Are we Crazy?

[The Lame Trapper]

2021 will be my first Backpacking hunt. I will be going after Muley hopefully in unit 25 with a good friend in mid October. We both agreed that backpack hunting is what we want to do and are gearing up all year for it. Are we crazy for trying our first trip in October, in the mountains of Wyoming? Is this something any of you do? Being from northwestern Illinois, we don't have public land to even think about backpack camping on. We are young, strong, and dumb but we don't want to be pushing our luck. we both hunt and trap a lot around the Midwest.

p.s. Hopefully after this season I will be able to contribute more to other threads. I feel uncomfortable adding my .02 when I'm still so green to western hunting (1 pronghorn doe hunt).

 

[MTLabrador]

Not crazy, but you can run into some serious snow in the Bighorns in mid October. The majority of that country is better suited for hunting out of a base camp rather than backpacking.

 

[ashersdad]

I don’t think you’re crazy at all but you’ll definitely want to be prepared.

I’ve backpacked in Wyoming many times in October and the weather can be nasty and unpredictable. You could have great weather or snow and temperatures below zero. Be prepared for both.

If you’ve never been to the area, be sure of your water source. Sucks to hike miles in and what you thought would be a good water source is bone dry.

It’s not like truck camping where you can have everything and the kitchen sink with you. Also, you’ve got to get the animal out on your back assuming you’re successful in that part of the hunt. Having 2 guys will be a huge help here.

I say go for it but once again, be prepared.

 

[ntodwild]

Be solid with your navigation skills for sure and I don't mean how to use a GPS or phone app. The mountains of the west have turned even some really good outdoorsman around. Other than that I don't think you're crazy if you are prepared. Been on some pretty fun adventures in the snow myself over the years in late season hunts although snow is not always a given.

 

[stealthy_bowman]

Can’t tell by your post if you have ever backpacked before. If you haven’t, you should definitively consider doing a backpack camping trip well before the hunting season, you will learn a ton with less variables to deal with.

Backpacking is one of those things you can’t fully understand until you actually do it, and doing it when the weather is much more likely to be decent is a good place to start.

 

[Wrong Burgundy]

As others have mentioned, preparedness will be one of your biggest factors in making your hunt a success -- meaning, no epic gear failures, hunt-ending injuries or not being fit enough for a western hunt.
Even though you are "young and strong", do everything you can to increase your endurance and being able to lug around a heavy pack up and down steep hills, at an elevation you are not accustomed to, day after day. It is tough to replicate elevation in IL, but you will enjoy your hunt much more if you spend time climbing stairs, stadiums, anywhere that will challenge your legs and build up a good reserve of muscular endurance. Weighted pack box step ups are also a really good workout; boring as hell, but effective.

And as stealthy_bowman asked, if you have not backpacked before, get out and test drive your gear more than a few times. Know how to set up your tent in the dark by headlamp, and know everything you can about your stove/fuel setup (cook a few meals in the backyard, boil water for coffee, etc.), practice with your water filter (and how to clean it), sleep on your air mattress (and have a repair kit), break in your boots (pack spare laces), fit your backpack, etc. It can seem overwhelming, but you already have the right attitude and want to make it happen, so you are halfway there.

It will be a good hunt, no matter what!

 

[2rocky]

Where is home? Do you back pack for weeks at a time already?

Itw will be easier if oyu get comfortable just backpacking before the season.

I'd recommend a base camp with 2 night jaunts to spike out locations the first year you try a new area.

 

[longbow51]

If you hunt in the midwest, I'm more worried about your route-finding skills than anything else. Not exactly like backpacking on trails. Can't always rely on GPS. I would definitely, as others have suggested hit the area you want to hit in the summer for a backing shakedown, get the lay of the land and see how the altitude affects you, as well as testing out your gear.

 

[The Lame Trapper]

Lots of great tips and info! thank you all. I'm feeling more confident after reading through all of this. I have started backpacking this spring. Mostly just in the back 40. I have been trying to set up my camp and tear it down every weekend so I can work out all the kinks in my new gear. I have never used a pyramid style tent or even slept on a sleeping pad but I'm working on getting more comfortable with it. As for my cook stove setup, I have made a few cups of coffee and 2 mountain house meal. the water filtration setup that I landed on seems pretty solid. I haven't gotten sick from all the creek water yet! As for the endurance part, that is the most concerning part of my trip. Being a flat lander, I have to get creative. So far I have my pack loaded to 50Lbs and have found a local park with a statue that has 200 steps leading straight up to it. Its a B***H getting up and down but its getting easier (15lbs lost since I started). The Navigation part didn't worry me as much as the other stuff. But I will definitely work on that this summer. After discovering backpack hunting, its all i think about these days. This season will be my first but I have 3 others planned for next year. Thanks again for all the Tips!

 

[Bluffgruff]

First things first: If you wear anything bigger than XL, you need to be 6'5" or taller.

