East to West Part III: Putting It All Together

robby denning

robby denning

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
16,144
Location
SE Idaho
Last edited:
Great series. As someone who came to hunting long after backpacking I certainly endorse learning them separately before putting the two together. I'd also add that having someone with you was a wise move for a first time backpack hunter. If hunting and backpacking are two distinct things to master, being solo in the woods is a third, and doing all three at the same time for the first time would be a big ask of anyone.
 
DaveC said:
Great series. As someone who came to hunting long after backpacking I certainly endorse learning them separately before putting the two together. I'd also add that having someone with you was a wise move for a first time backpack hunter. If hunting and backpacking are two distinct things to master, being solo in the woods is a third, and doing all three at the same time for the first time would be a big ask of anyone.
Click to expand...

Thanks Dave. I'd agree that going solo would have added an additional element of difficulty, at a minimum, a second trip in to get the camp I'd left behind would have been needed. The cougar tracks around the water hole found right after arriving at camp would have been a larger concern as well had I been alone.

I hope those considering a hunt in the backcountry for the first time have found this series helpful. If there's anything that was left out or any questions you had from the first two parts that you still have after reading this last article, let me know and I'll help however I can.
 
Nice deer! I've always been a hunter and back packer but I didn't combine the two activities until about 3 years ago. It pretty much occupies all of my time.
 
Enjoyed reading your article on planning a western hunt. Very informative and helpful. Quick question though. How do you read a burn or meadow area on a map or Google earth? I'm trying to use the tactics you described and I don't want to find something that looks good to me and it might be a thicket or something.

I appreciate any help.
 
xcutter said:
Enjoyed reading your article on planning a western hunt. Very informative and helpful. Quick question though. How do you read a burn or meadow area on a map or Google earth? I'm trying to use the tactics you described and I don't want to find something that looks good to me and it might be a thicket or something.

I appreciate any help.
Click to expand...

Burns are going to be difficult to determine as it will mainly depend on the age of the burned area and how recent the satellite imagery is in relation to when the burn occurred. That said, if you see a large swath of trees that are downed and some still standing with brown/black earth below them, that's a pretty good indication of a burn. Your best bet would probably be to go here http://wildfire.cr.usgs.gov/firehistory/data.html and look around on that website and see what you can find for the area you are interested in.

For meadows, any open area surrounded by green is likely to be a meadow in the high country, unless of course it's a lake.
 
Thanks for taking the time out to write this. It's helpful and gives confidence to those venturing west this season.

Regards,

RH
 
Thank you!
Very good read.
Also, very pertinent to my situation, except that my education will be accelerated and my learning curve steep.
At forty, I decided despite having no partners or mentors, that no one could stop me from being a hunter.
If I could hunt the backcountry this year, honestly I would.
It would be inadvisable, probably crazy, and definitely stupid...but no one is going to stop me.
Unfortunately I will not be able to collect even the minimum of gear that would be required to have a safe and hopefully successful trip by this season.
So I will collect gear, train physically, train with both rifle and bow, work on my field craft, and test my skills on what little public land Oklahoma has to offer, and stalk whitetail.
By the following season I plan to bow hunt elk in Colorado and Pronghorn in Wyoming with the rifle.
Yes, my chances at success are not great.
But success to me is being alone in the backcountry for a minimum of a week. I will enjoy my surroundings, in solitude most likely. I will not quit. I will make it home to the kids, and if I am incredibly fortunate, I will suffer through a long, hard, and lonely pack out.

I'm certain most everyone thinks I've lost my mind, but truthfully I need the challenge, and I know that I can do it.
My experience is zero and starts now.
But at 40 years old, I don't believe I can afford to put it off.
 
Last edited:
no problem posting it here too as it goes right along with the theme of the article. Good luck on your quest, I'm sure you'll do fine. Just post any questions up on Rokslide you might have as there's lots of helpful people on here who can shorten you learning curve. I'd also suggest you don't need a mountain of gear nor have to start with the very best either. I'm still running a 25 year old Kelty backpack as I decided that my money was better invested in optics and other gear first. I'll upgrade when I get the chance but for now, if the choice is to wait or go, I'm going!

Good to have you on Rokslide.
 
Thank you for the welcome!
Of course I have a million questions, but I recognize that I don't know what I don't know.
I don't want to be THAT guy, so I'm studying, reading, and listening to every podcast I can find.

So thanks to everyone like yourself that contributes your experience and knowledge.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

HoytHunter24
My First Bull 2020 - Washington Roosevelt
2 3
Replies
50
Views
5K
marlowfw
marlowfw
gobears870
Lessons from a first elk hunt for those considering the same
2 3 4
Replies
62
Views
15K
FGB
F
robby denning
East to West Part II: Preparation Hunts
Replies
2
Views
2K
xcutter
X
robby denning
East to West Part I: Planning Your First Backpack Hunt
2
Replies
39
Views
6K
robby denning
robby denning
robby denning
MTN TOUGH 8-month program explained
Replies
0
Views
4K
robby denning
robby denning

Latest posts

Featured Video

Stats

Threads
366,224
Messages
3,878,415
Members
82,991
Latest member
Nmarth88

Latest Articles

Back
Top