Backpack Hunting

crazy_davey

crazy_davey

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I have been asked over the past few years from quite a few members what I carry while backpack hunting. This got me thinking, how many people here hunt with a pack on your back? When I say backpack hunting, I mean for a week or more living with what you carry on your back, not just a weekend. No horses, no quads or trucks, just whats in your pack. I have also hunted all those ways to of course, but backpack hunting is a completely different adventure.

So what are some of your tips and tricks to keeping the weight down for a long trip covering a serious amount of miles? What do you pack? And also keeping in mind that if you are lucky you might have to pack an animal out the same number of miles you went in.

Maybe there is no interest in a topic like this here, but I'll give it a go...
 
If the land, and hills around me where not all closed off to logging I would consider it. Mind you we do have a few old timers in our area that do this all the time.

They just head out with a back pack and their 30/30, and after a week come back with Deer, and Grouse...tough old farts. :D
 
Packed up for about 7 days:

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Where can I fit the beer and the burgers :confused: :p :D

The same, about seven days and nights. Just a few more clothing items to add, just over 40 pounds. Some items will be split and added to other packs of course.

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In the end it should end up about 45 pounds for 6-7 days.
 
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Been about 3 years since I did it, but I backapck hunt when I can...

Sheet..When I was 12,13,14, I went on 14-20 day summr hikes every year Cahnces are i can live out of a backpack for 10 days. It just seemed more simple then...:)
 
Prior to the horses, I hunted from a backpack. In fact we used to go into the same area pictured in my "Not sheep country" thread. When I rode in there, I was just thinking about that. We had gone in a few times during the summer to bring in supplies before the hunt. So our camp was well equipped.

Two of the biggest item that you'll carry in is your food and clothing. I would bring in plenty of "power bars" for energy in a small package. Using the available food sources that mother nature provides is also a good idea, grouse and fish should be on the menu if available. I figure that you'll be hunting higher elevation, night time is pretty cool up there. Fortunately, these new materials provide lightweight warmth in a small package. I don't go anywhere without my Helly Hansens. But I don't really think that I telling you something you don't already know. Bring Faro with you, he'll pack the BBQ and burgers :evil::D
 
I cached pots and pans etc on my first trip in when I was 12. Used that stuff for years. I cached a sleeping bag once (that wasn't a good idea).

I finally got a Taymor pack (the trapper nelson was killing me), which made back packing more comfortable.

Funny how we couldn't walk alone to the Red Rooster store, but no one worried when you spend a few days in the bush alone......no people, no problem
 
Too true Randy, and sad at that.

I've never HUNTED from a pack, though I certainly intend to; probably next year.

I have done a few 4-5 day camping trips pack-only. I really enjoy it.

My biggest question is this: say you down a sheep/goat/deer, or god forbid an Elk. HOW FAR AWAY FROM YOUR START POINT ARE YOU?

Do you predetermine that you're prepared to hump out your meat/trophy, probably in a couple trips, then back for your gear, and that you'll do it over 5Km, or 10, or what?

The farthest I've had to drag a deer was about 2Km to the truck. I know each man has his own personal limits; what are yours?

Any tips on the logistics of it all?
 
Silverado said:
My biggest question is this: say you down a sheep/goat/deer, or god forbid an Elk. HOW FAR AWAY FROM YOUR START POINT ARE YOU?

Do you predetermine that you're prepared to hump out your meat/trophy, probably in a couple trips, then back for your gear, and that you'll do it over 5Km, or 10, or what?

The farthest I've had to drag a deer was about 2Km to the truck. I know each man has his own personal limits; what are yours?

Any tips on the logistics of it all?
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On a sheep hunt last year my brother decided to shoot a mulie, with some encouragement from me of course, We were 12 kms from the truck and 4 kms from camp when we shot it. Took all the meat, front and back quarters, ribs, tenderloins, backstraps, horns and shoulder cape. Basically all that was left was the spine and guts. We packed it back to camp 4km and that night ate the ribs over and open fire and the next morning I deboned the rest. We packed it back to the truck, We were really fighting for room in our packs with all our gear and the meat in one trip, all our cloths and whatever else we could was tied to the outside of the pack. When we got home our packs weighed 112lb and 118 lbs not including rifles and binoculars. Heavy but not my limit, I could have done more weight and a longer distance, just make sure you rest every 1/2 hour or so, good socks are a HUGE, being confident in your socks is one of the most important things. I had a untried pair of socks on and had to take them off, they didn't work for me and would have ruined my feet.

The goat last year was packed about 7 kms back to the truck, all we had for gear were hour rifles, game bags, spotting scopes, and maybe a jacket, our packs were not that bad coming out. Didn't weigh the packs

Haven't had to pack big animals that far but they could really take it out of you, repeated trips over long distances would really beat up you body. The spot where we packed the mulie out of had quite a few elk in it and I was thinking to myself if I should attempt to get one, but being that far back I was talked out of it.
 
Silverado said:
HOW FAR AWAY FROM YOUR START POINT ARE YOU?

Do you predetermine that you're prepared to hump out your meat/trophy, probably in a couple trips, then back for your gear, and that you'll do it over 5Km, or 10, or what?

The farthest I've had to drag a deer was about 2Km to the truck. I know each man has his own personal limits; what are yours?

Any tips on the logistics of it all?
Click to expand...

#1-A trip could be anywhere from 20k to 50k round trip, sometimes more. It depends on the animal movement. Allot of country can be covered in 6-7 days and if you are not hunting out of a base camp. If you go back to a main base camp everyday you cover less ground because you always go back to the same spot at the end of the day. Unless luck is on our side real early in the trip things might be very different. :D

#2-Pack it all out in one trip, but if two is necessary then so be it. Meat all deboned, cape salted, all stuffed in or on backpacks including rack or horns.

#3-Allot farther than 2k, but then we wont be dragging anything, it will be all packed out except for the bones.

The nice thing about hunting and living out of a pack is that you are not tied to any one spot for any reason. You can also stay in spots where horses, quads and trucks just cant get to. You can travel the tops of mountain ridges for days on end, most of which cannot be traveled any other way.

We also hunt many other ways through out the season, mostly because of the time frame needed to do good backpack trips is hard to pull off more than a few times a year.

If we were heading out elk hunting it would be done from the back of a horse :D
 
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