Learn your limits, stick to them. You might find yourself in deadfall with a heavy pack going ¼mph.
200 steps is usually about 100 ft of elevation. You need to be able to do that 10 or 20 times.

Hike high, sleep low, to acclimate.

Learn how to navigate in the dark, GPS or whatever, and read topo maps.

Have a water plan. Take and drink more than you think you will need.

Have a way to charge electronics, or new batteries for everything.

Have a way out: I know "X ridge" or "Y creek" will take me to my vehicle.

Have a way to get home alive and with all your limbs, organs, and digits, whether there's a blizzard, an injury, or a ridiculous amount of meat to pack out.

Take care of your feet and hands.

Bring a range finder. I never used one until I started hunting out west. Longest shot I made prior to that was 230 yards.

 

[Hem]

Good comments above. No offense, but sounds like you are green as can be.
Keep your ego in check. No joke.
Go for the hunt with determination, but be realistic that you are at the bottom of the learning curve. Safety first if things get dicey.

 

[Sytes]

1. Safety.

Make a 4 day backpacking trip after spring to the same destination planned for your fall hunt. Call it a fishing trek.
I don't know Unit 25 though most backcountry pack treks hold small trout lake(s) or streams worth the fun of the pack trek.

Your hunt trek will vastly improve!
Navigation, trail maintenance, water access, game sign, human activity,, possible camp locations, adapt / modify backpack gear weight / location over 10 mile mountain trails will expose quality adjustments, etc.

Google earth / OnX is great though boots on the ground presents reality.

Meh, make it happen. Safety first.

 

[NECALI]

I don’t want to discourage you, but I agree with the base camp, spike camp in if needed. Area 25 has lots of roads and you can hunt most of it starting off a road, hiking in and still get away from people on day hunts. Take the backpacks to pack out a deer if killed. If your set on a backpack hunt in, then there are some areas that would work. We hunted elk just to the West of that area last year and it was brutal with cold and 18” of snow over about 6 days. Never a huge dump, but constantly snowing on and off. Drifted in roads and ran everyone out. Guys getting stuck trying to get to the main road. So, do be prepared to bail if it snows about 6” and the wind is blowing sideways because that’s all it takes to drift in 2 -3’ in some areas.

 

[dgc1963]

lots of good info posted the only thing I can add is, my 1st trip I was doing 10 min miles 3 to 5 mile bike rides and knew I was in great shape landed in Boise flew to Stanley ID very late woke early to a cloudy n rainny morning drove around a bit to see lay of the land looking at foothill thinking man I got this
Then clouds lifted and the mtns appeared towering over me I litteraly pulled over and stood in the middle of the rd In complete awe and said SHIT I didnt train enough

 

[Pilgrim]

I tend to agree with those suggesting the base camp idea, particularly for a mid-Westerner's first trip to the mountains. I did an elk hunt in the Bighorns in mid-October a couple of years ago. Drove through a blizzard to get there, which dumped a ton a snow and limited road access. Temperatures the first couple of nights were below zero. Having a couple of the minor luxuries of a base camp (e.g., small heater for the tent, plenty of water and food, etc.) made a HUGE difference, and I still felt like I got my ass handed to me with that weather. Nothing says you can't do 10 miles a day or more from a base camp, and if you aren't seeing what you'd hoped, it's much easier to pack up and move to a whole other area -- or get out quickly if the weather turns. You'll still put all of that new gear to use between the base camp and day hikes. (Randy and others have plenty of You Tube videos on pros/cons of base camp vs. backpack, which you might want to look at.) Whatever you decide, it should be a helluva adventure. Good luck, be safe, and let us know what you ended up doing and how it all worked out.

 

[Fire_9]

If you want to learn how to backpack hunt, there’s only one way to learn. Don’t over complicate it but be prepared to be humbled.

 

[Western Traveler1]

Mental preparedness is important too. It is easy for determination to slip when weather conditions go south or a partner’s enthusiasm goes downhill. Hopefully you two know each other well and can carry the other through if the situation comes up.
Base camp with spike camp hunt is a solid suggestion for the first time out West.

 

[The Lame Trapper]

Hey all thanks again for all the tips. I'm noticing that people are a little worried about us. Don't worry, we may be newish to the west but we spend our free time on base camp ice fishing trips deep in the queens land of Ontario. Typically 10 days living out of a 2 man TP with a buddy heater on really remote lakes. My partner and I know each other well. We are just hoping our first trip with backpacks and no heater go as well as we hope. We are kind of getting tired of Basecamps. But if the bighorns isn't the correct place for that. We may need to rethink our location. I saw mountains and thought it mighr be pretty cool. But I also saw that region Y has some low land units if the snow is deep up high. Last year I did a base camp style hunt for doe antelope in 69 and it was fun but I wish we could have gotten farther off those 2 tracks. I guess I have an itch to see what's on the other side of every ridge.