- Banned
- #1
Newtosavage
WKR
If you're like me, you probably spend more time preparing, analyzing, sorting, planning and downright micro-managing your hunt before you ever leave home. When I was a kid, we all just wore blue jeans or if you were lucky, some surplus BDU's and maybe a wool coat or bomber jacket, ate dinty moore or beans out of a can and slept right on the ground. I sure don't miss those days! Today we have so many choices a guy or gal can easily suffer from analysis paralysis.
Just in case it might help someone, here are the things that worked and the things that didn't from my CO mule deer hunt this year.
Things that worked:
1) CO leftover list - It took me 7 choices but I got a 2nd rifle mule deer buck tag without having to go through the draw. It's the only system I've known, so if and when they change it, I'm probably going to complain a little. It's worked fine for me the last three years though.
2) OnX / Google Earth - These two have save me sooooo many days in the field. I am now able to pick out glassing points from my home, mark them on my phone and then hike directly to them (sometimes even in the dark) and just about every time, I can see exactly what I was expecting to see without ever having set foot there before. For someone who grew up reading paper topo maps, that is nothing short of amazing. Knowing exactly where I stand in relation to private property boundaries is priceless as well.
3) Kodiak Canvas Tent and Buddy Heater - talk about glamping. My plan every year is to have a reliable, warm and comfortable base camp set up and then bring all the spike camp gear I need if the situation warrants it. The past two years I've hunted mid-October and it's dropped into the teens several nights. Running that buddy heater off a 20 lb. propane bottle, set to low, in my 10x10 Kodiak Canvas tent is like having a small apartment in the mountains. I get great rest and it is very easy to set up and take down, even by myself. Last year we had 3 different camps in 7 days and it wasn't really a bother at all.
4) Tikka 7mm-08 rifle - just stupid accurate and reliable. Same goes for my Weaver (aluminum) K6 scope. A great combination.
5) Hornady 139-grain SST's - like the Tikka, stupid accurate and reliable. They are just so good on deer, they are affordable and they are often the most accurate bullets I find when working up loads.
6) Sierra Designs Zissou down bag - Great basic warm, light bag. Not too expensive either.
7) Allen backcountry game bags - Love those things. Super affordable, durable, breathable, light and great drawstring/hanging loops.
8) Smartwool - My long sleeve 250 weight orange shirts were awesome, as were the socks. Great purchase.
9) Columbia down vest - Another great purchase. Got it on clearance for $40 and would gladly pay $140 for it now that I've used it. This one was questionable right up until I got out there hunting. Then I realized how warm it was, how durable the outer shell is and how small it rolls up. I will be hunting with this vest for many years I think.
10) Cabelas Outfitter HD 8x42 binoculars - Laugh if you want, but I've owned two pairs now (also a 10x42) and the resolving power, brightness, edge to edge sharpness and ergonomics are great. I've owned dozens upon dozens of binoculars, but these are what go with me at the end of the day.
11) Nikon ED50 spotter - fantastic little scope that weighs practically nothing. I carry it everywhere just because I can. Super sharp too.
12) Eberlestock J107 Dragonfly pack w/ rifle scabbard - My favorite hunting pack when my load is UNDER 40# (read more later).
13) Vasque boots - I have bought and sold several pairs of both new and used hunting and hiking boots over the past three years, but these are still my favorite. They just fit so well and are light and absolutely waterproof.
14) Kings Camo "hunter" pants - love, love, love these pants. I own three pair now and even the oldest pair looks brand new still. LOVE them.
15) Dry Ice - Great solution for the trip home. Not every Wal-Mart or City Market carries it however (the ones in Avon, CO do NOT carry it). But one block kept all my regular ice frozen for two days and then some in my Igloo Sportsman cooler.
16) Old School external meat hauling frame. I really like my inexpensive Alps meat hauler frame. I fitted it with a very old Kelty waist belt that I love and some new Kelty shoulder straps, and that thing really handles a load like a champ.
