We’ve all done it. You’re a few weeks out from your first hunt, you’ve got a browser tab open with 47 items in your cart, and you’re convincing yourself that this is the thing standing between you and a successful season.
Spoiler: it was not the thing.
I asked real women hunters what they bought that they barely touched or didn’t need at all. The answers were so painfully relatable I had to share them — partly because it might save you some money, and partly because misery loves company.
Here’s what actually ended up collecting dust.
The Fancy Shooter’s Gloves
One woman put it simply: “The fancy expensive shooters gloves. Never used them.”
No elaboration needed. You know exactly how this went. They looked good in the product photo. The reviews were great. She bought them, packed them, and then left them in the truck because they were either too bulky to actually shoot in or she forgot they existed entirely.
Lesson: Don’t buy shooting gloves until you’ve actually practiced shooting in gloves and know what you can tolerate. Cheap liner gloves from the hardware store do more work than most people expect.
The Deer Call (and the Gobbler Call)
Two separate women, two separate seasons, same exact outcome.
“Deer call.”
“Gobbler call :(“
That sad face on the gobbler call response is doing a lot of heavy lifting. You can feel the optimism she had when she bought it. You can feel the silence that followed.
Calls are one of those things that sound simple until you’re in the field trying to use one and the only thing you’ve attracted is a headache. If you’re brand new, learn the animal and the land before you add noise to the equation.
Walking Sticks
This one came with some passion attached: “Walking sticks. I HATE them!!!! My husband likes using his, but mine are taking up storage space!!!”
Four exclamation points. This woman has feelings.
Walking sticks are genuinely useful for some people — uneven terrain, long hikes in, bad knees. But if you’re hunting relatively flat ground and you’re not sure you need them, you probably don’t. Try borrowing a pair before you commit to your own set taking up real estate in your garage.
The Butt Plug Puller Thing for Gutting Deer
We have to talk about this one.
“The butt plug puller thing for gutting deer. And urine.”
First — fair. Field dressing tools are one of the biggest rabbit holes in beginner gear purchasing. There are approximately 900 products designed to make gutting a deer easier, and most experienced hunters use a good knife and their hands.
Second — the urine. Deer urine, doe estrus, scent attractants. It sounds logical on paper. In practice, a lot of hunters — especially beginners hunting pressured land — find it does very little or actively spooks deer that have learned to associate the smell with human presence.
Start with scent control basics before you invest in a collection of little brown bottles.
What Women Actually Wished They Had Instead
Since we’re on the topic — the same women who told me what they regretted also told me what they wished someone had told them to buy before their first season.
Waterproof, breathable, silent hunting pants topped the list. So did layering systems — specifically, gloves in multiple warmth levels and a neck gaiter, because even warm-weather hunts get cold at first light and last light. A heated vest also came up, and honestly, once you’ve hunted in one, you understand.
The through-line: women wish someone had told them to invest in comfort and layering first, before anything else. The gear that keeps you warm enough to sit still longer wins every time.
The Real Takeaway
Nobody gets this right on the first try. You’re going to buy something you don’t need — it’s basically a rite of passage. The goal is just to spend as little as possible on the stuff that ends up in a box before you figure out what you actually use in the field.
And if you’ve got a regret purchase of your own, I want to hear it. Drop it in the comments — you’ll be doing the next first-season hunter a real favor.
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