How I failed my DIY Elk Hunt….

[Dos Perros]

One thing I noticed for myself is that my resting heartrate is around the mid 40s at night here in central texas (1600ft) but when I went up to 11000 feet my resting wouldnt go below 80 bpm.

And then when you get back home your RHR is even lower than normal for a bit.

 

[arock]

The online topo maps will get you. Did that twice myself. The girlfriend and dog were not amused during our scouting trips.

"Oh that'll be an easy 2 miles" and its an impassible gorge. Though I do have to say if you pick up a hard copy of the map it is much easier to see manageable vs def don't go that way. I'll be sure to check my escouting vs a hard map next time more carefully.

I can totally relate to the how far can I realistically go back and then drag out an animal conundrum when you're solo.

Bad ass you made the trip by yourself though and it is some beautiful country to explore. There are so many external factors involved but it is amazing how much of an internal journey it turns out to be. Hope you're able to get into them next time you head out.

 

[TexDoc]

It's all about the journey, not the outcome. Feels bad sometime when we eat a tag, but it's a better feeling than not going at all.

Amen brother!

 

[Clixxer]

A note on altitude sickness: I'm not sure you can really correlate it to much of anything. Sometimes people struggle with it and sometimes those same people don't. I think it's tough to predict. I've heard of people who live at 7k and then go to 11k get sick. It's weird.

I live at 1k, and we usually bomb through the night and go straight to the top as fast as we can, and I've never experienced sickness myself. Dragging ass, yes no doubt, but not sickness, and there is a difference.

If you're really concerned about it you can spend a day at a middle altitude before packing in. I think that's the best thing you can do to mitigate.

So far the best defense i've learned and taught others is you need 1-2 days minimum at altitude before going to high altitude. I'm from Texas and now live in Denver. All my friends that come up I have them do this. Get in, relax, hydrate like crazy (usually just have them chug a Pedialyte), that afternoon or next morning we will do a 2-3 mile run so their body really figures out they have less oxygen. Usually after that, especially if we wait till after a nights rest then they don't have issues. Buddy came from SC, did that, and we hiked a 14ener without issues 2 days later.

Just a thought.

 

[TexDoc]

So far the best defense i've learned and taught others is you need 1-2 days minimum at altitude before going to high altitude. I'm from Texas and now live in Denver. All my friends that come up I have them do this. Get in, relax, hydrate like crazy (usually just have them chug a Pedialyte), that afternoon or next morning we will do a 2-3 mile run so their body really figures out they have less oxygen. Usually after that, especially if we wait till after a nights rest then they don't have issues. Buddy came from SC, did that, and we hiked a 14ener without issues 2 days later.

Just a thought.

In addition to trying to be in the best shape possible I use Wilderness Athlete Altitude Advantage...maybe placebo but it seems to help!

 

[Clixxer]

In addition to trying to be in the best shape possible I use Wilderness Athlete Altitude Advantage...maybe placebo but it seems to help!

Honestly, I do think part of it is a mental game, but mostly physical. Definitely being in good shape gives you better odds. If it works and doesn't harm the body then all for it!

Altitude sickness is so weird. I've gone hiking with guys that regularly do high altitude stuff. One day they are fine and the next not so much.

 

[mtwarden]

No fail, you did just fine

On the map thing; when you have a route you’re thinking about- find an app that has in addition to topo- satellite and 3D. Looking at 3D (ands sat) at several different angles has cut down significantly on my booboo’s on route selection

 

[PRC_GUY]

Go with friends is a good idea, but I could turn into a bad idea , because what ever reason and bail out is suck. I was in that situation once. I work 7 days a week, when I have a chance to be out there , love it. There is no failure out there my friend. And good luck to everyone this hunting season and be safe.

 

[Btaylor]

No fail, you did just fine

On the map thing; when you have a route you’re thinking about- find an app that has in addition to topo- satellite and 3D. Looking at 3D (ands sat) at several different angles has cut down significantly on my booboo’s on route selection

That helps once you have seen it. At least a little. One of the mountains I go up has been reviewed on google earth thousands of times and I have dissected it on onx too. With out fail every year, when I put eyes on it, my reaction is always holy geez that is a giant freaking mountain.

 

[Rob5589]

Many would have bailed after their partner did only 2 days before, and you went solo with no hesitation. I call that a win. Like you, I discovered my limitations fairly quickly. The allure of "going deep" is extremely attractive to many. But packing in miles then packing out any elk solo is a lofty goal.

 

[Mikido]

At least I kept my expectations low. I think back to my own deer/turkey/waterfowl hunting in my home state, and how an entire season can go by with/without an opportunity on a trophy, in my backyard!

To head out west on a 3/5/7/10 day hunt, practically blind, and expect a dead bull is a bit far fetched. The earlier post about a 4 year learning curve is spot on I think. Hell it took me 4 years to figure out my wife….

