Is/was backcountry backpack hunting a trend and fading?

[Chris in TN]

Only other things like it military service in certain branches IMO

I think ex-mil people absolutely crave it because it reminds them of the best aspects of their .mil careers.

Many times this summer as I tried to plan for a thousand different what-ifs it crossed my mind that planning a western hunt has to be akin to planning a foreign invasion. And then once I got there I realized that I should have also been not merely hiking but also running and climbing stairs and doing Boot Camp levels of physical prep.

.

In the 1990’s we rarely saw another tent up high. Backpackers didn’t like hunters and hunters didn’t like backpackers, and very little was written about backpack hunting. Hunting forums grew, websites grew, and a critical mass of guys interested in it paved the way for the flood of new products.

Every decade is different, and there’s no way to put toothpaste back in the tube. It is what it is. Is today better or worse? For kids growing up today it doesn’t matter, it’s all they know. Every generation thinks they invented the sport. Lol


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In the 1990's I was a member of a forum (alloutdoors.com) that had a member who went by 'backpack hunter'. That forum went away 25+ years ago, I guess, But even then I thought his stories of hunting were fascinating. It was a world I didn't have a way to live in back then and honestly I still don't. My life is here, not there, and I'm pretty content to get a week or two every year or two, there.

 

[HunterGatherer]

A few different things happened over the last 20-25 years that made backpack hunting more popular. Obviously people were doing it before that but not a large percentage of the hunting population.

First, Cam Hanes book was published in 2006. I think that made a lot of people romanticize backpack hunting and it also gave a good “how to”
approach to the endeavor. I was a backpacker and hunter at the time but mostly kept the two separate. The big change for me was that gear got much lighter and navigation got much easier, thanks to GPS technology. I was okay at reading a map but didn’t have the confidence to just set off cross-country for a week and end up back at the truck.

Somewhere between 2010-2015 I really started to see a lot of people “deep” in the woods. 5 miles in was no longer a guarantee of getting away from people and having the country to yourself. In fact, for a period of time it seemed there was the highest concentration of hunters 3-5 miles away from the roads. Even 10+ miles in there were people. The horse hunters and outfitters were there too, as they had been doing this years before backpack hunting got really popular. I was plagued by hunters coming into my calls or cutting off bulls that were coming into me.

Then I realized that people were trying so hard to go deeper than the next guy that many close-to-the-road spots were being completely overlooked. I started doing a lot more day hunts and short overnight bivy trips. I killed just as many, if not more , bulls this way.

People often overcommit to backpack hunting IMO by loading up a giant pack with 7-14 days worth of gear and food and then maybe don’t find elk. But they have all that crap packed in so they stay longer than they should and come home with stories about never seeing an elk or having just a few encounters.

I still love backpack hunting and I don’t consider it a fad but you are seeing A LOT of guys getting a reality check on what it really takes to kill elk - being highly adaptable. Sometimes you do have to pack way back into an area and sometimes you can just glass from the truck to locate bulls and then make plays. It all depends on the area, season, and specifics of hunting pressure, wolves, etc etc. Just my two cents…

 

[CoMulies]

God I hope it’s fading lol. I packed 7.5 miles up a drainage in a popular CO otc unit last week. I know a lot of far better hunters than I would say that’s way further than you have to / should go, but I did it anyway. Got into elk almost every day for 9 days up high, hardly heard any shots down lower. It’s exhausting work and my buddy and I joked the entire time if we actually wanted to shoot a bull this deep, and how nice a wall tent would be.
I think spiking deep in the mountains sounds like a fun adventure for many, and then they find that the reality is it’s often an absolute suck fest with very few comforts. It’s a lot more a challenging “type 2” fun than it is an enjoyable experience throughout. Also, it does not guarantee success nor mean more / bigger animals. But I personally wouldn’t trade the solitude / experience for a bigger buck in a sea of orange closer to the trailhead.

 

[Blowdowner]

The only regrettable part of the surge is the Internet's role in the whole thing and the fact that a lot of tips that we share are still findable by search 20 years after. If the trend increased from increasing human population or desire to be self-sufficient, that would be great. But because of how cheaply and disconnectedly our knowledge is posted, I would urge the owners of this forum and any other forums, if they quit, to just delete the whole thing.

 

[Hnthrdr]

God I hope it’s fading lol. I packed 7.5 miles up a drainage in a popular CO otc unit last week. I know a lot of far better hunters than I would say that’s way further than you have to / should go, but I did it anyway. Got into elk almost every day for 9 days up high, hardly heard any shots down lower. It’s exhausting work and my buddy and I joked the entire time if we actually wanted to shoot a bull this deep, and how nice a wall tent would be.
I think spiking deep in the mountains sounds like a fun adventure for many, and then they find that the reality is it’s often an absolute suck fest with very few comforts. It’s a lot more a challenging “type 2” fun than it is an enjoyable experience throughout. Also, it does not guarantee success or mean more / bigger animals. But I personally wouldn’t trade the solitude / experience for a bigger buck in a sea of orange closer to the trailhead.

