Long distance solo packouts

[Confluentus]

I’m contemplating a solo (dall) sheep hunt this year, and it would require 20+ miles of hiking to get into/out of the hunting area from the access point. Quite a bit of up and down in between. Getting a sheep out solo seems daunting. I have never carried a whole sheep before, and my understanding is that skull + meat will be +/- 80lbs. Probably wouldn’t try to take the cape due to weight and bulk.

I have spent a lot of years and money cutting down my backpacking gear weight, and I’m at the point where cutting more gear weight is unrealistically expensive. Even with a base weight of <35lbs, that puts the total packout weight in 115-120lb range. I’m not a big guy, 5’10 and 170lbs. I’m sure 120lbs is within my capabilities for moderate distances… but 20+ miles with considerable elevation gain and loss seems brutal, and injury potential would be high.

I’m interested in peoples’ experiences with leapfrogging weight on a long distance packout. It seems like the best way to minimize chances of injury. However, I particularly worry about meat getting messed with by bears when leaving unattended.

Are there specific tactics folks use for reducing bear issues? Are you only hiking short distances between load swaps, so that the other meat/gear is kept within sight? That seems onerous.

Stashing excess gear, to be retrieved at a later date, could be an option? On a lightweight backpack hunt, there isn’t really all that much “excess” gear to cache, so I’m not sure that would make or break the single vs. leapfrog calculus.

For those who have done both, is sacking up and just doing the whole load in one go preferable? Take it real slow and eat a lot of sheep meat in the process?

People have been hunting sheep solo (or duo’s doubling up) for a long time. Maybe I’m overthinking it.

Thanks for any insights.

 

[AntelopeEater]

Wow!

Solo hiking 20+ miles one way while carrying over 100 pounds?

That is either very very impressive, or outright reckless depending on one's point of view.

Even if I could do that I sure wouldn't want to.

At best it would probably be utterly miserable.

And injury or worse is a very very realistic possibility.

Is there somewhere else you can do your hunt where you don't need to hike so far and back?

Or a way you could avoid hiking so far, could you use a pack animal or vehicle like an ATV or E-bike for at least part of the way? An alternate route? Get a ride at least part way from someone who has a pack animal or all terrain vehicle?

Also, unless the whole hike is in very cold temps, wouldn't the meat rot during the 20+ mile walkout?

Like I normally walk a lot faster than 2mph, but I've found that when I'm backpacking in steep terrain, I average only about 2mph, and I have never carried such a heavy load while backpacking either.

 

[LongWayAround]

@B_Reynolds_AK

 

[Poser]

Throw us a rough estimate of elevation gain/ loss over that 20 miles.

You could potentially wrap 1/2 the meat up in a waterproof manner (carry a dry bag or use duct tape and contractor bags) and sink it in a creek. That would be your best defense against predators.

Two 60-70 lbs loads for 20 miles could be more doable unless you’re looking at ~10,000 feet of gain/loss or similar. In that case, I think you’d have to break it up into 2 days. Lots of factors to slow you down such as river crossings, alders, super steep terrain, getting cliffed out etc.

 

[Bighorse]

I'm 240 and have hauled solo goats and sheep. Any load will crush you. Break your pack weight down to a realistic weight where you can maintain stability. Then return for the rest. I like to go one hour of heavy hauling then drop the heavy and go light to the previous cache. Repeat till done. Stay with all your meat overnight. Yup, you might find something interested in you kill. That's the risk. Stay patient, durable, positive, hydrated, and rest when necessary.

My main hunting partner who is a trained athlete is 170. He hauls great! Yet when the loads get north of 120 I'm functioning just a little better as a large athlete, not much better mind you. It's never easy and once fatigued you'll risk injury due simple trips and miscalculations. Use your hiking poles!

A final thought....20miles is Magnum. My first ram was 8 miles in off the Haul road. That return hump was rough.

 

[mtnbound]

I’m contemplating a solo (dall) sheep hunt this year, and it would require 20+ miles of hiking to get into/out of the hunting area from the access point. Quite a bit of up and down in between. Getting a sheep out solo seems daunting. I have never carried a whole sheep before, and my understanding is that skull + meat will be +/- 80lbs. Probably wouldn’t try to take the cape due to weight and bulk.

