Post by: Deserthunter2016 on September 14, 2017, 08:28:02 PM
I am planning my first solo backcountry high buck hunt next week. I've read a bunch of things on solo backpack hunts, but just wondering if anyone on here would have some good tips or advice that they have learned from their own experiences. I have scouted the area I am going into, and have a fair amount of experience backpacking and just being in the backcountry just never on my own. Thanks in advance!
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Post by: 300rum on September 14, 2017, 08:31:41 PM
Post by: FWilliams on September 14, 2017, 09:58:38 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on September 15, 2017, 05:38:12 AM
Doesn't sound like it to me, life in the back country solo is a whole different ball game.
Not trying to scare you off from it, but think all the worst case senerios that could happen. Broken leg/arm/hand/ankle, sprained ankle , knee injury, sever knife/puncture wound, hypothermia, wounds caused by animal attack, self inflicted gun shot (don't laugh it happens), back injury, being pinned by some freak of nature tree/rock falling on you etc..
Now are you prepared to handle these things alone, do you have any first aid training, could you give yourself stitches, cut off your leg, or arm.
One thing I do when going solo is to add prescription pain killers to my first aid kit that I have saved from prior medical events.
Just some things to ponder, one can never truly be ready for every senerio that might happen, but thinking about them can help you be prepared if something happens. :twocents:
Post by: Deserthunter2016 on September 15, 2017, 06:17:21 AM
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Post by: Stein on September 15, 2017, 07:56:51 AM
Post by: Bill W on September 15, 2017, 08:11:41 AM
Post by: lord grizzly on September 15, 2017, 09:06:58 AM
Have you day hiked solo?
Doesn't sound like it to me, life in the back country solo is a whole different ball game.
Not trying to scare you off from it, but think all the worst case senerios that could happen. Broken leg/arm/hand/ankle, sprained ankle , knee injury, sever knife/puncture wound, hypothermia, wounds caused by animal attack, self inflicted gun shot (don't laugh it happens), back injury, being pinned by some freak of nature tree/rock falling on you etc..
Now are you prepared to handle these things alone, do you have any first aid training, could you give yourself stitches, cut off your leg, or arm.
One thing I do when going solo is to add prescription pain killers to my first aid kit that I have saved from prior medical events.
Just some things to ponder, one can never truly be ready for every senerio that might happen, but thinking about them can help you be prepared if something happens. :twocents:
this one made me laugh. if you cant fix it with duct tape and blood clot your screwed any way. part of the deal.
Post by: kselkhunter on September 15, 2017, 09:42:49 AM
And assume you'll be "temporarily lost" at some point. Meaning you know the mountain range you're in, but have no clue where you're at or where camp is at that moment. it happens sometimes. And sometimes the GPS can't find a location, and if you're in timber you don't have anything to get a visual fix on. When I know I'm temporarily lost, I like to sit down and have a snack and relax before I even bother pulling out the GPS or compass/map. Your worst enemy while solo is panic.
If on an extended trip (more than 3 days) solo, I like to take a morning off and sleep in around day 4 or 5. Read a book and clear your mind all morning. Taking a pause mid week to rest and recoup helps me when I'm out solo for a longer trip if the animals aren't where I thought they'd be.
Also, I leave and return to camp in the dark when hunting. When with friends, we'll walk a few miles in the dark back to camp in the backcountry. When I first started out solo backcountry years ago, I finished my evening hunts closer to camp to minimize risk. As I've gotten more experienced I've stretched that out.
I take less risks when solo. Some really steep slopes I'll avoid. Even then I've had my share of slides down a mountain miles from a road while solo and have been very lucky to avoid injury. Just be smart, take your time, and never rush. I have DeLorme now, so at least friends/family can follow the breadcrumbs if something happens to me (and I can push the SOS button if still conscious).
My :twocents: ......
Post by: bearpaw on September 15, 2017, 10:08:01 AM
Hey everyone,
I am planning my first solo backcountry high buck hunt next week. I've read a bunch of things on solo backpack hunts, but just wondering if anyone on here would have some good tips or advice that they have learned from their own experiences. I have scouted the area I am going into, and have a fair amount of experience backpacking and just being in the backcountry just never on my own. Thanks in advance!
