Heading into the backcountry to hunt is one of those experiences that feels equal parts peaceful and exhilarating. You get the quiet, the wide-open space, the tracks that only you notice, and you also get the reality check that the bush doesn’t care how experienced you are.
Whether you’re heading out for your first season or you’ve been doing this for years, it’s worth slowing down just enough to set yourself up properly. For a safe hunting trip, follow these five safety tips:
1. Keep Your Knife Sharp
A knife with a good edge quietly improves your whole day in the bush. Everything feels steadier and easier to handle, which is exactly what you want when you’re miles from anything familiar.
A sharp blade moves the way you expect it to – clean, smooth, and confident – whether you’re working through rope, hide, or a bundle of tinder.
But let that edge fade, and the mood changes fast. Suddenly, the simplest jobs feel stubborn. You push harder, the knife drags instead of cutting, and you’re left wondering why this little task has turned into such a mission. It’s amazing how quickly a dull blade can make easy work feel nearly impossible.
2. Share Your Location
Sharing your location means someone knows where you’re headed, when you expect to be back, and where to start looking for you and your hunting eBike if something goes sideways.
You don’t need a full update – just a quick message, a dropped pin, or a note before you set off.
It gives the people who care about you a little peace of mind — the kind that stops them from checking their phones every ten minutes to make sure you’re still alive out there.
3. Trekking Poles
A trekking pole is one of those bits of gear you don’t think you need… until the day you finally use one and wonder why you ever let your knees suffer in silence.
Out in the backcountry, the ground is rarely kind.
One moment it’s firm, the next it’s loose shale pretending to be stable. Improve your balance by using trekking poles and make everything feel calm. It helps you test dodgy patches of earth, steady yourself on steep sections, and take pressure off your joints when you’re descending with a heavy pack.
It’s also brilliant for those long, slow climbs where your legs start negotiating for a break. With a pole, your arms quietly pick up some of the workload, and suddenly the whole slope feels a lot more doable.
4.Steep Ground Safety
Steep ground has a funny way of looking perfectly manageable from a distance… right up until you’re standing on it, wondering why the earth suddenly feels like a slip-and-slide with serious judgment.
Moving safely on slopes isn’t about being fearless. It’s about being deliberate, steady, and just cautious enough to avoid becoming an unplanned downhill story.
Take your time choosing your line. The “shortcut” that angles straight up or down is usually the route that steals your footing, your dignity, and possibly your knee ligaments. It is best to sidehill where you can, test every step, and keep your weight centred instead of leaning too far forward and landing on your face.
5. First-Aid Kit
Think of a first-aid kit as future-you insurance. Extra bandages mean you’re not walking around with a makeshift leaf plaster. Antiseptic wipes save you from infections that turn a simple scrape into a week of limping.
A decent compression bandage? That’s the difference between a manageable sprain and a very long, very sad walk back to your truck.
Painkillers, blister pads, trauma shears, tweezers, a couple of pairs of gloves, and a proper tourniquet belong in there, too.
Final Thoughts
Backcountry hunting is far safer and far more enjoyable when you build these five habits into your routine.
