things NOT to take on a guided hunt

[wymtnpounder]

Your girlfriend from the ghetto who has never been camping. Don't ask me how I know.

 

[Fishn4eyes]

I don't leave anything behind that I wouldn't have if I was doing the hunt solo.

I just like to know I have myself covered. I carry my own Jet boil, tent, spotter tripod, food, water all of it.

It certainly adds some weight when you throw in the rifle but it sucks to have to wait on someone to do stuff for you. I hate that.

I like to wake up and boil my water for a coffee in the morning while I get dressed and break down camp and don't need to wait for someone to boil water for me for food or whatever else.

Plus I think having all your own stuff speeds stuff up when it comes to camp activities like meal-time and tearing down camp ect.

I guess I like to be self-sufficient just in case something unexpected happens.

I've been separated from my guide on a few hunts and it's nice to know I've got everything covered.

 

[mtwarden]

^ this was almost exactly my original thought process; and still might be

 

[Cactus kid]

Did my only sheep hunt in the alaska this year- and things I took that i'm glad I did:

-my own jetboil and pot with an additional snow peak ti cup. It was nice not to borrow my guides when making dinner or weathered in a tent.

-I took my own tripod for my binos. I brought my spotter to base camp but it didn't make it out in the field. He had a much nicer spotter and he damn sure didn't need my input if a sheep was legal or not.

-My own tent. My personal tent that i know how to set up in the dark, in the rain, in the snow, ect. Guides don't cuddle as well as you hope.

-Packed my own food. The outfitter had all the food in the world that i could choose from, but it was nice to have everything ready to go incase we had a weather window that was flyable. One less thing to think about at base camp.

-A book/headphones. I took a small paperback book of short stories. Nice on rainy days.


Things i did not take that i usually do on a trip:

Solar charger- wouldn't count on the sun being out to recharge batteries. I took a small power bank and that was all I needed plus some for 10 days.

Camera- I used my iPhone. They are getting so good now it makes hard to pack a DSLR. Plus I wanted to soak in the trip rather than constantly be taking pictures. Personal choice.

If you have backpacking experience then you will have a good idea of what you can handle load-wise.

 

[mtwarden]

^ good info- thanks!

I'm 100% on my own tent (it's lighter and probably a little sturdier than the ones they provide) and my own food (minus any good stuff they may have on hand! )

I'm 95% on my tripod- I like to glass w/ binos in open country on a tripod AND I can shoot off it as well

leaning towards my own stove/pot and leaning towards my own spotter; I can always make the decision not to bring them afield when I get there

 

[schmalzy]

^ good info- thanks!

I'm 100% on my own tent (it's lighter and probably a little sturdier than the ones they provide) and my own food (minus any good stuff they may have on hand! )

I'm 95% on my tripod- I like to glass w/ binos in open country on a tripod AND I can shoot off it as well

leaning towards my own stove/pot and leaning towards my own spotter; I can always make the decision not to bring them afield when I get there

I’m right on the same page as you on this one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MtGomer]

Take a spotter. You may end up leaving it behind but bring it up there. You don’t know what kind of spotter your guide will have. You may end up only bringing one, but it may be yours.

 

[Usmcinfantry1988]

I was very happy to have my sub 2# tripod/head and 553 kowa on my dall trip. Didn't add a ton of weight. I woulda been really bummed if i didn't have a tripod when we were glassing for bears for the rest of the week after killing the sheep on opening day. Definitely bring your preferred snacks and food.

Was happy to leave stove/fuel and kill kit behind. Just brought a little havalon to help with processing the animal. My guide had a big ass hille tarp for glassing so it wasn't worth it for me to bring one but every guide is different. That's about the extent of what I left that I would have brought on a DIY hunt.

How did that 553 do in sheep country , I'm loving the size and weight but wondered if its good enough for sheep? thanks !

 

[wind gypsy]

How did that 553 do in sheep country , I'm loving the size and weight but wondered if its good enough for sheep? thanks !

It was perfect for the situation of me wanting to look on my own but knowing the guide had a bigger spotter. The guide had a swaro ats 80 and going back and forth between the two the biggest difference was that the little one is just less forgiving about your eye placement being perfect. You could resolve a little better with the swaro but it wasn't earth shattering. We weren't in a situation where any tough judgement calls had to be made on legality, we would have been just fine if it were the only spotter we brought but it was nice to each have our own.

 

[Usmcinfantry1988]

It was perfect for the situation of me wanting to look on my own but knowing the guide had a bigger spotter. The guide had a swaro ats 80 and going back and forth between the two the biggest difference was that the little one is just less forgiving about your eye placement being perfect. You could resolve a little better with the swaro but it wasn't earth shattering. We weren't in a situation where any tough judgement calls had to be made on legality, we would have been just fine if it were the only spotter we brought but it was nice to each have our own.

gypsy, this is perfect exactly what i needed to know brother , thank you ! now im off to hunt for a 553!

 

[PRC_GUY]

Don’t bring women who can’t shut up their mouths!

 

[WCB]

IMO being a guide. Things like "kill Kit" is my responsibility and is going to be in my bag no matter what...so I'm carrying regardless. If you want to carry the extra weight have at it. I would bring a knife and sharpener. leave the rest.

One thing to remember if your guide is good he has a system dialed in and even though you have experience the guide doesn't know that until you are on the hunt. Things like bringing your own tent or similar would make me nervous as a guide thinking (what if he forgets is stakes, rain fly, etc.) This extends to any and all of your equipment. Most guys were honest about their experience but the ones that weren't could have bit me in the ass on a couple of occasions but I packed and prepared the same for every client. This is just so you understand their perspective and why they suggest things.

