Gear checklists › Small game & varmints
Varmints hunting gear checklist
What to bring for varmints, hunting with a rifle: everything on the list HuntCraft scores your readiness against, most important first, and why each item earns its place.
Groundhog (woodchuck) Marmota monax
A large ground squirrel of fields and pastures in the East and Midwest, also called woodchuck. Digs burrows that can harm livestock and equipment, so it's often hunted at long range as a varmint.
Black-tailed prairie dog Cynomys ludovicianus
A burrowing ground squirrel of the Great Plains, living in large colonies called towns. Hunted at long range as a varmint where it's allowed; protected or restricted in some areas.
White-tailed prairie dog Cynomys leucurus
A prairie dog of higher, drier sagebrush country in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Montana, living in looser colonies than the black-tailed.
Black-tailed jackrabbit Lepus californicus
A large hare of western deserts and grasslands, with very long ears and a black stripe on its tail. Fast, often running 30+ mph. Hunted as a varmint in many states.
White-tailed jackrabbit Lepus townsendii
A jackrabbit of the northern plains and mountain valleys, larger than the black-tailed, that turns mostly white in winter.
Critical can't hunt without it (safety, survival, legal) · Essential you'll want it · Optional nice to have
Day hunt
Back to the truck or home each night · 37 items
Pack & Frame
- Essential Hunting daypack
Carries your day's layers, water, food and kill kit, and is comfortable enough to wear all day. - Essential Game vest or game bag
Holds shells and birds while keeping your hands free, and carries the blaze orange many states require.
Clothing & Layering
- Critical Hunting boots, broken in
Your hunt goes as far as your feet do. Boots broken in before the season, with the support for the terrain. - Essential Insulating layer (puffy)
A packable puffy keeps you warm on the glass and in camp once you stop moving. - Essential Rain / wind shell
Wind and rain can turn a cool day dangerous. A shell keeps your insulation dry and working. - Essential Gloves & beanie
Cold hands can't work a safety or a knife. Gloves and a warm hat matter most in the early morning. - Essential Sun protection (hat, sunscreen, sun hoodie)
Open country, snow and water bring a lot of sun. A hat, sunscreen and a sun hoodie keep you going all day. - Optional Base layers
Wicking layers next to the skin keep you dry on the climb and warm when you stop. Wool or synthetic, never cotton. - Optional Gaiters
Keep snow, water and debris out of your boots so your feet stay dry. - Optional Snake gaiters
In snake country, gaiters or chaps protect your lower legs from bites and brush.
Cooking & Hydration
- Essential Water bottles / bladder (2–3 L)
Two to three liters for the day, in bottles or a bladder you can drink from on the move. - Essential Extra water (4+ L)
Hot, dry country runs you out of water faster than you think. Carry more than you plan to drink. - Optional Water filter / purification
Filtering from streams and lakes means carrying less water on multi-day hunts.
Kitchen & Food
- Essential Day food / snacks
Calories you can eat on the move keep your energy and judgment up through a long day.
Safety & Navigation
- Critical Blaze orange (hat + vest)
Most states require blaze orange during rifle seasons, and it keeps other hunters from mistaking you for game.
Check your state regulations. - Essential Headlamp
You'll walk in and out in the dark, and you may be field dressing after sunset. Hands-free light is essential. - Essential GPS / mapping app with hunt units
Hunt-unit boundaries and private land lines are hard to see on the ground. A mapping app or GPS keeps you legal and found. - Essential Hearing protection
Gunshots cause permanent hearing damage. Electronic muffs or plugs protect you without blocking out the woods. - Optional Satellite communicator / PLB
There's no cell service where many hunts go. A satellite messenger or PLB gets help when it matters most. - Optional Map & compass
Batteries die and phones break. A paper map and compass still get you back to the truck. - Optional Shooting glasses
Protect your eyes from shot, debris and branches, and help you see birds against a bright sky.
First Aid & Survival
- Critical First aid kit
Cuts, sprains and blisters happen far from help. A kit sized for your trip handles them until you get out. - Essential Fire starter (lighter + backup)
A fire can save your life if you're stuck out cold or wet. Carry a lighter plus a backup that works when wet. - Optional Emergency shelter / bivy
If you get stuck out overnight, a light bivy or emergency shelter can keep you alive until morning.
