First Backpack hunt

[pablodiablo]

Hi everyone, here's a couple of noob questions as I plan my first backcountry backpack hunt.

First off, when night falls and you finish a days' hunt, what does your normal post-hunt schedule look like? What do you do in the evenings? Do you typically build a fire or is it better to keep a little more stealthy?

Also, how and when do you acquire water while you're in the back country?

 

[NoWiser]

When I get back to camp its already pitch dark out. I scarf down a mountain house, take a couple Advil PM for dessert, and go to bed ASAP. I'm too exhausted to even think about a fire.

I keep an empty Platypus with me and try to grab water whenever I can. It all depends on where I'm hunting and where the water source is. Oftentimes in the middle of the day I'll try to break away and get 2 or 3 days worth of water back to camp so that I don't have to worry about it for awhile.

 

[MTGomer]

I have a nalgen 32oz and water bladder that I use to drink from throughout the day, getting water as needed. If I am camping away from, or hiking away from for extended times from water, I will fill a 90oz MSR Dromedary.

If its earlier in the year, where it gets dark late and gets light early I just eat and go to bed. If the evening is just glassing, i'll eat while I glass. Sometimes have a fire, but usually not.

Then get up before light, get food out of tree, eat oatmeal, peanut butter and instant coffee (mountain ops if you're a badass) grab food for the day (not a bad idea to bring some extra) put bag back in tree, and go hunting.

 

[el unit]

I avoid a fire as I'm usually too tired and I want to minimize my chances at spooking game. Trailhead or base camp fires I'll do.
A water filter is always in my hunting pack so I can refill my water bottles anytime I find a source. Plastic, disposable water bottles from the store are what I use (Aquafina, nestle, etc) They collapse easily and weigh next to nothing. Can be reused many times.

 

[Bambistew]

Like others, I get back, eat and go to bed. Sometimes BS for a bit but usually not long. Rarely have a fire unless I'm wet or really cold.

For water, I like to camp near water if possible, but if not I usually have 3x 3L platypus bags with me and refill as necessary though the day. One full one stays in camp and gets rotated as needed. Keep it in the shade, sun heated water tasks like azz.

 

[Brian in Montana]

I generally camp near water and take along a Steripen, and some iodine tablets as a backup in case the steri goes down. There's usually a lot of water in places I hunt so finding it isn't really any trouble. I'll pack along one or two nalgene bottles as they work well with the Steripen.

I build a fire sometimes, depending on how I feel, but like others have said, I'm generally ready to crash after hunting all day. But it is nice to sit and just enjoy a campfire sometimes. A lot of times I shoot grouse while bowhunting. I usually cook and eat them in camp rather than packing them out.

 

[Brian in Montana]

Something I've been meaning to ask other backpacking hunters is, do you go through the trouble of putting all your food in a bear bag? I do, but it's a huge hassle in the pre-dawn darkness to mess with it before heading out. I've never had a bear come into my camp as far as I know. I've often wondered this about bivy hunters as well.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Something I've been meaning to ask other backpacking hunters is, do you go through the trouble of putting all your food in a bear bag? I do, but it's a huge hassle in the pre-dawn darkness to mess with it before heading out. I've never had a bear come into my camp as far as I know. I've often wondered this about bivy hunters as well.

The real question is, is it considered baiting if you put your tag on the bear that comes into camp late at night and starts messing with your mountain house meals...

In all seriousness I don't hang in black bear country but do in grizz country. I don't eat in my camp and mostly carry bars and dehydrated food so I don't think there are really that many smells to attract bears.

 

[pablodiablo]

wow thanks everyone. As always, you folks rock and are super helpful to us newcomers.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

When I get back to camp its already pitch dark out. I scarf down a mountain house, take a couple Advil PM for dessert, and go to bed ASAP. I'm too exhausted to even think about a fire.

I keep an empty Platypus with me and try to grab water whenever I can. It all depends on where I'm hunting and where the water source is. Oftentimes in the middle of the day I'll try to break away and get 2 or 3 days worth of water back to camp so that I don't have to worry about it for awhile.

I do pretty much the same. Sometimes if I'm not making a run on something at dark and just glassing until it's black, I'll eat my mountain house there. If in heavy griz country that avoids cooking in the tent. If I am going to use a bear bag, this is the only thing I do, given that a good hang site is not always an option: https://www.ursack.com/product/ursack-s29-allwhite/

 

[Bambistew]

I usually hang my food if I have trees, but will always stash it 75-100+/- yards from the tent in a spot I can see. I will also at times put a spare game bag or something equally visible on a "flag pole" and put it next to the bag on the ground, in such a way that if something messes with the bag, the flag goes down. Do the same with meat/carcasses when returning to and from a kill site.

Bears at night don't bother me. I think it would be very, very rare occurrence for any sort of bear issue black/brown to happen while you're in camp or sleeping. I worry about when I'm gone all day.

 

[Southern Elk]

It's usually 2 or 3 of us when backpack hunting. We like to filter water 5 gallons at a time. We use one of the collapsible water containers that you can get at Walmart or anywhere that sells camping supplies. That allows us to only have to filter every 2 to 3 days. If we get back to camp in time, we do build a fire. I usually hang food in the bag that my tent or sleeping bag goes in. I also have my food pre sorted and kept in gallon ziplock bags with a day's worth of food in each. I can just grab a new bag every morning. I don't boil water in the mornings. I just eat a cliff bar and drink water.