____________________________________________________________________________
Things that DON'T work:
1) Overpacking - I have been at this western mountain hunting for 5 years now, and I STILL overpack. Clothes, food, ziplock baggies, flashlights, you name it. I always use less than half of the stuff I bring. Every time. Not sure when I'll ever learn.
2) Thinking nobody will set up camp RIGHT next to me - I have learned that one rule in Colorado must be that the closer you camp to someone else, the better spot you have. LOL I still cannot get over how close other people will set up to my camp. Three years in a row now I've camped at the end of a two track road days ahead of the season only to have groups of guys with RV's or wall tents set up literally within 100 yards of me. I have no idea what they are thinking but I've come to expect this now. I'm a camp magnet. Ugh.
3) Cell phone batteries when it's 13 degrees - I'm still not sure what guys are doing to keep their phones alive in the backcountry. Maybe I'll figure it out someday.
4) Cheap knives - I am done with them. Can't even get through quartering half a deer without having to resharpen. Next year I'm taking a quality knife.
5) Eberlestock J107 Dragonfly pack w/ rifle scabbard - great day pack (see above) but something terrible happens when you load it with more than 40# in it. The difference below and above about 40# is night and day. I will be looking for another overnight option for when I want to pack my camp in for overnights in the backcountry.
6) spike camp - still too heavy! I have to get my spike camp gear down at least 10# by next year. During one of my scouting days, I carried my spike camp with me just as a proof of concept - for a 5-mile loop. It sucked. (see backpack above). Gotta get lighter.
___________________________________________________________________
Things that were just so-so:
1) Tripod and ball head - I'm right on the fence whether to upgrade or ride it out. I have two $25 Amazon tripods with ball heads and universal Arca plates. they were cheap and work "okay" but a smoother panning head for glassing sure would be nice.
2) Hydration bladder - works great when the temperature isn't 13 degrees. Unusable if you sit for 30 minutes in that temp though.
3) Igloo Sportsman 55 qt. cooler - Very durable and works pretty well. Wish it kept ice a little longer but for $120 at the outlet store, I can't complain at all. Perfect size for a quartered mule deer buck or two itty bitty Texas whitetails, quartered, with ice.
So that's my list off the top of my head. Hope it helps someone.
Just in case it might help someone, here are the things that worked and the things that didn't from my CO mule deer hunt this year.
Things that worked:
1) CO leftover list - It took me 7 choices but I got a 2nd rifle mule deer buck tag without having to go through the draw. It's the only system I've known, so if and when they change it, I'm probably going to complain a little. It's worked fine for me the last three years though.
2) OnX / Google Earth - These two have save me sooooo many days in the field. I am now able to pick out glassing points from my home, mark them on my phone and then hike directly to them (sometimes even in the dark) and just about every time, I can see exactly what I was expecting to see without ever having set foot there before. For someone who grew up reading paper topo maps, that is nothing short of amazing. Knowing exactly where I stand in relation to private property boundaries is priceless as well.
3) Kodiak Canvas Tent and Buddy Heater - talk about glamping. My plan every year is to have a reliable, warm and comfortable base camp set up and then bring all the spike camp gear I need if the situation warrants it. The past two years I've hunted mid-October and it's dropped into the teens several nights. Running that buddy heater off a 20 lb. propane bottle, set to low, in my 10x10 Kodiak Canvas tent is like having a small apartment in the mountains. I get great rest and it is very easy to set up and take down, even by myself. Last year we had 3 different camps in 7 days and it wasn't really a bother at all.
4) Tikka 7mm-08 rifle - just stupid accurate and reliable. Same goes for my Weaver (aluminum) K6 scope. A great combination.
5) Hornady 139-grain SST's - like the Tikka, stupid accurate and reliable. They are just so good on deer, they are affordable and they are often the most accurate bullets I find when working up loads.
6) Sierra Designs Zissou down bag - Great basic warm, light bag. Not too expensive either.
7) Allen backcountry game bags - Love those things. Super affordable, durable, breathable, light and great drawstring/hanging loops.
