Backpack Hunting -0 Backpack experience

[Poser]

With Western hunting peaking in popularity, as well as the idea of “backcountry” itself ie “backcountry hunting”, the appeal of “backpack hunting” also seems to be peaking in popularity. While I’m certainly of the opinion that most first time Western hunters should be truck camping for the sake of mobility, I wouldn’t rule out an experienced backpacker, especially someone who has backpacked in the West before, planning to backpack hunt for their first Western hunt purely for the aesthetics of it.

Anyway, with the constant questions based around expressing this idea: “Long time Eastern whitetail Hunter, heading West next month for the first time to DIY, OTC archery hunt elk. Plan is to pack in deep until we find elk. What kind of tent and sleeping bag should I buy for archery elk hunting in unit 555 near blue lake at 11,333 feet? Also, should I filter water or plan on packing in with 7 days worth of water for my DIY, OTC, pack-in, archery elk hunt?”

-seemingly expressing total inexperience of all things backpacking related. A poll in one of these backpack hunting FB groups with 10,000+ members revealed that a full 1/3rd of soon to be first time elk hunters were planning to “backpack hunt” with an admitted 0 nights experience backpacking as an adult (Cub Scout trips 25 years ago don’t qualify) and were in fact intending to “cut their teeth backpacking during their inaugural Western hunting trip (yes, we know: “DIY, OTC, archery elk, packing in and keep moving until we find elk” -hit all of the lingo corners.

Anyway, on the scale of reasonable to absurd, how entirely over-their-heads across the board are these people?

IMO, if you are going to be an effective “backpack hunter”, you’re going to have to spend way more time on the front end backpacking than hunting in order to get your backpacking so dialed in that it doesn’t get in the way of hunting. With that in mind, if you haven’t spent *at least* 20-30 nights out backpacking, at least some % of those nights being multi days trips (not just overnighters), and, for the majority, at least 1 Western backpacking trip, then one’s expectations for how that “western Backcountry, DIY, OTC, archery elk, backpack hunt” have pushed into expectations bordering upon the absurd, if not outright insane, due to false expectations of reality rooted in a total inexperience with actual reality: You can’t reasonably expect to use backpacking as an effective vehicle for hunting unless you are already a backpacker.

Thoughts?

 

[Glendon Mullins]

Honestly from an humble Easterner, I can agree with ya, I am sure being experienced at backpacking would make peoples first backpack hunt more successful and maybe more importantly more tolerable.

 

[Team4LongGun]

Spot on.
I believe that a person in that situation has THEIR idea of what the hunt will be, and nobody can tell them different. Now, post hunt, they join the group giving warning to others. Read it often on here. The saying "you don't know, what you don't know" applies here.
The intrigue of "goin deep" becomes the mission, and the hunt, gear prep and function aren't a priority.

 

[*zap*]

A good way to gain backpack experience fairly easily is to fins a spot near you that you can walk in a bit and stay the night. Then pick a day of the week and walk in stay the night that day no matter what....does not have to be a far walk either just far enough to only have what you carry.

Good luck.

 

[elkyinzer]

I was basically one of those people on my first elk hunt in 2013 some may remember the weather wasn't so great that year either. Did the sort of cliched CO DIY OTC ABCXYZ alphabet soup wilderness backpack 101 hunt. I'd say your overstating the difficulty level a good bit. There are pros and cons but it's not that hard if you're a reasonably fit "outside person" and learn the ropes over the summer leading up to it.

There were some bloopers, some rookie mistakes. I lost a lot of weight (some asshole bears got fat though), and didn't sleep very well all week but still had the time of my life. But we got into a decent amount of elk, and I found the learning curve to be manageable with very little prior backpacking experience. We did the ~5 mile spike camp and had the option to bivy out, but never did as we remained in elk all week. So maybe that's not a true backpack hunt with camp on back every day. I've hunted elk 3 times since and none of those were backpack hunts if that says anything, but I wouldn't rule out ever doing it again. Just not the most effective way to cover ground and hunt imo.

 

[WCB]

I think it really depends on the person. I know people that have A LOT of backpacking experience that I wouldn't step foot in the woods with. I also know a couple people that would be just fine and never had a pack loaded down before.

The vast majority ,80+% ?, I would put money on, never spend a night away from their truck and never get more than a couple miles away from their truck. They show up and get hit in the face with reality the first hill they have to climb or canyon they have to cross. Where most of them that actually make it 5miles back get over their heads is when they get an elk down and need to pack it out. They figure out pretty quick this isn't your typical 150# deer from the SE.

Maybe I look at stuff a little different but assuming they know how to put up a tent and have a sleeping bag. You are just hunting with a backpack on. I personally think most "backcountry hunters" make it way more difficult than it needs to be and have way more $h!t than needed.

