hunter. It’s not proper; but it surely’s actuality.

If an clothes shop offers you a weight restrict, 75 kilos for instance, follow it. Pack light-weight duffels (ideally dry baggage) in your arduous baggage/instances and if you get to the placement of your remaining flight you possibly can repack gear into the duffels, put your bow in a smooth case, and depart the arduous instances behind.

I’ve stop utilizing a tough bow case as a result of it was liable to getting misplaced. I now pack my bow in a smooth case inside a big rolling duffle (Sitka Nomad) with a number of clothes round it. If I want a backup bow, I put it in a second duffle, together with half my arrows, broadheads, a launch, boots, and camo clothes. If one bag doesn’t present, I can hunt till it does.

I all the time take away my sight when packing as a result of it’s probably the most weak accent. A dovetail mount makes it simpler, but it surely works with any mount. Simply remember to reattach it precisely because it was. I’ve a behavior of attaching my launch to my bow, whether or not in looking camp or touring, so I all the time know the place it’s. Don’t put your spare launch in your carry-on bag because the stem can appear like a barrel. Don’t journey with broadheads connected to your arrows. I don’t use an arrow tube anymore as a result of carbon arrows with right this moment’s stiff plastic vanes are nearly indestructible when stashed in a duffel bag.

My carry-on bag is my daypack, which isn’t camouflaged, and that’s the place I hold my valuables like binoculars, rangefinder, and digicam, together with passport, licenses, tags, and medicine.

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Most of us are inclined to carry too many garments. Save weight by packing sufficient layers to deal with the climate however keep away from duplication. One pair of looking pants is often enough so long as you might have baselayers to layer-up if obligatory. A puffy jacket is sort of weightless however extraordinarily worthwhile, particularly should you’re on water, or within the excessive nation. Save weight earlier than your remaining flight by stashing your “civilian” garments in your arduous instances and easily put on your camouflage and looking boots on that final leg. Remember to pack some camp footwear, corresponding to Crocs, that are nearly weightless.

Touring, particularly because the pandemic, has turn out to be an increasing number of tense, however should you’re ready, the journey to your vacation spot could be an pleasing a part of the journey.