Post by: haftard on February 26, 2020, 11:20:26 PM
Post by: follow maggie on February 26, 2020, 11:35:10 PM
Post by: 444Marlin on February 27, 2020, 09:35:41 AM
I was a back-packer and mountaineer before I started hunting. Running into archery hunters back in the wilderness areas back in the day I thought, "...That is so COOL! I want to do that!" The transition was easier for me because I already had my back-packing kit dialed in and I was used to being cold and miserable for days at a time . And there is a philosophy for alpine mountaineering of traveling "Fast and Light" that translates well into hunting. And with hunting you are hopefully coming out heavy!
Start by doing some backpack trips. The Goat Rocks is a great area. As well as Bumping River, William O'. If you can borrow some gear and packs to take for a test drive to see what you like and don't like - and then settle on what you want to buy.
Your pack will need to be versatile, being able to expand for coming out heavy and comfortable for packing a variety of loads. I use the same basic pack design that I did 20 years ago: Mystery Ranch (Formerly Dana Designs), just with updated features and materials. My stove is still the same one I used for 20+ years, but I've switched back and forth between different cook kits. Tents: I like floorless, single pole (or use your trekking poles)...great weight/room. And I'm a down bag guy. 800 or better fill with good draft tubes and collars. Water filter is a pump, PUR Hiker (now they are Katahdin?).
Post by: Stein on February 27, 2020, 09:38:03 AM
Post by: Cab on February 27, 2020, 11:07:59 AM
1. Timing and weather, expect it to be colder the higher up you go. First trip I went it was late sept and it was 70's at home.....30 at 6k in elevation. My sleeping pad and bag was rated for 40 degrees, safe to say it was a cold night for me.
2. Go out and hike the spot you want and really figure out the location you want to camp. This came in handy since I showed up to my spot in the pitch black, it was snowing(was not expecting that) and it had HEAVY fog. Fog so heavy I couldn't see anything so it would have been a nightmare if I had not known exactly where I wanted to camp.
3. Pack weight really matters, how far are you going to go and how much is on your back? Know this and plan for it. If your 2 miles from your truck and you plan to go 2 miles from base camp to hunt/kill your deer you are now 4 miles from your truck. 2 trips of carrying deer meat to(3 trips of 2 miles 2 with weight) base camp is 6 miles, 3 trips from base camp to the truck is 10 miles(3 trips with weight 2 with deer meat 1 with camping gear 2 without any weight 5 total trips for a total of 10 miles) so that's 16 miles in 1 day of hiking to get a deer out to the truck in a day. Plan ahead and do the math before getting in too deep especially if your alone. My first time I went 1 mile in from the truck and stay in a 1 mile radius roughly to play it safe.
4. WATER WATER WATER, what is going to be your water source? My first trip I was foolish and the area had no water source so that meant I had to carry it on my back :bash: so not fun, it doubled the weight of my pack.
5. Emergency plan, your out there hunting and suddenly you break your ankle.....whats the plan? Have your location and the area you're going to hunt figured out. Give your EXACT location to a girlfriend,wife, parents or buddy and tell them your time line. Tell them, if you don't hear from me by Sunday at 6pm start getting worried and if you don't hear from me by Monday 8 am call for help, I'll be in this location. Would it suck paying for search and rescue to haul you out, absolutely, but at least your alive. I make a game plan with my wife every time and I never stray from my location. I tell her where I'm going to be, I even tell her I'm hunting this area and I try to stay in that range at all time.
6. FOOD, plan this part well and let me tell you that a nice Cliff bar or other bars like it are great to save weight BUT if it's freezing those bars are hard as a rock! You'll break your teeth trying to eat them. Plan food that you don't need to heat up to enjoy because you could get there and it rains nonstop and now building a fire is a total struggle. Mountain house meals are better warmed up but you can eat them just fine cold. Can you build a fire in the rain? For sure but if your cold, hungry and wet how much patience are you going to have?
