Well now we're addicted

[ctwiggs1]

Last year I had a pretty disappointing elk camp experience.  Overall the hunt was incredible, but the camp was disappointing.  Out of the 5 guys, 3 really hadn't prepared and it showed when nobody really wanted to go more than a mile or two from camp at any given point (usually about a half mile).  Me and a friend saw plenty of elk but we worked hard for it.  The others saw very little.  This was my 3rd year elk hunting and I felt it was time to change strategies.

This year I started over.  I still haven't killed my first elk but I know it's coming soon.  My buddy and I this year decided to ditch the elk camp idea and backpack it.  I told him up front "If I see as many bulls and cows this year as I did last year, I'm done spike hunting.  We're going back to a 3pt or better area and re learning this whole thing."

Well we did just that.  I didn't see a single darn spike but we put many many miles on our boots this year and saw and heard several bulls.  We got back to my buddies camp that we were fortunate enough to leave our truck at and it sounded as if we had seen and heard more than their entire camp.  The crazy thing is that our hunt was very limited - we got pretty high and every stream on the map was completely dry.  These streams had a little water a month ago when we scouted but hey, that happens I guess.  We ended up spending a 10 hour day getting as high as possible, then the next day spending 8 hours getting back down low to water.  After that we worked a little closer to the lower lands (still miles away from the camps).

We're already planning another deer trip (may as well, no point in wasting the tags) and we both are in agreement that again, it'll all be on our backs.  Getting several miles away from others is so much more rewarding.  Waking up on a hill and watching the sunrise, as we start our day knowing that the others are miles below and competing with each other but we have the "whole wilderness" (at least it felt that way) -- can't beat that!!  What a great experience!

I truly appreciate the feedback you guys have offered this year as I got ready for this hunt.  It was my first back country hunt in years and it was a whole different preparation.  It's amazing how detail oriented you need to be and how easy it could be to over-pack. 

I've got a few things I'll be cutting out and a few things I'll be adding. 

-  The Army rucksack that I kept certainly is a workhorse, but I didn't like the groaning plastic frame so I think that'll get replaced soon.
-  I bought the Jetboil SUMO - there was no need for that thing.  I will probably buy the smaller version down the road or look for another stove to cut weight with.  Or just not take a stove at all.  Still figuring that out
-  I way overpacked on food.  I never want to short myself on food but I probably had another 2 days worth of food in my pack that I didn't eat.
-  My Marmot Tungsten tent is great, but I think I'm going to look for a lighter solution.  I only used a poncho in the Army so I am really thinking I may go back to that.  I mean seriously, that's like 5lbs I can cut.
-  My buddy and I both packed stoves, which I like for redundancy, but we also both packed and extra fuel can.  Next year we'll each pack 1 fuel can.  Not a lot of ounces saved but it makes so sense for two guys to have 4 cans.
-  I totally get the appeal of trekking poles now and may look into getting some for next year. 

[ctwiggs1]

Sorry for any broken English on this thing guys, I'm still pretty exhausted 

[WAnoob]

Great Post

It's funny how much you learn after a few backpacking trips.  Something I constantly work on is how to tweak my gear and packing in my backpack so everything is laid out how I need it.

In my opinion when going hunting in the mountains, taking an animal is just an added bonus.  Spending all that time in beautiful country makes it all worth while, and yes trekking poles are a life saver.  I have terrible knees and they help tremendously and can be a makeshift shooting rest if needed.

Packing a spare stove is not necessarily a bad idea, it is always good to be prepared.  The MSR pocket rocket would be a good spare to carry since it can literally fit in your hand.  Most people seem to bivvy sack camp when saving the most weight, that could be something to look into as I have heard great things as well.

Btw any pics of the scenery to share?

[ctwiggs1]

Oh I don't ever see myself taking two stoves, but since we both have a stove I think from now on I'll only carry one fuel canister too. 

A few pics:




That Pano kind of shows the gain - we started down at the bottom and worked our way up the Hindoo.  You just can't beat the experience.  Elk camps can be a good time with the guys but I honestly can't beat the adventure of working my way up the stream and into the hills like that. 

Both pics are of my buddy LOL - when he's able to dump his pics I'll post some more up.

[WAnoob]

Sweet pics, I can't wait to try my hand at elk hunting next year

[Mark251]

Great story!  Thank you 

[pd]

To the OP: There is a darned good reason you see detailed lists from other back country hunters (hikers, climbers, etc.).  Weight, function, safety are very serious issues.  Now that you have this learning experience under your belt, you will start down this never-ending path.  Such as:

Dry my own food?  Mountain House? 
Tent, no tent, bivy, tarp only??
Sell all my gear and start over again?
One knife?  Two?
How many changes of socks?  Shorts?

There are no right answers, and you will continue to tweak your own gear lists for as long as you hunt.  Here is a challenge for you: Set yourself a strict weight limit, and see if you can hit it.  For me it is 25#, not including the clothes on my back (and boots) and water.  Depending on the country, I will carry in between 2 and 5 liters.  Best of luck.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

 

[stromdiddily]

Heck yeah man, great pictures 

Already planning mine for next year

[ctwiggs1]

A few more pics - some rough but beautiful country.

[nw_bowhunter]

cool adventure, thanks for sharing.

I used a Jetboil on day hunts with some MTN house meals and I really enjoyed having a hot meal during the day.

[deerhuntr4885]

What is your plan for packing out an elk?

[ctwiggs1]

What is your plan for packing out an elk?

Not really sure how to answer this.... our packs?

[Skyvalhunter]

To stake out and eat the elk up there.

[Deliverance1985]

Man this is somethin I wanna do . Just get way out there in the land