Bivy/ Backpack Hunting Mistakes/Advice

[sargent]

I had good luck doing exactly what you are talking about two years ago in Colorado. For me, nothing beats the feeling of having camp on my back and just going where the elk and/or sign take me each day. Keep your pack as light as possible and get in the best shape you can. This WILL be a grueling hunt. Treat your truck as your mobile base camp by setting up a sleep system in the bed if possible and pack along an extra set of clothing (including boots) and plenty of good food. It's amazing how good a crunchy apple can be after a few days of living off bars and Mountain House. Good luck and have fun!

 

[Bearwhisky]

It sounds like we have very similar plans. I’m not too concerned with it being too big of an undertaking. I’ve been in the area for an elk hunt before, so I have a good idea of what I’ll be facing. I just slept out in the woods two nights on my last trip with no sleeping gear or shelter. Based on this, I’m sure anything I take will be an upgrade. I just wanted to see what some people mistakes were from experience so that I wouldn’t make the same mistakes when I bought some gear this summer. I’m sure I’ll make some mistakes, but it’s my best option for getting on elk in the area. Good luck on your first elk hunt this fall!

Awesome man. Hope you hammer em. You have one up on me, as I have never stepped foot in the elk woods. Looking forward to the leaning curve.


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[George Hamrick]

Awesome man. Hope you hammer em. You have one up on me, as I have never stepped foot in the elk woods. Looking forward to the leaning curve.


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You will be better off than I was my first trip since it sounds like you have a good plan in place. I just sort of “winged it” since it was a last minute trip. Still got on elk enough to get me hooked though. Hope the same happens for you, but some meat in the truck.

 

[GunsAreFun]

This will be my first season as well, and I struggle with this question. So many people advise hunting from a base camp until you find elk, but I’m struggling with the “math” of all the extra energy hiking to and from the car everyday vs staying on the mountain. Not to mention the sleep lost from having to hike before and after dark and navigating unfamiliar terrain in the dark. I am a lightweight backpacker so adding a sleep system and 2-3 days of food is only like 7-8 pounds. Seems worth it vs 2-4 miles of walking out and whatever elevation loss that goes with it.

I understand the value of not hiking in 7 miles and committing to an area. My plan would be to stay 2-4 miles in so I’m close enough to the truck to leave at any point if the area isn’t productive. We are also scouting for areas a mile or so from a road to provide base camp options especially for the first and last days.

 

[George Hamrick]

This will be my first season as well, and I struggle with this question. So many people advise hunting from a base camp until you find elk, but I’m struggling with the “math” of all the extra energy hiking to and from the car everyday vs staying on the mountain. Not to mention the sleep lost from having to hike before and after dark and navigating unfamiliar terrain in the dark. I am a lightweight backpacker so adding a sleep system and 2-3 days of food is only like 7-8 pounds. Seems worth it vs 2-4 miles of walking out and whatever elevation loss that goes with it.

I understand the value of not hiking in 7 miles and committing to an area. My plan would be to stay 2-4 miles in so I’m close enough to the truck to leave at any point if the area isn’t productive. We are also scouting for areas a mile or so from a road to provide base camp options especially for the first and last days.

I only have one trip worth of experience, so definitely not an expert, but that was the issue I was running into. The area I was running into elk was 2 1/2 miles or so from a trail, and I felt like I was waiting a lot of energy getting back to the truck every night and getting back there in the morning. That’s why I’ve decided to hunt this way this time around. I’ll only have 2-3 days worth of food, so I’m not carrying 50 pounds for a week long hunt like you mentioned.

 

[Poser]

This will be my first season as well, and I struggle with this question. So many people advise hunting from a base camp until you find elk, but I’m struggling with the “math” of all the extra energy hiking to and from the car everyday vs staying on the mountain. Not to mention the sleep lost from having to hike before and after dark and navigating unfamiliar terrain in the dark. I am a lightweight backpacker so adding a sleep system and 2-3 days of food is only like 7-8 pounds. Seems worth it vs 2-4 miles of walking out and whatever elevation loss that goes with it.

I understand the value of not hiking in 7 miles and committing to an area. My plan would be to stay 2-4 miles in so I’m close enough to the truck to leave at any point if the area isn’t productive. We are also scouting for areas a mile or so from a road to provide base camp options especially for the first and last days.

Most people lack the backpacking experience to try and tie it together with hunting out of the gate. That being said, it can be done. I did a backpack hunt on my first elk hunt and Have been hunting that way since. I wouldn’t generally advise it, but if you have the background, I say go for it.

