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.

[jaymark6655]

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

It was more incase I got lost or something else bad happened.

[400out]

what caliber do you shoot? could be a money maker in that area  just hang some signs  " AMMO ---->"

[hillbillyhunting]

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.

 

[jaymark6655]

Okay I guess I don't need that many, but figure I should have extra just in case.  They are only little .308 win so didn't think they weighed that much.  Its only two little boxes.  I would rather have too many, than not enough.

[summit creek]

horses wall tent woodstove food beer!!!

[Rainier10]

horses wall tent woodstove food beer!!!

I used to hunt with a guy that had your same list but his order of importance was reversed.

[hillbillyhunting]

horses wall tent woodstove food beer!!!

One year we were camping about 12-13 miles back and found three Busch lights.  We figured they were left by bear hunters.  We drank them on like our 6th day when our spirits were low.  BEST BEERS I HAVE EVER HAD!

[Chesapeake]

I've never found full beers, but I've found half melted cans in fire pits. I was always amazed folks were willing to pack them that far, and yet still too lazy to pack out the trash. But then I also find it ironic finding Power bar and Cliff bar wrapers along hiking trails.
Its way easier to pack a small platypus bag of your choice of spirit. More bang for the weight also.

Of the 4 deer we've taken on the High Buck, the younger ones boned out at 60 and the larger older ones were about 80 pounds. It would be a good idea to hunt 2 guys, planning on 1 deer.

Instead of PB and J you could do PB and Bacon for more calories.

As far as "food, water, tents, clothing, ect.."

Food: I take a bit over a pound a day of food looking for calories and some flavor/texture. You could go all freeze dried and be light, but it would suck. Food is great comfort and can keep spirits up when weather is bad.  Example: A roll of bagels, ziplock of almond butter, couple packs of tuna sandwich spread, Mt house meal per diner, few packs of Idahoan instant spuds, several Cliff bars per day, a big bag of trail mix, jerky, gel energy shots, crystal light or other drink mixes, bag of dried fruit, several of the mustard and mayo pouches from the deli, small bottle of olive oil, small shaker of pepper spice blend, ect... I devide all my stuff into per day portions. It helps keep me on schedule with calorie intake. I cook my stuff with the Jetboil titanium. I used the standard Jetboil for years also.

Water: I carry a filter, a big (few gallon) Platypus bag, 1 2 liter pouch, 1, 1.8 liter blader, and a small ~ 20 oz pouch for mixed drinks. Depending on where I know water is I might go in with more or less water. I always have the bladder full ( I drink it each day) and may carry and extra liter in the 2 liter pouch for cooking dinner/breakfast. I use the big bag and 2 liter pouch for transporting water from the source to camp. This allows me to do a few days between water runs if camp isnt neer water.

Tents: We use the Mega-light, or the TiGoat 6 man TP. Basicaly you need light weight, with room for gear and cooking when your socked in with sleet and rain. I also carry a UL bivey and tarp as part of my day/spike/emergency gear.

Clothing: I use the Kuiu attack pants, or Sitka ascent pants, a marino base layer, fleece mid layer jacket, primaloft puff jacket, and a water proof shell top and bottom. I bring 2 base tops, several pairs of socks and skivies, wool gloves, beanie, gaitors, stiff waterproof hiking boots, ect. The weather will swing from freezing at night to 70 and sunny mid afternoon with some rain, snow, and sleet thrown in for good measure. You need enough to be warm and dry sitting stationary while glassing in a snow flurry, but also need to be able to strip down to a T-shirt and pants for hot hiking.

Sleeping: I use a Neo air pad, 40° synthetic bag, Sea to summit bag liner, and UL bivey. I can use it all for below freezing stuff or leave out the bivey or liner for warmer stuff.

I dont take any cotton or down. Stuff gets wet and its hard to dry on a mountain at tree line in September. I always have rain gear top and bottom. I've never yet made a high hunt without rain. I dont wear an insulating bottom layer. Pants and rain pants are all I've ever needed, YMMV. Gaitors are a must for me. The brush is always soaked with dew in the mornings or rain. Waterproof boots are a must. Wet frozen boots in the morning suck.

