1.  Bait. I pulled the bait from the locker on Saturday afternoon to be ready for Sunday.  The pointer to drill a couple of holes in the bone was an excellent tip.  I drilled the holes with a 1/8 inch bit on Saturday and it made wiring the bait tightly to the tree much, much easier on Sunday.

2.  Drop cloth. The idea of having a small tarp or drop cloth is essential.  I purchased a 0.5 mil painter’s clear plastic drop cloth from the hardware store.  Having plenty of plastic to spread on the snow was great for the set up equipment, the camera, and our backpacks.   A must have!

3.  Latex gloves. Many thanks for including the latex gloves in the kit!  Thawing venison or beaver can get pretty slippery.  The thin gloves were very useful while handling the bait.

4.  The “gusto sponge.” Yep, it’s skunky but not nearly as bad as I had expected from our training session.  The key is working with it swiftly!

5.  Camera set up. I think most teams mount the camera last.  You work hard getting to the site on snowshoes or skies.  You concentrate effort mounting the bait.  So, you can be a little cold and tired by the time camera set up and mounting happens.  Pointer:  strongly suggest familiarizing yourself with the camera and its set up in the comfort of your warm and cozy house before heading out.  I found the digital camera set up/mounting to be the most challenging part of the day – cold and a little fatigue were factors.

6.  GPS. I received a GPS as a Christmas gift.  It was essential!  Came off the mountain late in the day, and the GPS took us right to the truck even as light faded and we shifted to headlamps and flashlights while post holing through snow and climbing over deadfall.  If GPS is new to you, as it was for me, there is a simple line, “Don’t go without it!”