Idaho Wilderness Bull and Buck, 14-mile Solo Pack

[whuppinstick]

I've been hunting both of Idaho's big wilderness areas since 2011, trying to find a spot where I could have repeat success. I've killed a few decent bulls over that time, but this is one of my favorite hunts of all time.

I planned for twelve days in the wilderness and was camped very far in. On the second day I stumbled upon the whitetail buck and couldn't turn him down. A few days later I saw a six-point bull very far away and spent the whole day trying to close the distance. It took me 5-6 hours, which included some running, but I just missed him going back into the timber. The next day I sat all day watching the meadow he'd been in but nothing came out. The following day I tried a different plan and circled around above him, which took 6.5 hours through pounding snow. But it worked as he and four other bulls were bedded right on the spine of the ridge. I took a couple hours to close from 600 yards to 100, but they had fed out of my sight so I had to creep over the edge. I think they might have smelled me because they were acting nervous, but when a six-point came through my only window I shot him at 100 yards. He turned out to be the biggest bull of the bunch. I got him at 4pm, then took 2.5 hours to get him all taken care of (it got dark at 5), then another 2.5 hour hike back to camp. From there it took me six days to get all the meat out. Some horse packers took my elk rear quarters 8 miles, but otherwise I did it all alone from dawn till dusk every day.

Quick rundown on gear: Nemo Kunai tent (for the late season, I also hunt in there in Sept and either take a lighter Big Agnes or a cuben fiber tent), Nemo pad, Western Mountaineering Antelope bag, Stone Glacier solo pack, alcohol stove, Kimber Montana 84L .270, Crispi boots. If you have questions about anything else let me know.



The temperatures were in the teens every night it would take an hour in the morning to get my boots thawed out enough to lace them properly.









This happened just as I was taking out the second tenderloin and shed a lot of blood. This picture is from five days later. I don't have health insurance so never did go to the doctor even though it felt funny all through the winter. It's fine now a couple years later, just a new line through the middle of my fingerprint.

[92xj]

Amazing.

[carpsniperg2]

Your a beast!!!

[fishngamereaper]

Hardcore man...I would of just camped for a month and eaten the meat so I didn't have to pack it out.

[sagerat]

You’re an animal! Nice story!

[whuppinstick]

Hardcore man...I would of just camped for a month and eaten the meat so I didn't have to pack it out.

Ha. A one-month camp back there in November pretty quickly turns into five.

[Buckhunter24]

Wow great hunt man, I can't say I've read a more successful hunt story than this those are awesome animals.

[MtnMuley]

Bests hunts ever looking back on them, regardless the of size of animals.

[BUTTER]

Howd you get the tenderloin out? I little trick pack a light bone say after all quartered straps neck meat etc balance the animal on its belly and saw straight down the 4th vertebrae than use your knife to kinda skin around and under that vertebrae and it will open right up and there is your perfect tenderloins

[fishngamereaper]

Hardcore man...I would of just camped for a month and eaten the meat so I didn't have to pack it out.

Ha. A one-month camp back there in November pretty quickly turns into five.

  I've almost been stuck in there in September.

[RB]

This is the stuff a lot of us dream about, great story and way to get'er done! 

[ganghis]

That's one heck of a hunt!  Thanks for sharing.  I need a shoulder massage just thinking about that packout!

[tritt007]

One question , .270 win or wsm ? And what load you shoot ? Congratulations been wanting to hunt Idaho for a long time  ! Thanks for sharing !

[Jonathan_S]

What an awesome experience. Minus turning your finger into a cloven hoof, that is.

14 miles is a lot but not to a through hiker.

[Magnum_Willys]

Great Hunt!  Next time try your boots in a sack in bottom of your bag, cut antlers off the skull,  ( you did bone it all out ?)