I have spent a lot of years and money cutting down my backpacking gear weight, and I’m at the point where cutting more gear weight is unrealistically expensive. Even with a base weight of
I’m interested in peoples’ experiences with leapfrogging weight on a long distance packout. It seems like the best way to minimize chances of injury. However, I particularly worry about meat getting messed with by bears when leaving unattended.

Are there specific tactics folks use for reducing bear issues? Are you only hiking short distances between load swaps, so that the other meat/gear is kept within sight? That seems onerous.

Stashing excess gear, to be retrieved at a later date, could be an option? On a lightweight backpack hunt, there isn’t really all that much “excess” gear to cache, so I’m not sure that would make or break the single vs. leapfrog calculus.

For those who have done both, is sacking up and just doing the whole load in one go preferable? Take it real slow and eat a lot of sheep meat in the process?

People have been hunting sheep solo (or duo’s doubling up) for a long time. Maybe I’m overthinking it.

Thanks for any insights.

There are of course lots of variables that come into play but I would plan to go full load as far as I could go, then start leap frogging from there. On your way in if you find some good water or shelter spots mark them on your GPS they might be helpful for drop off points. The same can be said for really bad sections of terrain, mark it so you can plan for it when coming out heavy.

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

I’m contemplating a solo (dall) sheep hunt this year, and it would require 20+ miles of hiking to get into/out of the hunting area from the access point. Quite a bit of up and down in between. Getting a sheep out solo seems daunting. I have never carried a whole sheep before, and my understanding is that skull + meat will be +/- 80lbs. Probably wouldn’t try to take the cape due to weight and bulk.

I have spent a lot of years and money cutting down my backpacking gear weight, and I’m at the point where cutting more gear weight is unrealistically expensive. Even with a base weight of <35lbs, that puts the total packout weight in 115-120lb range. I’m not a big guy, 5’10 and 170lbs. I’m sure 120lbs is within my capabilities for moderate distances… but 20+ miles with considerable elevation gain and loss seems brutal, and injury potential would be high.

I’m interested in peoples’ experiences with leapfrogging weight on a long distance packout. It seems like the best way to minimize chances of injury. However, I particularly worry about meat getting messed with by bears when leaving unattended.

Are there specific tactics folks use for reducing bear issues? Are you only hiking short distances between load swaps, so that the other meat/gear is kept within sight? That seems onerous.

Stashing excess gear, to be retrieved at a later date, could be an option? On a lightweight backpack hunt, there isn’t really all that much “excess” gear to cache, so I’m not sure that would make or break the single vs. leapfrog calculus.

For those who have done both, is sacking up and just doing the whole load in one go preferable? Take it real slow and eat a lot of sheep meat in the process?

People have been hunting sheep solo (or duo’s doubling up) for a long time. Maybe I’m overthinking it.

Thanks for any insights.

Many of your questions have the answers already in them. Every situation you’ve asked about is terrain, weather and temperature dependent. As is your physical and mental condition, which will change throughout the hunt.
Think things through carefully. Be intentional about every decision and weigh how that will effect the next step, next day etc.

 

[resident vs nonresident]

Not Sheep experience but Elk over my personal longest distance pack out.
For reference this is CO 3rd rifle, there was some snow on north facing stuff (not postholing but soft enough to make it strenuous to hike). I’m in pretty good shape and hike/packout quite a bit.
I always am in favor or more miles with lighter pack vs overloading yourself for a single trip. As long as it’s cold enough that meat won’t go bad my recommendation is to split it at least into two trips.
This is my personal furthest solo pack out (I’ve killed elk further than 4mile mark but always had help). This cow was worst pack out I had done.
I leap frogged her out in 3 loads + 1st load out included my day hunting pack (cold weather) didn’t actually weigh it.
Cow (young one) pack out weight was 146lbs.
My total milage was about 23.6miles but much of it off trail and in some snow.
It was the right call to split it up. I had time. Meat was solid cold. Made for easily manageable pack outs, just mile n mile of hiking.
Yup it was all for a cow elk and I’d happily do it again
Day 1


Day2

 

[idig4au]

20 miles solo carrying 120 lbs over uneven ground? Eeeish. I don't know your physical capability, but that distance and weight will break down the fittest. Maybe do a training hike for a few miles with that weight and see how you go...including sidehilling which is always the worst with a lot of weight. Test you suck level before getting in too deep and in over your head.

