Exaggerated numbers in the backcountry. Is everyone full of it?

[A.M.O]

I've really been noticing the last couple years that some folks are claiming some,almost superhuman, distances covered during their hunt. From 45km pack outs ( on foot) to 160 miles covered( also on foot) in a week, to unbelievable amounts of vertical miles hiked. Has anyone else noticed this? Some of these folks may be telling the truth, but for those that aren't, what's the point? Could you imagine being new to backcountry hunting and thinking you need to cover that much ground?

 

[19hunt92]

It is interesting to me that it is a bragging point. More times than not, covering more distance is hindering you more than aiding the hunt. I would hate to think how many animals are spooked rather than just sitting, glassing and playing "where's waldo"

 

[chasewild]

It's the direct result of the "hunters are athletes" complex which is closely akin to the "hunter is hero" narrative that brands push to sell product. If you aren't a "wilderness athlete" or a "mountain warrior" or "hammering" the shite out of the mountains then you aren't hunting. It's not sexy to shut the f*ck up and just hunt, be humble and tell stories around a fire to your friends and family. Now, you gotta buy a new bow every year, a long range rifle, have 12 pair of boots, train-to-hunt, pack "supplements" into the woods, wear flashing orange branded hats, and have 10k followers on instagram patting you on the back with "likes" for your appropriately shuttered, timed, and filtered photos in order for you to be part of the culture (errr....machine....or whichever you prefer to call it).

Take it all with a grain of salt and just hunt. Even some of the heros on this site will make outrageous claims and you just grin and move on.

 

[justin davis]

It’s the same for animals and score. The number of people every year that kill 190” or 200” deer is amazing. I would be majority of these people who exaggerate score have never even seen a true 190” buck

 

[5MilesBack]

Could you imagine being new to backcountry hunting and thinking you need to cover that much ground?

Nobody has ever said that one "needs" to cover that much ground, but when you have 14 hours of daylight every day and you can't sit still........what else are you going to do? You cover ground until you find a bull that wants to play. With 14 hours (of just daylight).......that can be a lot of miles and a lot of vertical covered every day.

But I cover less ground during archery than I used to during rifle seasons because (1) during rifle I was always freezing so hiked even more and faster, and (2) I can normally always find a bull or two or three that wants to play. But I do a lot of "quick jaunts" from base camp........like 2-3 miles in, hit it hard, and then hike back out. Then do that again in the evening, in a different spot. And that could be 12-15 miles overall just from those with a whole lot of daylight left in the middle of the day. Depending where I'm hunting, I might even throw in a couple hours fly fishing the river after the morning jaunt.

So ya, it's doable.........and I'm 54. There could be a reason why some hunt solo.

Then again.........I have areas where I only need to hike in 1/2 mile to see if the elk want to play.

 

[ODB]

Yes, every pack load is 100lbs+., every camping spot is 10 miles from the nearest trailhead, and the struggle is real. It’s symbolic interaction at work.

 

[backcountryshaffer]

You know who that guy is when...he has former hunting partners that refuse to hunt with him because he deserted or almost killed them the last time. That guy doesn't usually talk about himself, he just grinds and gets it done.

 

[Jimmy]

It's important when you don't shoot an animal to tell others how hard you worked and how far you hiked to find one. Lest people think that you didn't put forth an extraordinary effort, or that you aren't a great hunter.

 

[Beendare]

Some exaggeration...sure...but there are many hunters that cover a lot of ground as that is their style of hunting- bugle...then move on if they don't want to play.

My guess is there are many here on this site just shaking their head at your comments as they know how much ground they cover. Do you watch those Elk 101 vids and think there is an elk in every canyon?

I know for a fact; Guys that have packed in 8-10 miles on a sheep hunt, easily covered 10 miles plus a day bugling for elk from dawn to dusk....heck, the Kalalau Valley trail on Kauai is 12-13 miles one way as I recall....and I know plenty of folks that have done that- including myself and my wife.

...

 

[strand]

This gets in to a conversation that has been hashed over many times, but what's your definition of backcountry hunting? Can you day hunt and still call it backcountry hunting or do you have to be X miles from where you parked? Most of the guys bragging about how many miles they hiked in and making that the highlight of the story are in it for a different reason than you are, I would guess. Similar to the people that put all the emphasis on the size of the animal. I'll tell people how far in I was and how big an animal was to give someone a frame of reference, but that's all it is. I think it adds to the story.

 

[elkyinzer]

It's just a dude thing. Most 300 yard drives are 260. Etc. etc.

Also when phones and fitness watches starting becoming a thing, they tracked distance by steps and not actual GPS miles. The step meters aren't calibrated very accurately for woods walking. I've seen 5 mile hikes by GPS show as 15 miles on my Android fitness tracker app.

 

[Poser]

I tend to agree with a post above that a general trend of “athlete hunters” has pushed hunters to look for acknowledgment of their physical feats, both from other hunters and the general outdoors realm. At the extreme, it’s fairly immature and even narcissistic as presented by some of the social media influencers. It’s also just the general immaturity of reverting back to Jr High where you would argue with your friends about how big your dick is.

At the end of the day, it’s just hunting.

 

[PathFinder]

elkyinzer nailed the point I was going to make. Those fitness trackers on phones are made to help fat chicks feel good about having a "cheat" meal. They exaggerate horribly.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[PathFinder]

elkyinzer nailed the point I was going to make. Those fitness trackers on phones are made to help fat chicks feel good about having a "cheat" meal. They exaggerate horribly.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[A.M.O]

I'm definitely not saying there aren't guys that put a ton of miles on during a hunt, I've guided in places where it is literally a 3day ride in, hunt/hike your guts out for 12-14 days and then come out. I think though, that there are a lot of guys that think they need to exaggerate in order to look cool/bad@ss/etc

 

[Nickofthewoods]

Interestingly, it doesn't seem like too long ago when it was trendy to boast about how close to the truck you bagged your animal.

I'll start. Back in 2014 I shot a nice 4x4 muley about 50 yards uphill of my truck. All I had to do was drag it downhill to the truck. It was awesome.

 

[juan trueno]

It's important when you don't shoot an animal to tell others how hard you worked and how far you hiked to find one. Lest people think that you didn't put forth an extraordinary effort, or that you aren't a great hunter.

Which is funny because only the crappiest hunter is going to fail to tag out with those kind of Herculean efforts.

 

[GrumpyHiker]

It’s also just the general immaturity of reverting back to Jr High where you would argue with your friends about how big your dick is.

I was supposed to stop doing that in JHS??

 

[rodney482]

Im the guy who likes to brag on the easy hunts.

 

[justin84]

It's just a dude thing.

Definitely for some. Some of the best dudes I know are pathologically humble, though.