November WY day hunt gear list

[mcseal2]

I'm always looking to improve my gear list so I have everything I need and nothing I don't. Every so often I like to post them up to see others ideas.

This year I'm hunting elk in Wyoming the very end of October, first part of November. We will be day hunting, but staying a night out is possible. We tend to end up a long way from the road system on this hunt.

My total gear weight is 35.5lbs. This seems heavy to me for a day hunt, but I am counting everything except the clothes I wear not just the pack's weight. Pack weight without the other items is 22.6lbs and that includes 4.25lbs of food and water.

Here is the breakdown of what I have. This hunt we have horses available to go back in and pack elk out if we are successful.

Pack:
Exo 3500 w/o crib or lid 5.3lbs

Emergency:
Kifaru sheep tarp w/ guy lines 13.6oz
Ruta Locura carbon stakex x6 3.6oz
Vargo BOT 32oz titanium container 5.6oz (straight walled TI water bottle, can cook or boil in it)
Survival, fire, repair, med kit 14.5oz

This what I consider my emergency gear I try to build from multi-use items. The tarp is a great glassing cover or windbreak as well as just enough shelter for overnight. The stakes could be made in the field, but it's nice to just have them to throw up a glassing tarp quick. The BOT weighs the same as my Nalgene bottle but is more multi-use. I carry it full of water inside my pack. The 14.5oz other kit has spare batteries for my headlamp and light, fire starter and tinder, cordage, a little bit of Leukotape and Tenacious tape, and a 2 person emergency blanket, plus a few meds, gauze, water purification tablets, zip ties, and safety pins. 1oz knife sharpener. Tags, ID, license, pen, etc are also in here. I take the compass out for this hunt because I know the area pretty well, and following the canyons I hunt down leads to the road. I do have a phone with OnX maps to mark waypoints on with downloaded maps.

Water/Food
I carry 48oz of water and 20oz of food. I also carry a Steripen to treat re-fills of water as I cross it. I have a 16oz Nalgene that weighs 3.2oz empty as my second water bottle and use it when adding an electrolyte drink mix. For food we plan to eat a breakfast and supper off the mountain. I carry items that don't need cooked to get by for a day and a half just in case we stay overnight.

Kill Kit
Benchmade Altitude 2.6oz (second knife, also one on belt)
Argali game bags 16oz

Extra clothing
Kuiu Superdown Pro puffy jacket 18oz
Kuiu Superdown Ultra puffy pants 8oz
Kuiu Glassing Mittens 5oz
Orange Aglow mesh orange vest 2oz (put on when orange hat is covered by puffy hood)
FL Aerowool Baclava 2oz

Miscellaneous
Headlamp 3.5oz
Goal Zero Sherpa 15 battery pack 4.6oz

Optics/Shooting
10 rounds spare ammo in sleeve 13.6oz
Wind meter 3.2oz
Wind drift chart .5oz
Outdoorsman's shooting rest for tripod 6.3ox
Slik 624 Tripod with Outdoorsmans pan head 39.2oz
Kowa 55mm spotting scope with cover 33oz
Scope slicker scope cover 1.2oz

Total pack weight 22.6lbs

Non pack weight

Bino harness with Leica Geovid 10x42's, 1 AAA flashlight, mini BIC lighter 49oz
Rifles Inc 300 win mag with scope, sling, ammo 8lbs 5oz
Custom belt knife 8.5oz
Trekking pole 16oz

12.9lbs non-pack weight

I guess I did not add in my I phone with OnX maps run in airplane mode. My buddy that I hunt with has an In Reach mini that we will have with us. We generally hunt pretty close together and consider one enough.

How does this compare to other's late season set-ups? Always looking to improve and maybe sharing my list can give some newer hunter ideas. Thanks everyone.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Maybe consider:
a waterproof layer if it snows/sleets.
some lightweight cordage for shelter making, tying a leg back on the critter, etc
stocking cap, especially if you end up sleeping out one night

 

[Packin_packout]

Honestly not much different than what I carry...I do use rain gear as a wind break layer out here all the time. Just normally add a jetboil and a closed cell foam mat to glass from so my ass is not melting snow and soaking my butt. When I drag my kids along bring a woobie for them. It sucks how fast stuff adds up.

 

[mcseal2]

Thanks for the replies.

I will have a cut down thermarest pad in the truck. If it’s snowy I’ll be strapping it to the pack.

Rain gear will be there too in case its needed. I also have a MytrailCo poncho/tarp I’ll have in the tote in the truck. Its slightly lighter, smaller, and I think less durable than the sheep tarp. I can take it instead of the sheep tarp, they fill about the same role.

I have the Kuiu Axis pants too I’ll wear if its cold and snowy. Waterproof butt and lower legs. If its cold enough I’ll probably have a Kryptek Dalibor 2 softshell jacket that will fit over the superdown jacket too. Put it in the pack himing in the dark, but wear it once we are hunting and moving slower, not just traveling.

I do have cordage in the emergency kit.

I question the spotter and tripod at times, but late season bulls are often broken up. Its nice to see how bad before spending hours getting close only to pass. I only have a week to hunt, those are hours I can’t get back.


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[jbwright]

@mcseal2 Would you mind sharing the "wear gear" you went with for late Oct/Nov on this hunt? I'm headed out there this year and trying to tighten up the primary clothing gear I'll need - this year's hunt will be more of a "day hunt" type scenario, where we'll be packing puffy's (I have the SG grumman), but it's the "wear" gear I gotta figure out. I'm good on base layers and have the Sitka mountain pants (but I'm thinking these won't be adequate). It's that part of the season out West (specifically later Oct and into Nov) where I don't think I'm covered. Thanks for any insight.

 

[mcseal2]

It got pretty warm and we were pretty active. I didn’t need to much with the puffy layers to put on when I stopped.

Top
FL Aerowool Wick hoody
FL Ridgeline QZ pullover

Bottom
FL merino boxers
Knee height Darn Tough full cushion socks
Kuiu Guide pant
Uninsulated Kennetrek Mountain Extreme boots

Other
Kuiu stongfleece 220 gloves
Kuiu superdown glassing mittens
Kuiu superdown pro jacket & ultra pants
First Lite aerowool baclava
Orange cap.

 

[Vrybusy]

Thanks for the update…..how did the overall hunt go? Would you have changed anything? Is there anything that you wish you would have had that you didn’t?

 

[mcseal2]

We hunted hard. Passed a couple good bulls that were broken up. I got a decent 5x6 the last evening.

I wouldn’t change anything. I’d recommend having more layers than I did at the vehicle, making a decision bases on weather last minute. Our hunt was unseasonably warm.


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