Maintain Deer Gear Now
Dr. John Woods 02.23.16
This is something you don’t want to put off. And please don’t let me hear that deer hunters came home after the closing day to pile all their gear in the garage to be forgotten until next season. It does happen, but do yourself a favor and avoid trouble later by taking care of your gear now.
My deer camp cabin mate won’t clean his guns and gear until he comes to camp next year. By then the rust has set in and it costs him more in time and money to get everything back in shape. All it takes is a little time and effort now.
Last weekend, I spent one whole Saturday afternoon cleaning everything up from the deer season. I started by washing down the Honda ATV with a stiff brush and soapy water. I blasted all the caked mud out of the tire treads and got all the sticks and grass out of the frame and underbody of the unit. I aired up the tires, put in fresh gas with gasoline perseverant, and cleaned out the gear box on the back rack.
Inside I put all the final hunt dirty clothes in the washing machine. I hung my main hunting coats on the back porch to air out, then I ran them in the dryer to freshen them up. Then I cleaned up boots. I packed away all the other hunting clothing such as gloves, socks, and hats.
Next, I tackled the guns and optics. I bore cleaned the two hunting rifles I used this season and a couple carry pistols. I wiped the guns down completely with an oil cloth. I removed shoulder straps and oiled the metal attachment swivels. I used my optics cleaning kit to clean the scopes, and binoculars. I took ammo out of belt carries, putting it back in original boxes and locking it up in the ammo safe.
I put all the hunting accessories I carry all season long into a “deer hunting” storage box. I inspected and cleaned what was necessary. This included calls, wind dust containers, compass, safety harnesses, day packs, backpacks, and other gear. I inspected, wiped down and oiled all knives, pocket knives, and an ax I use.
If you will take just a little time now to get all your hunting gear cleaned, inspected, repaired, and properly stored, you’ll be miles ahead when the season rolls around next fall.
