Gila Archery Elk, what to get my Dad to prepare him?

[FlyGuy]

Yeah, I like the trekking poles idea. 16B is a ton of walking. And can be nothing but a sea of deadfall in some areas (I wouldn’t recommend taking your dad anywhere near the old fire areas). All wilderness with no road system, so it’s 100% on your feet to take you around. No road hunting option for the days you are feeling beat up. I think it’s so cool you are doing this hunt with your dad! And what a great tag to do it with!


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[George Hamrick]

Yeah, I like the trekking poles idea. 16B is a ton of walking. And can be nothing but a sea of deadfall in some areas (I wouldn’t recommend taking your dad anywhere near the old fire areas). All wilderness with no road system, so it’s 100% on your feet to take you around. No road hunting option for the days you are feeling beat up. I think it’s so cool you are doing this hunt with your dad! And what a great tag to do it with!


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I will definitely look into them. My brother had a taste of one of the old fire areas in there a few weeks ago. I’ve never been, but he will at least help us know what to expect. It will definitely be a cool trip. Hoping the monsoon rains kill the Johnson fire sooner than later, but we’re definitely excited.

 

[Elk97]

Good on you for wanting to make this special for your Dad. I'm a little older than him and what I'd want is a really comfortable sleeping pad or zip off merino bottoms (so much less hassle to take off when it warms up).

 

[George Hamrick]

Good on you for wanting to make this special for your Dad. I'm a little older than him and what I'd want is a really comfortable sleeping pad or zip off merino bottoms (so much less hassle to take off when it warms up).

A sleeping pad is definitely something I’ll keep an eye on. Seems like merino, sleeping pad, and trekking poles are going to be the most suggested items so far.

 

[dtrkyman]

The wilderness area is where the fire is, going to complicate things when a large part of the unit is burned and closed, 73k acres and only 11% contained, hot as hell and really dry!

Open areas of the unit may get busy!

| InciWeb

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[George Hamrick]

The wilderness area is where the fire is, going to complicate things when a large part of the unit is burned and closed, 73k acres and only 11% contained, hot as hell and really dry!

Open areas of the unit may get busy!

| InciWeb

Incidents Page of for the Inciweb site.

inciweb.nwcg.gov

I am aware of the fire as I stated already. I’ve been hunting CO otc, so nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[Scoot]

Did you say what time of year you'll be there?

 

[George Hamrick]

Did you say what time of year you'll be there?

First season archery

 

[Scoot]

Oops now I see you said it in your original post.

Trekking poles. PM me if you'd like a great and inexpensive suggestion in that department. Also, I love my zip off bottoms for elk hunting but I definitely wouldn't bother at that time of year in the Gila. Not impossible you'd want them, but very unlikely.

 

[ShakeDown]

16b is a tough unit as far as access, 100% agree on the decision of a drop camp. I wouldn’t be surprised if the biggest bull in NM resides in 16b.

I’d say get him a nice Benchmade fixed blade like a Steep Country or a Hidden Canyon with an engraving. Benchmade has that option on their website.

Goodluck!

 

[George Hamrick]

16b is a tough unit as far as access, 100% agree on the decision of a drop camp. I wouldn’t be surprised if the biggest bull in NM resides in 16b.

I’d say get him a nice Benchmade fixed blade like a Steep Country or a Hidden Canyon with an engraving. Benchmade has that option on their website.

Goodluck!

Exact reason I decided to go even without having a tag lol.

 

[JakeL]

My brother has a first season archery elk tag in the Gila this Fall. Because of the remoteness of the unit, and it being something my Dad has always wanted to do, we decided to do a drop camp hunt. My dad is up in his late 60s, and has always wanted to do a drop camp elk hunt. His birthday is coming up, and I want to get him something useful for the trip. What are some suggestions for a present that would work well in the Gila? Something in roughly the $50-100 range since he would probably try to make one of us use it if it is something really nice. Also want to add in my Dad has very rarely hunted out west, and does not have much in terms of nice hunting gear since all he does is whitetail and turkey hunt.

You have a lot of these comments on these already. But boots for sure and treking poles are a game changer. A nice pack is also a game changer but might be out of your price range… the one thing I have not seen commented on is a garmin inreach. The mini will do just fine. It’s more than you $100 limit but you could have him buy the unit and you could get the subscription for him. I love hunting solo and not having any contact with the world but having that peace of mind knowing i can call for help if I needed too is really nice.

 

[George Hamrick]

You have a lot of these comments on these already. But boots for sure and treking poles are a game changer. A nice pack is also a game changer but might be out of your price range… the one thing I have not seen commented on is a garmin inreach. The mini will do just fine. It’s more than you $100 limit but you could have him buy the unit and you could get the subscription for him. I love hunting solo and not having any contact with the world but having that peace of mind knowing i can call for help if I needed too is really nice.

Ended up going with a lot of the suggestions here and marking off most of your suggestions as well. We got him a sleeping bag, sleeping pad and pillow, trekking poles, and merino socks. I bought a new pack for the hunt, so he’ll be using my other pack and frame. My brother has a zoleo set up for the hunt, so if anything does happen we’ll be prepared.

 

[WAB]

Curious - how did the hunt go for you all?

 

[George Hamrick]

Curious - how did the hunt go for you all?

We were in the elk woods in September, so it was great.