How To Properly Store Your Hunting Gear

Hunting game of any kind can be relaxing, enjoyable and thrilling; unfortunately, it can require a lot of gear that can be difficult to store properly. Are you storing your hunting gear properly, or are your storage methods affecting your experiences while hunting?

Scent Matters

One of the biggest mistakes an avid hunter can make is not controlling the scents left on the hunting gear. Your hunting clothes, satchels and gear must not smell like humans or perfumes. If your gear smells anything like a human or perfume, it could send the prey running the opposite direction and ruin your outing.

Because of this, it is important that you do not store your hunting gear in the same closet or area as the clothes that you wear on a daily basis. It should be washed with scent-eliminating laundry detergent and kept away from anything that could leave a scent on it. For best results, air-drying hunting apparel outdoors is your best method of drying. Your clothes dryer likely has residue from detergents and softeners that can be transferred onto the hunting clothes.

Store the clothing in an air-tight bin with a few cedar chips tossed in. The cedar chips will help to enhance the natural smell in the clothing and keep away damaging pests.

Boot Maintenance

The boots you wear out hunting were probably very expensive, but you can make them last several seasons before having to replace them if you care for them properly.

• Use a stiff-bristled brush to brush off as much dirt and debris as possible.
• Use a damp cloth to wipe away any residue left behind.
• Condition the leather with quality scent-free products. Just be careful not to over-condition them or you could cause the leather to soften and not support your feet as well as they should.
• Apply water-proofing product and allow the boots to dry.

Additional Gear

All of the additional gear you use for hunting must also be packed away properly. Failure to do so can cause problems and result in you replacing the gear that shouldn't really need replacing yet.

Remove batteries – Any gear that requires batteries should have the batteries removed. Allowing the batteries to remain inside the device could cause corrosion and acid damage if the batteries were to leak.

Package Calls – Your calls should be stored individually in cloth cases. If you do not have cloth cases, you can place them inside tube socks and twist the top of the sock to keep it closed.

All of this gear must be stored in a climate controlled area. One way to ensure that your gear is kept in top condition during the off-season is to find a climate-controlled storage facility in your area. One small storage locker can go a long way in improving the quality of your first hunt next season. For more information, contact Security Storage or a similar company.