Electronics
- Essential Phone
Your map, camera, light and line to help. Keep it charged and in a pocket you can reach. - Optional Power bank + cables
Keeps your phone, GPS and light running for days away from an outlet. - Optional Spare headlamp batteries
A dead headlamp in the dark is a real problem. Carry spare batteries or a charge.
Tools & Repair
- Essential Fixed-blade or replaceable-blade knife
You need a sharp blade to field dress and break down an animal. Fixed or replaceable blades both work well. - Optional Zip ties or tag-attachment method
Many states require the tag to be attached to the animal right away. Zip ties make it quick. - Optional Nitrile gloves
Keep your hands clean while field dressing and protect against disease in the animal.
Specialty / Weapon
- Critical Shooting rest (bipod / tripod / sticks)
A steady rest turns a hopeful shot into a confident one, especially past 200 yards. - Critical Rifle, sighted in
A rifle sighted in with the load you'll hunt, and a caliber that's enough for the animal. - Critical Ammunition
Enough of the load your rifle is sighted in with, plus extra for a check shot at camp. Different loads hit different places. - Essential Rangefinder
Misjudged distance is the most common cause of a missed or wounding shot. Know the distance before you shoot. - Optional Binoculars
You find game with your eyes behind good glass. Most hunts are won by glassing longer than the other guy. - Optional Dope card / ballistic turret
Knowing your holds at each distance turns a rangefinder reading into a confident shot. - Optional Suppressor
Protects your hearing and reduces recoil where it's legal. Check your state's rules.
Check your state regulations.
Truck camp
Camping at or near the vehicle · 46 items
Shelter & Sleep
- Critical Tent or camper
A dry, warm place to sleep is what lets you get up and hunt hard again the next day. - Critical Sleeping bag rated for overnight lows
Rated for the lowest temperatures you'll see, so you sleep, recover and hunt hard the next day. - Essential Sleeping pad / cot
Cold ground pulls heat out of you all night. A pad or cot keeps you warm and rested. - Optional Camp chair
A real seat at camp makes long evenings and early mornings far more comfortable.
Pack & Frame
- Essential Hunting daypack
Carries your day's layers, water, food and kill kit, and is comfortable enough to wear all day. - Essential Game vest or game bag
Holds shells and birds while keeping your hands free, and carries the blaze orange many states require.
Clothing & Layering
- Critical Hunting boots, broken in
Your hunt goes as far as your feet do. Boots broken in before the season, with the support for the terrain. - Essential Insulating layer (puffy)
A packable puffy keeps you warm on the glass and in camp once you stop moving. - Essential Rain / wind shell
Wind and rain can turn a cool day dangerous. A shell keeps your insulation dry and working. - Essential Gloves & beanie
Cold hands can't work a safety or a knife. Gloves and a warm hat matter most in the early morning. - Essential Sun protection (hat, sunscreen, sun hoodie)
Open country, snow and water bring a lot of sun. A hat, sunscreen and a sun hoodie keep you going all day. - Optional Base layers
Wicking layers next to the skin keep you dry on the climb and warm when you stop. Wool or synthetic, never cotton. - Optional Gaiters
Keep snow, water and debris out of your boots so your feet stay dry. - Optional Snake gaiters
In snake country, gaiters or chaps protect your lower legs from bites and brush.
Cooking & Hydration
- Essential Water bottles / bladder (2–3 L)
Two to three liters for the day, in bottles or a bladder you can drink from on the move. - Essential Extra water (4+ L)
Hot, dry country runs you out of water faster than you think. Carry more than you plan to drink. - Essential Camp stove + fuel
Hot food and water keep you warm and fed, and can boil water when filters freeze. - Essential Water jugs
Enough water at camp for drinking, cooking and cleaning up. - Optional Water filter / purification
Filtering from streams and lakes means carrying less water on multi-day hunts.
Kitchen & Food
- Essential Day food / snacks
Calories you can eat on the move keep your energy and judgment up through a long day. - Essential Cooler
Meat has to cool fast and stay cold. A good cooler with ice keeps it safe from the field to home. - Essential Multi-day food
Enough real food for every day in, with extra in case weather or a kill keeps you longer.
Safety & Navigation
- Critical Blaze orange (hat + vest)
Most states require blaze orange during rifle seasons, and it keeps other hunters from mistaking you for game.
