Dropping pack to stalk...

[Mcribs]

I drop my pack for the final archery deer stalks, you just can’t stalk big deer properly with a pack imho. I try to drop in a super obvious area like along an obvious travel route, or it can be sketch.

I dropped one elk hunting next to a tree this year that I thought for sure I could recognize, and about lost it. Things look completely different from a lower angle. Not doing that again.

 

[elkenstein]

I pack a medium sized fanny pack in my larger pack that is big enough for a small first aid kit, snacks, a little water, Garmin, and a kill kit. It keeps additional straps off my shoulders and my Glock 29 and cell phone go to my bino harness. If it's cold I'll toss the phone in a pocket for battery life.

This also keeps my larger pack a little more organized.

 

[rocknry09]

Hey everyone -


not looking to have a discussion on if you should ever drop your pack or not. I've gotten pretty disciplined on how I mark my back when I drop it and I'm comfortable with that.

Where we hunt it is a lot of running ridges and then bailing into super shitty and vertical hell holes for anywhere from 2 to 4 hours. More often than not it is one way in and one way out back to where we are camped so I don't want to carry more weight than I need to on my fun 2000 vertical foot adventure lol.

Curious to know what you guys take with you and how you take it with you on a stalk. I don't want to stalk w/o:

1. water
2. snack
3. sidearm
4. Kill kit
5. Inreach.
6. Phone.

Thanks in advance for input!

flagging tape or reflectors if not already included in kill kit

 

[TOtheoutdoors]

Hey everyone -


not looking to have a discussion on if you should ever drop your pack or not. I've gotten pretty disciplined on how I mark my back when I drop it and I'm comfortable with that.

Where we hunt it is a lot of running ridges and then bailing into super shitty and vertical hell holes for anywhere from 2 to 4 hours. More often than not it is one way in and one way out back to where we are camped so I don't want to carry more weight than I need to on my fun 2000 vertical foot adventure lol.

Curious to know what you guys take with you and how you take it with you on a stalk. I don't want to stalk w/o:

1. water
2. snack
3. sidearm
4. Kill kit
5. Inreach.
6. Phone.

Thanks in advance for input!

Interesting read. Thanks for sharing.

 

[mavinwa2]

Mostly I fear this*, but not losing a dropped pack, I GPS the location on my InReach.

*AZ desert archery mule deer started a stalk. Had removed by Tailgunner pack from big pack. It carries my stalking essentials. Closed the distance but the muley buck and group of does get up from their beds and start moving. By the time I got a shot opportunity, had moved nearly a mile. Up/Over a few plateaus, across 3 arroyos/desert washes. 4 hours later, returned to pack. It wasn't there?!
Panic set in as pack contained spotter, tripod, DSLR camera etc $$$$.
Checked InReach, I was on the GPS location.

Went to high ground, glassed up another distant hunter walking out the desert wash trail. Yep, my pack on his shoulder, his pack on his back. I beat feet, scrambled like a wild man toward his parked truck in the distance. When within his hearing distance, I yelled to get his attention. Nice guy, thought my pack had been lost, misplaced. He was going to post a "lost pack note" at BLM trail sign.
To say I was relieved is an understatement.

Now if over 200 yards from my dropped pack, I go back for it.

 

[trophyhill]

Yep! Hunt and kill enough when solo and you’ll learn that it never gets dropped.

With a buddy spotting for me things can change…

I always have fire starter, head lamp, kill kit, and water when stalking in with a pack left behind with somebody. If it’s very cold I’ll suck it up and wear a hooded warm puffy opened up or tied around waist. Bino harness carries everything but the water and kill kit. Kill kit in pocket, Nalgene clipped to harness or hand carried.

Puffy has saved me more than once when I got pinned down until after dark and needed to get warm asap. Fire doesn’t always start and keep burning in snow and rain.

I’ll never forget the only time I took my pack off n 2008 while working a bull. Not only did I not kill the bull, but I almost did not find my pack. That will never happen to me again. Panic had set in because it had everything I needed in it accept my bow and my release.

 

[KennethDeemer]

Thanks all for so many stories and feedback. This has helped me think through the options a ton as I prep for this season. Long story short, I'm going to focus on:

1. Leaving more at camp.
2. Getting more thoughtful on what I have in my pack.
3. Getting reflective flagging tape and only dropping my pack for the final 100 yards or so.
4. Getting smarter about what I keep in my bino harness for if that 100 yards turns into mayyyyybe a touch more (Binos, knife, inreach, bandaids, Motrin, tourniquet, rangefinder, dense snacks, sawyer mini and bag, headlamp, mini goal zero charger and cord.)

 

[WCB]

Thanks all for so many stories and feedback. This has helped me think through the options a ton as I prep for this season. Long story short, I'm going to focus on:

1. Leaving more at camp.
2. Getting more thoughtful on what I have in my pack.
3. Getting reflective flagging tape and only dropping my pack for the final 100 yards or so.
4. Getting smarter about what I keep in my bino harness for if that 100 yards turns into mayyyyybe a touch more (Binos, knife, inreach, bandaids, Motrin, tourniquet, rangefinder, dense snacks, sawyer mini and bag, headlamp, mini goal zero charger and cord.)

on #4...no way I am carrying all that on my bino harness....at that point your a rain suit and first aid kit basically from what I carry on day hunts depending on weather.

