• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

2017 elk trip

Erniepower

Well-Known Member
Vendor Rep
Joined
Oct 25, 2015
Messages
3,230
Location
Minneapolis MN
So I am planning a back country elk hunt in Montana this fall. The plan is to rifle hunt the back country zone of montana.. We chose this area because of the limited access and their rifle season opens sept 15th. @g2outdoors, I have read your hammock elk review and have tons of questions.

I have never done a trip like this where I carry everything on my back. I have done trips into the boundary waters on a canoe, but obviously you are allowed to carry quite a bit more when the canoe carries the weight.

Have any of you ever ventured into this part of Montana? How did you get in and out. Were there decent forest service trails to get most of the way in?

Some of the things I already had or purchased recently

Warbonet blackbird hammock
Warbonet Superfly
Hammock gear under and top quilt
Tenzing 5000 pack
Gps with hunt onyx Montana chip
full assortment of sitka clothing
Ultralight game bags


Things I am thinking of getting

Treking poles (are they really worth the effort to carry in?)
Backcountry boiler stove
titanium pots
Spot locator (makes the wife happy)
Bear spray
Portable electric fence (makes me sleep easier as we are in grizzly country)
solar charger for electronics



Obviously, I have things like knives, rope etc but those things I would use on any regular hunt.



Food:
Here is my biggest worry. How do you pack enough food for 6-8 days and still have any room or weight left for the rest of your gear? I looked at the mountainhouse meals for example and they are 500 calories each and weigh about 5 oz. well in order to get 2500-3000 calories a day, that would mean eating 5-6 of them a day. Multiply that by 6 days, and you are carrying 36 of those pouches. That just seems really unrealistic and would over 10 lbs.


G2,
You said your pack weighed 40 lbs. I would really be interested in what you packed and why in order to keep that weight down. It seems like it would be very easy to get above 40 lbs in a hurry. Not counting my rifle which weighs 9 lbs by itself.

You also said you used sleeping bag. did you end up getting cold butt without a quilt or did you have that too? My blackbird has an extra layer that I can slide a pad into and I was thinking of forgoeing the under quilt in favor of a pad to save space in my pack but haven't tried that out yet and I would have to buy the pad.
 
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. So jealous!

You need to call me. I can help a lot. I'll pm you my cell.
Sounds good. I really appreciate the help. I'll let you swim out of you're current situation and we can chat this weekend. Hopefully you'll have a buck to use as flotation .

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. So jealous!

You need to call me. I can help a lot. I'll pm you my cell.
Sounds good. I really appreciate the help. I'll let you swim out of you're current situation and we can chat this weekend. Hopefully you'll have a buck to use as flotation .

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
On my last trip to Colorado I only packed about 1500 calories a day (cliff bars, bagel/salami sandwich, and Alpine Aire freeze dried pouch). Oddly, I was never too hungry even though I was probably burning over double that per day. I was significantly leaner when I came back lol.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
I had the same experience. My appetite was pretty nonexistent. This is typical of high exertion hunts.

I would only plan for one real meal per day (dinner) the rest of my meals would be bars, gels, jerky, and trail mix. That's it. Keep it simple. You'll be glad you did. Packing out EXTRA food SUCKS!

Here's my packing list.
https://lighterpack.com/r/4gjkqa

I took too much food and too much gear. If I were to do it again, I could do it under 40 lbs no doubt.
 
Also keep in mind my hunt was in early September so I didn't have to seriously prepare for cold weather. If I went in October or November, I think I'd be closer to 45-50 lbs.
 
Well this is scheduled for Sept 15 opener. I would assume hike in at least a day early and set up. I can't imagine it getting colder than 40 at night and I'm expecting 50-70 during the day

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
Man, I will be paying attention to this one. I will be heading to southern Colorado the second week of September for an over the counter archery elk trip.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I can probably help a bit. I went for 10 days. DIY with an otc tag. Archery
10 days is long on your own.
I was in grizzly country. And carried a 10mm glock and bear spray. Didn't see any grizz but did run into a black bear. When I go back I don't think I'll carry the spray. Since your rifle hunting I would not bring it.

Trekking poles would have been nice. Walking up the mountains I could see where they would have helped. I'd spend the money on good light weight ones though. And I would just bring one instead of two.

Food I did MRE. 1 per day field stripped. It was enough food for me. Next time I might bring just enough food for 2 less days than I'm going. And hunt grouse and squirrels while I'm out. There were a ton. I'd have to figure how I'd shoot them because I'm not sure I'd want to waste arrows on them. MAybe a .22 pistol. Not sure it's legal or not? Have to check.

Your right on with a hammock type sleeping system. I laid on the ground and it wasn't fun at all.