 

[fatlander]

Go backpacking a lot this summer. Don’t bring everything for anything. Bring what it takes to be reasonably comfortable. No matter what, you can always hike out to the truck if you have a catastrophic gear failure. If you can’t walk out, you’re kind of up shits creek anyway. . Press the SOS button on the InReach.


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[Ry_Harr_81]

Hey all...with the unanimous call that Boots, Pack, Shelter are up in the top areas not to skimp, I wanted an opinion. Now....with any hobby, you can spend as much as the stars if you wanted on gear....but I wanted to pay good money on things without getting each of the aforementioned at $500 each an item...reason being is that I'm going on my first out west archery hunt in CO next year late September. I'm content with seeing elk in person, gorgeous terrain, and waking up to hear bugling..if I get to draw back...that's winning the lottery for me given the success rates of a diy hunt...I'm really trying to maintain realistic expectations.....so until I go every other year out west....I was holding off on getting the creme de la creme gear ...but im open to opinion on if these items I bought are going to hold up to the elements and terrain...

Pack - ALPS OutdoorZ Commander + Pack Bag -$185
.Boots - Lowa Men's Zephyr GTX HI TF (Gortex lining) -$240
Tent - Big Agnes Ultralight Fly Creek HV 2p tent (2lbs) - $350

 

[fatlander]

Hey all...with the unanimous call that Boots, Pack, Shelter are up in the top areas not to skimp, I wanted an opinion. Now....with any hobby, you can spend as much as the stars if you wanted on gear....but I wanted to pay good money on things without getting each of the aforementioned at $500 each an item...reason being is that I'm going on my first out west archery hunt in CO next year late September. I'm content with seeing elk in person, gorgeous terrain, and waking up to hear bugling..if I get to draw back...that's winning the lottery for me given the success rates of a diy hunt...I'm really trying to maintain realistic expectations.....so until I go every other year out west....I was holding off on getting the creme de la creme gear ...but im open to opinion on if these items I bought are going to hold up to the elements and terrain...

Pack - ALPS OutdoorZ Commander + Pack Bag -$185
.Boots - Lowa Men's Zephyr GTX HI TF (Gortex lining) -$240
Tent - Big Agnes Ultralight Fly Creek HV 2p tent (2lbs) - $350

Honestly, I’d rather have a better pack and cheaper tent. I’d look to get a use mystery ranch pack (call them if you’re a firefighter/cop/military - HUGE DISCOUNT), and find yourself something in the 100 dollar range for the tent.


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[Poser]

I agree with the above. Buy yourself a Eureka Suma for $150 (sub 4 lbs) and buy a better pack. That Alpz will be the bane of your iexistence hunting in dark timber.

 

[George Hamrick]

Hey all...with the unanimous call that Boots, Pack, Shelter are up in the top areas not to skimp, I wanted an opinion. Now....with any hobby, you can spend as much as the stars if you wanted on gear....but I wanted to pay good money on things without getting each of the aforementioned at $500 each an item...reason being is that I'm going on my first out west archery hunt in CO next year late September. I'm content with seeing elk in person, gorgeous terrain, and waking up to hear bugling..if I get to draw back...that's winning the lottery for me given the success rates of a diy hunt...I'm really trying to maintain realistic expectations.....so until I go every other year out west....I was holding off on getting the creme de la creme gear ...but im open to opinion on if these items I bought are going to hold up to the elements and terrain...

Pack - ALPS OutdoorZ Commander + Pack Bag -$185
.Boots - Lowa Men's Zephyr GTX HI TF (Gortex lining) -$240
Tent - Big Agnes Ultralight Fly Creek HV 2p tent (2lbs) - $350

I ended up going with a Kuiu pack and frame for around $275. A pair of Danner boots on sale for $90, along with a pair of Meindls I had gifted to me. Mountainsmith Shelter for $75 dollars on here. The shelter doesn’t have a floor, but I think it will be a good floorless option for September in CO.

 

[nettereo16]

I ended up going with a Kuiu pack and frame for around $275. A pair of Danner boots on sale for $90, along with a pair of Meindls I had gifted to me. Mountainsmith Shelter for $75 dollars on here. The shelter doesn’t have a floor, but I think it will be a good floorless option for September in CO.

The MtnSmith shelter is a great September option for the price! Used mine (with my partner!) for 2 Septembers before upgrading this year to a tipi/pyramid.

 

[Ry_Harr_81]

I agree with the above. Buy yourself a Eureka Suma for $150 (sub 4 lbs) and buy a better pack. That Alpz will be the bane of your iexistence hunting in dark timber.

As someone unfamiliar to dark timber, why would the pack be the bane of my existence...bulkiness? Uncomfortable? Material and will rip up easy? My thoughts were this is a pack to get me through my first trip out west ...not a long term pack to use for 5 or more years.