7. Don't let your ego/excitement get in the way! You see a perfect buck on this ridge, you have an ok shot but then realize that if that shot doesn't drop that buck in it's tracks that it's going to run down hill and that's 1k down hill into a hell hole. My first trip went so poorly that after being out there for 12hours I realized that NOTHING was going to plan, my gear was not rated for the temps at night which I didn't expect, all my clothes were soaked, my Cliff bars were all hard as a rock, everything was wet because it rained and snowed so making a fire while freezing was WAY harder then I expected(nor did the fire last very long no matter how hard I tried). I was cold, wet, hungry, I got 1 hour of sleep at best, I was in great shape physically but mentally I wasn't in any shape to make smart decisions. I packed it in and went home instead of moving my base camp another mile in which was the plan :bdid:. Be smart and be safe, it might hurt your ego but it will end up being a story you can laugh about afterwards. I still plan to go back to that spot some day and hunt it, I have a score to settle with it :chuckle: but at least I can because I didn't let me ego make decisions for me.
Hope this helps and I hope your first trip is better then mine was.
Post by: OltHunter on February 27, 2020, 02:20:16 PM
Sport Clot and some type of tourniquet system.
Post by: haftard on February 27, 2020, 06:19:06 PM
2 plan ahead. Water. Camp site. Foods.
3 plan for the worst and plan for freezing tems
4 do a pre trip
5 grt in shape.
6 try it barrow as much as posibal or go with a buddy
Post by: 444Marlin on February 27, 2020, 08:55:26 PM
Splitting up communal gear: stove, cook set, tent, food, first aid, water filter - can cut back on each individuals' total pack weight. Having someone to share camp duties with can also help with efficiencies. And it's always good to have someone to help if something goes awry.
There were a couple early MeatEater podcasts that were focused on gear, that might be worthwhile to listen to. Again, it's tough to weed out what is a valid preference for something because it's good solid gear, vs. who their title sponsors are for those episodes.
And all the best gear in the world won't do you a bit of good if you don't have good physical and mental fitness. Walking in the mountains is different than doing a stair-climber in a gym. Handling a stressful day at home is a lot different than a stressful day in the wilderness hours from first responders.
Post by: bornhunter on February 27, 2020, 09:17:04 PM
Post by: haftard on February 27, 2020, 11:05:21 PM
Post by: Onewhohikes on February 28, 2020, 05:13:47 AM
Post by: Tbob on February 28, 2020, 09:47:08 AM
Post by: Jpmiller on February 28, 2020, 10:32:01 AM
Get a pack with some kind of frame. in my experience makes everything way better.
Post by: millerwheeler on February 28, 2020, 10:56:32 AM
Don't buy super expensive gear and don't look strictly at backpack hunting brands. Lots of non hunting companies make good stuff. You can upgrade later when you figure out what you like.
Get a pack with some kind of frame. in my experience makes everything way better.
To be fair if you find something you really like or that u know will suit you you should buy the best you can afford. This upgrade later advice costs people so much more down the road . Just saying
Post by: buglebrush on February 28, 2020, 11:48:34 AM
Don't buy super expensive gear and don't look strictly at backpack hunting brands. Lots of non hunting companies make good stuff. You can upgrade later when you figure out what you like.
Get a pack with some kind of frame. in my experience makes everything way better.
Buy once, cry once. :twocents:
If you can't afford a quality pack, etc... I'd try to borrow.
Post by: Jpmiller on February 28, 2020, 11:55:15 AM
If id bought the first sleep system I thought I wanted I'd be in it for close to a grand all said and done and I now know I would have hated it. I used a cheaper pad, a bag I already had and bought a 125 dollar tent and figured out what I did and didn't like and went from there. Living out of a pack is alot different than a truck. Get out there and have fun!
Post by: kselkhunter on February 28, 2020, 12:11:54 PM
1. You mention you haven't backpacked before. I'd start there and do a few backpacking trips this summer to make sure you enjoy it. Because if you don't enjoy backpacking, you're not going to enjoy backpack hunting.
2. Goat Rocks in October will have weather. I have done a lot of October/November/December backpacking trips, and there are different challenges you run into due to weather that maybe better doing your first trip in an earlier season. Have you considered doing the September "high buck" season in a different wilderness area for your first backpack hunt trip? Yes those seasons can still sometimes see snow, but nothing on the level of what you can get in October in Goat Rocks. I change gear for later season hunts, so my answers to your gear question become different. For example if you're set on October in Goat Rocks, then my tent suggestion would change.
