I’m new to backpack hunting, but I’m going to start doing it. My dream hunt goal is Elk, but from all I’ve read is that I should start with pronghorn , muleys, etc.,before going after something the size of Elk. Does anyone have any direction, suggestions, for me on the direction that I plan on going? Thank you in advance for your help, continue to be safe out there and God Bless.
Backpack hunting newbie
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The best thing you can do is get good at backpacking. The specific gear isn’t as important as knowing what the role of each piece is for you, and how your body responds to backcountry work. Without having living out of a pack dialed in you’ll spend most of your time figuring out how to camp instead of hunting. The backpacking part needs to be second nature to be any kind of efficient.
That said, being a “good backpacker” isn’t rocket science, some take to it quick by nature. Read backpacking forums, fastpacking books, backpacking light.com, etc. The only big difference is you obviously need to be able to carry quite a lot of weight regardless of how the weather happens to be.
I would really not bother bp hunting antelope. Good luck and enjoy the journey.
That said, being a “good backpacker” isn’t rocket science, some take to it quick by nature. Read backpacking forums, fastpacking books, backpacking light.com, etc. The only big difference is you obviously need to be able to carry quite a lot of weight regardless of how the weather happens to be.
I would really not bother bp hunting antelope. Good luck and enjoy the journey.
EYJONAS!
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Are you living in a state that's going to offer these sort of adventures or is it going to apply as a NR?
I live in Michigan and we have some very nice backpacking places to go. I’m a newbie as I stated above but I’m not going to let that keep me back.
EYJONAS!
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A deer hunt out west is a great way to start I would second both @SnowyMountaineer and @Dsnow9 as well. Get comfortable living outta your bag and get a system down then use it out west. Pick a state that is going to offer some sort of opportunity for deer in elk country and see what you think. Like Colorado, Montana's deer hunting sucks
. Haha welcome to the adventure my friend it's a blast!
. Haha welcome to the adventure my friend it's a blast!The people above that you recommend, what were you recommending them for?A deer hunt out west is a great way to start I would second both @SnowyMountaineer and @Dsnow9 as well. Get comfortable living outta your bag and get a system down then use it out west. Pick a state that is going to offer some sort of opportunity for deer in elk country and see what you think. Like Colorado, Montana's deer hunting sucks
rjthehunter
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In addition to this, if you're trying to save money, there's a ton of used equipment for sale on various facebook groups. I got my Kuiu packs off there and saved about 50% off of buying them new. And the pack had been used on 1 unsuccessful hunt!A deer hunt out west is a great way to start I would second both @SnowyMountaineer and @Dsnow9 as well. Get comfortable living outta your bag and get a system down then use it out west. Pick a state that is going to offer some sort of opportunity for deer in elk country and see what you think. Like Colorado, Montana's deer hunting sucks
Thanks for the info, I answered my own question when I asked you what were those recommendations for. Thanks again. I’m new to this forum so I’m getting used to it.A deer hunt out west is a great way to start I would second both @SnowyMountaineer and @Dsnow9 as well. Get comfortable living outta your bag and get a system down then use it out west. Pick a state that is going to offer some sort of opportunity for deer in elk country and see what you think. Like Colorado, Montana's deer hunting sucks
Pucky Freak
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Get all the practice you can butchering large animals in the field and being handy with knives. This requires different skills than field dressing whitetails and butchering them inside. Last year in my home state of IA I did quite a bit of backpack hunting, and butchered 2 deer in the field. I used the gutless method, and one deer was packed out bone in and the other was boned out. I practiced using the same equipment I’ll be taking West (boots, backpack, trekking poles, game bags, knives, frame pack, etc.). It helps to be confident that your set up will work as planned. Mine worked as intended for the most part, except I realized I needed a system to secure my bow to my pack, which I added in the off season.
You don’t want to be alone, have a bull elk down far from your truck, and not have a workable, practiced plan to convert that animal to fresh meat in your cooler within a day or two. If you have someone to hunt with this can help too.
There’s a ton of helpful info on these subjects on the Randy Newberg and Elk 101 YouTube channels (pack dump, cooler methods, pack types, where to hang game bags full of meat, gutless method, etc.). The Mystery Ranch website also has some helpful videos.
Good luck and enjoy your trip planning!
You don’t want to be alone, have a bull elk down far from your truck, and not have a workable, practiced plan to convert that animal to fresh meat in your cooler within a day or two. If you have someone to hunt with this can help too.
There’s a ton of helpful info on these subjects on the Randy Newberg and Elk 101 YouTube channels (pack dump, cooler methods, pack types, where to hang game bags full of meat, gutless method, etc.). The Mystery Ranch website also has some helpful videos.