 

[Still Hunter]

Everything I have gets sprayed with at least two heavy coats of silicone waterproofing and gets sun dried and left out several days to lose the odors. including my camos. Wet tents, wet sleeping bags and wet packs are just not an option. You can pour a 5 gallon bucket of water on my tent and my backpack and it just rolls right off.

I always carry the florescent shiny thumb tacks. I use them a lot to mark a trail or a spot where I need to break on or off a trail. I set them up about 6ft high so I can see them from a distance with a flashlight or headlamp. Got me back to camp many times. I general pull them out on my last trip out.

 

[HoneyDew]

Take a look at the Seek Outside Silex tarp-tent, I just got one last week, I'm thinking it coupled with a Borah Gear bivi will be perfect. I got the nest for the Silex, but I like the idea of the bivi to keep the sleep system together, and I may use a small stove in the Silex and the nest won't work with a stove.

Did you get the silex with a stove jack? What stove do you have/plan to use? I’ve been looking at that hard and would love some feedback on it coupled with a stove.

 

[Poser]

As someone unfamiliar to dark timber, why would the pack be the bane of my existence...bulkiness? Uncomfortable? Material and will rip up easy? My thoughts were this is a pack to get me through my first trip out west ...not a long term pack to use for 5 or more years.

It’s a big, bulky and Clumsy frame that’s going to catch on limbs and crawling under downed trees is going to be impossible. Plenty of animals have been packed out with them. I wouldn’t be concerned with that aspect. I do think you can circumvent this pack on the same or very similar budget by being smart with your purchases elsewhere.

 

[Brian_Holcombe]

If you value sleep and vicinity to elk over the creature comforts of basecamp, bivy hunting is the way to go, but like others have said, you want to be sure you've practiced your systems before you ruin your hunt. Some folks just simply can't get comfortable dropping camp in an ultralight style. You're also likely carrying 10-20 lbs more in your pack on a daily basis, with camp gear and food.

I'm not sure that I would bivy hunt if the ultralight backpacking side wasn't on autopilot for me.

I agree completely on the pack shape. Also, I'm a big believer that an extra pound or two in the frame will result in a much lighter carry under big weight. I skimped on pack frames for years coming from that ethos in alpine climbing, but I converted about 5 years ago and won't go back.

There are a bunch of threads on this, but if it's helpful, my bivy hunt setup for September elk in Colorado is this ...


Yes, that's a terrible photo, but it gives you the idea.

Shelter: For less than 3 nights I'll use my 15-year-old Bibler (now Black Diamond) Hoop Bivy under a 10x8 Ultralite Guide tarp from Brooks Range, which I usually hang with my two trekking poles, with a long end sheltering from the windward side. If 3 nights or more, I'll add (if rain/cold are in the forecast) or sub a floorless pyramid. I've been using the Hyperlite Ultamid lately. The hoop bivy has the thin wire to keep the bag off your face without the added weight of poles.

Bag: Western Mountaineering Versalite with a 3oz overfill (a little overkill for most September nights, but sub 2.5 lbs and roughly 0F rated with the overfill). This was the best bag on the market for dry climates when I bought it in 2006 and I believe it's the same today.

Pad: Exped SynMat UL (that I won at a Backcountry Hunters & Anglers event!)

Cook: Primus Lite+ stove and a titanium spork (I usually eat one 2-serving Mountain House for dinner, a protein mix and Bobo's Bar for breakfast, and a mix of bars, Justin's nut butter squeezes, dehydrated fruit, and Snicker's throughout the day.

Water: Adventure Medical RapidPure Trailblazer gravity purifier or Grayl. I've been using the gravity purifier more lately for convenience in camp, though it weighs almost twice as much (18.5 oz vs. 10.9 oz) and isn't as convenient when on the move.

I also usually carry a small, inflatable solar lantern to give me stationary light. You can see it hanging from the end of the tarp.

I store my pack under the shelter with the rain cover on in case we get precip overnight.

I can go from full pack to fully set-up camp in about 5 minutes, including hanging the tarp and filling my pad. Again, if I were concerned about fiddling with my camp setup in the field, I would very likely not mess with it.

Also, for my money, the Salomon Quest 4D boots are hard to beat for medium-to-narrow width feet.

Disclaimer, I work with Salomon, Adventure Medical and Primus, but chose their gear before that was the case.

 

[HoneyDew]

Following. I love the pics with a mini summary. Everyone is different but it’s great examples of things that work and I’ve gotten tiny inspiration from them already. Gives a leg up over starting from scratch.