8) Smartwool - My long sleeve 250 weight orange shirts were awesome, as were the socks. Great purchase.
9) Columbia down vest - Another great purchase. Got it on clearance for $40 and would gladly pay $140 for it now that I've used it. This one was questionable right up until I got out there hunting. Then I realized how warm it was, how durable the outer shell is and how small it rolls up. I will be hunting with this vest for many years I think.
10) Cabelas Outfitter HD 8x42 binoculars - Laugh if you want, but I've owned two pairs now (also a 10x42) and the resolving power, brightness, edge to edge sharpness and ergonomics are great. I've owned dozens upon dozens of binoculars, but these are what go with me at the end of the day.
11) Nikon ED50 spotter - fantastic little scope that weighs practically nothing. I carry it everywhere just because I can. Super sharp too.
12) Eberlestock J107 Dragonfly pack w/ rifle scabbard - My favorite hunting pack when my load is UNDER 40# (read more later).
13) Vasque boots - I have bought and sold several pairs of both new and used hunting and hiking boots over the past three years, but these are still my favorite. They just fit so well and are light and absolutely waterproof.
14) Kings Camo "hunter" pants - love, love, love these pants. I own three pair now and even the oldest pair looks brand new still. LOVE them.
15) Dry Ice - Great solution for the trip home. Not every Wal-Mart or City Market carries it however (the ones in Avon, CO do NOT carry it). But one block kept all my regular ice frozen for two days and then some in my Igloo Sportsman cooler.
16) Old School external meat hauling frame. I really like my inexpensive Alps meat hauler frame. I fitted it with a very old Kelty waist belt that I love and some new Kelty shoulder straps, and that thing really handles a load like a champ.
____________________________________________________________________________
Things that DON'T work:
1) Overpacking - I have been at this western mountain hunting for 5 years now, and I STILL overpack. Clothes, food, ziplock baggies, flashlights, you name it. I always use less than half of the stuff I bring. Every time. Not sure when I'll ever learn.
2) Thinking nobody will set up camp RIGHT next to me - I have learned that one rule in Colorado must be that the closer you camp to someone else, the better spot you have. LOL I still cannot get over how close other people will set up to my camp. Three years in a row now I've camped at the end of a two track road days ahead of the season only to have groups of guys with RV's or wall tents set up literally within 100 yards of me. I have no idea what they are thinking but I've come to expect this now. I'm a camp magnet. Ugh.
3) Cell phone batteries when it's 13 degrees - I'm still not sure what guys are doing to keep their phones alive in the backcountry. Maybe I'll figure it out someday.
4) Cheap knives - I am done with them. Can't even get through quartering half a deer without having to resharpen. Next year I'm taking a quality knife.
5) Eberlestock J107 Dragonfly pack w/ rifle scabbard - great day pack (see above) but something terrible happens when you load it with more than 40# in it. The difference below and above about 40# is night and day. I will be looking for another overnight option for when I want to pack my camp in for overnights in the backcountry.
6) spike camp - still too heavy! I have to get my spike camp gear down at least 10# by next year. During one of my scouting days, I carried my spike camp with me just as a proof of concept - for a 5-mile loop. It sucked. (see backpack above). Gotta get lighter.
___________________________________________________________________
Things that were just so-so:
1) Tripod and ball head - I'm right on the fence whether to upgrade or ride it out. I have two $25 Amazon tripods with ball heads and universal Arca plates. they were cheap and work "okay" but a smoother panning head for glassing sure would be nice.
2) Hydration bladder - works great when the temperature isn't 13 degrees. Unusable if you sit for 30 minutes in that temp though.
3) Igloo Sportsman 55 qt. cooler - Very durable and works pretty well. Wish it kept ice a little longer but for $120 at the outlet store, I can't complain at all. Perfect size for a quartered mule deer buck or two itty bitty Texas whitetails, quartered, with ice.
So that's my list off the top of my head. Hope it helps someone.
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Next year, there won't be any way someone can set up within 1/4 mile of me.
