New BackCountry Hunter

[Sp1cyBoog]

What spots do yall recommend for a first time backcountry hunter? I don't know anything about it. Do you need special tags? I'm only 20 so take it easy on me lol.

[Mtnwalker]

Do you own crampons and an ice axe?

[Chesterdog]

When I started, I would pop into sporting goods stores on the weekends and look for grey-haired, bearded old men.  They usually love to talk.  I called it hunting for wizards.  You can soak up a lot of knowledge that way.  Don't be afraid to look stupid at first.  The more questions you ask, the shorter your puppy phase will be.

[ganghis]

Do you own crampons and an ice axe?

 

[Jpmiller]

What exactly are you looking for in your backcountry “experience”?

What kind of gear do you have (the crampons and ice ax is a very humorous run I no joke on here, just fyi) and what’s your personal experience level?

[Sp1cyBoog]

What exactly are you looking for in your backcountry “experience”?

What kind of gear do you have (the crampons and ice ax is a very humorous run I no joke on here, just fyi) and what’s your personal experience level?

I have been hunting a few time, I want to be up in the mountains for 3-4 days hunting and basically camp out of my pack for those few day. Similar t JE WILDS on YouTube. He goes in on a helicopter( I would hike in lol) and then stays for a week and hunts out if his pack. I would start at 3-4 days for the first few years until I’m more comfortable and want to stay for a week to 2 weeks.

[blackveltbowhunter]

More data would help narrow your search. Do you have any backcountry camping experience? Have you been successful hunting as in taking and breaking down a big game animal? What species? Time of year? Weapon?
 
For instance; a high alpine experience for bear in August early September, is going to be a different ( easier) hunt, than a rifle elk hunt in late October/November

Most wilderness and large national blocks have general seasons that are open to your big game tags. These areas may also have  permits associated with them that allow special access to additional time frames or areas.

I would recommend a high country bear hunt for a beginner IMO. Less hunters, better weather, and the pack out is "typically" manageable.

[Jpmiller]

I’d echo an August hunt for bear in pretty much any of the wilderness areas. That ultimate bear hunting guide (or real similar title) was a real
Helpful intro for me trying to get into bears and as stated August is a much easier time to camp and learn than anything later.id say the biggest thing to figure out is what all you don’t need in your pack but that’s typically a part of the first couple trips. Bring enough food and a the right foot, a water cleaning system and shelter and your 90% of the way there for summer.

I’m a huge proponent of wool over synthetic materials but that’s a whole nother rabbit hole.

[fishngamereaper]

I would start with scouting trips in July for 3-4 days make sure your gear is legit and your fitness is on par..
And on the way out put 80lbs of rocks in your pack.
And if you've never killed an animal and bonned it out I'd consider checking that box first
Backcountry isn't the best place to learn...meat care being priority..

[zwickeyman]

I would start with scouting trips in July for 3-4 days make sure your gear is legit and your fitness is on par..
And on the way out put 80lbs of rocks in your pack.
And if you've never killed an animal and bonned it out I'd consider checking that box first
Backcountry isn't the best place to learn...meat care being priority..

 

If you haven't boned out a big game animal you need to watch every video you can over and over. Taking care of the meat and getting it all out in good shape can be a huge problem for the inexperienced hunter. Most everything else is easy in comparision

[yakimanoob]

Welcome Sp1cyBoog!

MOST importantly: how much backpacking experience do you have?

If you don't have much, please start there. In order to hunt the backcountry, you first need to learn to be safe and comfortable in the backcountry in the first place. I don't mean you need to put off hunting, just that you need to get out this spring and summer for at least a couple trips to test yourself and your equipment.

Assuming you have that covered, +100 for an August bear hunt to get your feet wet. Take some scouting/training trips to find where the huckleberries are ripe, and get after it . If you aren't interested in hunting bears, than the High Buck in September is your best bet. If the weather's decent, it's a super fun hunt even if you don't see anything besides other hunters (and you will see other hunters  ).

For tags and other regulations, read up on the species you're interested in hunting here: https://www.eregulations.com/washington/hunting. The regs can be a little overwhelming at first, so if you have any questions, feel free to PM me or give your regional WDFW office a call: (https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/regional-offices). The staff are typically very helpful.

Last two things:

• If you'll be outside of cell phone coverage, please carry a satellite emergency beacon. I lead the mountain rescue team for the SE Cascades, and I can tell you first hand that those things are lifesavers if something goes wrong. Btw, if you have an iPhone14 or newer, your phone may have this feature built in.
• Have fun!

[elkrack]

Baby powder and wet wipes

[Alex4200]

The hiking, camping, glassing is the fun and easy part. The really hard work begins once you shoot the animal.

[ducks4days]

Id recommend you spend a lot of time in the area you plan to hunt not hunting. Take a few weekends during the summer to just find camping spots and get glass on hillsides. Figure out what areas have water in them, what gets heavy winds, where hikers are tromping around, how easy it is to get in and out of places that look productive. Getting intimately familiar with remote areas is 75% of the fun of hunting the backcountry, and its hard to do that when you have the pressure of harvesting an animal right out the gate. Its also hard to do if your first time going in is a 10 mile hike with 10 days worth of food and supplies.

Like with anything else, practice and build up to it. And dont forget to have fun.

[Colville]

Tell everyone your experience living off your back, even if super limited.  What's your gear set? Have you hunted or backpacked alone? Do you have a potential partner?

The "where" is almost academic at the start of being a pack hunter.  Skills, habits, fitness and gear will predict if you are going to stick it out.   It's been said in here lots of times, the most common number of backpack hunts, if you polled all hunters, is 0.  The second most popular answer is 1.   1 is usually a consequence of weak answers to those skills, habits etc leading to a lousy experience.

Because most of the places you might want to hunt are out past 5 miles, the more days you can make the hunt, the better.  4 days is 2 hunting 2 traveling.  There are some short pokes into wilderness, but you get what your boot leather pays for. 

And, the answers you'll get in a forum or PM is going to be low hanging fruit, the kind of stuff you'll find for yourself easily.  Wish I were you.  I didn't start till 40!

[yakimanoob]

4 days is 2 hunting 2 traveling.

This is especially true for the High Buck where you're limited to certain federally-designated Wilderness Areas. There are very few places in WA where you can leave home in the morning and be hunting that evening, and they're all busy.

[jackelope]

I'm not super experienced, but I've done it enough to know that a few test runs are your best friends. Hiking/backpacking/fishing trips in July to get your gear list ironed out are a must. Start hunting with bear trips in August to further dial in your gear and best practices. You're going to have too much crap your first couple trips. Whatever you don't use or touch, get rid of it for the next trip. The guys who are dialed with their gear have lists as simple as a notebook or as complex as excel spreadsheets with individual weights, etc. I feel  like having a gear system that is tried and true is possibly more important than where you go, especially in Washington.

There are a ton of threads on here with really great info, but the backcountry threads have definitely not been as popular as they were a few years ago.
A couple good ones:

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,94500.msg3432651.html#msg3432651

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=10779;area=showposts;start=45

Once you're ready to head out, pick a wilderness area or a trail system that gets you into the woods a few miles and hit the trail.  For the September rifle season, you need to be within the boundaries of the wilderness areas listed in the regs. They'll all be pressured and you should expect to not be alone. You should plan to have the best armed backpacking trip in some of the coolest scenery and settings you'll experience. Shooting a deer is a bonus. Some people do it every year, some people never kill a deer. The experience is worth it either way. Your best odds of shooting something are probably a bear trip during berry season.