Late season Cow hunt

[11boo]

I have a public land tag for the December/January cow hunt. Went scouting Monday, elk were there, for now. Season opens 12-15 so anything can happen before that. Some snow would actually be welcome, it is dryer than a preachers joke.

Nobody has been up there since rifle season, and There are only about 300 tags out for this hunt.

This is either going to be an easy hunt or one of my toughest hunts. The terrain is very steep, and there are some saddles the elk love to use, so that’ll get my focus first .

I‘ll be tenting it most likely, with pretty cold night time temps. The wood stove will get a workout.
daytime temps could be anywhere. I typically bow hunt, but I’m pretty sure the usual camelbak will freeze in short order. No way I’ll go through the same amount of water I do in September, what would you recommend for carrying water? I think a couple quarts would be plenty. Do the disposable water bottles hold up in a pack? Would the big mouth Nalgene bottles be less prone to freezing?


This post is just a placeholder for my hunt report.

 

[KineKilla]

All water freezes.

You may try to use a Yeti or other insulated bottle. They add weight and bulk but should keep your water from freezing for a while longer.

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[Ucsdryder]

My bladder hose froze solid 3rd season. It was a pain in the ass.

 

[Laned]

Blowing the water out of the hose into the bladder helps. There are also several insulated bottle holders on the market that will hold a nalgene sized bottle and zip shut. Outdoor Research makes one.

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[BRTreedogs]

I'm hunting now. Lows of 18 highs around 38
I use a nalage on my hip belt. So far only partial freezing.
I'm keeping my extra water in a smaller cooler with no ice in the passenger floor of my truck.
So far no freezing yet. The cooler will insulate from the cold.
Then my extra water bottles i bury in my puffy in my pack. To insulate from the cold.

Bladder won't have a chance.

Hope this helps, good luck.

 

[cardiac5]

What about an extra can of fuel for the jet boil with a metal cup to heat the water as needed. I know it’s a pain but it works.


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[11boo]

Figured the bladder would be a waste of time. It’s going to be cold, probably real cold.

I have a warm place to thaw out at night, tho I might just throw the jetboil in my daypack. Hot cuppa coffee midday.

 

[11boo]

I'm hunting now. Lows of 18 highs around 38
I use a nalage on my hip belt. So far only partial freezing.
I'm keeping my extra water in a smaller cooler with no ice in the passenger floor of my truck.
So far no freezing yet. The cooler will insulate from the cold.
Then my extra water bottles i bury in my puffy in my pack. To insulate from the cold.

Bladder won't have a chance.

Hope this helps, good luck.

Good luck to you man! I’m stoked to get out again this year.

 

[Packin_packout]

Nalgene shoved in a neoprene sleeve. I preheat it in the morning. I have done the Camelbak with a sleeve and depending on how cold it gets it's still freezes. Draining the hose is a must. I have tossed a couple hand warmers in the pocket for camelbak and had that work down to zero degrees. I always carry some type of stove when it starts getting nasty cold.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Thanks
I actually sealed the deal at last light today.
First muzzleloader harvest.

 

[11boo]

Thanks
I actually sealed the deal at last light today.
First muzzleloader harvest.
View attachment 238294

Excellent. Hard hunt or?

 

[BRTreedogs]

Excellent. Hard hunt or?

Snow was crunchy as heck.
Very hard time getting within muzzleloader range.

 

[NickyD]

I have a public land tag for the December/January cow hunt. Went scouting Monday, elk were there, for now. Season opens 12-15 so anything can happen before that. Some snow would actually be welcome, it is dryer than a preachers joke.

Nobody has been up there since rifle season, and There are only about 300 tags out for this hunt.

This is either going to be an easy hunt or one of my toughest hunts. The terrain is very steep, and there are some saddles the elk love to use, so that’ll get my focus first .

