I have been really fortunate to be able to take a couple of great road trips with the dogs in my life for hunting and for other adventures.

One thing I have learned over the years and the miles is the simply idea of redundancy.

It is so important especially when you are travelling and spending a good deal of your time and money on a bucket list hunt or adventure. You don’t want the whole trip ruined by something you forgot.

I had one of my Mearns quail hunts ruined when I changed my mind from taking my dog trailer which I had packed and prepared to taking just my pickup with a dog box because I had left the GPS collars in the trailer and had no backup plan. I had driven 14 hours to hunt a bucket list species and was suddenly afraid to let any of my dogs out of the truck. Now I always have an apple airtag on each dog as well as a GPS collar.

So when you are packing for your big hunts you have to think of everything that could go wrong. Take more food for you and the dogs than you need. You never know what conditions may turn out to be where you are. Take a spare set of boots. Clothes for all weather conditions. Take a backup gun or two. Take extra shells in different shot sizes and loads. My last hunt I had three different gauges with me and ended up using all three at different times. Have extra batteries for everything and extra ways to charge those batteries. Absolutely have extra water for you and the the dogs. Twice as much as you thought you would need.

Take a dog fist aid kit. Pliers and wire cutters and tweezers for cactus, snares, barbed wire, other hazards that you may encounter. Have a pair in your pockets or packs and have some in the truck.

Think about flat tires and break downs. Think about weather. How will you keep dogs cool if something goes wrong, or keep them warm? What if the idea you planned for cooling and heating fails what’s the backup plan?

Where are the local vets in the area in case of emergencies? Where are the local hospitals?

Many of you have hunting partners or buddies, and many of you may go it alone. I understand the need and desire for both. But don’t be totally alone in the field ever in case something goes wrong. Have a way to communicate, and a backup way to communicate. Always have multiple ways to get/solicit help.

Plan for a way to care for the meat in the field and at camp.

Remember redundancy is your best friend to make sure you have a good experience when you get to where you are going.