Big Game Hunting Moose, elk, mulies, caribou, bear, goats, and sheep are all covered here.
 Nosler

backpacking for game?

Old 07-26-2009, 01:59 PM
  #1  
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
 
salukipv1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: IL
Posts: 6,575
Default backpacking for game?

Does anyone out there go backpacking for elk or other game?

Mostly interested in hearing from people who just use backpacks, not pack mules/horses etc...

I like the idea of packing into the back country and getting away from the crowds, but seems pretty tough task. Simply carrying enough gear for a week or 10day hunt clothes and food alone I think would add so much weight. Not to mention bow/rifle plus meat once you get lucky, though I could happily deal with packing out horns/meat.

Just been looking at tents, packs, sleeping bags lately, kinda trying to come up with a reason to buy this gear. Just going on a backpacking trip sounds pretty fun though too.

In some areas too it almost seems tough to get away from access roads etc...I'm sure wilderness areas aren't too tough to get away, so maybe is this the only areas backpackers backpack to get away from it all. wilderness areas?

Also what's the typical pack load weight? how big of a pack do you use?
salukipv1 is offline  
Old 07-26-2009, 06:33 PM
  #2  
Nontypical Buck
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,526
Default

If I have more than a day off at a time it is the only way that I hunt for big game anymore.

It is a physically demanding way to hunt, but I have found that if you are away from the roads a good 6 miles or more and off of the main trails at least a mile or two that you will see a lot more game. You will find that you can be back in the woods 10-15 miles and still see a lot of people on horseback if you are on a main trail.

For my longer trips lately I have been using a Crooked Horn High Country Extreme II backpack, but I have used plenty of others. Fit, balance, and weight are crucial. On a typical late season 10 day excursion including the weight of the pack itself, the rifle or bow, and a full water bladder I am carrying about 56-60 pounds. That is my max load, but for the majority of my hunting it is somewhere around 45-50 pounds everything included for a 10 day trip. Remember that your pack will get lighter every day as you consume food.

Backpack hunting is not for everyone, but I find it very rewarding and to be honest I prefer the solitude. If you have any questions or anything pm me, and I will do my best to answer.
Hurricanespg is offline  
Old 07-27-2009, 12:07 AM
  #3  
Spike
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: wheatland wy
Posts: 51
Default

as a whole my eberlestock j104 stays in the truck till after something gets whacked and needs packed out. for day use after something is found I have my bruzer gear pack for the stalk. I am one of them kids that mommy warned you about. I tend to try to find critters from the roads then find the wind and attack. For them multi day trips the eberlestock is it,
wyheadhunter is offline  
Old 07-27-2009, 06:09 AM
  #4  
Fork Horn
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 356
Default old

removed by RD

Last edited by Ron Duval; 01-21-2010 at 11:45 AM.
Ron Duval is offline  
Old 07-27-2009, 04:53 PM
  #5  
Typical Buck
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: durango Colorado USA
Posts: 567
Default

I've done a couple backpack hunts. What I do now is have someone pack in my gear. I walk in & then set up a base camp. I hunt out of it in various dierctions thru out the week. That 8-10 mile hike in can kick you in the butt----especially carring an 80lb pack.

I usually lose about 15 to 20 pounds in a week of hunting. I've been on 3 sheep hunts & 1 mtn goat hunt this way-----all in Colorado. CB
Colorado Bob is offline  
Old 07-27-2009, 06:16 PM
  #6  
Fork Horn
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Colorado
Posts: 411
Default

Hi Salukipv: The best hunts I have had have been pack-in backcountry hunts in Colorado. They have also been the toughest. I was fortunate to draw a high country buck tag in CO this year and could not be happier. The season has been moved back one week (to Sept 12th) which adds tremendously to the chances of being snowed in. There is no way I would pack into a regular season elk or deer season to the high country, you are going to get snowed in. If you are focusing on light pack weight I would suggest you stop now, I go in with about 90 pounds. Light gear is going to get torn up in a hurry. I go by myself for a week and the tent weighs 23lbs, pack (5,000 cu in) 10lbs, sleeping bag ( -30 degree) 6.5 lbs, 10lbs rifle so I am at 50lbs without food, water, clothing or ancillary/emergency gear. Bill (glob30-06) chimes in from time to time here and you should talk to him as well. If you have questions, let me know.

Good luck.

Last edited by ColoradoElk; 07-27-2009 at 06:23 PM.
ColoradoElk is offline  
Old 07-27-2009, 07:29 PM
  #7  
Fork Horn
 
onebigelk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: southeast missouri
Posts: 191
Default

Thank you Salukipv1 for starting this thread. I have the same questions, going on first archery elk hunt this fall with son-in-law. We are planning to pack in a ways. Would anyone have any recommendations on water use. Whether to try and pack in all that we think we will need or use purifying tablets or fittration bottles?
onebigelk is offline  
Old 07-27-2009, 07:49 PM
  #8  
Fork Horn
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Colorado
Posts: 411
Default

Hi OBE: You will not be able to pack enough water and will need a filtration system. I used to carry crystal light to add to water after the tablets to make the taste better, but now prefer filtration. I hunt more like Co Bob and might go in 10-12 miles, set up a base and go out on day jaunts until I find animals. I spent much of my youth "backpacking" around NH and VT and will tell you that gear that might last a lifetime hiking the AT is just not going to cut it bushwacking. Between the brush, thorns and branches, chinks are a must. I used an EMS brand pack for many years on trails and it was ripped to shreds the first hunt I used it on. I do try to cut weight, just won't do it with the items I mentioned. I pare down MREs from Meyer's Custom Supply, which become quite light, don't require you to carry a stove/fuel and are tasty.
ColoradoElk is offline  
Old 07-27-2009, 09:30 PM
  #9  
Banned
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 211
Default

heres a pic of last years elk hunt 5.2 miles in, as the crow flys, backpacks, approximately 60 ls, 5 day hunt.
Attached Thumbnails backpacking for game?-017.jpg  
Muley669 is offline  
Old 07-28-2009, 07:32 AM
  #10  
Fork Horn
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 356
Default old

removed by RD

Last edited by Ron Duval; 01-21-2010 at 11:45 AM.
Ron Duval is offline  

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.