Elk gear recommendations and Scouting tips?

[huntingdog16]

I was wondering if anyone also knew what kind of gear would be wise to pack for a 4-day back country elk hunt. Also if there isn't anyone who would possibly have experience in this to lend a few pointers of how to scout back country? I am currently trying to find places to hunt so I would like to know how to scout them out. Not asking for a place to hunt just tips on how to scout out a place once I find a hunting spot. Any help is appreciated immensely.

[TomT]

I never try to reinvent the wheel.  Just steal someone else's list.  Here's the one I use:

http://blog.eastmans.com/benchmarks-and-baselines/

[huntingdog16]

Thanks TomT that's pretty cool that he has the weight of everything so you'll know what you're packing.

[blackveltbowhunter]

Good baseline for starting weight. I do like his disclosure  that he doesn't count his on person gear weapon, or optics In his weight. Some guys count it all, some guys only count their pack and then there is weight wars over someone's low  Weight claims. It really doesn't matter as long as when comparing.g u make sure you are comparing apples to apples. For me I personally count everything minus weapon, simply because it's the one thing I refuse to compromise weight on ever. I won't pack extra bow weight if I don't have to, but once I like how it shoots the weight is what it is.

   I wish I had read that list when starting out, would have saved a lot of time. Most likely you will refine your own list after a few hunts. Have you backpacked before?

    Personally I couldn't live on guys food list  and I am shocked at only 2 game bags. But each their own. Theirs other things I do differently, I pack a lot less clothes, and my pack is 3 pounds lighter. Just a couple things.

    As far as scouting, once I  have located an area I want to check out, I start with a day and night rule, meaning once I'm there I want to spend a minimum of a day and night  checking things out. That usually gives me three first light glassing sessions and a day to check other stuff like timber for wallows, rubs and water. If nothing is producing I move on, to another spot. And do the same till I get the results I'm looking for. Rules like.everything are made to be broken, so I don't hesitate to move mid day if what I'm seeing isn't what I expected.

[RadSav]

When you find the right area scouting is rather easy.  Walk out into a meadow and use your binoculars.  If elk frequent the area during August and September there should be rubs on the fringes.  If there are none don't waste too much time there.  Just keep moving until you find elk sign and rubs.  Once you find them go ahead and dig deeper.  But no sense in wasting time if there is no sign of elk inhabiting an area during the time you plan to hunt.

One of the things that frustrate me is when I see guys passing up sign on their way to scout the back country.  You have a goal to kill an elk, right?  Does it have to be the exact location of where you spotted a meadow or slide on Google?  I see guys caught up in the whole extreme hunting idea.  They will bust through willows and scrub alder completely destroyed by bulls on there way deeper or higher up on the mountain.  They will pick the poo from their boots after walking through an area completely littered with scat and torn up by tracks all to venture further into the wilderness.  Be sure to ask yourself, "Am I scouting for elk or scouting for extreme hunter status?"  If your main goal is status as the most extreme hunter in Washington then by all means push forward.  But if you are scouting with the hope of killing an elk or a bull...scout where the elk are!!

I have a bear spot in the north cascades.  Wonderful spot.  When I first found it I was working in Redmond and living in Issaquah.  I could work a full day, leave work at 4 or 4:30, and get a full hours worth of hunting each night in the high country.  That's not because I was a mountain goat in my youth.  It was because I wasn't hunting very far from the trail head.  I don't recall a single trip up there when I did not see a good deer while glassing for bear.  I always expected to have company when the high hunt would start.  But I never did.  At one of my glassing spots I could see the main trail about a quarter mile away.  Hunter after hunter would go through that spot I could see.  I don't ever recall ever seeing a hunter glass back at the knob I was sitting on.  Not even when there were bucks in the open 30 yards from where I sat glassing!  They were intent on going deeper and higher.  Passing up clear sign on the trail that bucks and bear were using it regularly.  While it was nice for my enjoyment it always left me shaking my head.

In all my years of tagging bear up there I never once had someone dismiss my success because I didn't work hard enough for my trophies.  Though I did talk to plenty of guys at the trail head that wanted to see what my bear looked like.  Then telling me of how they spent ten days at XXXX elevation, five, six, seven miles back and that they hadn't seen a deer or a bear or much sign.  I know for certain that had they been looking for sign at the half mile mark they would have seen plenty of sign...and a gut pile not much further than that!!

Secret to my back country success...Hunting where the animals are!  Sometimes it's as simple as that.

[fillthefreezer]

although i agree with the concept of that list, i do believe its a bit misleading. without delving into the portions, its hard to see exactly what he counts and what he doesnt count. some of the weights seem to be a bit of a stretch. for example, the hunting and personal gear section is 3.8lbs. this includes a tripod and spotting scope. not much weight left for anything else at that. yet he's only packing two game bags for elk hunting and not counting a weapon.
overall i think its much simpler to just list everything and count it.

[blackpowderhunter]

my best advice is to take a list like that as a starting point..change things based on your personal needs.  some people sleep colder or warmer than others, or need warmer clothes than others. 
put your pack together like you'll be going on a hunt, and take it like that on your scouting trip and spend a night or two out there while scouting.
the last thing you want to do is take what works for someone else and try it for the first time on your hunt.  it would be terrible to hike any amount of miles into the back country and find yourself un prepared on night one.
spend this summer doing some backpacking/scouting trips and you will find what will and won't work for YOU in a hurry.
just remember to have fun and not get too wrapped up in having the latest, greatest, lightest gear.  use what you have, upgrade as you see fit.
good luck 

[kentrek]

Take lots of game bags....elk can get big ! 

[blackpowderhunter]

Take lots of game bags....elk can get big ! 

i like to vac pack my game bags too..might seem silly but you can really pack those up pretty small!

[7mag.]

I didn't see any major issues with Eastman's list except his pack. The rest looked like a pretty good example of a 5 day pack list. I do however, think that not counting the weight of your water and weapon, is extremely misleading.

[fisheral87]

Trekking Poles.

I used them for my solo hunt this year and I'll never do another hunt without them.

Al

[huntingdog16]

Thanks guys appreciate the help

[swanny]

While I have yet to do a backcountry hunt, I think the best way for you to get ready would be to start backpacking. In essence, you are just adding a few extra pieces of gear that are hunt specific: weapon, binoculars, game bags, and maybe a tri-pod w/spotter.

Once you backpack a couple of weekends, you will get a really good idea of what you actually need, don't need, and want/need to upgrade. You will actually be surprised at how little you need for a few nights in the woods.

[RadSav]

Once you backpack a couple of weekends, you will get a really good idea of what you actually need, don't need, and want/need to upgrade. You will actually be surprised at how little you need for a few nights in the woods.

My first back country hunt was a joke.  About every mile I left a cache of stuff off the trail I decided I didn't need.   Then about two days into the hunt I was back down the trail trying to find where I stashed half that stuff!  

Scouting and backpacking before your hunt is a good tip.  I think it took me about four to six trips before I got the hang of it.  Also good to make a trip or two, not too deep, in the rain.  That's a different ball game and one you should have experience with before you go deep!

[Kyle1112]

Check out viamoutdoors.com, great gear, local Washington company and lifetime warranty.

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