Bring a few LED head lamps and batteries. The new super bright ones are nice for finding trails and your way in the dark. First aid kit, fire starting stuff, GPS, locator beacon, cell phone, hygene gear, knife, 550 cord, game bags, bino's, spotter ect.................

Seems my pack is always right around 50 pounds going in, often 80+ on the way out. Get in shape, it makes the trip much more fun when its not a death march.
   


 

[hillbillyhunting]

I've never found full beers, but I've found half melted cans in fire pits. I was always amazed folks were willing to pack them that far, and yet still too lazy to pack out the trash. But then I also find it ironic finding Power bar and Cliff bar wrapers along hiking trails.
Its way easier to pack a small platypus bag of your choice of spirit. More bang for the weight also.

Of the 4 deer we've taken on the High Buck, the younger ones boned out at 60 and the larger older ones were about 80 pounds. It would be a good idea to hunt 2 guys, planning on 1 deer.

Instead of PB and J you could do PB and Bacon for more calories.

As far as "food, water, tents, clothing, ect.."

Food: I take a bit over a pound a day of food looking for calories and some flavor/texture. You could go all freeze dried and be light, but it would suck. Food is great comfort and can keep spirits up when weather is bad.  Example: A roll of bagels, ziplock of almond butter, couple packs of tuna sandwich spread, Mt house meal per diner, few packs of Idahoan instant spuds, several Cliff bars per day, a big bag of trail mix, jerky, gel energy shots, crystal light or other drink mixes, bag of dried fruit, several of the mustard and mayo pouches from the deli, small bottle of olive oil, small shaker of pepper spice blend, ect... I devide all my stuff into per day portions. It helps keep me on schedule with calorie intake. I cook my stuff with the Jetboil titanium. I used the standard Jetboil for years also.

Water: I carry a filter, a big (few gallon) Platypus bag, 1 2 liter pouch, 1, 1.8 liter blader, and a small ~ 20 oz pouch for mixed drinks. Depending on where I know water is I might go in with more or less water. I always have the bladder full ( I drink it each day) and may carry and extra liter in the 2 liter pouch for cooking dinner/breakfast. I use the big bag and 2 liter pouch for transporting water from the source to camp. This allows me to do a few days between water runs if camp isnt neer water.

Tents: We use the Mega-light, or the TiGoat 6 man TP. Basicaly you need light weight, with room for gear and cooking when your socked in with sleet and rain. I also carry a UL bivey and tarp as part of my day/spike/emergency gear.

Clothing: I use the Kuiu attack pants, or Sitka ascent pants, a marino base layer, fleece mid layer jacket, primaloft puff jacket, and a water proof shell top and bottom. I bring 2 base tops, several pairs of socks and skivies, wool gloves, beanie, gaitors, stiff waterproof hiking boots, ect. The weather will swing from freezing at night to 70 and sunny mid afternoon with some rain, snow, and sleet thrown in for good measure. You need enough to be warm and dry sitting stationary while glassing in a snow flurry, but also need to be able to strip down to a T-shirt and pants for hot hiking.

Sleeping: I use a Neo air pad, 40° synthetic bag, Sea to summit bag liner, and UL bivey. I can use it all for below freezing stuff or leave out the bivey or liner for warmer stuff.

I dont take any cotton or down. Stuff gets wet and its hard to dry on a mountain at tree line in September. I always have rain gear top and bottom. I've never yet made a high hunt without rain. I dont wear an insulating bottom layer. Pants and rain pants are all I've ever needed, YMMV. Gaitors are a must for me. The brush is always soaked with dew in the mornings or rain. Waterproof boots are a must. Wet frozen boots in the morning suck.