My biggest issue I had was water. Places that I had marked on the map before I went that had streams were all dried up. I found 2 good water holes and they were about 2 miles apart. The issue with water really dictated how far I went and where I hunted.
I was high in the mountains. It was really warm when I was there. Mid September. So I was sucking down water like crazy. And I constantly had to make my way back to the source. At the end of the day. It's impossible to carry all your food and gear and 10 days worth of water. At max I was able to carry 2 days worth of water. But even that sucked. Water weighs a ton. In total my pack weighed about 60 lbs for 10 days. It got lighter as the days went on.

But my original plan was to Bivy hunt. Basically hunt with my pack on. That way at the end of the day no matter where I was I could just camp there. Well it didn't work because of the water issue. So I ended up spiking by the water source. Had it been colder I may have been a bit better off because I don't need as much water. But when it was in the 60-70 degree range and your walking those mountains be prepared to drink a lot.

Not sure if the bulls were really smart or what but every time I got in close and made a cow call I blew them all out of the area. I wouldn't call unless you really know what your doing and have past experiences. I got rid of the call after the 3rd day and went into stealth mode.

What's your plan for getting a bull out ? Be realistic with how far your planning on moving a bull. I thought that I could get a bull down and out by my self if I was under 3 miles from an access road, in 3-4 trips. In reality I should have planned more for 1.5 miles. 1.5 miles as the crow Flies is one thing. It's a completely different ball game when there is 5 or 6 mountains you have to hike over.

I'm sure I'll think of more stuff.
 

This was my gear list review from my 2015 hunt. When I go back this fall, I will have added trekking poles, TAG meat bags, and have some newer clothes. I'm also going to build a 4 sided tipi to share instead of the MSR.

Edit: I'll also be bringing some larger water pouches. We camped close to water, but I was climbing 45min to 2 hours each morning to get where I'd start hunting. We couldn't camp closer because we couldn't find closer water. With larger water bags we could pack up enough water for an overnight or two spike camp closer to elk.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
You guys are awesome. Lots to digest here. I've been laying low today with a nasty cold. I'll get through these posts and try to get back to you all. Thank you for all the help.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
Gosh this sounds like an absolutely exhilarating experience!!!! Hope you have a great time Ernie.
 
Did multiple OTC DIY Colorado archery hunts with success 2 out of the 4 times going. Nothing huge but think it was a great accomplishment for a flatlander who had only hunted whitetails all his life.

You have the right idea on weight. Every little oz count. The first year was tough due to me carrying WAY to much gear with mostly cotton clothes to boot. MISERABLE I was but still had a blast. Had things figured out by the 3rd trip. Huge difference! Absolutely NO Cotton, 1 MRE per day, and small jar of peanut butter. Most importantly, I worked on getting into shape during off season.

Myself and Cousin hiked in 11 miles, hunted at 9k-11k ft for about 7 days. Great experiences that I'll never forget.

Water we took (2) 1 liter bottles with water treatment tablets. This worked well as we filled up in streams and treated. Got nervous a few times but never truly ran out. Area we hunted was dry up high but could drop down a thousand or two and find a stream.

As stated above. Have a plan to get meat out. First kill was a cow elk 2.5 miles from truck. Not much of an issue. 2nd kill ended up being close to 7 miles in. That liked to have killed us. Only thing that saved us was cooler weather had moved in later in the week. Spoilage would have been a major concern if I had connected earlier in the week. Something we really hadn't consider due to the excitement of just being there.

Again, the most rewarding hunting I've ever experienced but also the hardest.

Good luck!
 
Last edited:

This was my gear list review from my 2015 hunt. When I go back this fall, I will have added trekking poles, TAG meat bags, and have some newer clothes. I'm also going to build a 4 sided tipi to share instead of the MSR.

Edit: I'll also be bringing some larger water pouches. We camped close to water, but I was climbing 45min to 2 hours each morning to get where I'd start hunting. We couldn't camp closer because we couldn't find closer water. With larger water bags we could pack up enough water for an overnight or two spike camp closer to elk.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Very good stuff. Thanks for sharing. A few things worth considering. A 3 pin slider. For the exact reason you mentioned it's what I go with. I can practice to 100 but still have those 3 pins in a situation like you mentioned. Even a 2 pin might even worth considering.

Also your shelter it looks great. I used a tarp from under ground quilts. The canopy is at least twice the size of your tent and weighs nothing and when rolled up is stupid small. Like the size of a tennis ball.

If anyone is considering an open ground tent this is worth considering. But I'm gonna use it with a hammock type system next time. I slept on the ground and it sucked. But my sleeping pad probably had a lot to do with it
 
Very good stuff. Thanks for sharing. A few things worth considering. A 3 pin slider. For the exact reason you mentioned it's what I go with. I can practice to 100 but still have those 3 pins in a situation like you mentioned. Even a 2 pin might even worth considering.

Also your shelter it looks great. I used a tarp from under ground quilts. The canopy is at least twice the size of your tent and weighs nothing and when rolled up is stupid small. Like the size of a tennis ball.

