npaden

Okay, not trying to come off like a complete newbie here, I'm just really getting pumped up for my upcoming Wyoming Wilderness Elk hunt and am going through the list of stuff that I'm going to be packing. We will be staying in a travel trailer pulled 40 miles off pavement to start and packing out daily from there,generally driving a short distance to a trail head each morning.

I've hunted a lot growing up, but it was always unorganized and sometimes we had what we needed, but a lot of times we just made due with what we had. Now that I have to drive 1,000+ miles to go on an elk hunt instead of less than 100 miles I'm trying to be a little more organized.

I'm planning on using a fanny pack and a daypack with the shoulder straps that latch together and a waist strap. The daypack has a removable internal frame and will hopefully double as a meat pack on the first trip out and then my friend has some pack frames to haul the hindquarters out with.

Of course I will have my 7mm Rem Mag with 160gr Winchester Supreme loaded with Accubonds. I'll have 3 rounds in the clip and 4 rounds in the Butler Creek Alaskan Magnum shoulder sling. I'll have my Nikon Monarch 10x42 Binoculars with a crooked horn strap system and I will have a bear spray canister holstered (this area isserious grizzly territory).

I like to use a fanny pack and day pack and put things in the fanny pack that I need to get to without having to take my pack off my back. In my fanny pack I'll have my Gerber knife and sharpener, range finder, gps, hoochie mama cow call, head lamp and a few snacks.

In my back pack I'll have my shooting sticks strapped to the side, my first aid kit with ibuprofen, antihistamne and decongestents (I can get allergeries), bandaids, antiseptic and some guaze. I'll have some athletic tape, duct tape, 50' of nylon rope, my leatherman, some zip ties, extra pair of merino wool socks, a couple bungee cords, 2 AA batteries, an extra headlamp, TP in a ziploc bag, matches and a lighter in a ziploc bag, and some baby wipes in a ziploc bag. I'll also have 2 heavy duty trash bags anda couplemeat sacks. I'll have my 2 literhydration bladderfull of water and will carry my lunch in the backpack along with some emergency snacks (snickers bar &some granola).

I can't decide if I want to mess witha FRS 2 way radio on the trail or not and whether I need an extra knife or sharpener in the pack. I have the leatherman, but without a sharpener also I would be out of luck on skinning an elk with a leatherman if I lost my good knife. I'm planning on checking the weather on the radio and deciding whether to pack my rain gear in the backpack or wear it or leave it at camp.

My friend has a nice little cannon camera so I don't think I'm going to bring my big Nikon DSLR and don't know if I should by a little camera for this trip or not. I need to get one at some point because I never seem to have my DSLR with me because it is too big to haul around.

Back at camp I'll have a rubbermaid tub with extra ammo, butcher knife set, a bunch of AA batteries, Walker Game earphones, decent spotting scope, tripod, and video camera.

For clothing I've got 7 pair of merino wool socks, just my 1 pair of GoreTex hunting boots that I've got broken in well and one big camo jacket, 3 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of camo pants, 4 long sleeve shirts, 2 long sleeve underarmor shirts, 5 T-shirts, camo rain gear (jacket and pants), flourescent orange vest, 2 baseball caps (one is orange) and 1 flourescent orange stocking cap and 1 pair of light gloves. The season opens on September 20th and I just can't see myself packing long johns and heavy winter stuff. I realize I should have an extra pair of boots but I don't see buying a new pair this late in the ballgame as doing much good now. I'll have my running shoes as an emergency backup.

I didn't list out the food, but with the travel trailer as base camp we plan on eating pretty well.

My friend is bringing some scent killer spray andbunch of other stuff. This will be his 6th year in a row to hunt this particular spot and he knows it pretty well and has shot 4 elk out of this spot in the last 5 years. He will have the bugle and a cow call and will be packed pretty well from past experience with hiking with him but this will be the first time hunting with him.

So, with that list of stuff what would you add to or take away? I realize I'll be going early, for the benefit of others who will be going later in the year, what would you add to the list for late season hunting?

Thanks in advance.

Nathan