Good luck and enjoy your trip planning!
AvidIndoorsman
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If your goal is to learn how to backpack hunt which is different from car camp hunting/basecamp hunting in that you will walk into the wood with all your gear and won't return to your vehicle for several days or until you kill something, then I think it's a good idea to treat every hunt like a backpack hunt.
Say for instance you do a pronghorn hunt or a Wyoming muley hunt, pack everything including the kitchen sink into your truck and drive out west. You may be successful in killing a pronghorn or muley, but you will have learned nothing about backpack hunting.
I recommended that every hunt you do, you treat it like a backpack hunt. When you load up your truck all you should have is a rifle/bow, your pack, and coolers. If you can't fit all your stuff in a honda civic and still have room to pick up two hitch hikers you are doing it wrong.
For a pronghorn hunt you likely will be car camping, but treating every hunt like a backpack hunt will help you hone your gear list and get comfortable bring less crap.
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ntodwild
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One of the things I would tell you is there is no reason to forgo Elk hunting if it is what you want to do.
One HUGE piece of advice I would give anyone is: If you don't know how to navigate using maps and compass, know how to read contour lines, understand land navigation and don't have a handle on wilderness navigation I would suggest above and beyond fancy equipment (packs, clothing, electronics like GPS's, ultralight packs and so on) get a handle on wilderness travel or you are doing yourself a dis-service. Backpacking on a "designated trail" using a GPS is FAR from what will be happening in a backpack Elk hunting situation out west. Elk, game animals in general can lead you into some interesting places. Without TRUE navigation skills you are just asking for trouble.
I don't mean to make elk hunting or any other kind of hunting seam like some sort of elitist or non attainable goal. It is absolutely not! I just find that people really fail to prepare themselves for being in the wilderness and depend far too much on technology and get themselves in trouble. I ran into a couple last year (not in a wilderness area) who were completely turned around after chasing a herd of Elk. They were literally .9 miles from a road but were completely backwards. They had a new GPS that they were not familiar with, had no map reading skills and were somewhat in a panic. Not comical in anyway! I have spent a few stents with search and rescue and panic is a killer. Even under situations where a road or known trail are very near.
Anyway, GO ELK HUNTING MAN!
A good simple article that recently showed on Go Hunt: https://www.gohunt.com/read/skills/three-tips-to-help-you-on-your-first-backpack-hunt#gs.xdcxx9
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I certainly can see the benefits of this, but for myself if I treated every hunt like a backpack hunt I’d get burnt out. Antelope hunts are when I recover physically, focus on fun and kids/new hunters coming along, and bring stuff like chairs, beer, and sausage.
I can see your point for a new hunter though.
AvidIndoorsman
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Absolutely... but you know how to backpack hunt. This was meant as advice for a beginner, not a statement about how you should to an antelope hunt in general.
NEWHunter
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Where you start, I think, is a bit of a function of your risk tolerance and experience. I’m a proponent of starting small and working your way up, especially if you’ll be going at this solo. The margin for error in the mountains on an elk hunt is much smaller than it is for antelope or deer at lower elevations.
I say the above based on my experience starting small a few years ago. I started with antelope and was glad I did. I’m an extremely competent eastern whitetail hunter and I had my hands full in my first trip out west. Granted it was a Camry and not a Civic, but before I pointed my vehicle west, I had never back packed, camped, or packed out an animal.
It was quite a wake up call for me when I loaded my pack up five miles from the car and realized that I wasn’t going to be able to get my gear and antelope out in one trip. I learned a lot about my gear, my preparation level, my abilities, and my limits. I didn’t know what I didn’t know and I was glad I was dealing with a 100 pound pronghorn and not a several hundred pound elk. I was glad I was only a mile high and not a mile and a half up.
That said, I’m more risk averse than most and am happy to work my way up. Starting off with elk is certainly doable, it’s just a big first step. Good luck!
I say the above based on my experience starting small a few years ago. I started with antelope and was glad I did. I’m an extremely competent eastern whitetail hunter and I had my hands full in my first trip out west. Granted it was a Camry and not a Civic, but before I pointed my vehicle west, I had never back packed, camped, or packed out an animal.
It was quite a wake up call for me when I loaded my pack up five miles from the car and realized that I wasn’t going to be able to get my gear and antelope out in one trip. I learned a lot about my gear, my preparation level, my abilities, and my limits. I didn’t know what I didn’t know and I was glad I was dealing with a 100 pound pronghorn and not a several hundred pound elk. I was glad I was only a mile high and not a mile and a half up.
