With most of the mainstream hunting seasons over, hunters have set their guns, ammo and gear aside and moved on to winter activities like ice fishing, snowmobiling or watching someone else’s team play football (groan.) Before you put your paraphernalia away to rest idly for several months, take a few moments to do a little post-season maintenance. These chores could save you time, money and potentially a lot of aggravation when next fall rolls around.

Clean up your guns and your other hunting gear before you put them away for the next season. rodimov/shutterstock

Clean those guns. This should go without saying, but I’ll bet a lot of you haven’t yet. Before you put your guns up for the winter, give them a good cleaning. Start by running a brass or plastic brush down the barrel to remove spent powder and other coarse particles. Next, run a solvent-soaked patch down the barrel, replacing and repeating until the patch comes out clean. Finish by repeating with a lightly oiled patch, then do the same for other parts of the gun to remove rust and dirt. Finally, lock them up in a safe, moisture-free area.

Remove ammo from shell holders, vest pockets and magazines and store them — separately from your firearms — in a dry area. At the very least, leaving shells in shell loops will stretch the elastic, reducing their holding power. Modern shotshell bases are notorious for corroding when exposed to even the slightest moisture, which happens more often when they’re left in shell loops, or in the bottom of a blind bag. Put shells and cartridges back in the original boxes if you still have them. Doing so will also help you keep track of things like shotshell loads or bullet weights, especially if you use a variety.

Do you use trail cameras? If so, remove the batteries. I’ve lost more than one by neglecting to do just that, then opening them up the next fall only to find the battery compartment filled with corrosive salts. Remove the cards as well, and store them in a safe place. If your camera has a USB plug, you may also want to update the firmware. You can determine if that’s possible and necessary by going to the manufacturer’s website.

Speaking of batteries, check your flashlights as well and remove batteries if you’re not going to use them until next hunting season. It’s better to leave them empty and add fresh batteries just before you use them. Otherwise you risk corrosion, or at the very least, weak batteries that may fail when you next need them.

Now for your apparel. Start by going through the pockets. I’ve spent many hours searching for knives, flashlights, transportation tags and all manner of miscellaneous items, only to find them the following fall, when I wasn’t looking for them. It’s also not a bad idea to take out all those jerky sticks and bite-sized Snickers bars, lest you find yourself with a pocket full of mold, or a mice-chewed hole.

Next, give them a good cleaning with odor-reducing detergent. This is especially important for waterproof outer wear. Dirt and grime can build up on the fabric. This residue reduces water repellency, breathability, wicking and moisture transfer. On base layers, it can also irritate skin, and leave a substrate for moisture and odor-causing bacteria to form.

Check zippers, snaps and other fasteners and clean and lubricate as necessary. A little coating of salt water now can easily render snaps and zippers unusable by next fall. Collected moisture and grime will also deteriorate the fabric around those fasteners. Even Velcro should be cleaned so it grips better.

Sharpen your knives. They say a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one. I’m not sure if that’s true, but it’s certainly less effective. Few things are more frustrating than trying to field dress a deer with a dull knife, and sharpening is a good time killer on a cold winter’s day.

Duck hunters: in addition to guns, blind bags and flashlights, you might also do some post-season work on your decoys. Check anchors and lines, touch-up the paint and patch holes. Speaking of holes, remember that last hunt, the one where you unexpectedly discovered your chest waders leak? Fix it now before you forget. And clean all the dirt, weed seeds and donut crumbs out of your calls.

There’s almost no end to what you could do to recover your gear from this season and get it ready for next, but the suggestions above will get you headed on the right course. Take your time to ensure you do things right, and while you’re at it, recall a few of the more memorable moments of the season.

Bob Humphrey is a freelance writer and Registered Maine Guide who lives in Pownal. He can be reached at:

bhhunt@maine.rr.com