There’s nothing quite like packing up your gear and heading out hunting with your mates. As much fun as it can be exploring the wilderness, it can also be hard work. Travelling by foot with a heavy pack, your firearm, gun ammo, and other hunting supplies can be extremely taxing. When you are roaming around with all of this gear, you need to ensure that you carry your equipment properly so you can move efficiently, use less energy and stay safe in the outdoors.
Whether you are an experienced hunter or this is one of your first hiking trips carrying a firearm, it’s crucial that you make safety a top priority. When you are carrying firearms, accidents can happen and when things go wrong they tend to go from bad to worse fast. However, with the right training, attitude and protocols in place, you can ensure that you and your fellow hikers stay safe on the trails and have an amazing time exploring the wilderness, without having to worry about worst-case scenarios.
Let’s take a look at some useful tips that will help you to hike safely when you are on your next hunting trip.
Stay Balanced
When you are hiking, it’s important that you carry all of your equipment in a manner that allows you to stay balanced and in control. Whether you are on a single-day adventure or you are embarking on a multi-day trip, it’s crucial that you carry your equipment in a way that is comfortable. While walking to the car from your house with your rifle thrown over your shoulder will have little impact, doing this for hours on end will be much more challenging. Be sure to find a way to carry your weapon so that you are balanced so that your gait is not affected and that you don’t end up getting injured.
Blisters And Chafing
If you have been backpacking or hiking before, you will understand the importance of keeping your straps and buckles away from areas of your body where they will rub constantly. If you carry your firearm in such a way that the strap is digging into your armpit or the barrel is constantly brushing against your hip, you can be sure that you will end up with chafing that can quickly result in blisters. The worst thing is that these blisters will eventually turn into larger sores that can be very painful and irritating to deal with on a longer trip.
Firearm Maintenance
Carrying a firearm, hunting equipment and all of your regular backpacking gear through the hills is hard work and you can be confident that you will be doing a lot of sweating throughout the day. As most shooters already know, sweat and firearms do not mix well so be sure to keep this in mind when deciding how to carry your gun. If the weather is particularly hot, it’s crucial that you field-strip and clean your gun properly at the end of each day. Keeping your gear protected is essential if you want it to work correctly when you need it to.
Stay Safe When You’re Hiking With A Firearm
Before heading off on a multi-day hike with your hunting gear, make sure that you do some short trail hikes first so that you can get your carrying methods dialled in ahead of time. Different methods will work for different people, depending on the type of gun you are carrying, your body shape and size and the type of terrain you will be moving through. Taking the time to experiment with different options will ensure that you stay safe and comfortable when you’re out on the trails for extended periods.