If anyone is considering an open ground tent this is worth considering. But I'm gonna use it with a hammock type system next time. I slept on the ground and it sucked. But my sleeping pad probably had a lot to do with it
Regarding sleeping, the first year I slept on nothing but a thin 3/4 length closed cell foam pad. It was very lightweight, but sleeping was rough.

This past trip I used the TAR Prolite Plus which was a big improvement, but now I've switched to an Exped Winterlite MW. It's a lightweight sleeping pad that's 3.5 inches thick, and it's wider than the average mummy pad. R-value is 4.9, and weight is 18oz. You inflate it with a "schnozzel" which is faster than blowing air and keeps the inside moisture free. It's been very comfortable so far. I can sleep on my sides and not wake up an hour later with sore shoulders and hips which is nice.

I have an ENO hammock but have never used it as a sleep system with tarp and underquilt. I imagine a big advantage the hammock gives you in the mountains is the ability to sleep over uneven ground. Sometimes it's tough to find a flat spot to pitch a tent.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
Hi. I just joined a little bit ago. I'm re-doing my whole hunting setup after this season (hence the joining up here), but I can tell you my experience with hiking in and hammock camping (I spent several days this year remote camping in Savannah State Forest during rifle season).

I have a Warbonnet Blackbird XLC and absolutely flippin' LOVE it. But if you're new to hammock camping, take some time to set up and sleep overnight in your yard first, as it will take a bit of fiddling to get your setup right. A lot of people find it more comfortable to have the head end about a foot lower than the foot end, which can minimize the dreaded "leg ridge".

Another benefit of overnighting in your yard (especially now) is that you'll be able to figure out the temp limits of your gear, as well as figuring out how to set it up correctly. If your underquilt is properly adjusted, you should not be getting "cold butt syndrome". And, speaking of underquilts, if you were going to skip one piece of insulation gear, it should be the top quilt, IMO. If worst comes to worst, you can always chuck extra clothes or (worst-case scenario) leaves and grass in your hammock to insulate your top, but if you set your hammock up in the summertime without an underquilt, you'll quickly realize how much of a difference an underquilt makes. The wind (even with a tarp) will steal your heat really quickly, and it sucks to wake up stiff and cold, especially if you have a lot of physical activity ahead of you.

Last benefit to setting up in the yard... if you get too cold you can't sleep, you can go inside and try again another day. Probably not an option in back-country Montana.

Whether or not you can get by with a pad vs. an UQ depends on whether you're a cold- or hot-sleeper. For me, at least, a pad is good down to around 50 degrees or so. Anything under that and I'd do an UQ. One other option to consider if you're worried about pack space and are set on a pad vs. an UQ is Reflectix (you can get it at Menards). I'm pretty sure it would take up less space than a foam pad. The problem with Reflectix is that it's not breathable, so you may feel a little (or a lot) damp, depending on your body temp, outside temp, whether the wind is blowing, etc.

Hammock Gear stuff is good stuff, so there's that. I'd be kind of surprised if that stuff didn't pack down into something smaller than a sleeping bag. The problem with using a sleeping bag is that, at least on the bottom, you're compressing the insulation, so it won't keep you as warm where you really need it.

If you want to learn a bunch of stuff about hammocks and hammock camping, check out Shug Emery's channel on YouTube. He lives in Roseville and hammock camps all the time in all different kinds of weather. VERY educational.

Hiking poles - my first trip with them was this year, and they made a BIG difference. I always used to laugh (to myself) at those people who were walking down the hiking trails like they were cross-country skiing until I tried it myself. It helps with your balance, it takes some of the load off of your legs, etc. I won't go without them now.

As far as food... I brought WAY more in than I ate, and it sucked, because I had to then carry it all back out again. And I don't have a tiny appetite... but I did then. I drank quite a bit of liquids though... water, powdered Gatorade, etc. Brought in about half calorie-dense food and half "meal"-type food, and I ended up eating most of the calorie-dense foods and leaving the rest in my bear bag.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. I'm glad I could give back a little, since I've learned a TON from you, g2outdoors and bowhunter15.

Good luck with your cold... go find some Sambucol (or elderberry syrup if you know anyone who has any). It'll knock it right out. :)
 
Good info here guys. Looks like I've got my father convinced to go ahead and try some hiking back away from the crowds and all this info will help me figure out my setup.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
All good info here. This will be my 12th year in Colorado elk hunting. My advice is the weather can and will change in a instant. Water is precious and accounts for most of weight we carry. The mental challenge after days of nothing far exceeds the physical aspect. Your hunt can change in seconds and you only need one elk to make it a success. All the technology in the the world is not equal to woodsman ship and hunting experience. Always remember that thousands will never experience the sound of a bugle, smell of sagebrush, pine, mountain air. Most of all, elk or no elk, you were still successful. Good luck to all.
 
Back
Top