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2017 elk trip

You have it covered, leave handgun, you have a rifle. 48 ounces adds up quick, hiking mountains. Been hunting elk 13 years and your better prepared than I, lol. We don't typically spike camp in though, not conducive where we hunt. With your current conditioning, you'll be fine. Like they say you can't cheat the mountain, technology doesn't help hike or haul meat and antlers.
 
No spare batteries either. Put new ones in before you leave the house.
I disagree with G2 on spare batteries, unless...
1. Multiple electronics take the same type of battery
2. Your headlamp has a lock, to prevent it from turning on in your pack (mine does)
3. You plan to take batteries out when not in use (don't recommend as you can loose them easier)

They are a leave at the truck item if you meet one of those three IMO.

@g2outdoors that pack list is awesome! I am going to have to do mine from last year and then for this coming year. To see a difference and compare to see where I can loose some more weight. I am shooting for 7 day pack to be in under 35lbs with 3L of water.

Thanks,
Boswell
 
I disagree with G2 on spare batteries, unless...
1. Multiple electronics take the same type of battery
2. Your headlamp has a lock, to prevent it from turning on in your pack (mine does)
3. You plan to take batteries out when not in use (don't recommend as you can loose them easier)

They are a leave at the truck item if you meet one of those three IMO.

@g2outdoors that pack list is awesome! I am going to have to do mine from last year and then for this coming year. To see a difference and compare to see where I can loose some more weight. I am shooting for 7 day pack to be in under 35lbs with 3L of water.

Thanks,
Boswell

35lbs is a really good goal. I think I could get there with a few changes to my setup.

Here is another good setup.
https://gothunts.com/backpacking-light-gear-list-diy-hunting/

I don't think he's thought of everything - where is his weapon? - but it's pretty close. Add in 10-15lbs for food and water, add in his weapon, and he's in the 35-40lb range.

All said - if you really think about what you NEED out there, it's really not much. It's the WANTS that add in all the weight.
 
I've found that there is always going to be a happy medium between weight and comfort, and that point will be different for everyone. I went really ultralight and then have slowly added back some weight for additional comfort. The key thing is, whether it's ultralight or comfort, it should be quality for the weight to be justified.

For example, you can get by with a super ultralight thin 3/4 length mummy sleeping pad. But you might be better rested sleeping on an ultralight, wide, long inflatable pad or hammock setup. The weight penalty comes with value. However, if you were to swap the thin SUL 3/4 pad with a thick, heavier car camping pad, the weight penalty wouldn't be justified because there's no more comfort added than the full size ultralite pad.

The same can be said for shelters. Some people value their space more than others and can justify packing in a larger tarp or tipi setup, because the value to weight ratio is good.

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I've found that there is always going to be a happy medium between weight and comfort, and that point will be different for everyone. I went really ultralight and then have slowly added back some weight for additional comfort. The key thing is, whether it's ultralight or comfort, it should be quality for the weight to be justified.

For example, you can get by with a super ultralight thin 3/4 length mummy sleeping pad. But you might be better rested sleeping on an ultralight, wide, long inflatable pad or hammock setup. The weight penalty comes with value. However, if you were to swap the thin SUL 3/4 pad with a thick, heavier car camping pad, the weight penalty wouldn't be justified because there's no more comfort added than the full size ultralite pad.

The same can be said for shelters. Some people value their space more than others and can justify packing in a larger tarp or tipi setup, because the value to weight ratio is good.

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Absolutely. There is no right answer.
 
My wife is epic, I've been blessed with a Colorado elk/mule deer hunt this fall. We are going to be hunting GMU 12 or 23. We have a few people out there that will be our "guides." One is a elk/deer hunting wildlife biologist, and the others have been elk hunting in Colorado for quite a while. I put in for a cow elk and a mule deer buck tag yesterday(good for either of the units we are going to hunt), so I'm committed.

Now I'm taping that receipt next to the bed so I wake up early to hike the 5 miles to work, on the fridge so I don't drink that beer I don't really need, and next to my desk at work so I'm motivated to lift weights.

