high buck hunters! please help!

[belkaholic]

my cuz and i are looking to do a high buck hunt in 2012 or 13. we want to be well prepared. we live in puyallup and would like to hunt Chelan. i dont want secret spots! we are looking for info as to what we need to do it right. what do you pack in for food, water, tents, sleeping bags, clothing, ect. we are going to put in the time scouting, but its the pack that i dont know about. i am not doing a drop camp so dont sugest it. do you do it all on foot , or horse, or a cart?  do you pack some suplies in weeks before or what. what do the exp. hunters sugest( Boneaddic and such)? thanks for your help.

[JimmyHoffa]

Can't use a cart in a wilderness area.  I just go in once and carry everything I need.  I sometimes have to make multiple trips out.  If you take gear in to stash ahead of time, you are supposed to visit it within every 24 hours.  FS rangers patrol to look for unattended stashes. 
Just need a pack that can carry your gear, depending on how much you want to spend on gear and what you are capable of carrying.  Search some old threads on here and you will find pack arrangements of all sorts.  From heavy to minimalist bivy set ups.  When I started, I would guess I was around 75 lbs in a 4500 cu in pack.  Now at about 40 lbs and that is good for about a week.  When packing for high buck think about the difference between need and want.  'I need my multi-tool, but don't need the case.  Need the rangefinder, don't need the pouch. Etc.'
Food--I now carry high calorie/high protein ready to eat stuff.  No stove needed, no cookset, no cleaning dishes with food smell, etc.  Peanut butter crackers are good. 
Sleeping pad, and sleeping bag are what your comfortable with.
I'd suggest going to the area to scout in summer and hike it and figure out what gear is working and what isn't.  Not all packs are created equal--I have a daypack that causes hip pain at ten pounds, but my big pack is fine even at 75 lbs.

[huntnnw]

Good Boots!!  also good rain gear. Guide gear and kelty etc have tarps you can string up for cover and sleeping and are lightweight. One piece of gear I dont skimp on is the importance of good glass and a TRIPOD.

I have a MSR whisperlite and one light weight pot..a purify bottle and bring a empty plastic bottle to filter water into. ramen noodles and oatmeal are light

[longashes]

Keep you eye out for a good water source. Some high hunts put you above the water line. I spent two days on one such hunt before finding water, and I gained a real appreciation for how important a cool cup of water really is!

[hillbillyhunting]

Keep you eye out for a good water source. Some high hunts put you above the water line. I spent two days on one such hunt before finding water, and I gained a real appreciation for how important a cool cup of water really is!

 

last year we were about 3 hrs round trip for water. 

Also, I really appreciate freeze dried dinners.  They are filling and give you all the calories you need.  Plan on eating a 2 serving pack to yourself every night.  I work hard in the high country and need as many calories as I can get.  I have tried to only bring one meal for every 2 nights with ramen to supplement, but when up there I would pay $20 for another freeze dried meal.

[Colville]

Chelan is a huge area. Many of the obvious basins coming in from the Twisp side are going to have horse camps, both DIY and outfitted. That doesn't mean there's not space, but you might do some checking on the outfitter's traditional camps to know where to avoid. If you head up lake via Lady of the Lake be sure you know what it costs and the schedule because your meat could be sitting around a while waiting for your ride. Coming in from lake side is a nasty climb.

Water on the both sides of the lake can be a problem up high. Be prepared to know where last water was and gather gallons of the stuff for your high camp if it's not near a source.

Get fit. Seriously fit. Everything in the area is steeperncrap. If you come in from lake side it's brutal up hill no matter what direction you chose to go. Be prepared for rotten wet weather. Bivy/tarp camps are great on the weight but tough on the soul if the weather is terrible and you're even money to have at least some crap weather in any given high hunt season. To that end, if you are going to go UL, you can't get anything dry. Therefore, everything you have has to be waterproof. If the temps drop to mid 40's pizzing sideways rain and you cant get boots/pants/socks dry with heat, it's a misserable situation.  Sleeping bags need either waterproof shells or need a bag cover.  A wet sack liner for your backpack is also a good idea. I have a 70 L one for mine. A pack rain cover, also a good idea.  On the other hand it can be damn near 80 and you'd better be prepared to get boned meat to a creek if temps are soaring.

