Junk in my trunk

After the first week of turkey season, my SUV looks like the hunting section of Bass Pro Shops threw up into my trunk. Calls, empty water bottles, dirty camouflage, decoys, knives, flashlights, binoculars, range finders and dirty boots congeal into a morass of turkey gear madness.

Most of the problem is my poor organizational skills, and the fact that trunks are not designed to handle and organize all the gear that I tote in the field. After another fruitless search for my favorite locator call hidden in the growing gravitational well forming in the gear pile black hole, I finally decided to get organized.

Bring order to chaos

Inventory your gear. I’ve relied on a mental checklist for the basics — gun, ammo, permit, camouflage and calls. While this may work for a morning in the woods, I tend to go on expeditions when chasing gobblers across the country. I’ve already lost count of how many times I’ve turned around to retrieve a forgotten box call, striker or permit left at home, or pulled over at a sporting goods store to buy my missing gear.
If you don’t already have a gear list, take a look at the NWTF’s Turkey Hunter’s Checklist at www.nwtf.org/tips_adventures/tips.php?id=11709. It’s a good start for keeping track of what you need to buy and what needs to be in the vehicle. You add more to the list as your hobby slowly evolves into an obsession.
Buy a trunk organizer. I used to rotate gear bags, backpacks and vests in a futile attempt of keeping track of my gear. Inevitably, it ended up in the wrong bag or vest, or managed to find their way in a forgotten corner of the vehicle, only to resurface during deer season or when I least needed it.
A trunk organizer can keep things under control. Pick one that best suits your trunk and gear needs. I like the features found in the Mountainsmith (www.mountainsmith.com) line. These organizers feature a main hauler that has interchangeable cubes designed for outdoor gear. I can keep my calls separated, organized and safely away from my boots, ammunition, gun and flashlights. They have vented cubes that allow clothing and boots to dry, and insulated cooler cubes to carry drinks and snacks or haul iced turkey breasts and thighs after the hunt.
Develop a consistent routine every time you return to the truck. Take time to place your gear back in the appropriate places. Loose calls go back in the call cube; facemask and gloves are placed in the camouflage clothes cube; maps, flashlights and binoculars reside in the standard gear cube; and boots can dry out in a vented cube.

Not so junky … OK, just a little

The Mountainsmith Hauler System has worked for me. I’ve found that I waste less time poring over my gear pile and more time figuring out my hunt strategy. If I ever need to switch vehicles, it’s a matter of grabbing the handles on the hauler and moving it.

You’ll still find scrap paper, energy bar wrappers and the occasional fast food bag in my trunk, but things move a lot smoother in the wee hours of the morning. No more rummaging through vests and bags, no more bumming masks and gloves from my hunting buddies and, overall, much fewer worries. — P.J. Perea