Gear to figure out:
backpack - the kuiu ultra 6000 is very interesting since it's just under 4lbs, $400 makes it less interesting, but it will get double duty doing backpacking trips with the wife.
Sleeping bag - need a zero degree down bag, looking to be under 3lbs. It will be late October, could be snow, and I freeze my a$$ off when I sleep. Saw something about a top quilt that bungees to an insulated sleeping pad, not sure about how practical that is?
tent - I have a 5.5lb "3 person" backpacking tent, but think I'm going to try to sew up a floorless tipi tent for this trip, should save me a few lbs.
hunting clothing - First Lite gives military a huge discount, so I think I'm going to go this route. Sticking with merino whenever possible.
hiking poles - not decided on which ones to get
boots - not decided, trying to figure out the balance between lightweight and sole stiffness for a heavy pack and uneven ground.
spotting scope - not sure if I need one? maybe if I was worried about how big of an elk/deer I was going to try to shoot? Probably just stick with some 10 X 42 binos.

Let me know if you have any suggestions or inputs.
 
This is one of my favorite threads. It's full of great ideas and everyone approaches it slightly different. The best part? People are going elk hunting. There truly is nothing like it in the world.

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@bowhunter15. Did you say you paid for a scouting map service? I hired bearpaw and i am wondering if anyone else had experience with these types of services.

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@bowhunter15. Did you say you paid for a scouting map service? I hired bearpaw and i am wondering if anyone else had experience with these types of services.

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One of the guys in the group ordered a map from startmyhunt.com. It was a nice laminated USGS topo map of the select area we were in. Nothing special there, but he also put crosshatching over areas that could be bedding cover, primary food sources, secondary food sources, migration patterns, etc. Lastly, there were "hot spots" which were smaller highlighted areas which were essentially secluded openings with food surrounded by bedding cover (i.e. a 10 acre meadow surrounded by dark timber on a north slope). If you look back and forth between the marked up map and an aerial photo, it's pretty easy to see how the areas were selected. So, if you already sort of know what to look for, you'd be better off making a custom map from Caltopo, but otherwise they're helpful for a beginner.

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Great thread. My cousins and I are in the beginning stages of planning some western hunting trips. We too are lifelong 'flatlanders' here in Michigan and only seriously hunted whitetail here.

Personally i'd like to get out to colorado for a DIY elk trip in the next 1-2 years (realistically 2 years).

My cousin wants to do a Montana goat or bighorn hunt. He hasn't decided yet. Either way I am 100% down for either adventure.

We are going to do some backpacking trips to NELP Michigan this spring and summer to get acclimated to the entire process of 'backpacking'. Our first trip is coming up the first weekend in May to the Pigeon River Nat'l forest. The plan is to spend 4 days up there - 1st day will be hikng in a few miles on the Shingle Mill trail then go off-trail as far as we can get without hitting another road or trail and setup camp. Then we'll spend 2 full days scouting and finally pack it in and head home on the 4th day.

I just bought a NWT tenzing tz6000 bag off ebay for $150 - i made an offer to the seller and they accepted, so i figured that was a good deal! I was browsing the rokslide classifieds for a cheap used back but everyone seems to want $400+ for a bag. I can't justify that right now when the trip is still so far out. Maybe when I get closer I will pull the trigger on a nicer pack. I was also able to score a good 20F down sleepingbag and an insulated sleeping pad from REI for their co-op clearance, and also a 1-person backpacking 'bathtub' tent off craigslist. I have looked at tarp tents and tipi's but can't wrap my head around that yet. I have tried a hammock but it's not for me. Still shopping around for a few more items (camping stove - looking at jetboil and primus), MREs, water filtration/treatment, boots, but i've got time on all of those items.

Either way great thread and i'll be following along!

PS

@Erniepower i saw you sold your tenzing bag? Was weight the reason? What did you get to replace it?
 
@Erniepower i saw you sold your tenzing bag? Was weight the reason? What did you get to replace it?

Well the search for the holy grail continues. I have revamped my equipment list at least 3 times since this thread started. I have replaced half of the gear in hopes to get lighter and more mobile. I have decided against a lot of my original list, but then I have also added some things that put some of the weight back on. (a spotting scope was the biggest addition)

As far as the back pack goes, I had a brand new Timberhawk killshot that I got for a birthday present years and years ago, and have never found the opportunity to use it. When I looked closer at my gear and what I needed, I decided to abandon the tz pack. There were several reasons.


1. I think the tz was bigger than I needed. I didn't have enough gear to warrant 5000 cubic inches.
2. I wanted to have a day pack for hunting with, and the tz was so big, that it would require a second pack. I didn't feel the "fanny pack" lid was sufficient to fill this roll.
3. The killshot can fill the roll of my pack on the way in and also a day pack. At full size it is 3500 cubic inches and with the cinch straps can be compressed down to a nice day pack.
4. The killshot was almost 4# lighter. Add to that the fact that I wouldn't need to bring a separate day pack and the savings really piled up.
5. The killshot was free. By selling the tz, i was able to use that money to fund upgrading other aspects of my gear.

