Wallydeuce
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Agree with the meal reduction. Three meals a day? You'll be spending valuable hunting time cooking. Besides, Peak meals are two servings each.
Gear list for 1st season backpack elk hunt
- Thread starter Eastkybowhunter
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Farmerj
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Well, it kind of comes down to how you intent to hunt, how much you want to spend, and your interest/commitment level.....if this is a one-time, try-it-out type of deal, most of your gear will work just fine. If you are going to be really mobile (moving camp every day) and you know you are going to be passionate about backcountry hunting, below are some things to think about:
- Tent and sleeping bag are a bit heavy.
- Pillow? I've used a spare stuff sack and put my extra clothes into it to make a pillow; really helps me sleep better.
- Replacing the water filter with a sawyer squeeze could save some weight
- Your headlamp takes AAA batteries. This appears to be the only device that needs batteries, other than your phone. (I try to match the batteries in my headlamp to other devices - GPS, SPOT/Inreach, etc. to keep things simpler.)
- May want to take a spare headlamp in case yours breaks or gets lost/stomped on. (Not that I've ever done such a thing!) Easy "insurance" for a small weight penalty.
- Survival: what does "fire starter, etc." mean? (Whenever I have an "etc." - it means throw a bunch of stuff into a sack, most of which I won't need/use or haven't thought out well in advance.)
- Cell phone: are you certain you are going to have cell service where you are hunting? If not, it might be a good idea to have a SPOT, inreach, PLB, satellite phone type of device.
- The clothes listed seem a bit redundant. Could probably drop one of the layers.
- Plan the food out a bit better: think in terms of meals and calories. Breakfast: quick, grab and go - something easy, with lots of calories. Lunch - smaller, or bigger, depending if you want a larger meal mid-day or at the end of the day (or vice-versa for dinner.) That is a lot of peak refuel meals (fiddling around with boiling water/pot/pan/stove/cooker) each day. I'm not a morning person and prefer to just grab a protein bar and head out.
- You can take the peak refuel meals, open the bag, and put them into a quart-sized freezer ziploc bag to cut the portion size in half.
- Bathroom stuff - tooth paste and brush? Toilet paper? (Maybe optional?)
- Paracord? Hanging your food at night or when you are away from camp during the day. Or, if you shoot something, a way to hang it up and use those game bags!
- I usually bring 4 clear garbage bags with me. They come with a small weight penalty but serve a couple of purposes: quick pack or gear cover if a sudden storm pops up, I use them on the ground while I'm quartering an animal to keep the meat clean, have used them as a pack liner if I'm packing meat out a short distance, and to keep wet raingear off my sleeping bag.
- Compass, paper map? (Putting a bit of stock into that iphone without backup battery source, probably using it as a gps, camera, and alarm clock. Not sure the battery will last a long time.)
- Sharpie/pen to sign tag?
- Wind indicator?
- Lightweight/thin gloves?
- Field dressing gloves? (thin, latex/plastic).
- License/tag?
- Baby wipes?
steveshuntn1
Well-known member
Not to hijack this thread….but what would you change for a third season hunt? I’m trying to put my gear list together to see what I can use that I already have and what I’ll have to buy. This is my first elk hunt and I’m not ready to just go crazy buying gear just yet!Well, it kind of comes down to how you intent to hunt, how much you want to spend, and your interest/commitment level.....if this is a one-time, try-it-out type of deal, most of your gear will work just fine. If you are going to be really mobile (moving camp every day) and you know you are going to be passionate about backcountry hunting, below are some things to think about:
- Tent and sleeping bag are a bit heavy.
- Pillow? I've used a spare stuff sack and put my extra clothes into it to make a pillow; really helps me sleep better.
- Replacing the water filter with a sawyer squeeze could save some weight
- Your headlamp takes AAA batteries. This appears to be the only device that needs batteries, other than your phone. (I try to match the batteries in my headlamp to other devices - GPS, SPOT/Inreach, etc. to keep things simpler.)
- May want to take a spare headlamp in case yours breaks or gets lost/stomped on. (Not that I've ever done such a thing!) Easy "insurance" for a small weight penalty.