I personally would go nuts eating unheated food for 5+ days though it is doable. I think the 1 lb+ for a fuel cook system and only one pot for two guys adds a ton of comfort relative to the weight expense.  Pocket rocket, fuel, 1.5 litter pot.

If you can leave the 10 days open and chose your hunt based on weather, that might save aggrivation. Deer aren't thick. Be prepared to do a bunch of off trail and to climb into some smallish tough pockets where others aren't willing. Bring 2 lbs of food/day and eat it or you're going to run down fast.  Know in advance that most of your locations are going to be a combination of so far and so much gain that realistically, it's 2 guys for one deer. Have a good sense of humor. You'll need it.

[logan]

you might want to try a little back packing/scoutting in the areas you want to hunt. this will also alow you to get familur with your equipment and cretiuque it your sistem. there are also a number of books out there, good luck.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Eastmans has lots of info on the topic of gear for this type of hunt. Scout all summer if one can.

[fillthefreezer]

Know in advance that most of your locations are going to be a combination of so far and so much gain that realistically, it's 2 guys for one deer.

any further advice to elaborate if a solo trip is planned?

[Colville]

If you are solo for the high hunt, you'd better be very realistic about how far you can carry how much weight(i'm not implying you wouldn't be). Everything is going to be pegged off of how far in you went. Day tripping the margins of wilderness doesn't apply to the following. If you are packing in for multiple days and it's going to be one trip out, i don't see any way you are having less than 90-100 lbs with your camp and not wasting meat. A boned out leagal buck is going to be near 50 lbs. A mature buck can go way, way north of that. So, if you are 5 miles in, are you fit enough to make two trips, first one at 75 lbs and then make another 10 mile round trip acquiring another 40+ on the way back? Would you be able to do that 10 mile turn around without camping overnight in between?  You'll need to take a bivy, bag, food and water back with you as safety equipment so you're not going empty.  Anything is doable if you are physically capable. Or you have to waste a bunch of meat because you aren't prepared to make two go arounds. Put on 90 lbs and do 5 miles, in the hills, to train. I'm not at all implying you can't, you might find that not a big deal at all. It's just a benchmark against the real situation you could find yourself in. Because of the load you humped in, the temperatures, the adrenaline you've burnt the poor sleep and the intra-day hiking you put in, you are going to be doing the hardest work in your worst state if you are successful.

If I were greater than 5 miles I'd be planning on as UL a camp as i can muster. Then if successful a massive pack but moving very slowly. If notably father than 5 miles maybe taking 2 days in one trip out. Otherwise I'd be planning on less than 5 miles.  Having hunted around lake Chelan, i'd want no part of taking out HALF a load down to the lake only to have to go back up 5000 feet to do it again. Hunting up from the lake is no joke. The reality is though that a really massive old deer could be more meat than you can carry in one trip no matter how you slice it.  Have a saw! Even if you keep the cape you can't afford the weight of the head on a long distance solo.

[Rainier10]

There is some great advice here, don't get discouraged get prepared.  Getting in shape is the one that I would recommend most.  Start hiking the Tiger Mountain trail 2-3 times a week.  You should be able to make the summit in 50-60 minutes without stopping, once you do that start hiking with a pack until you can do it in the same amount of time with a 50-60 pound pack.

Good luck and be prepared.

[romaknows]

Well said Colville.

[Pathfinder101]

Lots of good info on this thread.  I've got nothing to add, just want to follow the conversation...

[jaymark6655]

I have only done a high hunt twice. 

The first year I hiked into areas in the dark and left after dark.  I carried a bare frame pack with some rope, hatchet, knife, gps, camelbak, compass, map, first aid kit, rifle, 40 rounds and a jacket.

The second year I planned to stay the whole high season.
I had the same stuff that I carried the first year plus a small BP tent (fits one person or two midgets), a change of cloths, extra socks, 3 PB&J sandwhiches per day, 1 lb of jerky per day, water filter.  I swear even this small amount of gear made my pack come close to 60 pounds so start hiking now, if you get a deer your pack might be over 100 pounds or you will be making two trips.

Two things I learned:
Even 3 liters of water weighs a ton after climbing up some hills and after dark it is really easy to get bored just sitting by or in the tent waiting for the next days hunt.  Other than the extreme boredom at night (which caused me to come home early) the trip was awesome.  Oh yeah and TP some reason I always forget that stuff.

[bullcanyon]

40rds?? You can't have any confidence in your shooting ability. Wow. Thats a lot weight right there.