Check your state regulations. - Essential Headlamp
You'll walk in and out in the dark, and you may be field dressing after sunset. Hands-free light is essential. - Essential GPS / mapping app with hunt units
Hunt-unit boundaries and private land lines are hard to see on the ground. A mapping app or GPS keeps you legal and found. - Essential Hearing protection
Gunshots cause permanent hearing damage. Electronic muffs or plugs protect you without blocking out the woods. - Optional Satellite communicator / PLB
There's no cell service where many hunts go. A satellite messenger or PLB gets help when it matters most. - Optional Map & compass
Batteries die and phones break. A paper map and compass still get you back to the truck. - Optional Shooting glasses
Protect your eyes from shot, debris and branches, and help you see birds against a bright sky.
First Aid & Survival
- Critical First aid kit
Cuts, sprains and blisters happen far from help. A kit sized for your trip handles them until you get out. - Essential Fire starter (lighter + backup)
A fire can save your life if you're stuck out cold or wet. Carry a lighter plus a backup that works when wet. - Optional Emergency shelter / bivy
If you get stuck out overnight, a light bivy or emergency shelter can keep you alive until morning.
Electronics
- Essential Phone
Your map, camera, light and line to help. Keep it charged and in a pocket you can reach. - Optional Power bank + cables
Keeps your phone, GPS and light running for days away from an outlet. - Optional Spare headlamp batteries
A dead headlamp in the dark is a real problem. Carry spare batteries or a charge. - Optional Camp lantern
Lights up camp for cooking and getting ready in the dark without draining your headlamp.
Tools & Repair
- Essential Fixed-blade or replaceable-blade knife
You need a sharp blade to field dress and break down an animal. Fixed or replaceable blades both work well. - Optional Zip ties or tag-attachment method
Many states require the tag to be attached to the animal right away. Zip ties make it quick. - Optional Nitrile gloves
Keep your hands clean while field dressing and protect against disease in the animal.
Specialty / Weapon
- Critical Shooting rest (bipod / tripod / sticks)
A steady rest turns a hopeful shot into a confident one, especially past 200 yards. - Critical Rifle, sighted in
A rifle sighted in with the load you'll hunt, and a caliber that's enough for the animal. - Critical Ammunition
Enough of the load your rifle is sighted in with, plus extra for a check shot at camp. Different loads hit different places. - Essential Rangefinder
Misjudged distance is the most common cause of a missed or wounding shot. Know the distance before you shoot. - Optional Binoculars
You find game with your eyes behind good glass. Most hunts are won by glassing longer than the other guy. - Optional Dope card / ballistic turret
Knowing your holds at each distance turns a rangefinder reading into a confident shot. - Optional Suppressor
Protects your hearing and reduces recoil where it's legal. Check your state's rules.
Check your state regulations.
Backcountry
Carrying camp on your back · 46 items
Shelter & Sleep
- Critical Backpacking shelter
A dry, warm place to sleep is what lets you get up and hunt hard again the next day. - Critical Sleeping bag / quilt rated for overnight lows
Rated for the lowest temperatures you'll see, so you sleep, recover and hunt hard the next day. - Critical Insulated sleeping pad
Cold ground pulls heat out of you all night. A pad or cot keeps you warm and rested.
Pack & Frame
- Critical Frame pack rated for 80+ lb loads
Packing out an elk means 200+ lb of meat in several trips. A pack built to carry 80+ lb loads saves your back. - Essential Hunting daypack
Carries your day's layers, water, food and kill kit, and is comfortable enough to wear all day. - Essential Game vest or game bag
Holds shells and birds while keeping your hands free, and carries the blaze orange many states require. - Optional Trekking poles
Save your knees on the descent and steady you under a heavy pack.
Clothing & Layering
- Critical Hunting boots, broken in
Your hunt goes as far as your feet do. Boots broken in before the season, with the support for the terrain. - Essential Insulating layer (puffy)
A packable puffy keeps you warm on the glass and in camp once you stop moving. - Essential Rain / wind shell
Wind and rain can turn a cool day dangerous. A shell keeps your insulation dry and working. - Essential Gloves & beanie
Cold hands can't work a safety or a knife. Gloves and a warm hat matter most in the early morning. - Essential Sun protection (hat, sunscreen, sun hoodie)
Open country, snow and water bring a lot of sun. A hat, sunscreen and a sun hoodie keep you going all day. - Optional Base layers
Wicking layers next to the skin keep you dry on the climb and warm when you stop. Wool or synthetic, never cotton. - Optional Gaiters
Keep snow, water and debris out of your boots so your feet stay dry. - Optional Snake gaiters
In snake country, gaiters or chaps protect your lower legs from bites and brush.