I think somewhere along the lines, the idea of more or bigger animals got attached to “deeper” and it simply isn’t the case. My best guess is it’s the “if it’s not getting hunted much the animals are getting huge” mentality.

 

[Poser]

I think somewhere along the lines, the idea of more or bigger animals got attached to “deeper” and it simply isn’t the case. My best guess is it’s the “if it’s not getting hunted much the animals are getting huge” mentality.

Yeah, the animals don't get big simply because they are deep in the backcountry during Sept-Oct. They still have to migrate, survive late season hunts, land owner tags, tribal tags, crossing highways etc.

 

[CoMulies]

I think somewhere along the lines, the idea of more or bigger animals got attached to “deeper” and it simply isn’t the case. My best guess is it’s the “if it’s not getting hunted much the animals are getting huge” mentality.

Yea, I imagine deeper often equates to untouched and therefor bigger/more in a lot of minds. Reality is the habitat may be better much closer to the trailhead where everyone is. Like I said though, I’ll take a smaller buck/bull if it means I’m not bumping elbows with other people on every ridge. The experience is more than just the animal you take.

 

[BuckSmasher]

If backpack hunting is fading non traditional pack animals are filling the gap it seems. I had never heard of pack goats or llamas 10 or 15 years ago.

People are learning it is basically impossible to get an elk out of the backcountry on your back before it spoils in September.

 

[Jethro]

No I think he is pretty spot on, maybe even a little late, older buddies of mine were spiking out backpack style in the 80’s the stories and trophies they have are insane, would have been fun to see that in CO. Even in my personal experience the difference from 2014 to 2024 are stark. Western hunting is more popular, gear, information, ect has never been easier to obtain. I think some of the excitement over the backpack stuff might be waning… but really western hunting is the last place where men young and old can test their mettle and I think a lot of men crave that . Only other things like it military service in certain branches IMO

Mainly residents back then? (80’s/90’s) Didn’t have the NR like now.

 

[1jeds]

The internet and social media have made it easy. Maps and route finding is an app. Finding an area is easy, even in forums where areas aren’t allowed to be talked about. Getting a mountain rifle together is as easy as following 10 easy steps, buy this bullet, use this this rangefinder, this pair of binocs, these boots, this tent, and if you’re really one of the cool kids get this pack and these clothes. We walk newbies through how to prepare, how to organize a pack, what to eat, how to poop.

When everything is easy, there are more people doing it and competition is higher. Look at all the guys working their asses off for small deer, going way too far in for meat elk, or skipping around to a different spot every year. Hunting new areas used to be a real challenge, now it’s just a little more reading and asking the right questions in the right groups. Fishing forums will tell you the specific rock to stand on while fly fishing high country lakes miles from the trailhead so you can be a part of decimating what was an amazing fishing experience. We’re at the beginning of drones invading the back country, just like trail cams do today. Laws and rules are slow to keep up with such things so there’s little hope the situation will be anything other than an arms race. Buy the app that follows individual trophy animals 24/7 and paying based on antler size, is right around the corner.

In the 1990’s we rarely saw another tent up high. Backpackers didn’t like hunters and hunters didn’t like backpackers, and very little was written about backpack hunting. Hunting forums grew, websites grew, and a critical mass of guys interested in it paved the way for the flood of new products.

Every decade is different, and there’s no way to put toothpaste back in the tube. It is what it is. Is today better or worse? For kids growing up today it doesn’t matter, it’s all they know. Every generation thinks they invented the sport. Lol


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The internet has made access to information easier, but it hasn't made the hunting easier. People will need to put in the work to be successful. There will be some that stick with it, but a lot will come and go as with anything else that requires a level of effort.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Mainly residents back then? (80’s/90’s) Didn’t have the NR like now.

Yep one buddy who is in his 70’s was telling me people thought he was crazy for packing in, he eventually got some pack horses and did that, for years. There was a basin they would pull a 200+ inch buck out of every year for over a decade being the only ones hunting back in there, and it’s in a unit that you would laugh if I told you today. Just a different time, different population, very little information or gear, very little drive to “go deep” a lot less “hardcore” and a lot more road or meat hunters. I think there are still a lot of those but the demand for western hunting is unreal these days

 

[longrangelead]

Yep one buddy who is in his 70’s was telling me people thought he was crazy for packing in, he eventually got some pack horses and did that, for years. There was a basin they would pull a 200+ inch buck out of every year for over a decade being the only ones hunting back in there, and it’s in a unit that you would laugh if I told you today. Just a different time, different population, very little information or gear, very little drive to “go deep” a lot less “hardcore” and a lot more road or meat hunters. I think there are still a lot of those but the demand for western hunting is unreal these days

I've got a friend who has a picture of his friend back in the 70's with a 42" wide Montana muley.
Like the story often goes, when he shot the 42 incher, the big one stood up!
I believe him as he's not the type to embellish.