 

[sneaky]

That’s the worst part. He couldn’t be straight with me. Gave me some bs about his shoulder. I know the truth though…He’s a best friend of almost 20 years and I can read him like a book. The last year of planning he was all in….the last 2 weeks he was being squirrelly.
He’s been a wreck in his own life the past few years and we’ve Definitly been through a lot together, unfortunately this was the last straw for me. I don’t blame him though for my pains, I just feel bad for his own well being in his own life ya know?

Sounds like he can still be your friend, just not a hunting partner

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[Thunderer]

If it makes you feel better, I just returned from 28 days on the mountain. In that time I had 8 days around other friends. I didn't kill an elk because I didn't want to kill the ones which I had opportunities on.....but it was far from a failure. I put a bull in my buddies lap 2x and looked at several 6x6's.

That's a win for me.

Are you taking applications for friends?

 

[sick_lids]

I kind of failed my self this year. I planned on solo for 2 weeks packing in about 2 miles....I did not bring enough calories, had way too much trouble sleeping because of wind and flatness of available sites away from betel kills. Had a close but not close enough encounter with a 6X6, that fueled a 48 hour adrenaline fueled monster that forgot to eat dinner and let himself get way too cold......In short i lasted 9 days away from the truck, lost 20lbs, and got out before i really got into trouble physically...Had a good laugh at a group of men that looked broken following pack mules up, They were in for a rough week if they looked like that only carrying a water bottle. One thing that would have helped was if i had packed a solar charger to talk thru some of what was going on, i might have been able to pull 2 more days....Honestly hunted hard enough that i had zero regrets pulling out early, scary to think how i would have physically suffered if I had got one the night before i pulled out...

 

[md126]

I’ve been OTC guided, drop camp on private, and solo diy OTC. Didn’t kill on the solo diy but probably most proud of that trip.

lots of planning, commitment, and mostly balls to do a OTC diy solo hunt.

 

[PaBone]

My two son's and I just got back from a DIY hunt and I know what your saying about the terrain being a lot steeper, rockier and thicker then studying Topo's, Satellite and 3d's. What looked like a burned area with blow downs turned out to be so thick it was impassable. Finding a level spot to camp was also tough and there was times we were four miles from camp and eight miles to the truck. With that being said we had a hunt of a lifetime, my one son killed a nice 5x5 and my other son had two shots hitting a limb that deflected his arrow on a giant 6x6 at 30 yards. After the amount of work it took packing out my son's elk I was happy to just call and wasn't interested in a younger bull. I give anyone a lot of credit doing a solo back country hunt because it's a huge effort and best done as a team working together. Sleeping on the ground and grinding every day I lost about 9 pounds. The last thing I wanted when I got back to my tent after dark was a high calorie dehydrated meal filled with salt, pepper and all the seasonings. Next year I have to come up with a better home made food plan.

 

[Bigborealaska]

I’m 37yo, wife and 2 kids. Live on the east coast and am a seasoned hunter there. Stay in active good shape.

what I did right:
-researched and prepared 1 year before the trip
-got boots that fit me out the box and had no issues on the mountain with very little break in at home
-made a plan and followed it through (mostly)

what I did wrong:
-underestimated altitude sickness. 10 years ago I skiup to 13k without a problem….current day 10k kicked my ass
-didn’t train enough with a very heavy bag in my local mountain.
-picked the wrong partner. He bailed 2 days before the trip and I went at it solo

-didn’t scrutinize and fully understand topo
Maps. What looked like an easy 3 mile side hill was the toughest terrain I’ve ever encountered.
-overestimated my abilities in how deep i can go and bring an elk back, on my back.

I encountered the expected mix of old and new elk sign, however I just couldn’t go deeper bc of my physical inability.


what did I learn from all this? Humbled my stubborn ass and that I have an amazing family I shouldn’t take for granted.

Good luck to everyone this season and stay safe.
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The mountain always finds your weaknesses. Mental fortitude can and will help you through those if you apply them. Not saying put yourself in danger and mental fortitude will get you through it can but listen to your body. One thing I always have known is mother nature puts obstacles in your path and you have to have the skill mental fortitude and physical toughness to make it through. You'll never be on the mountain without an obstacle of some sort to think through.

 

[Minute_of_Antelope]

The online topo maps will get you. Did that twice myself. The girlfriend and dog were not amused during our scouting trips.

"Oh that'll be an easy 2 miles" and its an impassible gorge. Though I do have to say if you pick up a hard copy of the map it is much easier to see manageable vs def don't go that way. I'll be sure to check my escouting vs a hard map next time more carefully.

I can totally relate to the how far can I realistically go back and then drag out an animal conundrum when you're solo.

Bad ass you made the trip by yourself though and it is some beautiful country to explore. There are so many external factors involved but it is amazing how much of an internal journey it turns out to be. Hope you're able to get into them next time you head out.

A thing I do when e-scouting (because it fools EVERYONE) is to set the altitude exaggeration slider on the 3D to 1.3x. Makes the steeps all that much more realistic.

 

[TradLife406]

When I decided to figure out elk as a Montana resident it took me several unsuccessful years to finally tag a bull.
Also until you have a six pack of kids you can't use your children as an excuse You amateur parents need to step your game up