 

[Dos Perros]

"if you haven’t spent *at least* 20-30 nights out backpacking, at least some % of those nights being multi days trips (not just overnighters), and, for the majority, at least 1 Western backpacking trip, then one’s expectations for how that “western Backcountry, DIY, OTC, archery elk, backpack hunt” have pushed into expectations bordering upon the absurd, if not outright insane"

20 to 30 nights seems like a lot. You don't learn much on night 20 that you didn't already learn nights 1 2 and 3. Every summer in college I'd take a week and go backpacking before school started. I learned a lot after the first one, a little more the second trip, and a diminishing amount each time. My interest then was fly fishing so the backpacking was more of a means to an ends, like it is for hunting now. 2 or 3 trips, with one poor weather event, you can go September elk hunting and it's not insane or absurd.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

As longtime eastern Whitetail hunter...I did lots backpacking trips before I went out West. Most of them were to trout fish, spent couple nights in the Elk areas of NC just to learn elk sign. Many different ways to get experience before you go. I also like to use these trips to shake out gear too.

This spring I hiked 8 miles into Cranberry Glades and spent a few days fishing and shaking out new gear. No excuse for folks to hike in with no experience no matter where your from. Your just failing to plan and planning to fail.

 

[LongWayAround]

I learned both at the same time. I didn't kill one backpacking that first year but did hunting from the truck. The next year, we killed one and missed another backpacking. Not bad for some rookies from Iowa...

I've since realized that I prefer the mobility of hunting from the truck. I'll probably backpack a few nights this fall but haven't all summer and don't have any specific plans to do so.

 

[Shraggs]

Michigander here. Agree with you! I have friends arbitrarily tell they’ll come with. Omg I never know where to begin that discussion - usually start with the cost of a pack capable of living out off and hauling meat. Ha.

As a type 1 diabetic and having severe sleep apnea needing a machine, my first was a guided hunt on discount from a banquet. No elk, but I was hooked on the process and challenges and this was safe way to learn IMO. That was 2011.

I spent the next 5 years carefully buying gear to do diy and finding a group of guys similar. Got into an annual workout routine and especially learning my medical challenges under rigorous conditions.

it’s taken time to thrive doing this and I live for it!

now, I just need to learn how to kill on public land…

 

[Glendon Mullins]

As longtime eastern Whitetail hunter...I did lots backpacking trips before I went out West. Most of them were to trout fish, spent couple nights in the Elk areas of NC just to learn elk sign. Many different ways to get experience before you go. I also like to use these trips to shake out gear too.

This spring I hiked 8 miles into Cranberry Glades and spent a few days fishing and shaking out new gear. No excuse for folks to hike in with no experience no matter where your from. Your just failing to plan and planning to fail.

I dont live to far from Cranberry!! great place!

 

[Drenalin]

My biggest concern would be not an inability to hike, carry weight, and stay in the woods - it would be that the odds of me not finding elk are better than the odds of me finding elk. But yes, with zero experience backpacking, I don't think I would pursue an elk hunt as my teacher. With 20-30+ nights experience backpacking, but with none of those being elk hunting, I also would not pursue a backpack elk hunt as my teacher. My first trip, if it ever comes together, will be a truck camping affair.

 

[Poser]

"if you haven’t spent *at least* 20-30 nights out backpacking, at least some % of those nights being multi days trips (not just overnighters), and, for the majority, at least 1 Western backpacking trip, then one’s expectations for how that “western Backcountry, DIY, OTC, archery elk, backpack hunt” have pushed into expectations bordering upon the absurd, if not outright insane"

20 to 30 nights seems like a lot. You don't learn much on night 20 that you didn't already learn nights 1 2 and 3. Every summer in college I'd take a week and go backpacking before school started. I learned a lot after the first one, a little more the second trip, and a diminishing amount each time. My interest then was fly fishing so the backpacking was more of a means to an ends, like it is for hunting now. 2 or 3 trips, with one poor weather event, you can go September elk hunting and it's not insane or absurd.

I don’t know, I think that everything about backpacking needs to be an established routine: you’re on autopilot when it comes to packing, unpacking, setting up and tearing down. Furthermore, it’s not terribly difficult to “tough it out” for a night or 2 here and there, get crappy sleep etc because you’re uncomfortable and don’t have your gear dialed. On a 5+ day trip, that all catches up with you. Having your sleep system dialed in, knowing what foods you stomach well (and which ones you don’t), what foods are actually appealing after 3 days and which ones aren’t etc, all require putting in the time. So, sure, you can convince yourself that you are going to tough it out with your uncomfortable sleeping pad and dramatically changing your diet for a week, but come day 3 with crappy sleep and, shitting your brains out and only having food that suddenly sounds unappealing are conditions that only a few can voluntarily push through and we haven’t even gotten into the details or logistics of actual hunting yet.

When I started consistently spending a lot of nights out in a sleeping bag annually, I really figured my gear out. Having been out 20+ nights so far this summer, I’m sleeping “lights out” style when I get in my bag, which, doesn’t tend to happen when I haven’t been out in awhile as my brain is much more alert and I’m often unsure if I am asleep or not. Like anything, sleeping comfortably out in the “backcountry” is a skill that needs to be practiced in order to be good at it. It’s never as comfortable as my bed, but it’s a super familiar place when I slide into my quilt and I know all of the subtle adjustments to be comfortable based on a variety of conditions.

