other hunts to get "feet wet" for backpacking

[Luked]

have never been out west hunting. have had my heart set on going for elk but it never works out something always happens or comes up.
next season I don't know if ill be able to get out there either with getting married honeymoon and all that. so wont have a ton of vacation time left after all that.

what would be another hunt that would be a fun hunt and able to backpack in for a few days hunt just to get my feet wet so to speak.

mainly looking for a bowhunting trip but not opposed to gun hunting either

 

[SWOHTR]

Steve Rinella did a backpack turkey hunt in the SW US.

I’d just plan on a deer hunt.


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[Desk Jockey]

Plan a few day backpacking trip...in area area with otc tags...during season...and carry a gun. Just have fun. If something happens, call you wife/fiancé and tell her it wouldn’t be ethical to leave this elk/deer you just happened to shoot on the ground.

Seriously, I live in the east and like you have been trying to do a “big” western hunt for the past couple years. This year fell out when my partner couldn’t make it. I am thinking about just finding an easy to obtain tag like a cow elk or something in an interesting area and going on a “dry run”. Probably 2-4 days instead of something epic. Basically scaling it down so I can learn lessons on the cheap.

 

[flinginairos]

My plan to prepare for my WY trip next year is to do an overnight trip in the area I deer hunt and try to kill a doe and pack it out. Then in the spring I am going to do a longer turkey hunt in one of the wilderness areas in my state where the terrain is a lot harder. That's my plan for now. I think there are more opportunity to do this type of thing than you think!

 

[Warren1726]

I think a great plan would be, go to the most rugged public land you can find in your vicinity, do an overnight to 3 day deer hunt and pack it out yourself. You will learn a lot about your gear and your limitations.

 

[big44a4]

A summer scouting/camping trip will also help. Anytime spent backpacking is tremendous help to see what works and doesn’t. Also I think nearly everyone takes too much shit in the first time around. You’ll see what you use and don’t use then cut down pack weight.


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[Luked]

Was also thinking of possibly a rifle season hunt in CO OTC
I have one of the Cabelas outfitters tents so thought I would base camp and then take gear to spike out with for a night or two

 

[backcountry_hunter]

Was also thinking of possibly a rifle season hunt in CO OTC
I have one of the Cabelas outfitters tents so thought I would base camp and then take gear to spike out with for a night or two

if you don't want to jump in head first to this option (costs of elk hunting, time spent, etc... are substantially higher) ND, SD, Blackhills of WY and NE all offer some pretty great "get-your-feet-wet" type hunting with easily acquired (archery) tags and lots of quality public land. The western dakotas offer backpacking opportunity as does NE and obviously Eastern WY. Pretty sure you need to apply and draw (at least South Dakota) but as I understood it a few years ago, if you applied you were guaranteed a tag. That could have changed and other states might make you apply also but I think you can hunt all 4 in those parts without any preference points.

If your heart is set on elk, I can understand and by all means go with it.... but if you're looking for something a little easier and more relaxed to break yourself or someone else in, these areas offer some fantastic deer hunting for low costs. I think in a few the tag is valid for either mule or whitetail deer. This part of the country gets overlooked by whitetail nuts and the impression I get by western hunters is they aren't "western" enough.

 

[mvmnts]

Have you ever just been backpacking before? If not, you can do that anywhere, and you should spend as many nights living outside as you can. Every additional day that you are out consecutively is going to increase the probability of you running into novel problems, so the more exposure you have to that the better. It doesn't need to necessarily be a hunt.

 

[Owenst7]

A summer scouting/camping trip will also help. Anytime spent backpacking is tremendous help to see what works and doesn’t. Also I think nearly everyone takes too much shit in the first time around. You’ll see what you use and don’t use then cut down pack weight.


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Have you ever just been backpacking before? If not, you can do that anywhere, and you should spend as many nights living outside as you can. Every additional day that you are out consecutively is going to increase the probability of you running into novel problems, so the more exposure you have to that the better. It doesn't need to necessarily be a hunt.

My backpacking vs backpack hunting gear is pretty much the same, except for an extra 15 lbs for rifle, optics, and kill kit (I suppose I carry a lot of my optics load when I'm scouting). I've yet to meet anyone who didn't carry way too much weight when they started out backpacking, whether it's a hunt or not. At least if you subtract the hunting from the picture, you're 15-20 lbs lighter and you won't be carrying any meat. That's a good margin of safety for your knees to give you some opportunity to learn how to lighten your load before you throw an elk on your shoulders and injure yourself on your first outing.

I try to plan my off-season backpacking trips around a scouting mission when possible, but distance frequently makes that impractical. I still come back from every trip with all kinds of new ideas on refining my food rations, how to load my pack efficiently, how to schedule cooking/breaking down camp efficiently, etc. It's really a lot of stuff to figure out, and the learning never really stops.

I get a kick out of how the "backpacking" community lambastes the hunting community for a number of things, especially gear/weight. Some of it is deserved, but I find the extra 15 lbs I carry for hunting gear combined with the possibility of carrying an animal out as a far greater motivation to get my backpacking gear and food streamlined to as little weight as possible.

Not sure what kind of small game and/or fishing opportunities you have nearby, but I enjoy that stuff a great deal when I don't have a big game tag to scout for. Even better is when I can fish and scout in the same trip. Discovering a killer fishing spot in the middle of my hunt area further makes me adjust me gear, as combining a zero day with some fresh food adds another layer of planning (and enjoyment) to my trips.

There's also the logistics of a spike camp vs bivy hunt. A lot of times, I don't know what it will be until I get out there and see the animals/terrain for myself. For me, they both have their own gear and food selections...even more is how far out I am from a resupply, what animals I'm hunting, what the worst-case weather is, etc. These are all decisions I make based on previous experiences, and things still evolve on me every trip no matter how dialed I feel things are when I head out. I strongly believe that you can never reach a point of having too much experience with this sort of thing.

