How many days have you spent in the mountains this year?

If I count my scouting, hiking and hunting days this year I'm around 40 right now, with 18 of those days staying in a tent. The rest are day trips or staying in a cabin.
 
I looked back at the last 3-4 years to see how it went and averaged it out. I tried to break it out by type of activity, if that makes sense. Look forward to when the kiddos get a bit older as field time will go up then. : )

10-12 days in the mountains (Dall Sheep)
5-7 days in the bush (bears/moose)
7-9 days on the river (floating / camping - fishing and bears)
Followed up with irregular patterns of other outdoor adventures; car camping, Day-Hikes, lake fishing (kids), river bank fishing, mt biking, and more...
 
Around mid 50's to 60 (35ish nights).That's packed in the mountains scouting or hunting big game. (I don't count turkeys or fowl). Usually I have much more but I had a few first day kills as well as having a kid/building my house really killed my spring and summer scouting.
 
Haven't really counted them up... Probably 8 nights 15 days scouting this summer, 5 days 4 nights for archery season, a 2 day 1 night high rifle hunt that got cut short because of a knee injury, another 5 days during muzzle loader season, 5 days during rifle season, 8 days in Colorado with 2 nights spiked out... and getting ready for my last hunt of the year which will be chasing deer with my bow here locally. So I'm around 38-40 days so far for just 2 deer tags. I've passed up 8 bucks so far in WA, and 7 bucks in Colorado without a tag notched. Trying to hold out for a big deer, and I'm being successful on the holding out part, not so much on killing a big deer though! :) This may take a few years...

Mike
 
This year I did not have as many N.U.T.S. (Nights Under The Stars) as I have in past years. I never hunted deer at all in Ca this year, and an early snowfall pushed me into a cabin this Fall in Wyoming.

I had 5 nights on a pack horse supported backpacking trip in the Wind River range this summer.
3 nights (out of 10 planned/possible) in Deer camp for archery in Wyoming. Wall tent at the "end" of the road.
4 nights sleeping in the horse trailer on an Early summer trail ride.
a few nights car camping for destination trailruns.

In past years I've had around 28 nights a year out under the stars.
 
This year I did not have as many N.U.T.S. (Nights Under The Stars) as I have in past years. I never hunted deer at all in Ca this year, and an early snowfall pushed me into a cabin this Fall in Wyoming.

I had 5 nights on a pack horse supported backpacking trip in the Wind River range this summer.
3 nights (out of 10 planned/possible) in Deer camp for archery in Wyoming. Wall tent at the "end" of the road.
4 nights sleeping in the horse trailer on an Early summer trail ride.
a few nights car camping for destination trailruns.

In past years I've had around 28 nights a year out under the stars.

I think that is really the best way to quantify my hunting is with NUTS....I can't really ever day hunt much from my house so usually its always basing out of a tent, thus my days hunted is usually just slightly more than how many nights in a tent I have. Certainly envy those that can get out for the day to go big game hunting. There are a few spots to town I suppose but I prefer getting away and driving further which generally means its gonna be an overnighter at a minimum. Those I was able to take a black bear on a day hunt this year.
 
156 nights on backpacking/backpack hunting trips

33 nights by the road (moose hunt with Ryan mostly)

30 more days above that

Lots O gear/pack/shelter testing going on
 
156 nights on backpacking/backpack hunting trips

33 nights by the road (moose hunt with Ryan mostly)

30 more days above that

Lots O gear/pack/shelter testing going on

I thought you did this for a living?? lol good thing your in Colorado where you get cell service in the mountains pretty good... it'd be tough to get a hold of the Kifaru Rep if you were hunting some of the back country in WA or ID!

Mike
 
5 Days - 5 Nights Scouting / 7 Days - 4 Nights Mule Deer /4 Days - 3 Nights Elk/ The problem with Washington is that Its a "pick your weapon state". Limits your opportunities if you dont draw any special tags.. Switching to archery next year...Wish me Luck!! Much more opportunity and hunting time!! :D
May go for a multi-season tag as well.
 
7 days spring grizzly
5 days spring black bear
15 days sheep/goat
5 days mule deer
10 days moose
will be 7 days whitetail

So I guess... 49 days by early Dec.. With any luck maybe a week chasing big cats this winter

RC
 
156 nights on backpacking/backpack hunting trips

33 nights by the road (moose hunt with Ryan mostly)

30 more days above that

Lots O gear/pack/shelter testing going on

Texted you about your response....





I see plenty of experience on this forum, more than anywhere else I would dare to say.
Sure is nice.
I was taught there are times to shut up and listen, and you might learn something so I don't post as much on here as I do on some other sites.
For me, just counting from June I am at 36 days. I would say probably 1/3 of those were sleeping in the back of my truck due to convenience, the others were packed in somewhere. Up to September I was working a job that had me working 3 weekends in a row then getting two off. Changed jobs and that allowed me to start getting into the mountains the way I like.
Not as many as last year for me, but I'm sure next year will be better.





Colo4x4XJ, I see you are in Colorado, so anything over 12,000 feet. ;)
 
I haven't kept track of every day/night out. I keep wanting to start a calendar at the beginning in of a year to get a solid number but I never seem to. Started the year out cow hunting and as always coyote/bobcat in the dead of winter. That rolled into a spring bear tag of which I was up there a lot. Only number I do know was I had around 28 days of back pack hunting by the first weekend of October and a few scouting trips before September. Been deer hunting since the second weekend of October Al the way up to this last weekend. If I had to guess it would have to be over 60 days, I know I average some where around 100 days in the woods one way or another in a year. Wish it was more but I got bills to pay and I don't get paid to do this stuff
 
A few of you guys really do get to spend a ton of time hunting. I can't wait until I get more vacation.

I've spent 33 days backpack hunting this year.

I don't really keep track of the day hunting but between spring bear, late deer and predator hunting, I probably have spent another 40 days in the field.
 
Backcountry I have 21 nights out
Day hunts from home I have 12 days
Car camping/hunting we are at 11 nights
I really hate to admit this one ;) 6 nights out of a hotel.....

This is the 1st year I have kept a daily journal and that's been a great way to jog the memory.
 
11 nights in the Colorado Mountains, 3 in a yurt, rest out of a backpack.....Cant hunt with my bow here so will probably be 2-3 years before I get to cross the pond and do it again....not jealous of you guys at all.:)
 
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