By Mike Zlotnicki

More than one hunter's wife has called the fanny pack "a man's purse." In fact, if you empty the contents of 10 different ladies' purses, you'll find something different in each one. Empty the contents of 10 different hunters' fanny packs, and much of the gear will look the same, especially among bowhunters' fanny packs. There are some "essentials" that almost everyone carries.

But dig a little deeper in the pile, and you'll probably find something that you can adopt for your own use. The following list of items includes both basics and perhaps some items you haven't thought of before. They are listed in no particular order, and most can be used by gun hunters as well as archers. Costs shown are a rough entry-level price for each item and prove that you don't have to break the bank to become a better bowhunter.

One overriding concern in choosing a fanny pack is whether it's waterproof or not. All things being equal, a waterproof pack will do a better job of protecting your equipment than a non-waterproof model will. Some equipment is of little use or can be ruined by a sudden downpour or a slip while fording a stream.

Cost: $25.

Cost: $40.

The "ultimate" bowhunting fanny pack carries some fundamental items and some that are a matter of taste -- thing that have been useful in the past. Photo by Mike Zlotnicki

Cost: $5.

Storing it in a zip-lock bag serves two purposes: It keeps the paper dry, and the zip-lock bag makes an excellent urinal or trash bag while you are in the tree.

Cost: $3.

Cost: $10.

Be careful hanging any call around your neck while bowhunting. A neck lanyard can tangle in a drawn bowstring, causing serious injury. While in the tree, store the call tucked in your jacket or shirt or in the breast pocket of your shirt or jacket opposite of your draw hand.

Cost: $10.

Your gear will stay cleaner, and you can stop worrying about touching your steering wheel or sandwich with soiled hands. The larger zip-locks are good for packing out the heart or liver cleanly after field dressing an animal.

Cost: Pennies per pair.

Most of the lower-power models have a 2-mile range, which is adequate for most situations. Hunters can alert each other about deer movements, call after a shot or summon help in the event of mishap. Radios can be especially effective when you are tracking deer or conducting drives. Radios can be real time-savers when you are coordinating entry and egress or summoning a vehicle to carry out an animal.

Many radios have call buttons that trigger an audible signal when pressed. Make sure you know how it operates, and be sure to carry your radio in such a way as to avoid accidentally activating it when you are on the stand. Also check your channel setting and volume before entering a hunting area.

Cost: $75 a pair.

Statistics have shown that 40 percent of hunting accidents involve tree stands, which is reason enough for the deer hunter to carry one. With a cellular phone, help is but a phone call away. Without one, the deer woods become a whole lot bigger and much more foreboding. A cell phone can save your life or the life of someone else.

Cost: It depends on the phone and calling plan but doesn't really matter; get one and carry it with you. The day you need it, it will be worth any amount of money.

Building ground blinds is a snap. A small length of sapling, cut about 2 feet long and inserted into a slit in a doe's hocks, makes it a whole lot easier to drag a rackless deer back to the truck. Larger animals can be quartered with a bone blade. The bone blade can also be used to remove a skullcap for a rack mount.

A pruning saw is safer, cheaper and more versatile than hatchets, machetes or shears. Choose a model with a blade that only cuts when pulled (not pushed). This is a great feature when you are trying to maintain balance in a stand.

Cost: About $15.

A small flashlight clipped on the bill of a cap makes carrying a slingless bow easier when getting to or from a stand, and the clip-on light allows for hands-free field dressing in the dark. Having two hands free when you are prepping a climber for ascent is also more convenient, and you won't be drooling and grinding your teeth to nubs with a light clenched in your mouth.

Cost: $10.

Cost: $50.

The tool will see use back at the truck or camp so often that you'll wonder why you didn't have one sooner. Just make sure it doesn't get permanently "borrowed." These things grow legs.

Cost: $50.

Mind the neck strap when bowhunting. Storing the optics inside a zipped jacket or buttoned shirt will keep the strap out of your bowstring and keep them from swinging into your bow or stand.

Cost: $100

A small length of dental tape tied around your bow stabilizer makes an excellent wind indicator and obviates the need for commercial powder (talc) indicators and the movement needed to use them.

Cost: $3.

Gun hunters, especially those hunting fields, cutovers and other open areas, can increase their chances of venison by memorizing the ballistics of their favorite loads and using a range finder to survey their stand sites.

Cost: $50 for bow (optical focus); $170 for gun (laser).

A couple of tips for better pictures: Always use your flash (even in bright sun); fill up the frame with the subject; and take some vertical shots as well as horizontals.

Cost: $10 for disposable; $100 for point-and-shoot.

The types that don't have plastic applicators are simplest, but you can use the applicator-type by removing the tampon before use. When applying scent to a tampon, do not shove the tampon down the neck of a scent bottle. You'll never get it out. Instead, hold it flush with the opening and tip the bottle.

Cost: $3 for 20.

Commercial bow hangers that look like miniature tree steps are available, but why not use something stronger that can support your weight should you need to replace a step at a chain-on stand? Choose a model with both a folding screw and a folding step for compact storage.

Cost: $3.

Choose a lighter with a flip-up cap or at least a childproof lock on the gas trigger. Lighters with an exposed gas trigger can be emptied inadvertently when the trigger is depressed by other gear shifting in your fanny pack.

Cost: $2.

Part of the allure of a well-thought-out fanny pack lies in the satisfaction of knowing that no matter what Lady Luck throws at you in the field, help is on your hip.