Advice for the Inexperienced Backcountry Wannabe’s

[bozeman]

So- go hunting, but stay close to your vehicle, have gear, but not the latest gear......tell people where you are going solo, but dont discuss exact spots with anyone......good boots are a MUST, but stay close to your truck the first couple years. Ease into it, but test yourself. Ok, got it! I'm ready......I think, well no, maybe.....Just Go.

BTW- for a public land hunter, talk all you want and share all you want. It's public land and nowhere is anyone's 'spot'.....no matter what they may think.

 

[Gerbdog]

BTW- for a public land hunter, talk all you want and share all you want. It's public land and nowhere is anyone's 'spot'.....no matter what they may think.

My spots arent secret.... i just dont like to talk about them....

 

[arock]

7 miles isn't an especially far walk. Though it can become especially long when you're at 10,000 ft, carrying ~50lbs and didn't sleep the night before because you didn't have a pillow or adequate pad. I think you figure out a lot just sleeping outside so getting nights in the tent just to have nights in the tent to figure out how to sleep out there is pretty key.

 

[specneeds]

Nobody ever complained about being in too good physical condition on an elk hunt. Nobody’s ever said darn my feet are to comfortable. Knowing how to use your weapon in real field conditions just takes away the worst disappointment possible. Don’t practice off a bench use a pack, sticks or your knees for a rifle rest. Don’t just shoot your bow from perfect position, squat, shoot from one knee, lean around a tree when practicing.

 

[PaBone]

I think being in over all good shape makes any hunt a little easier and this includes your teeth. Back in the early 80's a buddy and I backpacked into the Wyoming high country and he got an abscessed tooth. Face swelled up with infection and we didn't even have an aspirin. I thought at one point I may have to put him out of his misery. Having good gear is a plus, but thinking back in the 70's and 80's all we had was cotton clothes, Rocky boots and Snickers bars for dinner and we all seemed to make it.

 

[trophyhill]

You don't have to epically hike for a day away from your vehicle to have a backpack or backcountry hunt. There is nothing wrong with setting up camp a half mile from the truck to test your equipment and bring about the challenges of being away from your vehicle while still being exponentially safer should something go wrong.

I agree. I listened to a Kifarucast a year or 2 ago and this was some of the advice given. Bottom line? If I have to pack 3-5 miles back? That’s where I’ll be. If I can get to them from the truck? That’s where I’ll be. If I can use my ATV and get to them? That’s what I’ll do. Versatility is king in this day and age with all the competition out there.

 

[JeffRaines]

Money spent on overly priced clothing(Sitka, Kuiu, First Lite) is better spent on tags. 95% of the time you can get the same pieces(albeit not a "cool" camo) with the same functionality for a fraction of the cost. Sitka, Kuiu and others all pretty much copied gear mountaineers/hikers had been using for some time before they came along.

Its easy as a beginner to get caught up in all the gear - especially on a website like this. Look at this cool custom rifle, or this $3k rifle scope... check out the new Mathews V3X that's pretty awesome... before you know it you've spent a fortune on gear that hasn't done a damn thing to make you a better hunter. If you took that money and spent it on tags and actual hunting... not only would you be a better hunter at the end of the season, but you just might fill a few of them and most importantly make some memories. You can't put a price on that stuff!

Also - get in shape. Reading some websites, some guys will make it seem like you have to spend 3 hours a day in the gym to even consider thinking about hunting... and its not true. A weighted pack(at or above what you're gonna carry on the daily - you should know this number) and a treadmill with PLENTY of incline will do just fine. Even better if you live somewhere that you can actually hike in mountains. Keep yourself consistent with it. I like to aim for a set amount of elevation gained per week... don't focus so much on mileage, but on elevation gain. Walking forward on flat ground is easy, even with a pack. Elevation gain is what separates the "can" from the "can not". So don't think in terms of mileage - think in terms of elevation gain. Stairs, incline, a stair machine, hell going up and down the stairs repeatedly in your house(with a weighted pack) - all more productive things when it comes to hunting than walking on flat ground.