Cooking & Hydration
- Critical Water filter / purification
Filtering from streams and lakes means carrying less water on multi-day hunts. - Essential Water bottles / bladder (2–3 L)
Two to three liters for the day, in bottles or a bladder you can drink from on the move. - Essential Extra water (4+ L)
Hot, dry country runs you out of water faster than you think. Carry more than you plan to drink. - Essential Backpacking stove + fuel
Hot food and water keep you warm and fed, and can boil water when filters freeze.
Kitchen & Food
- Critical Multi-day food
Enough real food for every day in, with extra in case weather or a kill keeps you longer. - Essential Day food / snacks
Calories you can eat on the move keep your energy and judgment up through a long day. - Essential Bear-resistant food storage
A bear can, bag or hang keeps food away from bears and other critters, and some areas require one.
Check your state regulations.
Safety & Navigation
- Critical Blaze orange (hat + vest)
Most states require blaze orange during rifle seasons, and it keeps other hunters from mistaking you for game.
Check your state regulations. - Essential Headlamp
You'll walk in and out in the dark, and you may be field dressing after sunset. Hands-free light is essential. - Essential GPS / mapping app with hunt units
Hunt-unit boundaries and private land lines are hard to see on the ground. A mapping app or GPS keeps you legal and found. - Essential Hearing protection
Gunshots cause permanent hearing damage. Electronic muffs or plugs protect you without blocking out the woods. - Optional Satellite communicator / PLB
There's no cell service where many hunts go. A satellite messenger or PLB gets help when it matters most. - Optional Map & compass
Batteries die and phones break. A paper map and compass still get you back to the truck. - Optional Shooting glasses
Protect your eyes from shot, debris and branches, and help you see birds against a bright sky.
First Aid & Survival
- Critical First aid kit
Cuts, sprains and blisters happen far from help. A kit sized for your trip handles them until you get out. - Essential Fire starter (lighter + backup)
A fire can save your life if you're stuck out cold or wet. Carry a lighter plus a backup that works when wet. - Optional Emergency shelter / bivy
If you get stuck out overnight, a light bivy or emergency shelter can keep you alive until morning.
Electronics
- Essential Phone
Your map, camera, light and line to help. Keep it charged and in a pocket you can reach. - Optional Power bank + cables
Keeps your phone, GPS and light running for days away from an outlet. - Optional Spare headlamp batteries
A dead headlamp in the dark is a real problem. Carry spare batteries or a charge.
Tools & Repair
- Essential Fixed-blade or replaceable-blade knife
You need a sharp blade to field dress and break down an animal. Fixed or replaceable blades both work well. - Essential Gear repair kit
Tape, patches and a few small parts fix a torn tent, pad or pack before it ends your trip. - Optional Zip ties or tag-attachment method
Many states require the tag to be attached to the animal right away. Zip ties make it quick. - Optional Nitrile gloves
Keep your hands clean while field dressing and protect against disease in the animal.
Specialty / Weapon
- Critical Shooting rest (bipod / tripod / sticks)
A steady rest turns a hopeful shot into a confident one, especially past 200 yards. - Critical Rifle, sighted in
A rifle sighted in with the load you'll hunt, and a caliber that's enough for the animal. - Critical Ammunition
Enough of the load your rifle is sighted in with, plus extra for a check shot at camp. Different loads hit different places. - Essential Rangefinder
Misjudged distance is the most common cause of a missed or wounding shot. Know the distance before you shoot. - Optional Binoculars
You find game with your eyes behind good glass. Most hunts are won by glassing longer than the other guy. - Optional Dope card / ballistic turret
Knowing your holds at each distance turns a rangefinder reading into a confident shot. - Optional Suppressor
Protects your hearing and reduces recoil where it's legal. Check your state's rules.
Check your state regulations.
Hunting with a bow instead?
Swap the rifle and its gear for:
- Critical Bow, tuned
- Critical Arrows with broadheads
- Essential Release aid
- Essential Bow-hunting camo
Know you're ready
HuntCraft keeps your gear in a locker and scores it against this list, so you see what's missing for each hunt before you go, not at the trailhead. Coming soon to the App Store.
More small game & varmints: Rabbits & squirrels