trophyhill
WKR
Everyone has a backup plan. If you don't, you probably aren't doing it right. But how bout backup gear? You take a spare tire right? My first year bowhunting, my buddy asked to hold my bow. To which I obliged. While I had my head turned, he drew my bow back, (must have severely torque it), and derailed it. Essentially dry firing it. That cost me 4 valuable days. Luckily for me, here in NM, that used to be a 22 day hunt and I was able to get it fixed and go back to hunting.
You better believe I had a backup bow in the truck the following year along with a spare release. That was 2008. In 2012, my first hunt in the Gila, on the second day of my hunt, i ran into a guy who was frantically searching the ground like he'd lost his glasses and searching for them in the tall grass. He said he took his release off to take a crap and couldn't find his release.
He was pretty frantic. I was able to lend him my spare and he was able to continue his hunt and when I returned to the camper several days later he had left it on the step of my camper with a thank you note.
A couple years ago My MSR stove sprung a gas leak at the connection. I was able to hike back to the truck and grab my Pocket Rocket. Ole reliable. And continue my hunt without added hardship other than hiking 4 hours back to my pickup and 4 hours back to my backcountry camp. Extra underwear and socks at the truck are always nice too.
I've also had to use a second pair of boots more than once because of getting soaked in heavy downpours. It really does pay to be prepared for the worst. I pretty much have 2 or 3 of everything including tents. Doesn't mean I have to use it or pack it in. But I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
I will say this however. It has taken a long time to accumulate this stuff. And very costly. Sometimes by just trying new gear. And whether I've liked it or not, I've hung on to it. The worst was when I lost my first bugletube. I had to improvise and make one with a couple Gatorade bottles taped together. And yes it worked. Now I have 4 or 5 darn tubes.
Oh and I lost a GPS my second year. I felt lost in the CO Rockies for half a day till I luckily found my way back to the truck. Scary feeling. Now I have an InReach, an old Garmin and of course my cell phone with OnX.
So whatever you can afford, id say bring any kind of backup on any kind of gear you have. It may come in handy some time, and allow you to continue your hunt. It would suck if you had to end your hunt prematurely because a key piece of gear failed.
You better believe I had a backup bow in the truck the following year along with a spare release. That was 2008. In 2012, my first hunt in the Gila, on the second day of my hunt, i ran into a guy who was frantically searching the ground like he'd lost his glasses and searching for them in the tall grass. He said he took his release off to take a crap and couldn't find his release.
He was pretty frantic. I was able to lend him my spare and he was able to continue his hunt and when I returned to the camper several days later he had left it on the step of my camper with a thank you note.
A couple years ago My MSR stove sprung a gas leak at the connection. I was able to hike back to the truck and grab my Pocket Rocket. Ole reliable. And continue my hunt without added hardship other than hiking 4 hours back to my pickup and 4 hours back to my backcountry camp. Extra underwear and socks at the truck are always nice too.
I've also had to use a second pair of boots more than once because of getting soaked in heavy downpours. It really does pay to be prepared for the worst. I pretty much have 2 or 3 of everything including tents. Doesn't mean I have to use it or pack it in. But I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
I will say this however. It has taken a long time to accumulate this stuff. And very costly. Sometimes by just trying new gear. And whether I've liked it or not, I've hung on to it. The worst was when I lost my first bugletube. I had to improvise and make one with a couple Gatorade bottles taped together. And yes it worked. Now I have 4 or 5 darn tubes.
Oh and I lost a GPS my second year. I felt lost in the CO Rockies for half a day till I luckily found my way back to the truck. Scary feeling. Now I have an InReach, an old Garmin and of course my cell phone with OnX.
So whatever you can afford, id say bring any kind of backup on any kind of gear you have. It may come in handy some time, and allow you to continue your hunt. It would suck if you had to end your hunt prematurely because a key piece of gear failed.