In terms of what to buy, there are plenty of online gear lists that you can research, and it really depends highly on your budget regarding which brands you choose. When prioritizing how to spend your budget on the big ticket items, I would rank in this order of funds priority: 1) Boots, 2) Sleeping bag, 3) Pack, 4) Tent, 5) Pad, 6) Filter, 7) Cookstove. If we're talking October/November hunts, I would swap the Tent and Pack order. Quality boots are extremely important to me, don't cut costs there. Survival gear is also important, so have a good survival kit/first aid kit. I love the InReach for communicating back home as I frequently solo backpack hunt, but you can see how the budget gets high fast.
Always pack multiple headlamps/light sources.
Feel free to PM with any specific questions.
Edit: I just realized you could be talking about September archery deer season, so my comments about October weather are not as relevant. Also, note that deer numbers in that area are lower than other areas. They're in there, and you can fill the tag if you spend the time to learn the area and deer patterns. But it's lower densities so keep expectations low on how many deer you may see per day.
Post by: JeffRaines on February 29, 2020, 08:58:37 AM
If you don't have anyone to borrow from, another alternative is buying used. You can find things like ultralight tents, packs, bags, etc that are already at used prices. Buy it, try it, if it doesn't suit you sell it back for little to no loss.
A third alternative is buying yourself a pack, and renting the other stuff from REI. The downfall is that all of the stuff will be heavier than you want... but at least you're getting out and trying it out before taking the plunge.
With that said, I echo kselkhunters #1 - get out there this summer and try backpacking in general. Hike in to some lakes with fishing gear... it makes for a fun evening, and bonus of maybe having some fish for dinner.
Another reason I push buying used is that inevitably you'll try gear that just doesn't work for you. A lot of things like packs, sleeping bag/pad, tents, etc. are very personal... some guys are totally fine climbing into a coffin at the end of a day with nothing more than a CCF pad and their rolled up jacket as a pillow and get the best sleep of their life. Other guys like an actual pillow and an inflatable pad... for the most part, this isn't something you can know beforehand... only through trial and error. This is also why there is a huge market for used gear... this goes from packs to tents and even water filtration.
Post by: milldozer on March 02, 2020, 03:00:59 PM
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-hunt-backcountry-podcast/e/58468250
Post by: yakimanoob on April 16, 2020, 11:05:54 AM
I cannot urge you strongly enough to spend as much time backpacking between now and your hunt as you possibly can. If you just do internet learning (which is very valuable, don't get me wrong) and walk out into the Goat Rocks, you're setting yourself up for disaster.
The terrain is complicated at best and downright treacherous in places--it's MUCH easier to get lost there than you may expect. And like others have said, watch the weather. Fall in the Goat Rocks is lovely... 90% of the time. But there's also a chance of a storm that will rock your world.
Warnings aside, HAVE FUN! If you can stay safe, there's no such thing as a bad trip. GRW has some of the most stunning scenery Washington has to offer, and enough goats to justify the name. If you get lucky you might see a deer too :chuckle:
PM me if you have specific questions.
Post by: yakimanoob on April 16, 2020, 11:10:11 AM
But if you can't buy or borrow one, make a plan, tell at least two friends or family members your plan, and then STICK TO YOUR PLAN. If something goes wrong and you're not in the area that you told people you would be, you have nearly eliminated the chances of Search and Rescue finding you in time.
Post by: mburrows on April 16, 2020, 01:26:06 PM
Lots of variation.
Go do a summer fishing trip overnight to learn what you want and can carry. Your "system" will continuously evolve.
Dont pitch your tent in a depression or in sketchy timber.
Post by: Archry on April 16, 2020, 02:45:06 PM
for Firestarter I like petroleum jelly wrapped in a cotton ball. even if it gets wet you can shake it out and still light it on fire
Post by: Bushcraft on May 03, 2020, 12:25:32 AM
What's infinitely more interesting, and others here have touched on it, is...How bad do you want it?
