What is the single, lowest cost, most effective hunting item you own? For me it is my Windicator powder. At under $4, it has helped me with stand selection and deer sightings more than anything else. Well, I guess BH.com really could be considering it is free.
Similar, but I use milkweed pods to do the same thing, only I can release the milkweed fiber from my stand and watch where the wind is blowing it for 50 yards or until it's out of sight. Milkweed pods are free. I drilled a hole in the lid of a 35mm film canister and use it for carrying the fiber. I can fit about two milkweed pods worth of fiber into the canister, which I pull out through the hole I drilled, a little bit at a time. I like to see where my scent is blowing as the wind swirls it through the woods, not just as indicated by the powder in my stand. That's my cheapest most effective tool hands down.
Chalkline chalk also works well as a wind indicator, so does a child's sidewalk chalk which you simply scrape a little off with a finger nail or a pocket knife. Both come in bright colors that are easy to see. I also make cheap reflectors out of push pins and reflective tape to find my way in the dark.
My broadheads. At around $12 each, doesnt matter what other cool things I brought with me in the woods, I need that do seal the deal for me.
Reminded me of nails on a chalkboard. Scraping the chalk with a fingernail. Got the chills again! Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2
Hard to beat a free topo-map and a cheap plastic cover for establishing movement patterns. Use a sharpie to mark up the map with dates and times of sightings. Place an arrow on the map to indicate wind direction during the hunt and use it to decide where to sit.
Milkweed (free). Does a better job then any other windchecker thingy out there. My 3 finger under fingertab would be 2nd, 2 dollars I'm thinking.
a few things pop into mind... the piece of string tied around my stablizer, muff for my hand (prob best thing i own) or lucky hat
I also always have a roll of electrical tape which I use constantly. From taping additional cover to a limb, holding my T-Cell in just the right spot, an emergency band aid, silencing material on a rest. It even works great as a makeshift camera stand or to hold a flashlight if I need to field dress a deer... whatever... very handy.
