10 day solo Kodiak goat hunt

Brendan

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I have one a helinox cot and I think it's a much better way to go then a thermarest cot. I think weight they are pretty close but the helinox is super easy to use. If I ever go floorless I think I will be using the cot vs my xlite.

Helinox Cot Lite | Cots | BackcountryGear.com

I used one of these in my sawtooth for 10 days in Wyoming this year. Game changer and worth the weight. It was a spike camp and not bivvy hunting though. The Helinox ground chair is awesome too...
 

Steve O

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I used one of these in my sawtooth for 10 days in Wyoming this year. Game changer and worth the weight. It was a spike camp and not bivvy hunting though. The Helinox ground chair is awesome too...

Yep. Got both those as permanent fixtures for my Sawtooth or Tipi base camps. Not sure I'd have it in a bivy setup chasing goats from mountain to mountain though!

You are a tough hombre Troutbum! That was quite a hunt.
 

Ramcam

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It would seem to me after reading this thread that having some synthetic gear would be a good option when hunting Kodiak.Here in BC if i am west of the rockies it is extremely wet and i use synth clothing and sleeping bag.East it is much dryer so dridown works well.No synthetic gear on that trip Troutbum?
 
OP
AK Troutbum
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It would seem to me after reading this thread that having some synthetic gear would be a good option when hunting Kodiak.Here in BC if i am west of the rockies it is extremely wet and i use synth clothing and sleeping bag.East it is much dryer so dridown works well.No synthetic gear on that trip Troutbum?

Yes, I had plenty of synthetic, along with merino clothing that I used. I have a synthetic bag that I didn't bring, opting for my EE treated down quilt.... my bad. I also spent several nights in my -33 tops and bottoms along with my Mountain Hardware Compressor jacket and pants. As far as I'm concerned, there was no time that my life was in danger, I just had to endure a few hardships, and that was all associated with being wet.


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mtnwrunner

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As the saying goes, "you don't pick an epic, it picks you."
Greg, you're a stud. Awesome trip and great write up.

Randy
 
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AWESOME trip! Congrats on the goat!.... and my wife is worried about me doing solo backpack hunts in southern ohio.:eek: The biggest danger there is suburban hikers/anti's
 

luke moffat

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Wow what a trip!!! Congrats on the goat Greg!! Also congrats on making it through that gnarly storm!! Brutal!
 

TXCO

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Great write up and goat. Congrats! Curious, what did you use for insulation and other layers?
 

BKhunter

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Awesome write up. Goats are at the top of my list I can't wait for the day I can go out for one. I think the conditions you endured made that hunt what it was. You will never forget that one. Congrats again!
 
OP
AK Troutbum
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Great write up and goat. Congrats! Curious, what did you use for insulation and other layers?

I used expedition weight -33 merino wool tops and bottoms, Mountain Hardware Compressor jacket and pants, and Kuiu Chugach NX for rain gear at base camp. Kuiu merino tops and bottoms, Kuiu super down jacket and pants, and Kuiu Teton for rain gear up at spike camp.


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slvrslngr

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Congrats on the goat! Way to tough it out, your attitude seems to have gotten you through it. Just a quick thought on the rifle feeding issue, I read a post somewhere of someone having a similar issue and it turned out to be a cracked follower spring. Worth checking out, if you haven't already.
 

Stid2677

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I own 3 Kimber's (two Montana's and a Mountain Ascent), they are all extremely accurate and the reason that I was a foot high was because, on this particular rifle, it has a Leupold CDS scope and doesn't have a turret cap for the elevation turret. When the rifle was slid into the scabbard, for the plane ride out, the turret got spun around, taking it approximately a foot high from zero.

As far as the feeding issue, I'm going to mess around with it and see if I can get it to improperly feed again. If I can than I'll be contacting Kimber to have that addressed. I've never had a problem with any of my Kimber's feeding.


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I own 2 Mountain Ascents and One Adirondack and I had to polish the blind mag and follower to include some shaping around the feed ramp on 2 of the 3. Was not difficult at all. If you use your fingers to push the follower down and it does not spring back up with ease and straight, straight being very important that it is not low at the ramp.

I would not risk the cost or possible loss of my rifle to return to Kimber for this.
 

PNWGATOR

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What an adventure! Glad things worked out safely and congratulations on a great animal. Hope you find the definitive solution for your rifle(s) too.
 

450

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Congratulations AK Trout on your goat. I really enjoyed my goat hunt on Kodiak and I also took a nice goat. I can't wait to go back.
 

TXCO

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I used expedition weight -33 merino wool tops and bottoms, Mountain Hardware Compressor jacket and pants, and Kuiu Chugach NX for rain gear at base camp. Kuiu merino tops and bottoms, Kuiu super down jacket and pants, and Kuiu Teton for rain gear up at spike camp.


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How did the super down do in the rain?


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OP
AK Troutbum
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How did the super down do in the rain?


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So, I had my SD jacket/pants and MH Compressor pants that were the only clothes that I was able to keep, pretty much, dry. I felt like, if I allowed these things to get wetted out, and the temps dropped, I could've potentially been in a very serious situation. A couple times, when I had to leave the tent, like in the middle of the night to pee, I went out with with nothing on, or some clothes that were already wet. So, basically I didn't really test them. On a side note, my treated down EE quilt got wet and I packed it away, thinking that it was done. A couple days later, it stopped raining for awhile, but continued to blow real hard, so I pulled the quilt out and held it in the wind for about 30 minutes or so and was able to dry it out enough to use it on my last night.


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armedhiker

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Congrats on the goat and great story. I think I was there during the same storm on my goat hunt Puget Bay.
 

Fjelljeger

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Awesome story and pictures. That was an epic adventure. Congrats on a nice goat. What kind of bear fence did you use?
 
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