Jim Chapman
Let’s take a look at what I call my foundation gear, the stuff that is stashed away in my pack and goes with me on every outing. I am going to further qualify this discussion by saying that we’ll be focusing on gear for a day trip, where the expectation is to return home at some point in the same day.
There are several styles of packs to choose from, and I’ve gone through a number looking for the ones that best serve my purpose. I’ve come up with two favorites, the first is a messenger style pack that has a single strap worn across the chest bandolier style and the second is a larger pack of conventional style. Both have small pockets for external storage and easy access to frequently used items such as range finder, binoculars, and ammunition.
I like to carry a set of compact 8x binoculars, which provide sharp images in the low light conditions often encountered while airgun hunting. These are invaluable for picking out small game such as a squirrel peaking down at you from high up in the trees.
Because the trajectory of an air gun projectile can be rather pronounced, a range finder is very useful. I take my rifles to the range before hunting them, and work out the point of impact at 20, 40, 50, 70 yards, then make a note that is taped to the stock or slipped into the flip up scope cover. This along with the range finder will allow the very accurate shot placement required of the airgun hunter.
Even if only going out for a day, I’ll carry an energy snack and water. You never know when a day might become two due to getting lost or hurt. Granola bars, protein bars, or trail mix and a liter of water are standard in my pack, and have been welcomed on many occasions. A full blown emergency kit is a good idea when venturing into particularly rugged areas. A compass, a GPS, and a cell phone are packed as insurance if I get temporarily turned around as well.
Even though a knife is an item that every outdoorsman should have with them at all times, I keep an extra folding knife in my pack with a small sharpening stone. I’ve had many occasions in the field where I’ve lost or forgotten my belt knife and this backup has been called into action.
I don’t want to scare any prospective airgun hunters away, but a simple truth is that pcp airguns are mechanically more complex than firearms. Things can go wrong that are exclusively airgun related, such as a blown o ring or dirt in the fill valve. I carry a small tool kit in my pack that contains extra o rings, Allen wrenches, a couple of small crescent wrenches, a screw driver set with slotted and Philips heads, a set of pliars, a roll of Teflon tape, and extra connectors and fill probes. With this set up, if something does go wrong with my guns there is a high probability I can address it in the field.
There are many advantages with pcps that make these designs attractive to hunters; they tend to be more accurate, more powerful, and much lighter than springers. A drawback is that they rely on an external filling source. Depending on what you are hunting, what gun you are using, and how far you will venture from your primary charging source, this might not be an issue. But if I am going to hike miles from my car (and therefore my air tank), am using a gun that gets four rather than forty shots per fill, or am hunting in an especially target rich environment like a prairie dog town, I will carry a small carbon fiber tank to recharge the gun in the field. I use a carbon fiber tank that charges to 4500 psi and holds 17 cubic feet of air. With this set up I can get several refills with any of my pcp rifles, and it only adds a few pounds.
The last thing that I have stored away in my pack is a small plastic box containing a variety of pellets in different styles, weights, and calibers. The reason for this is that no matter which rifle I take along, if I run out of pellets, loose, or forget to pack them (all of which I’ve done more than once), my hunt is not ruined. If you only use one gun or one caliber this will simplify what needs to be packed, but at any rate adds only a few ounces that are well worth the effort when you need them.
Aside from a few incidentals such as camera gear, this is a pretty concise snapshot of what my airgunning pack looks like. Everyone will have there own variations on the theme; but if you are prepared to stay healthy and comfortable in unexpected conditions, have all the gear on hand to facilitate your hunting success, and are able to make any repairs that may become necessary while in the field, your airgun hunting experience will be enhanced.
