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 ?) 

[whuppinstick]

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

I use the gutless method and don't carry a saw. I was actually super careful not to cut myself because I use the surgical blade knives and I knew how dangerous it could get, but it happened when I was holding the knife in my right hand well away from the animal and pulling the tenderloin out with my left. Once the loin "gave" my hand shot across my body and hit my right hand, slicing open my finger.

[whuppinstick]

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

.270 win.  I was using factory Remington 150's but I have a friend who is really into guns and has moved me to Hornady now, he's also trying to talk me into going to the .280 AI, or really any caliber other than the .270, haha. My rifle is actually stuck in NZ due to Covid (long story, maybe I'll post that one, too) so I am probably going to get another rifle for this season.

[Magnum_Willys]

Those havalons really make it easier - but yikes its so easy to cut yourself..   Starting to use em less and less and disuade young/new hunters from using them   

[whuppinstick]

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 ?)

Is there room for your feet down there along with the boots? That's a good idea.
I don't take a saw, but I also do a European mount on all my skulls so probably wouldn't want to cut into it.

[whuppinstick]

Those havalons really make it easier - but yikes its so easy to cut yourself..   Starting to use em less and less and disuade young/new hunters from using them

I use the Gerber because that at least minimizes the chances of a cut while changing the blade, but yeah, I got to the point where I was cutting myself at least once on every animal. I was so mad when it happened on this one, haha.

[mburrows]

That is an awesome hunt. Thanks for sharing

[Karl Blanchard]

Man I want a whitetail like that somethin fierce! Killer hunt man!

[Bob33]

What a great story. That's an awesome bull. Congratulations and thanks for sharing.

Nice orange vest you're wearing, by the way. 

[7mmfan]

Awesome hunt. I've just started getting into back country wilderness hunting the last couple years. This gets me excited.

Don't let your buddy talk you out of that .270. 280 AI is a great rifle, don't get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of the .284 caliber. But the .270 WIN is one of the best all around rifles a guy can shoot. 

[jstone]

Awesome solo hunting trip.!!
Great job

[vandeman17]

 

[TriggerMike]

EPIC! 

[archerykraze]

Great Hunt! Those are some epic trophies and boy did you work for em, impressive. Can't wait to get to Idaho this fall and this story just makes the wait that much harder.

[nwwanderer]

Those severed nerves in your finger grow back but as you found it is glacial, thanks

[harveymarv]

Those severed nerves in your finger grow back but as you found it is glacial, thanks

i pack a kevlar glove with my havalon for my off hand for this very reason. they’re super light and you can still stab through it but it stops the slashes. only reason i still have 10 fingers. great for filleting salmon too.

[RockChuck]

WOW! Awesome

[greenhead_killer]

Great story! That is a stud wt! Love those mountain bucks!

[ShaneTyTrey]

Heck of a story and two great animals.  I would love a dark horned whitetail like that, a real trophy!

[Bushcraft]

A lot of people talk a big backcountry game, but turn out to be all talk when it comes down to getting the work done.

My hat's off to your sir. Good job.

[sjhgraysage]

Man I want a whitetail like that somethin fierce! Killer hunt man!

DITTO!!! 

[link]

Congratulations on the buck and bull. That hunt is quite an accomplishment. Very impressive.

[muleyslayer]

Good job! looks like some hard earned trophy class animals in beautiful country!

[bearpaw]

heck of a hunt, congrats 

[teanawayslayer]

Thanks for sharing! It takes the right state of mind to put a hunt like that together! Your an animal!