ASAP whats in your pack for day hunts?

[frankrb3]

I didn't ever mention it but I'm spring bear hunting here in nw, mt. Generally i try and walk or mtn bike the gated rds, i tend to put in about 6mi a day on foot and 12mi when on the bike. With the amount of griz we have around here one thing I won't ever forget is a can of bear spray lol.

Same here down in South West Montana. I cant seem to find anything but grizzly bear sign. Last weekend I went out and saw three different sets of grizzly bear tracks and spotted one bear about a mile away in a meadow. No sign of a black bear anywhere.

 

[LongWayAround]

My day hunt pack has the same stuff as a multi-day, just less food.

 

[5MilesBack]

My daypack comes in around 15-18lbs with 3L water bladder filled and possibly another 32oz as well, depending where I'm hunting. I don't count anything in it that I normally keep outside the pack like: my sidearm, my binos, RF, elk reeds, windchecker, release, etc. So it pretty much has my water, food, kill kit, and first aid/survival kit. And that pack stays on me pretty much the entire day unless I need to get something out of it.

 

[fngTony]

You might want to break down each category... Kill kit, emergency, comfort luxuries, first aid, etc. The search feature in Tapatalk doesn't work for me and I'm never on rokslide on my laptop. Simply adding the word "Rokslide" in a Google search works well for me.

Outside of hunt specific needs I pack minimal and simple. I do include a cheap foam pad, small tarp, s.o.l. bivy. It's light and inexpensive but adds comfort. Even in warm weather I'll pack insulated pants. My thought is more if I plan to stay the night, not so much for an emergency.

 

[MtnBum]

Same here down in South West Montana. I cant seem to find anything but grizzly bear sign. Last weekend I went out and saw three different sets of grizzly bear tracks and spotted one bear about a mile away in a meadow. No sign of a black bear anywhere.

If it helps any I did see a blacky the weekend before last, it was in the last 30min of light and it was feeding on a south facing hillside at about 3,800ft of elevation. snowline here was at about 4,000ft elevation but has raised up to about 4,400ft since then but thats the part of mt I'm in. I'd love to harvest a spring bear but I really just like getting out and enjoying the time in the mtns more than anything!

 

[MtnBum]

You might want to break down each category... Kill kit, emergency, comfort luxuries, first aid, etc. The search feature in Tapatalk doesn't work for me and I'm never on rokslide on my laptop. Simply adding the word "Rokslide" in a Google search works well for me.

Outside of hunt specific needs I pack minimal and simple. I do include a cheap foam pad, small tarp, s.o.l. bivy. It's light and inexpensive but adds comfort. Even in warm weather I'll pack insulated pants. My thought is more if I plan to stay the night, not so much for an emergency.

Thanks for the ideas bud! Have you heard much on the Kifaru Sheep Tarp? Sounds like alot of guys like them but I havent been 100% confinced to spend the $100 on them. Still waiting to be sold on it lol.

 

[fngTony]

Thanks for the ideas bud! Have you heard much on the Kifaru Sheep Tarp? Sounds like alot of guys like them but I havent been 100% confinced to spend the $100 on them. Still waiting to be sold on it lol.

No personal experience with the sheep tarp. Any quality silnylon tarp (not sure on what kifaru calls their material) will cost around $100 depending on size. The stitching, tie out reinforcement, number of tie outs will add to the cost. You are getting a lot of strength for the weight and great packability.

 

[tttoadman]

I would never buy a tarp without a center pole reinforcement and an exterior hang loop. It opens up many more options for setup.

 

[charvey9]

Generally the only difference for me is the amount of food/water and sleep system.

 

[b.hunts]

For my deer hunting day pack I am running an Exo Mountain Gear 2000. Inside the main compartment I have my source water bladder, sawyer squeeze water filter, rimrok stalkers, first lite cirrus puffy, tag bomb bags, individual day food bags, dark energy charger, charging cord, delorme in reach, black diamond headlamp, tyto knife, beanie, FL talus gloves, and a small IFAK. Then I have my tripod and angled spotter in the exterior pockets.

