Going Elk hunting. Have some ???
I bet the still dont have a taco bell there..lol
02-06-2015, 10:19 AM
#18
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Alberta Canada
Posts: 1,081
I prefer wool if I am planning on moving through the thick stuff. Keeps you warm, even if you get it wet. When I am getting my elk, I carry 2 knives, bone saw, surgical gloves, rope, rifle and my tag. Also, a few chocolate bars as a snack.Good luck on your hunt.
02-06-2015, 07:55 PM
#19
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location:
Posts: 6,357
Get some good boots and break them in before the hunt. Meindl Perfekt Hunters from Cabelas are good. No doubt other books are good too. You want solid soles and lots of ankle support.
As others said, plan to wear layered clothes. Wear a base layer of long underwear and long sleeved top of a wicking fabric. That could be polypropylene or Under Armor stuff. That could be merino wool. Over that layer, wear wool -- a long sleeved wool shirt and medium weight wool pants. You can buy nice medium weight wool pants from Filson for about $150/pair. Alternatively, you can buy M-51 US Army Surplus medium weight wool trousers for about $25 on-line if you look around. You can buy new Pendleton wool shirts for about $90. Alternatively, you can buy Pendleton wool shirts for about $25 on eBay used or possibly some other source. Have a item to keep your head warm -- a balaclava. I have a heavy weight wool vest from Filson that I like a lot. I put that on top of the wool shirt. You also need a heavy parka of some sort for when it is really cold. In the morning you may be sitting out in the cold for a period of time -- you'll need the whole assembly of clothes to keep warm then. When the sun is up and you are climbing up a steep mountain on foot, you'll be stripped down as far as you can go. This is why layering is important. That parka should be mostly windproof and water proof but breathable. That is probably a modern fabric of some sort -- Cabela's has something (had something?) called Dri-plus that had this breathable, windproof, mostly water proof but quiet property. By the way, wool retains a lot of its warmth when wet, another good reason to use wool clothing.
I guess if you are going on a guided hunt you don't need to worry about meat care -- that will be the problem for your guides.
I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. It is cold out then. My first year elk hunting I pulled on my hunting clothes and hunting boots. What a pain in the butt. Now I carry a set of sweats and water walkers. I slip on the sweats and the water walkers and I go outside the tent to pee.
Sometimes it is too hot in the tent to be in the sleeping bag. I take a cloth sheet, lay on top of my sleeping bag, and cover myself with my sheet when it is too hot. Wood fires in stoves can make a tent really toasty.
Sunglasses. Lip balm. Hat.
Keep your spirits up. Don't be a Debbie Downer. Things change as quickly as fortunes in a football game. Know what you are going hunting for. If you are after a trophy, define that in your mind. If you are looking for any legal elk, keep that in mind. Not everyone gets an elk when out elk hunting. Be ready to love being in the mountains, love the comfort of a wall tent with a warm wood fire crackling in the stove and scenting the tent with wood smoke. Work hard. It is a marathon not a sprint. Be prepared to hunt the whole season, whatever that may be. To do that you will want to pace yourself. It gets easier as a couple of days pass (I'm assuming you will hunt at relatively high altitude, and if you aren't living at high altitude to start with, it will be tough).
Get in shape. Probably most important is having endurance -- the ability to keep walking, keep going all day long and for day after day. Some strength is also helpful but less critical than you would think. This is especially true if you are going on a guided hunt because that means you won't have to field dress and cut-up your elk yourself or pack it out yourself. That is the HARD part of elk hunting. Try not to be overweight. Work on your legs. Take long walks, preferably with a heavy pack on your back. Climb stairs at work. Run.
As others said, plan to wear layered clothes. Wear a base layer of long underwear and long sleeved top of a wicking fabric. That could be polypropylene or Under Armor stuff. That could be merino wool. Over that layer, wear wool -- a long sleeved wool shirt and medium weight wool pants. You can buy nice medium weight wool pants from Filson for about $150/pair. Alternatively, you can buy M-51 US Army Surplus medium weight wool trousers for about $25 on-line if you look around. You can buy new Pendleton wool shirts for about $90. Alternatively, you can buy Pendleton wool shirts for about $25 on eBay used or possibly some other source. Have a item to keep your head warm -- a balaclava. I have a heavy weight wool vest from Filson that I like a lot. I put that on top of the wool shirt. You also need a heavy parka of some sort for when it is really cold. In the morning you may be sitting out in the cold for a period of time -- you'll need the whole assembly of clothes to keep warm then. When the sun is up and you are climbing up a steep mountain on foot, you'll be stripped down as far as you can go. This is why layering is important. That parka should be mostly windproof and water proof but breathable. That is probably a modern fabric of some sort -- Cabela's has something (had something?) called Dri-plus that had this breathable, windproof, mostly water proof but quiet property. By the way, wool retains a lot of its warmth when wet, another good reason to use wool clothing.
I guess if you are going on a guided hunt you don't need to worry about meat care -- that will be the problem for your guides.
I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. It is cold out then. My first year elk hunting I pulled on my hunting clothes and hunting boots. What a pain in the butt. Now I carry a set of sweats and water walkers. I slip on the sweats and the water walkers and I go outside the tent to pee.
Sometimes it is too hot in the tent to be in the sleeping bag. I take a cloth sheet, lay on top of my sleeping bag, and cover myself with my sheet when it is too hot. Wood fires in stoves can make a tent really toasty.
Sunglasses. Lip balm. Hat.
Keep your spirits up. Don't be a Debbie Downer. Things change as quickly as fortunes in a football game. Know what you are going hunting for. If you are after a trophy, define that in your mind. If you are looking for any legal elk, keep that in mind. Not everyone gets an elk when out elk hunting. Be ready to love being in the mountains, love the comfort of a wall tent with a warm wood fire crackling in the stove and scenting the tent with wood smoke. Work hard. It is a marathon not a sprint. Be prepared to hunt the whole season, whatever that may be. To do that you will want to pace yourself. It gets easier as a couple of days pass (I'm assuming you will hunt at relatively high altitude, and if you aren't living at high altitude to start with, it will be tough).
Get in shape. Probably most important is having endurance -- the ability to keep walking, keep going all day long and for day after day. Some strength is also helpful but less critical than you would think. This is especially true if you are going on a guided hunt because that means you won't have to field dress and cut-up your elk yourself or pack it out yourself. That is the HARD part of elk hunting. Try not to be overweight. Work on your legs. Take long walks, preferably with a heavy pack on your back. Climb stairs at work. Run.
Last edited by Alsatian; 02-06-2015 at 08:17 PM.
