Poser
WKR
To be fair to the situation of hunting vs general backpacking, I too do quite a bit of backpacking, usually 25-35 nights worth across the summer with at least some of those nights out overlapping with the same general area that I elk hunt in. I go through my core elk hunting area in, say, late July, and there are backpackers galore, sometimes at a rate of encountering people on the trail every 5 minutes. However, when I go into this area in October, its very rare to see any backpackers at all. I see the occasional highly experienced climbing group who are backpacking in, but only on very moderate weather years and that's still the exception by far. Chances are, if I do see another group, they are goat hunters.
The reality is, there just aren't many backpackers camping out at 11,000 feet in October and, if they are, they typically aren't getting up at 3:30 in the morning and staying out and about until dark, returning to camp 1-2+ hours after dark. Beyond that, if they are out that time of year, they aren't staying out for 7-10+ days and even if they are, they often aren't intentionally out in wet weather, particularly for consecutive days. So, a hot tent takes on a bit of a different role for hunters vs backpackers.
By comparison, hot tents are becoming increasingly popular for backcountry skiers who like to camp in the backcountry which makes total sense: elevation, winter, cold, snow, stuff to dry out. But, I wouldn't concern myself with the standards of backpacking applying to mountain hunting in Oct and Nov anymore than I would apply the standards of ultralight backpacking weights to the weight of backpack hunting.
