First time solo backcountry hunt. Any tips?

[JLS]

What does everyone do with their food? I'm taking mostly prepackaged food like mountain house, protein bars, oatmeal, etc. I usually just keep it in my backpack next to the tent. Does anyone hang theirs from a tree at all?


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I always hang my food.

[yakimanoob]

+1 for hanging food. 

Got the picture yet?

I've never seen a bear in the backcountry (seriously, although I'm hoping to change that now that I've acquired the hunting bug) but I've lost quite a bit of gear to mice. 

Also +1 for Mtn House or similar meals.  Instant oatmeal for breakfast.  Bars and jerky for lunch.  Mtn House for dinner.  Trail mix or more bars for snacks.  It's really hard to beat trail mix for calories per ounce.  But it's very easy to eat more calories than you need of trail mix 

[biggfish]

Have a real tent not just a lean to tarp set up. First time I went solo I kept a fire going, when I watched cougars walk past my fire I decided it was time to go home.

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[Skyvalhunter]

  now that's funny

[jjhunter]

I had to use a bear vault for my food in CO.  It worked pretty well but adds a couple pounds to your pack.

[Bwana Bob]

Stay out of hell holes unless your physically and mentally capable of getting an animal out of it.

[Bill W]

Stay out of hell holes unless your physically and mentally capable of getting an animal out of it.

Bob could have given you another one.  Don't hunt with Bill W.  I have a picture of Bob, me and two others that went 4 for 4 on the high hunt opener back approximately 1987.

[kselkhunter]

What does everyone do with their food? I'm taking mostly prepackaged food like mountain house, protein bars, oatmeal, etc. I usually just keep it in my backpack next to the tent. Does anyone hang theirs from a tree at all?


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I've never hung food at camp.  If I know I'm backpacking in an area with a dense population of bears, or grizzly country, then I pack the BearVault.  Otherwise, the OpSack works very well at preventing food scent and I usually pack two, one for trash.  Plus I always pack my Scent Bag on backcountry hunting trips to store my clothes in overnight, and generally just leave the OpSack in the Scent Bag when I leave camp.  I've never had a problem with mice or other animals in my tent with this approach. 

[Cab]

Deserthunter2016 Thanks for posting this! I'm doing the same this weekend and was planning on asking the same thing. I plan on doing just a long weekend for my first trip and am excited that the weather looks pretty good for the area I'm going. Best of luck to you and hope you knock something down 

[Bookworm007]

Make sure you test all of your gear before you head out and take extra batteries!!! This includes filters, stoves, lights tents, ect.

When camping alone I like to bring ear plugs, it helps me sleep and not listen to every single little snapping twig. It might make me more vulnerable but in our state I haven't heard of many people attacked in their sleep.

[Deserthunter2016]

Thanks everyone. I am headed out tomorrow morning. I will let you all know how it goes. Hopefully I come back with some meat and horns. Good luck to everyone else that is going out.


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[R2Rcoulee]

Can I go with you?

[Skyvalhunter]

No you snore too much

[R2Rcoulee]

Lol. Just the last test before he went solo to see if he really wanted to do the solo trip. Hope everything goes as planned & is successful. Let us know how it went.