Whereas Bad sleep, bad food, lots of fumbling with gear, taking too long to pack up, spending 45 minutes trying to get a bear hang up, not making altitude adjustments for rehydration times on your crappy Mtn house meals that you’ve never tried before… all of these things just pile on stress and there’s only so much stress a person can tolerate. If you don’t have those details worked out, you’re tripping over yourself and not you’re not even hunting yet.

 

[Dos Perros]

I don’t know, I think that everything about backpacking needs to be an established routine: you’re on autopilot when it comes to packing, unpacking, setting up and tearing down. Furthermore, it’s not terribly difficult to “tough it out” for a night or 2 here and there, get crappy sleep etc because you’re uncomfortable and don’t have your gear dialed. On a 5+ day trip, that all catches up with you. Having your sleep system dialed in, knowing what foods you stomach well (and which ones you don’t), what foods are actually appealing after 3 days and which ones aren’t etc, all require putting in the time. So, sure, you can convince yourself that you are going to tough it out with your uncomfortable sleeping pad and dramatically changing your diet for a week, but come day 3 with crappy sleep and, shitting your brains out and only having food that suddenly sounds unappealing are conditions that only a few can voluntarily push through and we haven’t even gotten into the details or logistics of actual hunting yet.

When I started consistently spending a lot of nights out in a sleeping bag annually, I really figured my gear out. Having been out 20+ nights so far this summer, I’m sleeping “lights out” style when I get in my bag, which, doesn’t tend to happen when I haven’t been out in awhile as my brain is much more alert and I’m often unsure if I am asleep or not. Like anything, sleeping comfortably out in the “backcountry” is a skill that needs to be practiced in order to be good at it. It’s never as comfortable as my bed, but it’s a super familiar place when I slide into my quilt and I know all of the subtle adjustments to be comfortable based on a variety of conditions.

Whereas Bad sleep, bad food, lots of fumbling with gear, taking too long to pack up, spending 45 minutes trying to get a bear hang up, not making altitude adjustments for rehydration times on your crappy Mtn house meals that you’ve never tried before… all of these things just pile on stress and there’s only so much stress a person can tolerate. If you don’t have those details worked out, you’re tripping over yourself and not you’re not even hunting yet.

Maybe you're overthinking it? Just go hunting dude. It's not that complicated.

 

[tuffcity]

Like a lot of trendy things some people will internet the crap out of "advice", listen to online "experts", read blogs, develop gear lists filled with "essentials" and over estimate their capacity for roughing it, either physically or mentally. Usually mentally, particularly if they are trying for a truly wilderness experience..

They will get 1/4 as far "back in"as they thought because they have 4X the amount of shit they actually need. Some will learn from the initial disaster and gradually refine what's needed and actually enjoy and become proficient at it. Others will wake up from night terrors months later.

 

[Traveler]

Why not learn with a weapon and a chance, no matter how small. I say this mostly because I think this is a situation where “what do I care what others do” apply.

that said, I pass or find at least 2-3 “backcountry camps” on a trail or ridge in that I get to after 25 minutes of hiking in. I’d rather sleep on my cot in a heated Davis tent and get up 30 minutes earlier than “backcountry” in

 

[MattB]

I do agree that, for people who have never backpacked let alone a multi-night trip, backpacking can be daunting. Further, I think adding a dead elk to that scenario can be overwhelming to a lot of people.

 

[Rokwiia]

As Mike Tyson once said, "Everybody's got a plan until they punched in the mouth."

Lack of experience backpacking is fine until something unexpected happens. When it does, the experienced backpacker has probably dealt with before, knows what to expect, and how resolve the matter. The inexperienced person is going to fumble around and either lose time, become inefficient, or have to leave altogether.

Do you know what to do in the field if you have firearm issues? What about someone involved in the hunt who never carried, owned, or shot a firearm much less had to deal with a problem. They probably have no clue what to do.

I'm not mechanical at all. If my vehicle has a hiccup, I'm toast. So it is with backpacking. It is one aspect of the adventure that you better develop an expertise in or just blindly hope you never get yourself in a position you may not be able to resolve yourself.

 

[woods89]

I absolutely agree with the OP. There are so many little things that backpacking experience smooths out. Elk hunting is hard enough without trying to figure your stuff out at the same time.

 

[22lr]

If you dont have experience hiking out of a pack, hunting out of a pack won't go well the first few times. If you can log just a few overnights in your local trail system then you will hit 90% of the flaws in your kit. Adding hunting gear is super easy if you have any hunting experience.

But, nothing prepares a person for their first time in the real backcountry, when they lay down at night in a UL single wall tent and they get to play porcupine or grizzly all night with constant rustling in the leaves. From what I understand, a feller could lose a few nights of sleep in a hurry.