 

[Fish N Chips]

Dont forget backcountry fishing! I love spending time scouting and fishing the backcountry before season starts. Find some good backcountry lakes and streams. Its a great shake down trip for gear, physical conditioning, you are after game, and its just great to be in the wilderness.

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[Topo_trekker]

Do a high country backpacking trip scouting for elk. Find the calving grounds and you got yourself a honey hole. The bulls will be within a mile or two during the rut.


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[Topo_trekker]

By the time you are able to elk hunt you'll know the area, their patterns, etc.


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[Luked]

I live in Missouri. not a lot of ground to be able to do much for backpacking/camping here like there is out west

 

[THBZN]

Lots of sage advice here. You can't go wrong with following any of it.

One question I am not sure was answered, was do you have backpacking experience? If this is a first time situation, I would consider a few logical steps to get comfortable with the variables that are thrown your way when you are far from the truck.

1. While it may sound silly, try a quick overnight shake down either in your own backyard or just a ways from home. Treat it as a time to get really familiar with your shelter, sleep setup, stove, etc. I am amazed at how for the first backcountry hunt of the year, I still feel like I am futzing with some of my gear on that first day/night out; it is always good to make sure you are totally dialed with the gear, especially if you are setting up camp right at dark, with the first drops of rain and wind on you....basically, know your gear inside and out, and where you want to keep it while in the tent, etc. Practice hanging a food bag, filtering water, storing water, etc.

2. I am not sure where you are located, but a deer hunt, as mentioned, would be a great first start. Another consideration may be antelope. Lots of OTC tags available in WY or MT. May be able to combo up with a deer tag, and make a really fun trip out of it. Nice thing about almost all antelope country is you are rarely in bear country, so one less variable to worry about. If you knock one down, they are very manageable due to their size, just make sure you have coolers and ice back at the truck. It is awesome table fare.

3. Second and third the backcountry fishing trips. Bring optics, scout, glass and fish, and get your gear dialed. A fun dual purpose outing.

Good luck, and glad to hear you are planning to dive into the backcountry hunting world. It is very rewarding, and will get in your blood quickly.

 

[Owenst7]

I live in Missouri. not a lot of ground to be able to do much for backpacking/camping here like there is out west

Doesn't the Ozark Trail run through Missouri?

 

[jorgensen.travis]

I live in Missouri. not a lot of ground to be able to do much for backpacking/camping here like there is out west

Search for Wilderness areas on the Wilderness.net. There are a few in Missouri and the surrounding states. ATV’s aren’t allowed in Wilderness areas so if you find a spot with a few miles between roads, you should be able to get away from people. If you feel like you might not be ready to hike for days, maybe start out with a canoe trip. You can get a Backcountry experience with less hard work. The Boundary Waters is a great place for this, but it can be done anywhere there are long stretches of water through public ground.


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[boom]

backpack trout fishing is a great way to suffer. hike into the California Sierras. i found a lake that i dont think has ever seen an Asian person..i killed them!!

i have an AZ backpack turkey hunt saved. i just cant find my friends willing to hike up after such small game.

speaking of Rinella..that dude lit a Sooty Grouse hunt in me that needs to be quenched. i think backpacking in for them would be AWESOME. AK would be the most fantastic hunt ever. there are also grouse in the Sierras.

 

[Luked]

Search for Wilderness areas on the Wilderness.net. There are a few in Missouri and the surrounding states. ATV’s aren’t allowed in Wilderness areas so if you find a spot with a few miles between roads, you should be able to get away from people. If you feel like you might not be ready to hike for days, maybe start out with a canoe trip. You can get a Backcountry experience with less hard work. The Boundary Waters is a great place for this, but it can be done anywhere there are long stretches of water through public ground.

just found that website this morning. didn't even realize that Missouri had any wilderness areas like that here. ill have to check some of them out.
I have no backpacking experience at all. its something I have always wanted to do and something I have tried to plan to do out west for years but something always ends up coming up and I have to drop it.

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[Owenst7]

just found that website this morning. didn't even realize that Missouri had any wilderness areas like that here. ill have to check some of them out.
I have no backpacking experience at all. its something I have always wanted to do and something I have tried to plan to do out west for years but something always ends up coming up and I have to drop it.

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I'd learn more by going frequently in unrelated terrain than I would by going a few times in ideal terrain. That's pretty much what I do all year anyway in the Sierras. It helps that my girlfriend is in to backpacking. I try to plan a couple solo scouting trips once I draw a tag, but I do shorter "camping" trips with her year-round that are close to home. I learn just as much on the trips that are totally unrelated to hunting as I do the ones that are focused around animals.

It's actually kind of nice to compartmentalize that way. I try to focus on backpacking skills when I'm backpacking and scouting animals when I'm backpack-scouting. Sometimes when I'm out on a scouting trip, I have to force myself to focus on looking for animals and not trying to hike a ton of miles or mess around with gear.

Secondary bonus to that is that I never go to the gym or anything to get in shape. Year-round I do trips that are ~6-12 miles a day, for consecutive days, with no maintained trails. Sometimes I intentionally carry unnecessary weight to emulate a hunting load, like bring fresh eggs and bacon, beer, etc. I know I can cover ground effectively during a hunt because I do it all year in hotter weather, covering more distance than I would when hunting. Last month I resupplied our camp and did about 16 miles in about 8 hours through pretty rough terrain. Didn't stress me out much because it was cool weather and I'd done plenty of days like that and still had to set up a camp and everything before I went to bed.