Bring a few LED head lamps and batteries. The new super bright ones are nice for finding trails and your way in the dark. First aid kit, fire starting stuff, GPS, locator beacon, cell phone, hygene gear, knife, 550 cord, game bags, bino's, spotter ect.................

Seems my pack is always right around 50 pounds going in, often 80+ on the way out. Get in shape, it makes the trip much more fun when its not a death march.
   


 

Do you use the floor with your mega-light?  Have you had it in high winds? snow? heavy rain?

[NW-GSP]

Lots of good info guys

[BuckHunter23]

I've never gone on a high hunt myself, but I'm sure it goes without saying, make sure people know where you SPECIFICALLY plan on going so in the event of an emergency you can be rescued.  Saw someone mention a locator beacon as well.  I would love to someday do a high hunt, but I know I am nowhere close to being fit enough now to make it happen anytime soon.  Good luck on your hunt!

[Chesapeake]

Do you use the floor with your mega-light?  Have you had it in high winds? snow? heavy rain?

I own the floor, used it one time. Usualy just carry a piece of Tyvek or similar to toss under the air mattres. No need for a full floor. Had it in maybe 60 MPH or so weather. I dont purposely set it out where it will get the full brunt of the wind, but sometimes your limited by flat spots. We have guy out loops sewn into the seams at mid point on the side panels. TiGoat will do it, or you could do it yourself. They take the wind, snow and rain amazingly well. We've slept 3 before, but really its a 2 man tent.

[belkaholic]

HOLY CRAP! that is alot of realy good info. alot of stuff that i did not think of. we may take the next 2 sumers to get prepared.  there will be 2 of us and i am hopeing to go for 4 or 5 days and want to get whare people are not, 5,8,10 miles, whatever it takes. we are going to make many trips to scout the areas. we are in for the REAL DEAL not half ass so thanks for all your help. i owe you all a beer.

[GHETTO GUIDE]

Waiting for Boneaddict to respond.  I worship the knowledge and content he brings to this topic.  Search the topics on this and youll see what I mean.

[high country]

I run the megalight also. I like my western mountaineering bag a million times more than anything else i have used. I took my boat up lake and hiked into __________ basin. Anyone who tells you it is not too bad, must be in Cameron haines type of shape.....its all up. I have hauled many deer out in a backpack. I go in about #42 with water and ammo and all my gear of course and come out about #45-55 heavier after I remove every ounce of trim on a buck. Get trekking poles. Forget the floor. Use mtn house meals and after you eat them, use them to carry water.....you have to carry them anyhow, why pack a bladder too? Start the climb from the lake with a lot of water.....you will hate life if you get to a creek and its dry. Once you get around 4500 feet water is plentiful.....for a while. Make some trial runs and lose everything you don't use. You don't need more than 10 rounds of ammo. If you cant kill a buck and protect yourself with that, you may want to stay out of big people country. Be careful! You are your own rescue team. Don't do stupid things.

[Chesapeake]

I hardly carry the Mt house bags and if I do its the smaller Pro pack version. I field strip all my freeze dried stuff down to quart ziplock freezer bags. Much lighter and more compact. They handle boiling water just fine. Carry an extra in case a hard noodle pokes a hole in one. You can buy the Mt house meals in bulk tin cans, often cheaper than in bags.

I also use trecking poles and a self built scabbard for the rifle.

"where people are not" is a relative term. You will find that distance from the trail head isnt necesarilly the secret. The trails wander all around the wilderness. You can hike 10 miles down a ridge just to end up at the top of a bowl with an Outfitter set up in the bottom of it. Pre season scouting will show you where the hikers go, but not necesarily the hunters. But it is somewhat easy to identify hunters by the camp sites they leave. You can often get an idea if an area is hunted by looking at and for camp sites on your scouting trips.

The crest trail seems to get hikers all year. As do some of the easy to get to day hike type trails.High mountain lakes are a people magnets.