I figure when it comes time to pack out meat, I can take the first load with my killshot, and have a traditional pack frame waiting at the truck for the subsequent trips.
 
can you legally carry a firearm into the woods before the season opens? how does that work?

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

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Great thread. My cousins and I are in the beginning stages of planning some western hunting trips. We too are lifelong 'flatlanders' here in Michigan and only seriously hunted whitetail here.

Personally i'd like to get out to colorado for a DIY elk trip in the next 1-2 years (realistically 2 years).

My cousin wants to do a Montana goat or bighorn hunt. He hasn't decided yet. Either way I am 100% down for either adventure.

We are going to do some backpacking trips to NELP Michigan this spring and summer to get acclimated to the entire process of 'backpacking'. Our first trip is coming up the first weekend in May to the Pigeon River Nat'l forest. The plan is to spend 4 days up there - 1st day will be hikng in a few miles on the Shingle Mill trail then go off-trail as far as we can get without hitting another road or trail and setup camp. Then we'll spend 2 full days scouting and finally pack it in and head home on the 4th day.

I just bought a NWT tenzing tz6000 bag off ebay for $150 - i made an offer to the seller and they accepted, so i figured that was a good deal! I was browsing the rokslide classifieds for a cheap used back but everyone seems to want $400+ for a bag. I can't justify that right now when the trip is still so far out. Maybe when I get closer I will pull the trigger on a nicer pack. I was also able to score a good 20F down sleepingbag and an insulated sleeping pad from REI for their co-op clearance, and also a 1-person backpacking 'bathtub' tent off craigslist. I have looked at tarp tents and tipi's but can't wrap my head around that yet. I have tried a hammock but it's not for me. Still shopping around for a few more items (camping stove - looking at jetboil and primus), MREs, water filtration/treatment, boots, but i've got time on all of those items.

Either way great thread and i'll be following along!

PS

You are in the really fun stages of trip prep!!! Something that helped me a ton was getting into backpacking. Hiking will really prepare you for hunting trips out west. Backpacking also gets you used to setting up/tearing down camp and learning the difference between needs and wants. Also, you will naturally begin to find ways to shave weight from your back. This translates into a more efficient hunting setup. So it's good that you're getting into it.

I ended up going a non-traditional route with my pack and it worked very well for me. I went with a Hunter's Carryall from LL Bean. My only gripe with the pack is it's one-size-fits-all. I'm a smaller guy and it was big on me. On my next hunt, I'll probably upgrade to a frame from Kuiu or Mystery Ranch. However, the packless method makes a lot of sense to me.

Have fun!
 
Hey guys! Montanan here. Quick question: What tag did you get for a rifle hunt in September? I know you said backcountry which makes sense but there aren't a lot of those if I remember. I know someone asked about carrying a firearm prior to the season opening and the answer is yup you can.

I also saw someone suggest not carrying a pistol due to weight. My dad and I make a side hobby of studying bear attacks. One of the biggest factors we've noticed is that when an individual is attacked their firearm is generally knocked out of reach and lost unless it is securely strapped to them. That being said a rifle is rarely secured to the body very well where as a pistol can be. Just my opinion, carry a pistol and secure it well. I always do.

Also, September here has been really hot and dry the last couple years. In some areas I hunt it has hit as high as the 90's! But last year I had it flip to rain in the 50's within a day. This year we had 176 in a row below 60 degrees and are well up on moisture. Might point being that this year is a bit of a wild card when it comes to weather. You might consider some boot gaiters just to keep crap out when it's hot and to keep your pants dry going through the brush when the weather does flip.

Sidenote: Feel free to stop in for a cigar.

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Hey guys! Montanan here. Quick question: What tag did you get for a rifle hunt in September?

Sidenote: Feel free to stop in for a cigar.

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We were looking at zone 150 and 151. We hired bearpaw however and they convinced us to switch over to central idaho instead of montana. Whether that is a good decision is yet to be determined, but one of the guys is still an idaho resident so at least for him, the tags will be cheaper.

upload_2017-4-12_12-4-16.png


And as for that cigar. I'll keep that invite in mind and bring some whiskey to go with it.
 
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