I'd personally bring the spotter and tripod (but wouldn't force the issue if the outfitter or guide insisted I didn't)...lose the kill kit, tarp is eh if the guide has one, forget the stove, and use their tent set up.

I agree it is your hunt and work those details out with the outfitter and if possible the guide before hand above suggestions is just what I would do.

 

[mtwarden]

^ thanks. I'll make sure and have a good chat with the outfitter (and hopefully the guide too) pre-hunt.

I know what shelters they're using currently (possible they may change shelters) and mine is by the same manufacturer, but lighter and a little more robust. I get a lot of nights out, so familiarity of setting this one up weighs into the decision as well.

if my guide already has a decent sized tarp, I'll probably leave mine at the lodge- if not, I'll have one

kill kit will be very minimal- knife/gloves/maybe a single game bag

spotter/tripod will come along unless they do a very good job convincing me other wise

 

[wind gypsy]

gypsy, this is perfect exactly what i needed to know brother , thank you ! now im off to hunt for a 553!

Give doug at CameralandNY a call, tell him you're familiar with him from rokslide and see what they can do on price.

I paid less new from them than the prices I typically see used ones listed for in the classifieds.

 

[wind gypsy]

IMO being a guide. Things like "kill Kit" is my responsibility and is going to be in my bag no matter what...so I'm carrying regardless. If you want to carry the extra weight have at it. I would bring a knife and sharpener. leave the rest.

One thing to remember if your guide is good he has a system dialed in and even though you have experience the guide doesn't know that until you are on the hunt. Things like bringing your own tent or similar would make me nervous as a guide thinking (what if he forgets is stakes, rain fly, etc.) This extends to any and all of your equipment. Most guys were honest about their experience but the ones that weren't could have bit me in the ass on a couple of occasions but I packed and prepared the same for every client. This is just so you understand their perspective and why they suggest things.

I'd personally bring the spotter and tripod (but wouldn't force the issue if the outfitter or guide insisted I didn't)...lose the kill kit, tarp is eh if the guide has one, forget the stove, and use their tent set up.

I agree it is your hunt and work those details out with the outfitter and if possible the guide before hand above suggestions is just what I would do.

Some valid points and helpful for perspective from the guide. The outfitter i used (Jonah Stewart) makes sure all of his guides go through hunters whole pack and gear to make sure some of these concerns are addressed before you hop in the supercub. Probably a good idea for knowledgeable clients to push through both your and your guides gear before heading out if the guide doesn't initiate it. My guide slept in a flat tarp but offered me a choice of kuiu mountainstar, BA copper spur, and maybe a hille of some kind from their tent pile at base camp. He offered to carry my tent but I would have felt like a **** if he carried both our shelters and my shelter (dcf duomid) was 2.5# lighter than the options they offered. That weight difference is more than the spotter I carried. The whole shelter deal varied a lot by guide. One used a full LBO base/tarp/vestibule setup and shared it with hunters, one used a zpacks duplex and offered to share (woof) or carry a tent from the tent pile i mentioned above.

I think they'll be able to read @mtwarden and trust that his sleep system is sufficient.

 

[WyoKid]

I don't leave anything behind that I wouldn't have if I was doing the hunt solo.

I just like to know I have myself covered. I carry my own Jet boil, tent, spotter tripod, food, water all of it.

It certainly adds some weight when you throw in the rifle but it sucks to have to wait on someone to do stuff for you. I hate that.

I like to wake up and boil my water for a coffee in the morning while I get dressed and break down camp and don't need to wait for someone to boil water for me for food or whatever else.

Plus I think having all your own stuff speeds stuff up when it comes to camp activities like meal-time and tearing down camp ect.

I guess I like to be self-sufficient just in case something unexpected happens.

I've been separated from my guide on a few hunts and it's nice to know I've got everything covered.

On my Dall hunt I definitely went with the mindset of being self sufficient and not relying on the guide for my own survival and safety. This meant taking me own knives, first aid, survival bivy, game bags and basics. The guide said not to bring a spotter, which I was happy to ditch, but I brought a good 10x set of binoculars.

+ on the first aid kit - we used mine 3 times as mine was more robust than the guides.

Also used my survival bivy and tarp when we decided sleep on the mountain to catch a bedded Ram at first light. We curled up behind a rock and my bivy kept me warm....the guide had to put his feet in his pack but didn't have a bivy.

 

[adventure907]

Just make sure you bring a big enough pack to help carry meat once you are successful. That's a pet peeve of mine, hunters showing up with backs barely large enough to carry in their personal items, let alone the ability to help once a sheep is on the ground.

 

[back country]

I'll put in a plug for Bushman's Ultra Dry Gel insect repellent: https://www.bushman-repellent.com/drygels.php#ecwid-buy-now

I prefer it hands down over bug spray. I think it works better than bug spray, lasts longer, and doesn't smell nearly as bad (or as strong). I take it with me every year to AK. And definitely take a lightweight headnet, but you already mentioned you were planning to.

Edit: just remembered this thread was specifically about things to NOT take...I still think Bushman's is worth looking at!

 

[mtwarden]

my pack should be adequately sized to handle a load a meat (and head )

I'll look into Bushman's, it seems like people don't often bring up mosquitos in the Brooks, but everyone I talked that has been there in August sure has!

 

[dtrkyman]

No way I go on a sheep hunt without a tripod, even If I leave the spotter back, the binos are going on it!