 

[specneeds]

Great point. One reason I have a backup to a backup to a backup. OnX, Go Hunt etc on phone, Garmin 60CSX and In Reach. Big Country in CO. My first trip to CO and only second year hunting elk in 2009 I thought I was the ultimate woodsman and went with only the bare essentials hunting from truck camp and no map or gps. I went chasing a bugling bull and an hour later everything looked the same. Couldn’t see the sky and a storm rolled in. Got turned around and felt lost. I did not panic though and just sat down and waited the storm out. I knew I had been traveling up the whole time so started downhill after the storm and luckily popped out on the forest road my truck was parked on and recognized a pond I had driven by. Boy what a relief that was! You don’t ever want to be lost and unprepared in the Rockies that’s for sure.

We

I killed my 1st elk that evening about a mile from the truck and my first solo pack out. I remember being soaking wet when I got the last load to the truck around midnight. Good times. That Bud Light was the best tasting beer I’ve ever had when I got that last load to the truck

Money spent on overly priced clothing(Sitka, Kuiu, First Lite) is better spent on tags. 95% of the time you can get the same pieces(albeit not a "cool" camo) with the same functionality for a fraction of the cost. Sitka, Kuiu and others all pretty much copied gear mountaineers/hikers had been using for some time before they came along.

Its easy as a beginner to get caught up in all the gear - especially on a website like this. Look at this cool custom rifle, or this $3k rifle scope... check out the new Mathews V3X that's pretty awesome... before you know it you've spent a fortune on gear that hasn't done a damn thing to make you a better hunter. If you took that money and spent it on tags and actual hunting... not only would you be a better hunter at the end of the season, but you just might fill a few of them and most importantly make some memories. You can't put a price on that stuff!

Also - get in shape. Reading some websites, some guys will make it seem like you have to spend 3 hours a day in the gym to even consider thinking about hunting... and its not true. A weighted pack(at or above what you're gonna carry on the daily - you should know this number) and a treadmill with PLENTY of incline will do just fine. Even better if you live somewhere that you can actually hike in mountains. Keep yourself consistent with it. I like to aim for a set amount of elevation gained per week... don't focus so much on mileage, but on elevation gain. Walking forward on flat ground is easy, even with a pack. Elevation gain is what separates the "can" from the "can not". So don't think in terms of mileage - think in terms of elevation gain. Stairs, incline, a stair machine, hell going up and down the stairs repeatedly in your house(with a weighted pack) - all more productive things when it comes to hunting than walking on flat ground.

This year I only had time for lunchtime treadmill workouts a couple of miles climbing at lunch 2-3 times a week made a big difference. Tuesday hiked 13 miles gained 4 000 ft of elevation hauled a deer out solo 2 miles & a hindquarter from a buddy’s cow elk 4 miles. Started at 5AM got to the truck at 10PM. My climbing was slow but steady.

 

[isocyanate]

A decent sleep system, good pack, and excellent boots will take you a long way.

 

[JeffRaines]

A decent sleep system, good pack, and excellent boots will take you a long way.

It blows my mind how many guys will go out and buy a fancy custom/semi custom rifle(when they’re only shooting a couple hundred yards), 5 pairs of crispi/Kenetrek/whatever boots, a SG/Kifaru pack, a full set of Sitka/Kuiu including insulation and rain gear, then will post on here “hey guys I’m looking for a tent/sleeping bag/pad. Don’t wanna break the bank max budget $100/200”… like dude, not only are you literally trusting your life to your shelter/sleep system, but good sleep makes a world of difference when it comes to hunting.

I’d rather hunt in rags with a $300 Walmart special Savage combo and have a sleep system that actually kept me warm and comfortable when I needed it.

If there’s somewhere to skimp, your sleep system ain’t it.