For hunters, more than backpackers, hikers, and campers, keeping quiet can constitute the difference between a successful outing (or entire season) and a total bust.
It also requires conscious effort. Quiet around the home or in the garage is not the same as quiet in the bush. What’s passable in one will get you busted in the other.
Here are some high level notes.
Your Bow or Gun
For one, install limb dampeners and string silencers, if you are a bowhunter. This will make your bow significantly quieter upon firing.
If you hunt with a gun, avoid racking the action except when you need to chamber a round, and if you can, do it long in advance of when you plan to shoot. Just clicking the safety off can spook game, forget manual manipulation of the action.
Your Pack
The pack you choose will significantly impact how quiet you are in the woods. For one, choose a pack made with brushed fabric; tricot rather than nylon is a good bet as it will be quieter in the woods.
The other thing is to avoid velcro and snaps where you can as these are pretty loud. Zippers can be loud, too, but one way to hush them is to treat them with mineral oil or vaseline, which will help lubricate them and deaden any noise they produce.
Notes for Packing
For multi-day outings, how you actually pack can make a big difference too, as the stuff in your backpack can betray your location.
One of the most important notes is to make a buffer between the harder objects in your pack (like canteens and cookware) using the softer things in your pack, like clothing, say a spare pair of camouflage pants, or a blanket.
This will help prevent the hard objects from clanging together.
Your Camouflage Pants
Your camouflage pants, more than your other clothing, will have a big impact on how loud you are in the woods, only because the lower half of you will come into more frequent contact with the brush.
A softer, natural fiber like wool or cotton will be inherently quieter than a synthetic, and the same notes apply here – avoid snaps and velcro, stick with zippers, and lubricate them.
Your Other Clothing
While your camouflage pants will impact how loud you are in the woods, so will your other clothing, but the advice is all the same. Choose a soft, brushed natural fiber (or go with something like tricot that is naturally quiet) and eschew snaps and velcro.
Choose Your Plan of Attack and Watch Your Step
Lastly, how you move in the woods or on the trail is as important, if not more important, than what you wear or how you pack.
First, look at your plan of attack; avoid areas that will force you to wade through brush if you can, as thrashing around in it will naturally make noise.
The other thing is to choose your steps wisely. It’s easier than you’d think to plan footfalls that won’t come down on twigs, sticks, and dry leaves. Opt to step instead on dry earth or soft grasses where you can.
Plus, planning your approach and stepping wisely will make you more deliberate and more observant while you’re on the trail, which will pay other dividends to you as a hunter.
Gear Up at Fatigues Army Navy
Whether you’re here for a new pack, a new pair of camouflage pants, or something else for next season, you can get it online at Fatigues Army Navy. Take a closer look through their collection or get in touch with them directly before you plan your next trip. They have everything you need for the trail and campsite.