 

[Riplip]

I’ll never forget the only time I took my pack off n 2008 while working a bull. Not only did I not kill the bull, but I almost did not find my pack. That will never happen to me again. Panic had set in because it had everything I needed in it accept my bow and my release.

THIS. I did the same thing, and it was getting dark very fast.

 

[Turkeytider]

Hey everyone -


not looking to have a discussion on if you should ever drop your pack or not. I've gotten pretty disciplined on how I mark my back when I drop it and I'm comfortable with that.

Where we hunt it is a lot of running ridges and then bailing into super shitty and vertical hell holes for anywhere from 2 to 4 hours. More often than not it is one way in and one way out back to where we are camped so I don't want to carry more weight than I need to on my fun 2000 vertical foot adventure lol.

Curious to know what you guys take with you and how you take it with you on a stalk. I don't want to stalk w/o:

1. water
2. snack
3. sidearm
4. Kill kit
5. Inreach.
6. Phone.

Thanks in advance for input!

Geeze! Reading something like this makes me really feel my age!! LOL! Got tired just reading this post. Oh, to be young again and in great ( maybe even good? ) shape! Also, young or not, I`d be terrified to be in the middle of nowhere dropping things on purpose that I might need !

 

[butcherboy]

I never ever drop my pack for a stalk unless I only need to get in that extra 30-40 yds. If it doesn’t work out then I immediately get my pack and try again. It’s really not difficult to stalk with a pack on as long as it isn’t overloaded with crap. Last time I dropped it was on my son’s antelope hunt a few years ago. Wide open grassy slope and we belly crawled up to the top of the ridge about 70 yds. Antelope was bedded across a little drainage on another little slope at 200 yds. Needed him to stand up for the shot but the buck ended up being lured away by some does. Couldn’t find my pack for about an hour! I’ll belly crawl with it on next time and slide it off when I only need to move up about 10-20 more yards.

I’ve shot quite a few animals with a pack on. Both rifle and archery.

 

[KennethDeemer]

on #4...no way I am carrying all that on my bino harness....at that point your a rain suit and first aid kit basically from what I carry on day hunts depending on weather.

lol sounds worse than it is. I only run 8x binos and everything else is pretty small.

I've got the FHF FOB harness and it has plenty of storage and mounting options. All I add is the GP pouch underneath and that holds my knife, sawyer mini, and tourniquet. Everything else easily fits on the other side from my rangefinder and I mount the inreach to the bino case itself with the Exo Mtn Gear inreach holder.

 

[KennethDeemer]

 

[HiMtnHntr]

I don’t drop my pack until I’m in real close. I learned not to drop it too early after having to go back out of my way too far after things didn’t go as planned.

 

[alowell]

Yep, it's been said here, but small headlamp and means to start a fire

 

[180ls1]

I always keep a piece of blaze orange for safety. I make sure to pull it out and drop it on my pack or elevate on a bush/tree when leaving it. It's amazing how hard it is to find sometimes and I don't put full trust in technology.

 

[CMF]

I like this idea a lot. I'm going to experiment with how I can drop the K3 bag on the exo.

Dropping and attaching the bag takes way too long to do on a hunt and you're only saving two pounds. Like someone mentioned dropping a dry bag off with camp and extras would be the quickest and you can still keep survival gear, etc in your bag.

If you're still set on dropping the pack and taking some essentials, the Exo Slurpy Stalker was made just for that. You can run a full 3L bladder in, but for what you're talking about, I would just run a 1L bag and use the remaining room for your other gear.

I'm about to drop a brand new Slurpy Stalker in the classifieds if anyone is interested.

I only drop my pack for the last 100-300 yds or so, and that depends on the situation, I can do without water or anything else for those situations. I would probably leave it on if stalking deer walking away, weather moving in or somewhere I might have more trouble finding it. In addition to onX point, I try to drop it by a tree or something more identifiable than the surrounding terrain, if possible.

 

[TaperPin]

I’ll not only not drop my pack, it comes with me even when not needed because it’s an essential part of shooting. Standing up it’s a sitting rest and for long range shots it’s the first thing I like to rest the rifle over.

Many guys don’t like how it feels or if a shot is close don’t like having a thick shoulder strap to put the recoil pad on - all my stocks are 1/2” shorter than the usual length of pull to make shooting with a pack more natural.

The second reason to never drop a pack is elk are very mobile - if they start walking and you’re 400 yards from the pack, there’s a very good chance you’ll either get the pack and never see them again, or follow the elk until you’re screwed and can’t find the pack.

 

[KennethDeemer]

Hey everyone -


not looking to have a discussion on if you should ever drop your pack or not.

So much for this lol

 

[TaperPin]

Lol
My bad. I thought this was a different post.