Here's a litmus test:
Try hiking in all your load-out for a backcountry October alpine hunt 7-10 or 20+ miles into where you want to go. Then, after 3-7 days of being trapped in your tent in the cold, rain, sleet, snow, fog and wind that oftentimes feels like it's want to rip you and your shelter off the mountain (and sometimes succeeds in doing if you're using crap gear!), see if your rifle will reliably shoot a minute-of-deer-sized rock at some distance just before dark. Then, assuming your rifle system proved reliably capable enough, put that heavy rock in your pack (i.e., meat, horns and hide) in the dark and get it back to your camp. Then, put the heavy rock and some or all of your camp in your pack and begin death marching for the trailhead and your rig (that you hope starts when you get there), either in one stage or a couple of trips.
If you swear on all of your ancestor's graves that you'll never ever, ever, ever do anything that dumb or painful (or life threatening!) in your life ever again...then mountain hunting might not be for you. Don't worry. It's not a big deal. The mountain doesn't care. Understand that most that try it realize it's not for them.
On the other hand, if you like that sort "Fine and Pleasant Misery"...good on you. You'll likely find yourself doing even more dumb and painful things on future hunts. :chuckle: ;)
Post by: BeerBugler on May 03, 2020, 07:22:40 AM
Post by: Buckhunter24 on May 05, 2020, 05:10:25 PM
I'd try to borrow gear to begin with. Yes, you don't need to spend thousands on gear to start with, but the reality is that lightweight gear thats good kinda costs $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$... its pointless, in my opinion, to buy a $100 sleeping bag, a $50 dollar sleeping pad, some $150 pack and a $100 tent to end up figuring out that you enjoy it. I don't know if you've checked the used market on stuff, but the cheap stuff holds value terribly... and thats if you can even find a buyer. You'll be lucky to sell the stuff back for $100 bucks total.
If you don't have anyone to borrow from, another alternative is buying used. You can find things like ultralight tents, packs, bags, etc that are already at used prices. Buy it, try it, if it doesn't suit you sell it back for little to no loss.
A third alternative is buying yourself a pack, and renting the other stuff from REI. The downfall is that all of the stuff will be heavier than you want... but at least you're getting out and trying it out before taking the plunge.
With that said, I echo kselkhunters #1 - get out there this summer and try backpacking in general. Hike in to some lakes with fishing gear... it makes for a fun evening, and bonus of maybe having some fish for dinner.
Another reason I push buying used is that inevitably you'll try gear that just doesn't work for you. A lot of things like packs, sleeping bag/pad, tents, etc. are very personal... some guys are totally fine climbing into a coffin at the end of a day with nothing more than a CCF pad and their rolled up jacket as a pillow and get the best sleep of their life. Other guys like an actual pillow and an inflatable pad... for the most part, this isn't something you can know beforehand... only through trial and error. This is also why there is a huge market for used gear... this goes from packs to tents and even water filtration.
This made me laugh, over the last few months I bought all 4 pieces of gear mentioned and was within $20 of each of the prices mentioned.. :cmp1:
Post by: Old Grizzly on May 17, 2020, 08:15:45 AM
I have done it as well, did 9 days solo in Idaho, ( 69 yrs old) last year and will do it again this year. If you care to PM me I will give you my phone number and we can talk through all your questions and concerns.
Old Grizzly
Post by: blackveltbowhunter on May 17, 2020, 09:17:13 AM
If you have not backpack camped. Do that first and go from there.
A bottle of Tylenol PM can overcome lots of adversity and is cheap and light.
NOTHING on a backpack hunt is more difficult to overcome than lack of game. Spend 5 days socked in rain, wind, fog in a pup tent and get out and chase game all day. Who cares. Spend 5 days in gorgeous weather with no game spotted in that time and I will take the first option every time. Gotta be tough. But temper it with being smart.
Anything in the Cascades/Olympics be prepared for wet. Wool and functional rain gear are your friends.
Being over prepared comes at a high cost and is where a lot of weight can be saved that wont cost a dime. This will come with expereince, but besides survival gear and some basic backup items, be very skeptical of taking things you "might" need. I used to pack softshells, extra long johns, thermals, throw in extra bars and food "just in case". All that added up to significant weight and 99 percent of the time it never came out of the pack, the other 1 percent was luxury more than anything. I do pack extra coffee, tea or cocoa packets as it helps pass the time stuck in a tent, or behind the spotter and is very minimal weight cost.
Specific to GR get off trails. Especially if the weather is good. Its a beautiful area, have fun.