Bivy/ Backpack Hunting Mistakes/Advice

[George Hamrick]

I’ve been on an OTC archery elk hunt, but plan on doing things a little differently for my next trip. I plan on having a minimalist type spike camp on my back. I’m looking to head into areas to hunt for 2 or 3 days to chase elk. I’ll head back to the truck to either resupply or relocate depending on what I’m seeing elk wise. Since this is the first time I’ll be doing this, I was looking for experience from others in regards to this. What are some things you all wish you would’ve done differently on your first spike camp, or have learned works for you? What is some gear you all consider necessary to not skimp on vs things to save a few bucks on? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Elkhntr08]

A good pack in the 3200-5500 ci range will be a must. Then start training with it with 50# in it. It’s a different game humping the mountain with that vs a 20# day pack. Remember, you’ll be setting up camp every night and breaking it down in the morning. Makes for long days. I’d look at some of the new hammocks out there.
Pack and boots is where I’d spend my money.

 

[CApighunter]

Bring an extra days worth of food. It sucks to finally get into animals then have to leave to resupply.

 

[NJDiverDan]

Practice with your shelter / sleep system. After a long day hunting, you do not want to be fooling around trying to get camp set up. Also, mentally mark, or on GPS suitable camp locations as you come across them during the day. Once the sun has set, you can spend A LOT of time looking for a spot to camp. I you already have a spot picked, it's just hiking back to it. This is especially true if you are sleeping on the ground, a flat spot can be really hard to come by. As said above, hammocks make this nicer, as long as you are below tree line.

 

[Back Country Hunter 2]

As a rule of thumb, I try not to backpack into areas unless I know they have elk in them. If you are spiking out every night then water is of upmost importance. Be very familiar with the water sources in your area. A bivy and a lightweight tarp could be a good way to go.

 

[George Hamrick]

A good pack in the 3200-5500 ci range will be a must. Then start training with it with 50# in it. It’s a different game humping the mountain with that vs a 20# day pack. Remember, you’ll be setting up camp every night and breaking it down in the morning. Makes for long days. I’d look at some of the new hammocks out there.
Pack and boots is where I’d spend my money.

I appreciate the information. Pack and boots were definitely up there in my items not to skimp on. When you say to practice with 50 lbs in your pack, how are you going about doing that? Do you just throw dumbbells or sandbags in the pack, or do you just hike with the gear you plan on using?

 

[Boxerboxer]

I appreciate the information. Pack and boots were definitely up there in my items not to skimp on. When you say to practice with 50 lbs in your pack, how are you going about doing that? Do you just throw dumbbells or sandbags in the pack, or do you just hike with the gear you plan on using?

You can go to a hardware store and buy a 50lb bag of sand or rock or whatever for cheap. I reinforce it with tape just in case the bag starts to fail. That will be less hard on your pack than an irregularly shaped load.

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[Moondoondude]

My mistake was that i tried to spike camp. Therefore, my advice would be not to do it.

But, different strokes for different folks. My days consist of leaving the truck in the dark and coming back to the truck in the dark - and I'm fine with that.

 

[DIY Lifer]

I am actually making a video on this very idea for youtube right now. I would suggest you listen to some podcasts on backpacking since you have time. I learned an insane amount from Kifarucast and the Gritty podcast. As well as a handful of others to include Randy Newberg. The very first piece of advice I would give is no matter what you end up buying make sure you have used it in the field prior to going hunting. Make sure not to over-pack since the weight adds when walking miles with it. But you wont know if you have over-packed unless you have practiced and weeded out gear. As far as gear importance for me, Boots are #1, pack is #2, sleeping bag/pad #3, and shelter #4. I made due with cheaper gear for the first 2 years of backpack hunting. But I did not skimp on boots year one. I did skimp on the pack and hated life for it. If you have specific questions about gear feel free to DM me and I can help you with ideas since i just outfitted 6 people for their first backpack hunt ever, in the last 3 months. My email is [email protected] of you want to DM me.

 

[Boxerboxer]

My mistake was that i tried to spike camp. Therefore, my advice would be not to do it.

But, different strokes for different folks. My days consist of leaving the truck in the dark and coming back to the truck in the dark - and I'm fine with that.

What would you say tripped you up about spike camping?

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[George Hamrick]

Practice with your shelter / sleep system. After a long day hunting, you do not want to be fooling around trying to get camp set up. Also, mentally mark, or on GPS suitable camp locations as you come across them during the day. Once the sun has set, you can spend A LOT of time looking for a spot to camp. I you already have a spot picked, it's just hiking back to it. This is especially true if you are sleeping on the ground, a flat spot can be really hard to come by. As said above, hammocks make this nicer, as long as you are below tree line.

Do you have anything specific you’re looking for when you look for a spot? I plan on trying to camp lower in elevation to midway up so I’m not spooking elk when walking into my spots in the morning. Is there anything additional to look for besides water and a flat spot?

 

[George Hamrick]

My mistake was that i tried to spike camp. Therefore, my advice would be not to do it.

But, different strokes for different folks. My days consist of leaving the truck in the dark and coming back to the truck in the dark - and I'm fine with that.

Totally understand where you’re coming from. That’s what we did for most of our last trip, but the only consistent spot I found elk in, I would get back to the truck after midnight. Decided I wouldn’t be doing that again next time. If it hadn’t been for that, I would most likely be hunting from the truck and a base camp again.