Be fully prepared to arrive at the trail head and see several vehicles. Also be prepared to hike in several miles just to have other hunters already there, or show up around the weekend. Have a plan A, B, C and D camping spot, as well as hunting spots. Dont expect to be all alone in the wilderness with no other hunters in sight. And dont get discuraged if other hunters show up. Its pretty small odds that you will find a place to be alone in.

[Pathfinder101]

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

It was more incase I got lost or something else bad happened.

Like maybe the marmot version of a zombie-apocalypse, or a rampaging herd of angry bears....

[hillbillyhunting]

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

It was more incase I got lost or something else bad happened.

Like maybe the marmot version of a zombie-apocalypse, or a rampaging herd of angry bears....

Grey jays steeling all of your food needed to survive?  Nuclear holocaust while in the wilderness and disconnected from society?

[JimmyHoffa]

Carry what ever ammo you need...I carry between 12-20 rifle rounds (bolt gun), a loaded revolver with one reload for a total of up to 32.  A guy that goes with me on occasion carries a .308 that takes the standard NATO mags--one in the gun with 2 spares, and a glock with two spare mags, totaling 90 rds.  Not really that bad, as ammo is easy to pack and shift the center of gravity of the pack to a comfortable spot.

[belkaholic]

my next thing i am working on is a good map. am i missing something or is Chelan the closest high buck hunt to puyallup? what are trecking poles, megalites and UL bivey??  thanks again guys.

[longknife]

Dont mean to thread jack but anyone remember Sam Barstal, or Loui Raphael? used to pack in from Suattle creek.

The last time Loui went in , he went alone, and had a horse roll over him, and broke his hip. The man rode the whole way out from ______ lake! Search and rescue met him at the bottom of the mountain. I heard the story again from the same med team in my daughters hunters ed class, odd how people make their marks in this world.
Toughest sob i ever met!
R.I.P my friend!


Very unforgiving up there, but understand the love for the high country!

[fillthefreezer]

my next thing i am working on is a good map. am i missing something or is Chelan the closest high buck hunt to puyallup? what are trecking poles, megalites and UL bivey??  thanks again guys.

trekking poles are like ski poles for hiking, help with ascent and balance
megalite is their tent model i believe and bivy is a bivysack like the ones offered by outdoor research.

[Chesapeake]

UL Bivy is an ultralight water resistant sack that your sleeping bag goes in while you sleep. There are lots of brands and models, some designed as a stand alone type minimalist shelter. The one I use is a Blackdiamond model that is silicone impregnated nylon and DWR coated polyester (or maybe its nylon). Its nor suited for stand alone use in rain, but works great under a tarp as a secondary water barrier.

Trekking poles are ski poles for hiking. They really help with ballance, let your arms do some of the work on the climbs, and let your arms take some of the impact from decents. They also double as a tent pole, shooting sticks, bine support/brace, ect.... I use the Blackdiamond carbon fiber ones.

Megalight is a TP style silicone impregnated nylon tent by Black diamond. Other outfits like Kifaru and Ti Goat make similar.

With backpacking gear you can get great gear with good performance for decent prices, but to get that same performance in gear that is a bit lighter gets real expensive.

[belkaholic]

i thankyou wise hunters or all your help! i can see that i am not ready for this hunt yet. i can handle the distance and pack. its the equipment and distance i need to drive to scout and be well prepared, on whare i am hunting. thankyou for all your help again, i will do it , just not this year.

[Rickyrebar]

1. Be in shape, take a few scouting trips to the area you are considering for your hunt. Those trips will help you prepare for the main event.
2. Gear, quality, not quantity. Take only what you "need", each person is different in their "needs", you have decide what you "need" and if are willing to carry it. Your scouting trips can help you decide between "need" & want. You will discover the true meaning of "need" when you start your journey with your fully loaded pack. Give me a weeks worth of the following and I'll be fine... Mt. House meals in a bag, 5 Hour energy shots, a quality water filter!
3. Research, have a good understanding of where you are going, how to get there, what to expect once you are there, good maps / maps showing the wilderness boundaries, water sources.
4. Have a plan, have a back up plan. It would truly suck to spend the summer scouting an area to hunt only to wake up on opening morning to find another group in your camp with the same ground game as yours (not very likely in the wilderness areas but something to consider).
5. A good hunting partner / partners (same as gear, quality).
Finally, don't put it off... get out and do it, you aren't going to be any younger or in better shape, or better prepared, or better equipped next year... that just you procrastinating. Pull the trigger and do it! I did last year and my only regret was I didn't start doing it 20 years ago, best experience ever!