Where it was shot, a summer camp now takes boys in there for campouts!

 

[Ready2Rut]

As someone who started hunting this year, it's fascinating to hear the perspectives from the folks in this thread who have been around long enough to see many trends come and go.

Personally, I grew up backpacking. Spending more time deep in the backcountry was one of the main appeals of hunting for me from the get-go. I enjoyed a lot more success this year, all on backpacking hunts, than I ever thought I would. I'll probably be a backpack hunter for life, though I'm in my 20s now so that might change as time drags on.

I think what the reality is that there is a turnover of a certain % that try it and determine it’s too hard, and the next year there is a new guy full of energy to replace that guy.

Hey, that's me!

Do you guys know people who have backpack hunted for a few years, then gave up after finding it too difficult/not enough success? All the guys I know seem pretty committed to it.

 

[LaFever]

When I moved to Colorado in 1984 , I taught myself hunting in colorado and one would put in for tags with a check( in April?)and if you didn't draw you got a refund in the form of a check from the state.
At some point in the new millennium, a hunter was allowed to put in for tags with a credit card and if you didn't draw then the state didn't charge your card though there was a service charge to your card .
This allowed out of state hunters to put in for several different states without tying up a bunch of funds.
To the point of the question, my perception is more people come to colorado a take back country trips then they did 40 years ago. Seems like there's a lot more people spending a lot of money to hunt in colorado.
35 yrs. Ago Seems like out of state hunters drove to the trail head and hike back from there, now it seems like more people are aware that they are going to need to get back in. Killing a bull elk with a rifle requires some expertise, not just sitting in the truck waiting for a 6x6 to walk by .I'm 66 yrs. Old

 

[justinspicher]

I think ex-mil people absolutely crave it because it reminds them of the best aspects of their .mil careers.

For me, this is absolutely untrue. There is no way any hunt would be as much fun as a deployment for training or combat.

I find hunting to pretty boring.

 

[CoMulies]

For me, this is absolutely untrue. There is no way any hunt would be as much fun as a deployment for training or combat.

I find hunting to pretty boring.

A lot less of the whole shooting back thing in hunting

 

[Hnthrdr]

A lot less of the whole shooting back thing in hunting

For sure it’s definitely not patrolling, it’s nothing like combat, or even training. But it has some elements heavy packing/ rucking, field craft, land navigation, marksmanship, stealth, stalking, ect. I can see slight similarities. It is infinitely more relaxing, more fun might be debatable. I was just saying to the uninitiated I think it’s the closest they will get to testing themselves in a ranger school, EIB, selection type way.

 

[Chris in TN]

For sure it’s definitely not patrolling, it’s nothing like combat, or even training. But it has some elements heavy packing/ rucking, field craft, land navigation, marksmanship, stealth, stalking, ect. I can see slight similarities. It is infinitely more relaxing, more fun might be debatable. I was just saying to the uninitiated I think it’s the closest they will get to testing themselves in a ranger school, EIB, selection type way.

For me, this is absolutely untrue. There is no way any hunt would be as much fun as a deployment for training or combat.

I find hunting to pretty boring.

You guys that did the various go-fast things.....yeah, hunting won't ever compare to that. If you have a taste of the go-fast stuff, yeah, I think the comparison would fall apart pretty quickly.

But the planning, logistics, being ready for eight hundred different contingencies, all of which you couldn't possibly know about until they occur and you're a thousand miles from home and your ability to regear, and so on....I think that aspect of the comparison is pretty solid for the average military person. Just lots of unknowns you have to be prepared for before you show up.

(FYI, I do not have a .mil background, I just read a lot)

 

[CoMulies]

For sure it’s definitely not patrolling, it’s nothing like combat, or even training. But it has some elements heavy packing/ rucking, field craft, land navigation, marksmanship, stealth, stalking, ect. I can see slight similarities. It is infinitely more relaxing, more fun might be debatable. I was just saying to the uninitiated I think it’s the closest they will get to testing themselves in a ranger school, EIB, selection type way.

Throw 80lbs meat on your back and go for a long walk in the dark and you’ve basically covered any ruck based selection course lol

 

[Hnthrdr]

You guys that did the various go-fast things.....yeah, hunting won't ever compare to that. If you have a taste of the go-fast stuff, yeah, I think the comparison would fall apart pretty quickly.

But the planning, logistics, being ready for eight hundred different contingencies, all of which you couldn't possibly know about until they occur and you're a thousand miles from home and your ability to regear, and so on....I think that aspect of the comparison is pretty solid for the average military person. Just lots of unknowns you have to be prepared for before you show up.

(FYI, I do not have a .mil background, I just read a lot)

Yes, my best friend and hunting partner was a drafted by the NHL and unfortunately never made it out of the minors from an injury, but he asks about some of the military stuff I did. I’m definitely not Billy badass but solo packing a bull elk for 15 hours straight, in mountainous terrain translates to physical& mental toughness, stamina, ect probably not too different from some of the long walks I did in the army while training