I‘ll be tenting it most likely, with pretty cold night time temps. The wood stove will get a workout.
daytime temps could be anywhere. I typically bow hunt, but I’m pretty sure the usual camelbak will freeze in short order. No way I’ll go through the same amount of water I do in September, what would you recommend for carrying water? I think a couple quarts would be plenty. Do the disposable water bottles hold up in a pack? Would the big mouth Nalgene bottles be less prone to freezing?


This post is just a placeholder for my hunt report.

My hydraflask keeps water warm all day. It will keep water from freezing (last weekend it was still lukewarm 24 hours later after 14 degrees at night). I’ve seen Nalgene bottles freeze

 

[Clarence]

I like the stove with me for sure. Its nice to boil half my Nalgene worth, dump it back in slushy water, and be able to chug luke warm water. No brain freeze. It won't feel like you need to drink much, but you still dry out like mad. Definitely don't want to mess with a bladder this time of year. They are great, and have their place, but messing with hoses in single digits gets old real quick. My .02

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[11boo]

Snow was crunchy as heck.
Very hard time getting within muzzleloader range.

Crunchy snow is worse than crunchy leaves! That was a challenge for sure with a muzzle.
Been practicing with my elk gun a lot, I need to anchor my animal quick, if it gets any run time it could be a rough recovery. My unit is full of very steep thick slopes. I’m just glad I have the ammo to train with.

All good input on the water from the Rokcrew. Bladder was pulled from gear, and I have some ideas for a shopping trip locally. I will probably need to drink more than I think I should.

Just looking forward to this hunt. I did a second rifle cow hunt last year in another unit. Saw an unbelievable number of elk then, kept passing on shots on yearling elk, looking for a decent size cow. Of course, went home empty.

Cow called this spike into bow range on that hunt, lol.

 

[WTFJohn]

A few thoughts on later season hunts -

- Your water will freeze in a bladder, the hose and mouthpiece first. A Nalgene is better, but even the lids will freeze on. You can mitigate this by having warm water go into it in the morning, and keep it wrapped in a puffy layer or neoprene sleeve inside the pack. Hyroflask/similar with a double wall container and a good, grippy lid to help break the ice loose that will form on the threads. A second note - it's harder to stay hydrated in the cold, I have put on 8-10 miles and only drank a liter or so; you have to force yourself to drink more. Add electrolyte mix to make it easier.

- Bring the jetboil, a cup of hot coffee/chocolate/chicken broth is a game changer if it's a gross day and you're sitting on a glassing nob.

- It may be dry now, by it only takes a storm to bring in enough snow to cause issues moving across terrain. Microspikes are better than nothing, but the Kahtoola K10 crampons (or similar snap-on crampons) will let you get anywhere you want to go regardless (almost) of what's underfoot.

- Odds of finding 1-2 cows alone are low, if you see 1 there are likely lots more nearby. No snow & warmer temps; find the north facing stuff with snow still on it and look for them in the shade, or on hilltops with oak brush (again, snow and shade). They are in full winter coats now and it's hot in the sun.

- Complete the CPW Mountain Lion test (it's online) and get a lion tag, you'll already be in the right area if you're on winter grounds.

Good luck.

 

[Phaseolus]

Need any help packing it out?

 

[BRTreedogs]

Man I wonder about making some bottle cozy s out if the silver reflectix stuff.

 

[waitforit]

I use 2x smartwater bottles and I put them in the pack and wrap it up in a jacket. Love my bladder early season but have to ditch it for December. I love to pound the water so 2-3L is good for me.

I'm also heading out for the last week of the season Dec 16-21. Good luck out there.

 

[SonnyDay]

Agreed that hydration packs/bladders are junk in the cold. Insulating the Nalgenes is key. Sleep with them at night (or put them near the stove if you're going that route).

During the day, wrap 'em in insulation layers in your pack--or in a bottle insulator (The OR ones are nice as they attached to your hip belt... maybe others do as well)

One other note is if you start with the water hot... you may be able to add snow during the day to help keep weight down.

We're headed out tomorrow for some late-season cow action... good luck!