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Be sure that friends or family know where you are going and when to expect you back.
Post by: acnewman55 on September 15, 2017, 10:15:26 AM
Expect to be a bit nervous at night, for whatever reason not having a buddy completely changes the nights. You also don't have anyone to push you and it is easier to bail out when you don't have to convince someone else. Keep your mind in the game and commit to a certain number of days and know your mind will try to talk you out of it.
This is my experience when solo hunting. I don't fall asleep for hours. Bring a book, listen to a podcast, etc. I usually can't sleep safe in my own bed until 10:30.
Alone, in the wilderness? I don't fall asleep until midnight.
Mentally - the game is tougher for me. Without the camaraderie of a partner, and without someone to watch my back. It takes more effort to push myself.
I passed up a nice black bear a few weekends back that would have been my first bear. Because I was alone, getting dark, and didn't like the prospect of a solo packout from where I was. Regretted it the next day.
If I had a partner with me, I'd be eating bear stew tonight.
So be prepared for the mental battle.
Post by: Deserthunter2016 on September 15, 2017, 10:22:16 AM
Looking at the change in weather this next week that may be a concern, but I have clothing and gear to accommodate for it.
I'm looking forward to the experience.
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Post by: ctwiggs1 on September 15, 2017, 10:52:37 AM
Hey everyone,
I am planning my first solo backcountry high buck hunt next week. I've read a bunch of things on solo backpack hunts, but just wondering if anyone on here would have some good tips or advice that they have learned from their own experiences. I have scouted the area I am going into, and have a fair amount of experience backpacking and just being in the backcountry just never on my own. Thanks in advance!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Be sure that friends or family know where you are going and when to expect you back.
:yeah:
I have 3 maps when I do back country hunts. I have one in my pack, one I leave with my wife at home so she knows exactly what my planned route is (Of course I'll deviate for animals but that'll give SAR a good starting point), and I leave a copy the map my wife has under my windshield wiper with a note of when I intend to be back.
I'm not a huge fan of doing this last one but I decided after I had kids that my safety was far more important than the chance of someone ruining "my areas". Most people won't hunt the back areas I like to get into so I haven't had any issues yet. And it's worked out twice now that I was able to park my truck in another hunters camp that I know, so I could be confident that they wouldn't come out to my area because I knew them.
Post by: BD1 on September 15, 2017, 11:53:28 AM
Post by: j_h_nimrod on September 15, 2017, 01:25:46 PM
Post by: Stein on September 15, 2017, 02:42:32 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on September 15, 2017, 03:25:46 PM
One more safety item, when I leave my wife a map, I also text her pics of the truck (with license plate), a pic of my tent setup, a pic of me and one of my pack.
Great idea, never thought of that one. :tup:
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on September 15, 2017, 03:28:28 PM
Have you day hiked solo?
Doesn't sound like it to me, life in the back country solo is a whole different ball game.
Not trying to scare you off from it, but think all the worst case senerios that could happen. Broken leg/arm/hand/ankle, sprained ankle , knee injury, sever knife/puncture wound, hypothermia, wounds caused by animal attack, self inflicted gun shot (don't laugh it happens), back injury, being pinned by some freak of nature tree/rock falling on you etc..
Now are you prepared to handle these things alone, do you have any first aid training, could you give yourself stitches, cut off your leg, or arm.
One thing I do when going solo is to add prescription pain killers to my first aid kit that I have saved from prior medical events.
Just some things to ponder, one can never truly be ready for every senerio that might happen, but thinking about them can help you be prepared if something happens. :twocents:
this one made me laugh. if you cant fix it with duct tape and blood clot your screwed any way. part of the deal.
Bet this guy wasn't laughing!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aron_Ralston
Post by: ctwiggs1 on September 15, 2017, 03:50:59 PM
One more safety item, when I leave my wife a map, I also text her pics of the truck (with license plate), a pic of my tent setup, a pic of me and one of my pack.
I like that. I'll start doing that.