That said, I’m more risk averse than most and am happy to work my way up. Starting off with elk is certainly doable, it’s just a big first step. Good luck!
RockChucker30
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There is so much to learn.....read, read, read!
You can have a bad hunt but good camping, but if your camping is bad it will probably bring the hunting down as well. Get good at backpacking.
Start right, end right. Most people go through 3-5 years of gear churn when they get into this sport. Put some thought and experience into gear choices early.
Most importantly, DO IT. Experience is by far the best teacher, and if you don't start now then you'll only be older, slower, and busier in the future. Commit to it now.
I think mule deer is a great animal for a novice backpack hunter. They're far less nomadic and far easier to pack out. Where I hunt elk you can be in them today, they get shot at a couple times, and tomorrow they're 8 miles away on a 40k acre private ranch. Deer are less prone to that. You still get the "mountain hunt" experience, but with better logistics and better success rate.
I'll drop some links to some educational articles on our site that will be worth a read, even if you don't agree with all of it.
seekoutside.com
seekoutside.com
seekoutside.com
You can have a bad hunt but good camping, but if your camping is bad it will probably bring the hunting down as well. Get good at backpacking.
Start right, end right. Most people go through 3-5 years of gear churn when they get into this sport. Put some thought and experience into gear choices early.
Most importantly, DO IT. Experience is by far the best teacher, and if you don't start now then you'll only be older, slower, and busier in the future. Commit to it now.
I think mule deer is a great animal for a novice backpack hunter. They're far less nomadic and far easier to pack out. Where I hunt elk you can be in them today, they get shot at a couple times, and tomorrow they're 8 miles away on a 40k acre private ranch. Deer are less prone to that. You still get the "mountain hunt" experience, but with better logistics and better success rate.
I'll drop some links to some educational articles on our site that will be worth a read, even if you don't agree with all of it.
How To Cut Your Backpack Hunting Weight
How to logically cut your backpack hunting weight, looking at the time gear is worn, the percentage of total weight for each item, and the cost to cut each ounce.
seekoutside.com
How to pick the right backpack hunting pack (for YOU).
How to logically decide what you need and what you don't in a backpack hunting pack. No BS, just good honest info.
seekoutside.com
Fearlessly Floorless
Why Floorless Tents are awesome, and how to overcome the potential pitfalls.
seekoutside.com
Thank you for your time, it took me a few to get back to the thread and read what you had written and and I’m reading everything that I get my hands on and I’m also saving what you gave me. Thanks again and continue to be safe out there and God BlessThere is so much to learn.....read, read, read!
You can have a bad hunt but good camping, but if your camping is bad it will probably bring the hunting down as well. Get good at backpacking.
Start right, end right. Most people go through 3-5 years of gear churn when they get into this sport. Put some thought and experience into gear choices early.
Most importantly, DO IT. Experience is by far the best teacher, and if you don't start now then you'll only be older, slower, and busier in the future. Commit to it now.
I think mule deer is a great animal for a novice backpack hunter. They're far less nomadic and far easier to pack out. Where I hunt elk you can be in them today, they get shot at a couple times, and tomorrow they're 8 miles away on a 40k acre private ranch. Deer are less prone to that. You still get the "mountain hunt" experience, but with better logistics and better success rate.
I'll drop some links to some educational articles on our site that will be worth a read, even if you don't agree with all of it.
How To Cut Your Backpack Hunting Weight
How to logically cut your backpack hunting weight, looking at the time gear is worn, the percentage of total weight for each item, and the cost to cut each ounce.How to pick the right backpack hunting pack (for YOU).
How to logically decide what you need and what you don't in a backpack hunting pack. No BS, just good honest info.Fearlessly Floorless
Why Floorless Tents are awesome, and how to overcome the potential pitfalls.
Zootownelk
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I don't see any reason to hold off on Elk hunting if that is your goal. Agree with others, that if. you're not comfortable camping in backcountry, then it could negatively impact your enjoyment of the hunt. But go hunt elk!
CaliforniaDreaming
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I'm new to backpack hunting myself and not to sidetrack the conversation, but any tips for handling thoughts about black bears while backpacking? Coming from a family where a trailer on the side of the house is "camping" to taking my first solo backpacking trips this year in CA and NV, I have to admit the wilderness aspect is a bit daunting.
My recommendation is to get good (or at least experienced) at both (backpacking, and hunting) separately before you merge the two together.
I was a backpacker for years before hunting. Then i got into hunting. When i felt comfortable hunting is when i started backpack hunts
And pronghorn are a very good beginner animals to start with, but those are car-camping style hunts nearly always
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