Dropping Pack While Elk Hunting

[MtnHunter]

I try to keep it on for the most part as well. Last year I was 100 yards away from some elk and thought I was safe to take it off to close the distance. Long story short, as I slowy crept closer, they slowly fed away... a 1/2 mile away... then the hail and lightening came, and I had to book it back up the hillside with lightning dancing all around me to get my gear.

Long story short, I ended up getting drenched, the elk were gone, I felt like the lightning would get me at any moment, and I ended up setting up a wet bivy that night.

 

[Ross]

I try to always keep it on as I am a run and gun type and for sure I would spend hours looking for it. Years back I was coming out with a bull land ran into a guide and hunter. I asked who was hunting as I saw no Bow. They looked at each other and the hunter said I am but I lost my Bow. I about busted out laughingHe had it on a sling and did not know it came off. They never found it and I looked. A Mathews 1500$ setup in 04 lost on the mountain.

 

[mtnwrunner]

Randy,

I like this idea and it was something I plan to do, but when you said keep the knife on the bino harness, I had not thought of that. Can you explain how you mounted the knife on the binocular harness? Are you running a fixed blade or folding?

I carry a havalon with 3 blades in one of the side pockets and a folding gerber ranger clipped on the top lid. I could basically survive the night out if I had to with the contents. I have the AGC pack FYI. Another use for the pack is that it makes a great rear rifle bag.

Randy

 

[bpctcb]

Along the same lines as the orange safety vest, you might try wearing a Humvee photo vest. I wear one and I love it. It has 13 pockets I believe. I can cram all kinds of stuff in those pockets and I always have it on. They come in black, khaki & green. Just make sure you get one made of poly and not cotton.

BP

 

[Beendare]

You always end up farther from it than planned.

Yep. A buddy and I were in Arizona u27 archery elk hunting back in the 90's and we took off our boots to make a stalk on a big bull....long story...over a mile later with it getting dark we had to leave that bull and it took us hours to find our packs and boots. We didn't have a choice, we literally couldn't hike out of that canyon 3 miles at night without our boots/flashlights.


FWIW, now I always have a headlamp, lighter, compass, knife and puff bottle in my pants pocket....especially on afternoon hunts.

 

[archer wapiti]

I drop mine a lot. I run a GPS constantly when I'm hunting, except when I stop to rest for a snack, etc. That way it's on and running when I drop my pack and I can mark a waypoint and go without waiting to acquire satellites, etc. I carry enough stuff in my pockets to get by: headlamp lives in my pants, as does a knife and sharpener. If the weather looks like it's going to change, I won't drop my pack.

 

[nphunter]

I never drop my pack when hunting, have shot several deer and elk with it on my back. I also wear it to 3D shoots when i go so i am use to shooting with it on. There are times when i have spotted an animal from a vehicle and chose not to take my pack when going after it, several hours and miles later i really wished i had my pack with my water bladder in it. I try to take it every time i leave the rig when hunting, there are times when we will go out in the evenings after work and just drive and walk out finger ridges and call for elk, I have had to walk back to the vehicle too many times thirsty and in the dark from not taking my pack.

I've left my boots behind mule deer hunting out in the desert 1 time and after realizing the buck had moved to the other side of the draw during my stalk i ended up missing out on a great opportunity due to not having boots. I would rather just keep them on and go slower, I have stalked into less than 5 yards of bedded bucks wearing boots and my pack since.

 

[PA 5-0]

You always end up farther from it than planned.

Gospel right here ^^^^^^^

 

[HookUp]

I drop mine a lot. I run a GPS constantly when I'm hunting, except when I stop to rest for a snack, etc. That way it's on and running when I drop my pack and I can mark a waypoint and go without waiting to acquire satellites, etc. I carry enough stuff in my pockets to get by: headlamp lives in my pants, as does a knife and sharpener. If the weather looks like it's going to change, I won't drop my pack.

This! After dropping my pack and spending 30 min to find it in the sage, I realized my GPS was on and back tracked to find my pack in moments. Now I run it anytime I am moving.

 

[orionsbrother]

I dropped mine in the sage on a WY elk hunt. I must've stopped short of it by five yards three or four times when I went back to retrieve it. Didn't take me long to find it, but I felt like an idiot pacing back and forth.

I won't do that again. We'll drop our packs to pull out decoys and have temporarily left both behind.

 

[mod700]

There are a few packs, as well as a few pairs of boots out there in the sticks, if you drop it, you best mark it....WELL.
Mike

 

[Steakngravy]

Lmao dropped my boots by a juniper bush at 12k feet while i put a 1hour stalk on a bedded cow and two hours later i was still looking for them i still catch hell from my brother on that one

 

[CrzyTrekker]

A standard mountaineering rule is " never become separated from your pack."

I broke the rule once during a close stalk on a bull elk. I killed the elk and then had to waste 30 minutes in a grid search of a wooded area to find the pack, a Kifaru foilage green pack that blended in with the undergrowth.

 

[CrzyTrekker]

Come to think of it, if Kifaru offered blaze orange for their pack bags I'd buy one.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I had dual reasons for working some orange into my daypack. Safety and also as noted easier to find if orange is facing upwards.

 

[Tony Trietch]

I leave my pack on for all the same reasons listed above. I could see taking it off if I had elk bedded in open terrain and needed to slither in on them through grass but other than a tricky stalk, no. I Leave it on. Someone mentioned practicing with your pack on, that is a great point. Shoot in all types of positions with it on during practice.

 

[12ring]

Out of experience I try to never drop my pack. Too many times has a short stalk ended up much longer in distance and duration and I could have used the gear that's back on my bag...

 

[Mi_fiveo]

I'm sure my story isn't unique, and I'll give the short version of it. Spot and stalk Mule deer hunting out west last November. Spotted big boy deep in a canyon at dark. Back to the same spot before daybreak and found him again. I slipped down the canyon walls and made my way to the bottom to try an intercept him on his way to his bed. Zero wind this morning so I took off my boots and went in for the stalk. 200 yards out I dropped my pack so I could crawl closer. I ended up behind a 3 foot high rock with no other cover available.

The buck bedded down 120 yards away and I was stuck there. It's 7:30am and I had two choices. Move from my cover and spook the buck out of its bed, or stay put until he leaves his bed shortly before sunset. I ended up spending 9 hours crouched behind that rock. The temps climbed into the 70's with zero wind or clouds all day. My food and water were in my pack 200 yards away. That was one long miserable day.

At around 4:30 the buck finally left its bed and started to come back towards where I was patiently waiting. He is now hanging on my wall. I'll never leave my pack, snacks and water behind again though.


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[frankrb3]

I've dropped my pack a few times for various reasons. I definitely think it's a bad practice and should be avoided even though sometimes it seems like a good idea. If I do drop my pack I always mark it on my GPS and pull out my blaze orange beanie and hang it from a limb above my pack or set it on my pack. With that being said i'm going to try to not do that anymore though because I can't afford to be separated from my pack or to potentially lose it. I lost my GPS this weekend while shed hunting and haven't felt that upset in a long time. Not sure how I would feel if I lost my entire pack.

 

[LostArra]

I dropped mine in the sage on a WY elk hunt. I must've stopped short of it by five yards three or four times when I went back to retrieve it. Didn't take me long to find it, but I felt like an idiot pacing back and forth.

I won't do that again. We'll drop our packs to pull out decoys and have temporarily left both behind.

Right on brother!! Wyoming sage is a wonderful place to lose just about anything. I almost lost an entire dead elk in the stuff. I am so glad I was hunting solo because I embarrassed myself. I began to wonder if I had hallucinated about shooting it.


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