Post by: savagehunter on September 17, 2017, 07:12:49 AM
Post by: HuntnFishnRyan on September 17, 2017, 01:52:38 PM
Post by: Doublelunger on September 17, 2017, 02:06:45 PM
Post by: banishd on September 17, 2017, 02:18:54 PM
Post by: Deserthunter2016 on September 17, 2017, 03:00:15 PM
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Post by: HuntnFishnRyan on September 17, 2017, 04:53:52 PM
Are you packing a side arm? My first solo trip I expected to be a little nervous at night. I ended up sleeping like a baby every night. Im pretty sure it was the peace of mind the pistol by my side gave me.
sidearm is good provided you can get to it in time, point and shoot. There is a story on the web of 2 guys in a tent who had everything. bear spray and guns. A grizz busted in and killed them both.
Another story of a black bear vs. camp counselor in sleeping bag just this year. Be safe out there. http://nypost.com/2017/07/09/bear-takes-a-chomp-out-of-sleeping-camp-counselors-head/
Post by: Deserthunter2016 on September 17, 2017, 05:36:08 PM
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Post by: dreadi on September 17, 2017, 05:52:22 PM
Post by: Bill W on September 17, 2017, 07:50:23 PM
Post by: savagehunter on September 17, 2017, 08:06:19 PM
Post by: millerwheeler on September 19, 2017, 11:05:42 AM
GARMON INREACH will make you feel better and ur family you can text on it and it tracks you. Also has an SOS feature for the I'm screwed scenario
Have fun and don't be afraid to talk to yourself
Post by: JLS on September 19, 2017, 12:12:16 PM
What does everyone do with their food? I'm taking mostly prepackaged food like mountain house, protein bars, oatmeal, etc. I usually just keep it in my backpack next to the tent. Does anyone hang theirs from a tree at all?
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I always hang my food.
Post by: yakimanoob on September 19, 2017, 08:55:05 PM
Got the picture yet?
I've never seen a bear in the backcountry (seriously, although I'm hoping to change that now that I've acquired the hunting bug) but I've lost quite a bit of gear to mice.
Also +1 for Mtn House or similar meals. Instant oatmeal for breakfast. Bars and jerky for lunch. Mtn House for dinner. Trail mix or more bars for snacks. It's really hard to beat trail mix for calories per ounce. But it's very easy to eat more calories than you need of trail mix :chuckle:
Post by: biggfish on September 20, 2017, 01:38:38 AM
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Post by: Skyvalhunter on September 20, 2017, 05:32:56 AM
Post by: jjhunter on September 20, 2017, 06:06:10 AM
Post by: Bwana Bob on September 20, 2017, 07:34:52 AM
Post by: Bill W on September 20, 2017, 07:57:15 AM
Stay out of hell holes unless your physically and mentally capable of getting an animal out of it.
Bob could have given you another one. Don't hunt with Bill W. I have a picture of Bob, me and two others that went 4 for 4 on the high hunt opener back approximately 1987.
Post by: kselkhunter on September 20, 2017, 08:20:11 AM
What does everyone do with their food? I'm taking mostly prepackaged food like mountain house, protein bars, oatmeal, etc. I usually just keep it in my backpack next to the tent. Does anyone hang theirs from a tree at all?I've never hung food at camp. If I know I'm backpacking in an area with a dense population of bears, or grizzly country, then I pack the BearVault. Otherwise, the OpSack works very well at preventing food scent and I usually pack two, one for trash. Plus I always pack my Scent Bag on backcountry hunting trips to store my clothes in overnight, and generally just leave the OpSack in the Scent Bag when I leave camp. I've never had a problem with mice or other animals in my tent with this approach.
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Post by: Cab on September 20, 2017, 09:09:24 AM
Post by: Bookworm007 on September 20, 2017, 06:25:30 PM
When camping alone I like to bring ear plugs, it helps me sleep and not listen to every single little snapping twig. It might make me more vulnerable but in our state I haven't heard of many people attacked in their sleep.
Post by: Deserthunter2016 on September 20, 2017, 07:11:12 PM
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Post by: R2Rcoulee on September 20, 2017, 07:15:40 PM
Post by: Skyvalhunter on September 21, 2017, 05:57:30 AM
Post by: R2Rcoulee on September 21, 2017, 03:47:29 PM