If if doing an overnight deer trip I will add my tarp tent moment dw tent, enlightened equipment 20* quilt, BA insulated q core pad, small cook kit, and an extra food bag.

 

[jquarnberg]

SG Avail or Solo (Depending on the situation)
15x Binos (Vortex Vulture HD)
Tripod (Summit SS)
Kill Kit (Game bags, havalon, paracord, small tyvek tarp)
Possibles Pouch (Basic first aid, Basic survival, head lamp, wet wipes, etc)
Water (Hyrdapak bladder)
Food
Gloves/Jacket (Depending on the situation)

 

[elkyinzer]

Always: water, knife, rope, headlamp, compass, gps


Add ons depending on season/weather/roughness of country: game bags, binos, elk/turkey/deer calls, food, extra layers, raingear, gloves, hats, first aid, fire, tarp, cameras, etc.

 

[Randle]

I have had several day hunts turn into..... long stalks , chases, or tracking jobs that lasted way longer than I wanted. So my pack now has enough to spend the night and plenty of food and water. Game bags to take care of an elk or deer. Saw to deal with brush and trees.
15 to 18 pounds is nothing when you need it.
What does your day pack weigh and what do you think you want to leave out?

 

[frankrb3]

If it helps any I did see a blacky the weekend before last, it was in the last 30min of light and it was feeding on a south facing hillside at about 3,800ft of elevation. snowline here was at about 4,000ft elevation but has raised up to about 4,400ft since then but thats the part of mt I'm in. I'd love to harvest a spring bear but I really just like getting out and enjoying the time in the mtns more than anything!

Thanks for the notes. I'll be out again soon and will be sure to look for areas that you have described. I know an area where a bear was hanging in the fall last year but it's still under snow and at almost 9000 ft. Not sure if he is even up there but it's the only lead I have on a black bear.

 

[MtnBum]

For my deer hunting day pack I am running an Exo Mountain Gear 2000. Inside the main compartment I have my source water bladder, sawyer squeeze water filter, rimrok stalkers, first lite cirrus puffy, tag bomb bags, individual day food bags, dark energy charger, charging cord, delorme in reach, black diamond headlamp, tyto knife, beanie, FL talus gloves, and a small IFAK. Then I have my tripod and angled spotter in the exterior pockets.

If if doing an overnight deer trip I will add my tarp tent moment dw tent, enlightened equipment 20* quilt, BA insulated q core pad, small cook kit, and an extra food bag.

I hear Aaron Synder runs the tyto knife, how do you like it? Is it the replaceable blade model that you carry?

 

[MtnBum]

Thanks for the notes. I'll be out again soon and will be sure to look for areas that you have described. I know an area where a bear was hanging in the fall last year but it's still under snow and at almost 9000 ft. Not sure if he is even up there but it's the only lead I have on a black bear.

I work full time but I've been out every day every weekend and only seen the one bear so far. I've been seeing lots of elk/deer/moose down lower, the area I live in has been getting A LOT of rain lately which I have a feeling it may have to do with why I haven't seen as many bears. I think this weekend I'll have a break in the weather so with any luck the hunting conditions might be prime. I'm not an experienced bear hunter but my strategy has been just following the snowline and glassing all clear cuts/drainages just under the snowline as well as covering a lot of gated roads. Either way, I feel more at ease knowing that a lot of you guys are carrying the same gear as I am for day hunts.

 

[MtnBum]

What does your day pack weigh and what do you think you want to leave out?

I keep forgetting to pick up new batts for my scale but, my guesstimation would be right at about 23lbs. I always seem to guess about 5lbs over so it probably actually weights about 18lbs lol. I'll have a solid answer here shortly

 

[b.hunts]

Yes! Have had it for a couple months now and have used it to clean ducks, geese, turkeys and fish. Super sharp just like a havalon, even uses the same blades as my old piranta. Great knife.