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Backcountry Deer/Turkeys - Gear List/Insight

I like the sounds of having a get together .... I've never done any back country hunting but I would love to give it a go. I live near Saratoga NY and I have a hunting camp further upstate that is connected to some state land but I would also be willing to make a trip to the Catskills and get into some good bear country!

Something like that might be worth doing a pre-season scouting trip. But like I said I'm a newbie when it comes to that stuff.....
 
Its always worth it to scout if you can. Even if only one guy is willing to go take a look alone. It looks like I will be going to Maryland with my buddy who isn't a saddle hunter but I'd do NY too.

My thoughts were mountain ground we would need an area with a lot of feature changes such as converging hollows, edge of swamp or pines.

I'll probably go to Maryland in September then maybe the rut too. I'd prefer not going when it's super cold to NY. Early to late October would be best.
 
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/45415.html

If you are entertaining NYS this is the map viewer to find a place to go ill look for you guys somewhere in the Catskills (Looks like a good midway point plus there are more bears than in the Adirondacks).



Red - you mentioned going on an Elk hunt sometime and i have been out to Colorado once and my Dad has been going the past 10 years or so. Its public land and we go and pitch a large tent for a home base and hunt from there. They seem to get at least one elk every year (Usually 4 people go). They also buy a mule deer tag and will sometimes get them, all together tags, travel and food costs about 2k round trip. They usually take the muzzleloaders but bow season is open as well and if you take the bow you can take either bull or cow.

On the down side i wont be able to go for a few years because i have a few young ones and a wife who made me promise to take her to Ireland before i go back out to CO. Plus we want to take the kids when they are older.

Here is a bull my dad shot a few years back:



Mind you it took him many trips to shoot an elk like that but others have shot some smaller bulls(3x4's and 4x5's) and quite a few cows. I shot a bull calf when i went out, grant it when i saw it i thought it was an adult cow through the brush (I never saw one in person before and it was a bit bigger than an adult deer) but packing him out we kicked up a real adult cow and she was twice as big! Greenhorn mistake i suppose but it was all worth it.

If you are interested i can give you the information on where and went and such.
 

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ADKMtnTrapper,

I spent a lot of time on the NY interactive viewer last fall trying to figure out where to go! I would definitely be up for going to the catskills.

Thanks for the awesome offer for the info on the elk hunt! I am right behind you when it comes to family stuff. No kids yet but it will be coming soon. I was thinking about doing some more local backcountry hunts to get the bugs worked out so that by the time I'm ready to do it I will actually be ready. When you ready, let me know! Let's keep in touch. I took my wife on her bucket list trip to Machu Picchu, Peru last summer and she knows an elk hunt is my bucket list trip so I have a little bit of slack to work with :lol:. Congrats on your elk, anything on a DIY trip like that is a prize, and thats an awesome one that your dad got!
 
Hey Red
I find in my hammock I don't need a pillow for my head, but I do for my knees otherwise they hyper extend. Something just enough to give a natural bend.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
fawnzy said:
Hey Red
I find in my hammock I don't need a pillow for my head, but I do for my knees otherwise they hyper extend. Something just enough to give a natural bend.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip. I've seen that a lot of people put their pack under their legs too.
 
Matty said:
Only real difference being I hammock camp instead of a tent (with option to go to the ground if necessary).
Click to expand...


Matty- How do you have it setup to go to the ground? I've been doing a lot of research on hammocks and I want to get an UQ because its more awesome, but I want to get an air pad to cover me if I have to go to the ground. And I can't have the best of both worlds lol
 
redsquirrel said:
ADKMtnTrapper,

I spent a lot of time on the NY interactive viewer last fall trying to figure out where to go! I would definitely be up for going to the catskills.

Thanks for the awesome offer for the info on the elk hunt! I am right behind you when it comes to family stuff. No kids yet but it will be coming soon. I was thinking about doing some more local backcountry hunts to get the bugs worked out so that by the time I'm ready to do it I will actually be ready. When you ready, let me know! Let's keep in touch. I took my wife on her bucket list trip to Machu Picchu, Peru last summer and she knows an elk hunt is my bucket list trip so I have a little bit of slack to work with :lol:. Congrats on your elk, anything on a DIY trip like that is a prize, and thats an awesome one that your dad got!
Click to expand...