[Vek]

Your clothing should work as a system - meaning there are no extras (or things left unworn when it's cold/wet) besides one pair each of drawers, liner socks, and heavy socks.   

Mind the weight of your clothes.  A versatile system would be midweight polypro or merino baselayer, primaloft jacket (patagonia puff or similar), lightweight, fast-drying pants (REI Mistral or similar), and waterproof shell/pants (marmot precip or similar), and a beanie hat.  I do a real lightweight poly t-shirt combined with a lightweight fleece for a baselayer on top, as a variation.  This gives me more comfort when I'm working hard. 

Newbs always bring more or heavier stuff than they need.  You don't need a multi-tool.  You don't need a big knife (havalon, 5 extra blades, a sharp victorinox paring knife and a small pocket sharpener will field butcher anything up to a moose).  You don't need more than 8 rounds of ammo.  You don't need a tent with a floor - think Golite floorless or a tarp (bring a very small piece of tyvek to put your pad on).  You don't usually need any extraordinary sleeping bag waterproofing (bivy), unless you KNOW that you'll be camping above treeline in a freaking storm.  You don't need a daypack.  You don't need a nalgene (one 2L bladder and one 32 oz gatorade bottle).  You don't need a water filter (aqua mira drops work great).  You don't need anything more for a pad than a ridgerest (bed location and prep UNDER the pad is critical).  You don't usually need a GPS in mountainous areas, unless you got stuff stashed where you shouldn't (i.e. away from a landmark or choke point).  You don't need freeze-dried food - google homemade hamburger helper and make it using "gravel" (browned and dried ground meat).  You don't need expensive energy bars (google Logan Bread, and substitute whole wheat flour, and some cut oats and cracked wheat for half of the flour called for, and add brown rice syrup and agave nectar and raisins/craisins to taste for sweetness).  Buy a used Dana Designs internal frame pack for half the cost of any of the so-called "hunting" packs, and have a better pack than any but the newest kifarus. 

Black Diamond 2-section collapsible ski poles are tougher than most "hiking" poles.  Cut off what you don't need from the lower section to save weight. 

You don't need a 10-pound rifle.  Sell all your guns and buy a Kimber Montana in 308, 7-08 or 260. 

You don't need a giant scope.  4x or 6x fixed leupold is perfect. 

You don't need a hunting partner (they're REALLY heavy) - but you better figure out how to dead reckon first. 

For starters, anyway. 

[Miles]

I can agree with everything VEK said above, except ditching the water filter.   I've found that in some instances the water filter can allow you to fill your resevoir or bottle where you otherwise wouldn't have been able to.   There was a place this past fall where I could barely get the water to suck up with my filter.  Without a filter I would have been either digging to make a hole or going without water.   Just something to think about, and of course it all depends on the situation (as does all gear).  If you're hunting an area with creeks and streams everywhere than the tablets will work great.   

[hillbillyhunting]

I can agree with everything VEK said above, except ditching the water filter.   I've found that in some instances the water filter can allow you to fill your resevoir or bottle where you otherwise wouldn't have been able to.   There was a place this past fall where I could barely get the water to suck up with my filter.  Without a filter I would have been either digging to make a hole or going without water.   Just something to think about, and of course it all depends on the situation (as does all gear).  If you're hunting an area with creeks and streams everywhere than the tablets will work great.

   With a water filter you can get water out of a muddy puddle of water.  The tablets dont filter the stuff that doesnt taste good.