 

[TaperPin]

There’s very little risk leaving meat unattended while leapfrogging. In the one spot I knew had a busy bear trail nearby I simply made more trips so it wasn’t alone for more than a few hours, and stopped at spots with a good vantage point.

Leap frogging is actually an enjoyable low stress pack out - you’re never all that far from camp or meat, your entire day can be planned out, or you can stop anywhere that has a nice view. Go as far as you feel like - some days I enjoy crushing a long easy stretch, and avoid injury other days by slowing way down on steep downhills with poor footing.

Carrying extra heavy weight sounds good to some and works until it doesn’t. Halfway through and having a serious injury from overdoing things is just dumb, and like running out of gas in a truck it’s easily prevented. Talk to old guys like me and many of them have long term ankle or knee injuries that they can pinpoint to a certain hunt. My ortho surgeon said many of those kinds of injuries he sees are results from partial tears from earlier years and what guys only remember are when things let go in big ways.

It’s not a bad rule of thumb to only carry what you are able to pack around daily for a week at a time. Otherwise it would be as stupid as starting a through hike with more weight than you can can handle.

 

[CMF]

I always am in favor or more miles with lighter pack vs overloading yourself for a single trip. As long as it’s cold enough that meat won’t go bad my recommendation is to split it at least into two trips.

This sums up my thoughts on it, there's no way I could do 120lbs. for any significant distance.

Never leapfrogged gear, but I could see benefits, both in getting the more technical packout done first and keeping the meat moving and giving bears less time to find it.
I had a elk pack out where the first quarter mile took almost an hour and the next 3.5 miles were on decent trail. It probably would have made sense to leapfrog the meat out and get that terrible quarter mile of steep brushy packing done while fresh, but it actually worked out cause the first trip was in the dark and the second in daylight and the second trip wasn't quite as bad.

 

[chasewild]

Not Sheep experience but Elk over my personal longest distance pack out.
For reference this is CO 3rd rifle, there was some snow on north facing stuff (not postholing but soft enough to make it strenuous to hike). I’m in pretty good shape and hike/packout quite a bit.
I always am in favor or more miles with lighter pack vs overloading yourself for a single trip. As long as it’s cold enough that meat won’t go bad my recommendation is to split it at least into two trips.
This is my personal furthest solo pack out (I’ve killed elk further than 4mile mark but always had help). This cow was worst pack out I had done.
I leap frogged her out in 3 loads + 1st load out included my day hunting pack (cold weather) didn’t actually weigh it.
Cow (young one) pack out weight was 146lbs.
My total milage was about 23.6miles but much of it off trail and in some snow.
It was the right call to split it up. I had time. Meat was solid cold. Made for easily manageable pack outs, just mile n mile of hiking.
Yup it was all for a cow elk and I’d happily do it again
Day 1
View attachment 891401

Day2
View attachment 891402

This looks like my hunt profile and I have to allocate 14-16 days to kill a ram with a bow and get him out: 5-6 days of packing.

And a very good friend of mine has done 3 archery rams solo and he's in the 5-6 day packout range as well.

 

[chasewild]

There’s very little risk leaving meat unattended while leapfrogging. In the one spot I knew had a busy bear trail nearby I simply made more trips so it wasn’t alone for more than a few hours, and stopped at spots with a good vantage point.

Leap frogging is actually an enjoyable low stress pack out - you’re never all that far from camp or meat, your entire day can be planned out, or you can stop anywhere that has a nice view. Go as far as you feel like - some days I enjoy crushing a long easy stretch, and avoid injury other days by slowing way down on steep downhills with poor footing.

Carrying extra heavy weight sounds good to some and works until it doesn’t. Halfway through and having a serious injury from overdoing things is just dumb, and like running out of gas in a truck it’s easily prevented. Talk to old guys like me and many of them have long term ankle or knee injuries that they can pinpoint to a certain hunt. My ortho surgeon said many of those kinds of injuries he sees are results from partial tears from earlier years and what guys only remember are when things let go in big ways.

It’s not a bad rule of thumb to only carry what you are able to pack around daily for a week at a time. Otherwise it would be as stupid as starting a through hike with more weight than you can can handle.

Pay attention here.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm built similar size and that sounds brutal. I'd look hard at leapfrogging or finding another location that isn't that deep. Maybe I'm just not as hard core the older I get.