 

[George Hamrick]

As a rule of thumb, I try not to backpack into areas unless I know they have elk in them. If you are spiking out every night then water is of upmost importance. Be very familiar with the water sources in your area. A bivy and a lightweight tarp could be a good way to go.

I wish I could go to a spot where I knew there were elk, but coming from OH or WV makes it tough to do any boots on the ground scouting. I very well may be looking into a hammock and tarp to cut down on weight. I didn’t do anything like that my last trip, and the only spot I ran into elk I ended up getting back to the truck after midnight. Figured I could save a lot of physical and mental energy by being closer to the elk.

 

[cnelk]

Don’t confuse spike camp hunt with a bivy hunt.

 

[George Hamrick]

Don’t confuse spike camp hunt with a bivy hunt.

I should’ve put bivy in my title as well. I had always heard spike camp as basically a bivy camp back here in the east. Not too many people I’ve talked to have been elk hunting back here. My mistake.

 

[Poser]

I pretty much hunt elk exclusively in a backpack/spike camp manner. Hunting from the truck tends to involve 4 hours or less of sleep and thousands of feet of daily climbing. Backpack hunting usually involves 8+ hours of sleep and 30 minutes of climbing each morning. Being close and tight to where the elk are has many advantages, but you really need a well dialed in, ultralight, super compact and easy system or it’s not going to be very fun.

I use a 6x9 8oz tarp + 5.5oz bivy sack + 18 oz quilt. Minimal weight, minimal bulk, stupid easy to set up and versatile. If I don’t need the tarp, I don’t set it up. Hammock setups are also super appropriate here and extremely versatile, but have a steep learning curve and can be a bit of a money pit.

Limit you backpack profile to no wider or taller than your body. Since you’ll be hauling more gear around than a day hunt and since you are often off trail in the dense timber, you need a tight profile else you’ll get snagged on everything.

If logistics allow, stage food so that you can further cut weight and bulk and potentially stay out longer.

Know the comfortable limits of your gear and sleep system, don’t try out untested gear on hunts. *Do multiple weekend backpacking trips (or scouting trips) to get your gear and system dialed in. Test your sleep system in the backyard if you have to. You need to know what’s comfortable, what works and what doesn’t. Every night you spend out will allow you to get a little more comfortable and build mental database for dealing with various conditions.

If you skip the test backpacking trips, you will most certainly fail at this venture. In order to be an effective backpack hunter, you must first master ultralight backpacking concepts. You don’t master anything with 1 or 2 nights out. Hunting will be heavier, harder and probably colder than most backpacking. If you aren’t going to follow through and do multiple overnight trips out, don’t bother trying because it’s not going to work out for you. You won’t even know if you like it until you do it.

 

[bsnedeker]

No pad? You are hard core my friend!

 

[George Hamrick]

I pretty much hunt elk exclusively in a backpack/spike camp manner. Hunting from the truck tends to involve 4 hours or less of sleep and thousands of feet of daily climbing. Backpack hunting usually involves 8+ hours of sleep and 30 minutes of climbing each morning. Being close and tight to where the elk are has many advantages, but you really need a well dialed in, ultralight, super compact and easy system or it’s not going to be very fun.

I use a 6x9 8oz tarp + 5.5oz bivy sack + 18 oz quilt. Minimal weight, minimal bulk, stupid easy to set up and versatile. If I don’t need the tarp, I don’t set it up. Hammock setups are also super appropriate here and extremely versatile, but have a steep learning curve and can be a bit of a money pit.

Limit you backpack profile to no wider or taller than your body. Since you’ll be hauling more gear around than a day hunt and since you are often off trail in the dense timber, you need a tight profile else you’ll get snagged on everything.

If logistics allow, stage food so that you can further cut weight and bulk and potentially stay out longer.

Know the comfortable limits of your gear and sleep system, don’t try out untested gear on hunts. *Do multiple weekend backpacking trips (or scouting trips) to get your gear and system dialed in. Test your sleep system in the backyard if you have to. You need to know what’s comfortable, what works and what doesn’t. Every night you spend out will allow you to get a little more comfortable and build mental database for dealing with various conditions.

If you skip the test backpacking trips, you will most certainly fail at this venture. In order to be an effective backpack hunter, you must first master ultralight backpacking concepts. You don’t master anything with 1 or 2 nights out. Hunting will be heavier, harder and probably colder than most backpacking. If you aren’t going to follow through and do multiple overnight trips out, don’t bother trying because it’s not going to work out for you. You won’t even know if you like it until you do it.

I appreciate the advice. The long hikes in and out of the dark and lack of sleep are what convinced me to try this style of hunting. It definitely seems like the tarp and bivy sack seem like what I would be leaning towards. Just slept out in the woods on my last trip one night, but want to be better prepared this time around.

 

[Beendare]

As a rule of thumb, I try not to backpack into areas unless I know they have elk in them.
.....

This^ numero uno.

Its a hunting trip not a camping trip.- grin

 

[sneaky]

I appreciate the information. Pack and boots were definitely up there in my items not to skimp on. When you say to practice with 50 lbs in your pack, how are you going about doing that? Do you just throw dumbbells or sandbags in the pack, or do you just hike with the gear you plan on using?

I would recommend packing it with the gear you plan on using. You aren't going to be carrying a sandbag on your hunt so why practice carrying one? Nothing beats practice with the gear you actually plan on using.

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