[AKBowman]

On the subject of a bivvy. I've got the Unishelter Bivy by Integral Designs. I was looking for a Bivvy that was lighter than a tent but more substantial than a sack over my bag. When I'm going on an extended mtn hunt with one other person I will bring my two man Northface Tadpole two man and use it for myself because we can share some weight between the two keeping my pack the same weight.

The Unishelter has a mesh liner with a waterproof shell, it also has a single pole which gives you space over your head acting almost like a small, super light weight one man tent. It has tie offs on both ends so you can "rock it down" pulling both ends apart gives a little bit of loft to the bivvy. This is really really nice when you get socked in and have to spend an extended amount of time in your shelter. If you spend enough time in the wilderness areas this will happen. With a basic bivvy that doesnt have the single pole its so much harder to tough it out.

Unfortunately if you are just starting out your pack will probably be a bit heavier b/c the truth is in order to keep gear (tent, weapon, stove, clothes, pack, etc) light and keep the quality high it costs $. Unless you have $ sitting around to spend most people I know who have light weight/high quality gear have taken years to acquire everything buying items on sale, etc.

Lay everything out and eliminate what you know you wont need. Go on scouting packs overnight and again try to eliminate what you wont need. One thing I wouldnt scimp on is as high a quality, light as you can get, most expensive as you can afford, synthetic bag. 20 degree would be about right for the high hunt. If you go with a bivvy this will add significant warmth to your bag. My 20 degree NF Cats Meow couples with my heavier bivvy rates down to about 10 I would guess.
 I havent gone on a trip like this since 2009 when it was 11 days in October in Alaska for sheep. I think my pack started at 65# and ended at 33#. For a deer high hunt of 7 days you should be able to keep it between 35-40# with a bivvy.

Clothes I bring for a 7 day hunt are:

2 pairs of polypro sock liners
2 pairs of smartwool socks
2 pairs non-cotton underwear
1 set of light/med weight long underwear
1 light weight tightly woven micro fleece long sleeve pullover shirt
1 set light weight packable rainwear
1 pair 235 gram light weight tightly woven micro fleece pants
1 micro fleece beenie
1 set light waterproof gloves
Asolo Fugitive GTX boots

[AKBowman]

Heres a pic of my TNF Tadpole rocked down. I used nylon rope, tied or looped aroud and rock then a bunch of rocks stacked in front of and on top of that. The wind sheer off the glaciers that time of year was nuts and you could hear the gusts ripping through the valley probably 30-40 seconds before it arrived. I would guess the gusts were between 60-75mph. With the guy (sp?) lines completely locked down this tent is bulletproof. I think I must have had easily 60# of rocks on each line and the wind would blow so hard against the sides of the tent it would drag the rocks to the point I had to get up every few hrs and drag them back so the lines were tight.

I have all the conifidence in the world in this tent now. My buddy was using a 3 man REI brand and he bend a pole and shredded the aluminum section that connects two sections of the poles. Good times though.

[JackOfAllTrades]

For any back country hunt.  Scout!  Know where alternate shelter areas are. Some camps are great for the hot day, but when the wind and rain/snow storm hits, know where to get out of the weather if you need to. Alternate camps. (someone might take the one you want) Know where other populated camps are. If you're going solo, if something should happen, those guys might be able to save your life. Know where good water sources are. I went in last year with 20oz of water, knowing that my first hop destination has a good creek only four miles in. Train yourself to run on less water. Keep just enough in you to not get muscle cramps. So many people think that they have to keep drinking all the way. You don't. You can drink too much!, and... Why carry it? No, don't get dehydrated! But learn that balance. I'll take my water filter and fill that 20oz bottle as I go as long as I know there's water on my route. That 5 minute downtime resting by the creek or pond filling a bottle is good for your body too. Take that oportunity to snack and stretch your muscles. Know your equipment. Create spread sheet of all the contents of your pack. Weigh them all. know what you want with you, and what you need with you. The two lists are often different. Go light, but go safe.

-Steve