Hunting First Aid Kit
A backcountry hunting first aid kit weighs about a pound and can save your life.
A packing guide, not medical advice. This post lists what a kit holds and why. How to use any of it - tourniquets, wound packing, medicines and doses - is what a Stop the Bleed or Wilderness First Aid course teaches, and anything about your own health or medications is a question for your doctor. In an emergency, call for help first.
The essentials in a hunting first aid kit cover four jobs: stop bleeding (a tourniquet and a trauma or pressure dressing), close and protect wounds (butterfly strips, gauze, tape), treat the body (pain and anti-inflammatory meds, an antihistamine, blister care), and handle field realities (an emergency blanket, a small knife, and a way to call for help). Skip the bandage-and-aspirin filler of store-bought kits.
A serious hunting first aid kit weighs about a pound, fits in a sandwich-sized pouch, and can save your life - yours or someone else’s. Many hunters never assemble one until they need it, and what a kit has to be ready for is deep lacerations from knives, sprained ankles 4 miles from the truck, hypothermia, allergic reactions, and broken bones. This guide lists what to carry and why - a natural companion to the wider hunting safety rules that keep those emergencies from happening in the first place.
The Real Hunting Injuries
The injuries a kit should be built around:
- Knife wounds to hands and thighs during field dressing
- Sprained or broken ankles from steep terrain
- Hypothermia from cold rain, falling through ice, or sweat-soaked layers
- Broken bones from falls, especially from treestands
- Allergic reactions to insect stings or food
- Burns from camp stoves and lanterns
- Tick-borne illness (a slow emergency you address later)
- Cardiac events from cold, exertion, and altitude
Your kit needs to address bleeding, stabilization, warmth, and the ability to call for help. Decoration is dead weight.
The 20 Essentials List
Trauma and bleeding
- Windlass tourniquet - for severe bleeding from an arm or a leg
- Israeli pressure bandage (4-6 inch) - for serious wounds
- Hemostatic gauze - for wounds where a tourniquet cannot go
- Compressed gauze rolls (2)
- Chest seal - for penetrating chest wounds
Wound care 6. Adhesive bandages assortment, with butterfly closures 7. Wound closure strips for minor lacerations 8. Antibiotic ointment packets (triple antibiotic) 9. Alcohol prep pads and iodine swabs 10. Medical tape (cloth, not paper)
Stabilization 11. Moldable splint - light, and works for arms, legs and fingers 12. Elastic compression wrap 13. Trauma shears - cut through clothing/boots
Medication 14. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen - a small supply, in labelled packaging 15. Diphenhydramine for allergic reactions 16. Epinephrine auto-injector if you or a partner has one prescribed 17. Personal prescriptions - at least a 3-day supply
Survival and signaling 18. Emergency bivy or space blanket - hypothermia is the silent killer 19. Headlamp with spare batteries - yes, you have one; pack a backup 20. Whistle and signal mirror
Optional Add-Ons
- Naloxone nasal spray - if you have been shown how to use it
- CPR mask if you’re trained in CPR
- Suture kit if you’re truly remote and have training
- Burn gel packets
- Sting relief wipes
- An anti-diarrhoeal your pharmacist recommends, for sudden gut issues that turn a trip miserable
How to Pack It
Use a bright red or orange pouch so anyone can find it in your pack in an emergency. A zip pouch, an organizer or even a freezer-grade zip bag works. Keep the tourniquet outside the pack, attached to a shoulder strap or hip belt where you can grab it one-handed with bleeding fingers.
A second small kit (1-2 oz) lives in your hunting pants pocket for the basics: 3 bandages, a tourniquet card, ibuprofen, and lighter.
Practical Skills That Matter More Than Gear
A kit you can’t use is decoration. Take a Stop the Bleed course. The American College of Surgeons’ program, offered in person and online, teaches three things: direct pressure with your hands, packing a wound, and applying a tourniquet. A Wilderness First Aid course goes further, for the situations where help is hours away.
Practice the kit at home. Open the tourniquet, simulate placing it one-handed. Pack a wound with gauze. Splint your buddy’s forearm. Skills fade without practice.
Cold-Weather Specifics
Cold turns minor injuries into major emergencies. Add to the standard kit:
- Chemical hand and body warmers - extra warmth inside the bivy
- Heavy-duty emergency blanket (not the foil kind) - reusable, blocks wind
- Dry change of base layer in a dry bag - wet clothing kills
Communication and Evacuation
A first aid kit without communication is half a kit. A satellite messenger with an SOS function lets you call for help where there is no phone signal. These devices need a subscription; check the maker’s current plans and coverage before you rely on one.
Tell someone your exact plan before you leave: trailhead, route, return time, vehicle description. The sooner someone realizes you are overdue, the sooner help starts. Fold the kit into your standard pack-out checklist so it’s never the item you leave in the truck.
FAQ
How often do I check the kit? Annually, before season. Replace expired meds and check tourniquet for sun damage.
Is a pre-built kit good enough? Many pre-built kits lean toward plasters and leave out trauma items. Check the contents against the list above and add what is missing.
Can I bring my kit on a plane? Mostly, yes. The US Transportation Security Administration allows scissors in checked bags, and in carry-on bags only if they are less than 4 inches from the pivot point. Look up anything else in the kit in the TSA’s “What Can I Bring?” list, and check your airline’s rules.
What about my hunting dog? Add vet wrap, a muzzle, and a small bottle of saline for paw flushing. Human medicines can be dangerous to dogs - call a vet emergency line, don’t guess.
Does my hunting partner need a kit too? Two kits, two tourniquets. If your partner is injured and you used your only tourniquet on them, you have nothing for yourself.
Conclusion
A proper hunting first aid kit fits in a small pouch. Carry a tourniquet on the outside of your pack, learn to use it before you need it, and pair the kit with a satellite communicator. The day you use it, you’ll consider it the smartest purchase you ever made.
Recommended Gear on Amazon
- IFAK trauma kit - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
- CAT tourniquet (North American Rescue) - buy the genuine article from the maker or an authorised dealer: North American Rescue warns of counterfeit tourniquets that fail when they are needed.
- Israeli bandage - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
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