- Survival: what does "fire starter, etc." mean? (Whenever I have an "etc." - it means throw a bunch of stuff into a sack, most of which I won't need/use or haven't thought out well in advance.)
- Cell phone: are you certain you are going to have cell service where you are hunting? If not, it might be a good idea to have a SPOT, inreach, PLB, satellite phone type of device.
- The clothes listed seem a bit redundant. Could probably drop one of the layers.
- Plan the food out a bit better: think in terms of meals and calories. Breakfast: quick, grab and go - something easy, with lots of calories. Lunch - smaller, or bigger, depending if you want a larger meal mid-day or at the end of the day (or vice-versa for dinner.) That is a lot of peak refuel meals (fiddling around with boiling water/pot/pan/stove/cooker) each day. I'm not a morning person and prefer to just grab a protein bar and head out.
- You can take the peak refuel meals, open the bag, and put them into a quart-sized freezer ziploc bag to cut the portion size in half.
- Bathroom stuff - tooth paste and brush? Toilet paper? (Maybe optional?)
- Paracord? Hanging your food at night or when you are away from camp during the day. Or, if you shoot something, a way to hang it up and use those game bags!
- I usually bring 4 clear garbage bags with me. They come with a small weight penalty but serve a couple of purposes: quick pack or gear cover if a sudden storm pops up, I use them on the ground while I'm quartering an animal to keep the meat clean, have used them as a pack liner if I'm packing meat out a short distance, and to keep wet raingear off my sleeping bag.
- Compass, paper map? (Putting a bit of stock into that iphone without backup battery source, probably using it as a gps, camera, and alarm clock. Not sure the battery will last a long time.)
- Sharpie/pen to sign tag?
- Wind indicator?
- Lightweight/thin gloves?
- Field dressing gloves? (thin, latex/plastic).
- License/tag?
- Baby wipes?
Eastkybowhunter
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Been working on getting gear together, testing it out, etc. updated my list, Attached at bottom. Just applied for Colorado tags, will be going OTC if not drawn. Ordered the Wasatch pack from Peak Refuel, has 30 meals, don’t know if I’ll take the all, depends on what I can find that high calorie, lightweight. But will at least have a peak meal for breakfast and dinner. Maybe find something quicker for lunches.
maxracx
Well-known member
Like mentioned before trekking poles are a must have. I also carry a second headlamp. Well worth the extra weight if your #1 light goes down and leaves you in the dark.
best of luck on your unit draw.
best of luck on your unit draw.
Eastkybowhunter
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Forgot list them, did pick up trekking poles and have a couple super light spare headlamps
I am typically solo for 6-7 days at a time so adjust accordingly. Second headlamp a must. I usually wear two pairs of socks for mid-Oct-Nov hunts so have two sets. May want a cap with a brim (baseball style) as sunny days at elevation can really do a number on you, and take lip balm of some sort. I would reduce the number of Peak meals. Have one for dinner only. I take instant oatmeal if I want a hot breakfast that carries me through the day with snacks for lunch. Otherwise just breakfast bars. I target about 1.0 lbs/day for food. I now carry two recharger bricks for my phone since I am using OnX all day, every day along with inReach mini. One can stay at camp and recharge while I use the other. Gaiters for sure, morning dew or overnight rain can really soak the feet/boots in the morning besides the large chance for snow. I just wear them all the time. If you are in a wilderness area, you have to use a bear bag or bear canister. Paracord for hanging items and filled game bags. I would probably drop the puffy pants, especially if you have a zero-deg bag. That said, a down bag is sooo much nicer, lighter weight and packs down really small. I have a Western Mountaineering 15-deg bag that is 18 oz. and I can use it down to 0-deg with a 4 oz silk liner that keeps the inside of the bag clean and adds at least 10-degrees to the rating. Base layer and good solid hunting pant that can really cut the wind is all I have found I need, even in single digit hunting conditions. If you keep the upper torso warm, the legs will typically be fine but your mileage may vary. Two pairs of gloves, one lightweight for hiking and shooting and one warm pair for cold days and glassing. Finally, I run a tepee tent, inner nest, and titanium wood stove which comes in right at 9.9 lbs or about 10 ounces heavier than your setup and it lets me warm up and dry out at night as well as cook my meals. Wood I can find along the way but does mean I carry a folding saw. The rest is pretty much what I carry.