Hey Red, sorry for the delay i've had a busy few weeks! But we will have to find a spot down there and hook up and do a little scouting for the fall or something. As for the Colorado trip we will have to play it by ear but if i get a shot at going ill definately let ya know.
 
Red, I have a durable reflective tarp that goes around my UQ for extra wind/cold protection. For going to the ground, I made it so it quickly detaches from the hammock and I fold into a sleep "pad". (It's mostly just insulation from the ground, but it does provide a little cushioning and protects my UQ and hammock from direct ground contact)

I then use my UQ and hammock like a sleeping bag. It's big enough to encapsulate me and has bungee drawstrings built in so I can cinch it up. I also have the SOL Escape Bivy iside of that. I can get into the 20's with this setup. As long as I can still use my Kelty tarp as a tent, with sticks, trek poles, small trees, rocks, etc (whatever I can find to support it).

For a pillow I put my boots in the compression sack that holds the hammock/tarp setup. I'm usually wearing any dry clothes I have if it's really cold, otherwise I'd stuff it full of nice fluffy clothing. Boots are better than rocks for pillows though. lol

Is it as comfortable as sleeping hammock style? Hell no! But I won't freeze to death on the side of a mountain just because there aren't two suitable trees where I need them. lol

When you really think about it though, the chances of having to go to the ground around here or even in a good portion of the Country is very rare. Unless you're in a field (what are you doing camping in a field) or a swamp (not sleeping in water anyway), you're very likely to find suitable trees. This is more "above tree line" out West emergency type stuff.
 
I should add that handwarmers are another way I stay alive on the cheap. Carry a few just in case the temps dip well below what you expected to encounter. Put them in your sleeping bag or hammock with you and they provide good heat. Get one near your feet and one near your kidneys or chest. It can help get you through a CccCCccoOLD night. Peeing in a bottle and keeping it close to your body also helps (*until it loses it's warmth, then dump it). By the way, unless I'm missing something, peeing in a bottle is the only way to go when hammock camping anyway. No way in hell am I getting out of a warm, cozy hammock to pee. Gatorade bottle!
 
ADKMtnTrapper said:
redsquirrel said:
ADKMtnTrapper,

I spent a lot of time on the NY interactive viewer last fall trying to figure out where to go! I would definitely be up for going to the catskills.

Thanks for the awesome offer for the info on the elk hunt! I am right behind you when it comes to family stuff. No kids yet but it will be coming soon. I was thinking about doing some more local backcountry hunts to get the bugs worked out so that by the time I'm ready to do it I will actually be ready. When you ready, let me know! Let's keep in touch. I took my wife on her bucket list trip to Machu Picchu, Peru last summer and she knows an elk hunt is my bucket list trip so I have a little bit of slack to work with :lol:. Congrats on your elk, anything on a DIY trip like that is a prize, and thats an awesome one that your dad got!
Click to expand...

Hey Red, sorry for the delay i've had a busy few weeks! But we will have to find a spot down there and hook up and do a little scouting for the fall or something. As for the Colorado trip we will have to play it by ear but if i get a shot at going ill definately let ya know.
Click to expand...

No worries!
I've been doing a little mapping and looking around so we can definitely find some where to go. I'll probably only be able to get out and scout locally until May but come June I'll be itching to get out and do a little weekend trip :D
 
Thanks for the info Matty! That was a similar line of thinking to what I had. I'm eventually planning on going for elk, so above the tree line was pretty much the only time I was really thinking that going to the ground would be necessary.

Hand warmers are awesome! They are my life line during hunting season. My hands and feet get cold easily so I stock up on them and toe warmers on sale and use them a lot during the season. Throw some hand warmers in a muff and I'm good to go.

If you didn't already know, if you haven't used up their life, you can throw them in a ziplock bag to cut off the air supply and then re-use them your next time out. A good way to save money, especially if you're only doing 1/2 day sits!
 
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