High Hunt

[bobcat]

Yes, Boneaddict is right. Steve Darwood (Cascade Wilderness Outfitters) is on the east side of the Pasayten and that's one of the reasons I went with him. The east side is easier country and dryer than the west side. If that matters to you.

[MtnMuley]

x2 for Steve Darwood or also North Cascades Safari, if Ryan is still doing it this year.  You won't be disappointed with either.

[jackelope]

thanks for the info guys the reseon we were going to do the early hunt instead of the normal season is i would like to take my old man.  He is a straight up animal while tromping around in the woods but he has alot of metal in his left leg and the cold really messes with his knee.  For anyone who has been successful in the early hunt how do you keep the meat and hide cool for the week if the outfitter doesn't come back until the end of the hunt?

it will probably be fairly cold up there in september.

[jackelope]

thanks for the info guys the reseon we were going to do the early hunt instead of the normal season is i would like to take my old man.  He is a straight up animal while tromping around in the woods but he has alot of metal in his left leg and the cold really messes with his knee.  For anyone who has been successful in the early hunt how do you keep the meat and hide cool for the week if the outfitter doesn't come back until the end of the hunt?

it will probably be fairly cold up there in september.

I shot one last year and it took two days to get out. Both days were sunny and the meat was on my back most of the time. I think it got cool enough at night to make it through the day. The yellow jackets were trying to eat it all during the day so I had to keep moving it. It worked out, I am not dead yet from eating it.

I wasn't reffering to the meat, I mentioned it because of his dad's knee condition and it giving him problems when it's cold. my buddies have been up there the last few years and while it was nice last year, it snowed on them the 2 years prior.
 

[boneaddict]

It can be Sahara to arctic in September.  I have gone from a 90 degree day to a foot of snow overnight.  Idabooner has been in some serious crap up there and the last year I hunted it, we had to bail with the meat to prevent spoilage. 

[actionshooter]

I know I hunted in GPW a few years ago on the high hunt, sweated my butt off one day. Had to be 90, then the next morning there was 2" of snow. Be ready for anything.

[75johndeere]

great advice guys he does alright in the cold but i figured we would be better off if his leg thaws out every once in awhile.  I'm really excited about the hunt i have been trying to get my buddies to do this for the last 4 years and everyone finally commeted.  what size group did you guys go with we are at 5 right now and i don't know if i should invite anyone else?

[actionshooter]

great advice guys he does alright in the cold but i figured we would be better off if his leg thaws out every once in awhile.  I'm really excited about the hunt i have been trying to get my buddies to do this for the last 4 years and everyone finally commeted.  what size group did you guys go with we are at 5 right now and i don't know if i should invite anyone else?

We have had as many as 2 counting my self, several times I have had 1 in camp counting myself. I wouldn't do anymore than that. 

[high country]

I would not have a big group of guys. the deer are not that thick in the high hunt, more of a quality hunt. do not expect to fill a packstring full of tags.....unless you take runts too.

[75johndeere]

My dad helped pack out elk quarters 1300 vertical feet in about 1/2 mile this year his knee if fine with the packing its just the cold bothers him but hes a trooper always pushes through.  we are not expecting to fill every tag even though it would be nice myself i would most like to get a bear i have been chasing them for a few years and haven't even got close .  I'm mostly in it for the experience and 500 and change isn't all that bad to learn something new if i like it i might even hike in in 2011 or buy some horses.

[high country]

bears are deffinately better odds then multiple big bucks

[boneaddict]

Are you campin g or hunting?  A group of 5 to me is too many for hunting.  Course I like a group of one for that.  I'd uninvite about 3 of those folks and make it a father son deal.  If you plan on enjoying the scenery, sitting around camp and putting a few down then your party is about the right size.

[Skyvalhunter]

Depends on if you are talking an actual hunting camp or a B.S. session camp. More people = less odds of success.

[halflife65]

Depends on if you are talking an actual hunting camp or a B.S. session camp. More people = less odds of success.

Better to go by yourself (if you've made some plans to get an animal out and you're comfortable with that) or with one other person. 

[Dansk]

My group booked with early winters about 3 years ago - good people, good stock, experienced packers, concerned for your safety, etc. however there were enough issues that would make me not recommend them.  I know alot of people say Aaron is a stand-up guy, but they overcommited that year and a few parties including mine got the short end of the stick (other's have posted similar expereinces with them on this board besides my party).  We booked in Feb, sent in deposits, spent time on the phone with them, etc., so this should not have been an issue.

The bad:

The tent was horrible -  don't get me wrong - i'm far from picky, but this thing should've been thrown away years ago... too small for 4 guys and gear, old, torn, holes, moldy, and the flaps wouldn't close.

They did not bring us a stove for 3 days, and when they did they dumped it and left.  It was a 'ground stove' - you dig a hole and put a large metal box with a hole on top.  It was  PITA and the stack was full of holes, so we were always getting smoked out.

We requested a camp at altitude, close to the timberline when we booked, they said no problem.  However they would not tell us where they were puting our camp- even up to 2 days prior.  We wanted to plan our different hunts, buy topos, etc, but they refused to commit to telling us where.  We ended up on the middle fork valley floor on the main trail,  in the timber, about 4 miles in.  Had to hike thousands of vertical every day to get up high.

Apparently they overbooked - they had booked  quite a few parties on the same day at 7am at harts pass.  They said they would TRY to get us in that day but couldn't guarantee it so we might need to go back to twisp and come back the next day to pack in.  WTF?? Luckily they squeezed us in early evening.

Others may have good experiences with them, but almost $3000 for a few hours on horseback, a dilapidated tent, a crappy stove, poor planning, and bad customer service was far from worth it.  All our problems were due to the fact that they purposely overbooked and the last people in got screwed with spots, gear, and timeline.  The only explanation I can think of is that they took everyone's cash who asked to book and thought they'd just figure it all out later - at our expense.  That's just plain bad business in my book.

My recommendation is to get them to try and guarantee your spot and let you know where it is prior to the hunt, commit to pack in time, and specify the gear you will get.  Ask how old thier gear is, how big the tent is, what type of stove, etc, and ask them if they are overbooked.