NativeIndian
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The side of the can will usually tell you how many boils you have. At least Jet Boil does. Keep in mind Peak meals require very little water. You can heat enough in a Jetboil flash for 1 meal for two people.
Eastkybowhunter
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Okay, so I’m hoping I have the final list of gear for my elk hunt this fall, some gear I stuck with. Some I have swapped out. In the future, there several items I want to upgrade(tent, sleeping bag, etc.), but for this year at least, this is what’s making the trip. https://lighterpack.com/r/59id6q
This hunt will be in 1st rifle season, 10,000-11,000 feet in Colorado, will be hiking in and scouting 4-5 days and season is 5 days. Any advice for a first timer headed to Colorado for 10 days in the backcountry?
This hunt will be in 1st rifle season, 10,000-11,000 feet in Colorado, will be hiking in and scouting 4-5 days and season is 5 days. Any advice for a first timer headed to Colorado for 10 days in the backcountry?
Eastkybowhunter
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Oh, and maybe a super lightweight fishing kit to fish some of the streams and lakes before season opens, as the 5 days before season will be scouting, but mainly just glassing and acclimating to the elevation.
NativeIndian
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What season? Do you get cold easy? Essentially you'll have your base layer (merino wool works best here), a mid-layer, an insulation layer possibly if it's cold or your cold natured, and then you may want/need rain/wind outer layer. If it's really cold weather, then you'll probably want a warm outer layer that blocks the wind. Merino wool socks. Something for the top of your head (cold weather, an insulated beanie otherwise you may just want a cap).
NativeIndian
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I use one peak meal a day. Usually evening meal. Lunch I like the Greenbelly backpacker meal bars. They taste great and have the nutrients and calories you need. Give them a try (5 flavors) and then if you like them you can get some for your trip. I always try my food items out before I just take anything new. Last thing you want is to get on the mountain and realize the meal you bought isn't as tasty as you were hoping it was.
old270hunter
Well-known member
1st season or any season packing in, I’d have gaiters, cheap rain poncho at the top of the list. Wet n cold is no way to hunt. Good chance for rain or snow or both or none, especially in first season. I’ve had a 5 dollar 3 ounce rain poncho save the day, as the moisture should be snow, but it might not be. Gaiters always, otherwise you’ll end up with wet pants and socks somehow, be it rain or snow. All the other stuff is what you can carry or for comfort. Spotting scope always stays in the truck unless I can split that and binocs with a partner.
I'm only describing my experience so it may not match yours. On my first elk hunt, we took fishing gear and caught some. However, I believe we got skunked since we should have been glassing or hiking to glass spots while we were fishing or getting ready to fish.
If I'm going in the woods with an elk tag, I am now anti-fishing until the elk is down.
Derek44
Well-known member
Fish are good too. I always forget my fishing stuff and regret it
10 days in the backcountry is a long time. What if you don't find anything during your scouting time? Still plan on hunting the same area? If it were me, I'd have a bunch of places in mind to check out and take those 4-5 days before season to drive to different areas and spend a day in each one. If you find elk, pack in and try to make it happen on opening morning. I've been victim to committing myself too much to one spot and it ended up being pretty frustrating.
As others have said, I'd only plan on cooking one meal a day.
As others have said, I'd only plan on cooking one meal a day.
Eastkybowhunter
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Don’t plan on scouting the same location the whole time, the wilderness area we will be hunting is huge, but the side we’re going in doesn’t have but 1 access point that I’m aware of, so we will be hiking to the highest point we can find and glassing, but not trying to get close to any elk. If we don’t find any elk, we will move to other basins and glass. With it being a wilderness area, I haven’t found many roads that we could drive and glass, at least not from what I’ve found online and on OnX. If we don’t find any sign on the first side of the wilderness area, we can hike back down and drive around to the other, and go in start again. It would be much easier to explain if I just named the area I’m going in, and I know there are probably several guys that know exactly where I’m talking about, but don’t want to start throwing names of places around, I know folks can get upset when that happens, lol.
NativeIndian
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Haha not like 1 more hunter in that spot is going to do much.
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