 

[Bambistew]

I'm not a fan of single loads, but some can and have done it.

I've only done a couple solo pack trips with camp and full sheep, and each time it sucked bigly. I couldn't do 20 miles. I much prefer leapfrog and making two trips, which I've done many times due to bushwacking, river and glacier crossings. The time and effort spent doing two trips is about the same as a single trip, and far less chance of getting injured, IMO.

 

[Beendare]

I'm a big dude and did a lot of packing on a solo elk hunt last year....and that was almost all downhill or relatively flat.

No way I would recommend doing 20 miles up and over mountains with a load like that.

 

[FlyGuy]

Not sheep but elk. Partner and I hiked 1st big load out 5 miles that night, got back to camp as daylight was breaking. went back in the morning for 2nd trip. He went an hour ahead of me for 3rd load, but when I arrived - what was left was more than 1 trip. After about 20 minutes of cursing, I filled my pack with meat and still had a hindquarter (and my bow) left. So I did the leapfrog for the first time. I was dead-ass tired and sore as Hell at the start, so it was the only feasible way. I’d start with the pack and only go 1/4 to 1/2 mile and drop the pack, then walk back for my bow and the last quarter. The bow was in hand and the quarter was just thrown over my shoulder. I’d get back to my pack and then go past it for another 1/4 to 1/2 mile. Rinse and repeat. It took a long time, but it was SOOOO much more manageable this way. Having the frequent breaks to walk without any weight on my back at all was quite refreshing (even if I was walking the wrong way ); and not having a heavy packed strapped down tight for hours straight made the pain and discomfort so much more manageable.

 

[ColeyG]

Anything over 70lbs and I am double carrying, be it on flat ground or up and down. Any more weight than that is just miserable, inefficient, and dangerous. When double carrying I usually go a few miles a least to minimize the setup and breakdown time spent loading and loading the meat.

As others have mentioned, setting up your meat caches in locations that are visible some distance away helps relieve the predator concerns. Plan your carries and caches so that you sleep with all of your meat over night rather than leaving an unattended cache a few miles way.

In my experience, a Dall sheep will = 70-80lbs of meat, and the head will be 25-35lbs for an average ram. I've only packed a whole ram and camp out once. Took two days over 13-14 relatively easy miles. Easy for sheep country that is. As Ben can attest to better than most, it takes some intestinal fortitude, not to mention physical ability, to keep grinding day after day, especially if you've killed your ram deep after a bunch of hard days in the field. Throw in some food and water shortages and sh*t weather and you can find yourself with a real ordeal on your hands.

Twenty miles isn't really extreme when it comes to Dall sheep hunting these days. Lately it seems like the minimum to try and get into some quiet corner of the mountains, if there is such a thing, and out walk the competition.

 

[resident vs nonresident]

Anything over 70lbs and I am double carrying, be it on flat ground or up and down. Any more weight than that is just miserable, inefficient, and dangerous. When double carrying I usually go a few miles a least to minimize the setup and breakdown time spent loading and loading the meat.

As others have mentioned, setting up your meat caches in locations that are visible some distance away helps relieve the predator concerns. Plan your carries and caches so that you sleep with all of your meat over night rather than leaving an unattended cache a few miles way.

In my experience, a Dall sheep will = 70-80lbs of meat, and the head will be 25-35lbs for an average ram. I've only packed a whole ram and camp out once. Took two days over 13-14 relatively easy miles. Easy for sheep country that is. As Ben can attest to better than most, it takes some intestinal fortitude, not to mention physical ability, to keep grinding day after day, especially if you've killed your ram deep after a bunch of hard days in the field. Throw in some food and water shortages and sh*t weather and you can find yourself with a real ordeal on your hands.

Twenty miles isn't really extreme when it comes to Dall sheep hunting these days. Lately it seems like the minimum to try and get into some quiet corner of the mountains, if there is such a thing, and out walk the competition.

Hey what about RMBS weight for an average ram (Colorado). What would you say packiut weight would be for MoB meat? Rack and As a bonus complete Hide (for a rug)? Thnx

 

[ColeyG]

Hey what about RMBS weight for an average ram (Colorado). What would you say packiut weight would be for MoB meat? Rack and As a bonus complete Hide (for a rug)? Thnx

No idea. I've never dealt with sheep meat on the bone or a hide. Never will!