Green backpacker

[Red84]

I've got some experience backpacking, and backpack hunting.

My honest advice? Don't start with elk. Elk hunting is hard. They're nomadic, often boogie when shots are fired, and can be tough to relocate on public. Rifle success rates are often around 20%. Killing an elk is hard, and if you kill one it gets harder. Packing 180-230 lbs of meat plus antlers and skull is a chore. It's a big deal for a beginner.

I'd recommend a mule deer hunt. They're less nomadic, tend to be in the same areas for several days (whereas elk may be miles away), and if you kill a muley the packout logistics are much, much easier. Success rates may run 50%, so this type hunt may be more "fun" where an elk hunt may be more "adventure".

Second bit of advice - start backpacking now. Someone who has never backpacked going on an expensive western backpack hunt is crazy to me. You will learn so much by backpacking that will give you confidence, and most people find they really enjoy it.

Third bit of advice - pick your hunting buddies carefully. ESPECIALLY for a backpack elk hunt. If they have any complainer or quitter in them, DO NOT go on a backpack elk hunt with them. PERIOD. You want someone who is a go getter, enjoys suffering, and has physical abilities similar or better than yours.

On packs - if you go cheap, get a kelty cache hauler (which I think Alps now has under license?) and put one of our belts on it (Seek Outside). It makes a pretty darn good hauler. If you want a combo pack, look at our Unaweep. Not being salesy here, but I think it'd be a good fit.

Nathan

Never said I have never backpacked. Crazy? Not really. It's a dream and I think I am reasonably planning it out. I am already talking with the wife about some overnight hikes this coming Spring and Summer. Not getting any younger so rather than just say "it's too hard, not going to happen" I am trying to make it happen. Especially considering I mentioned in post #1 I am preparing for 2020. Not this Fall, not next Fall, two Falls from now, lol. I appreciate the advice on the elk vs. mule deer hunt. Believe it or not I am strongly considering it. I have a strong desire to elk hunt, but after seeing a bunch of mule deer for the first time this fall I could be persuaded. As far as being "salesy" it looks like you have a close tie to Seek Outside? Forgive me as I have not seen this name yet (remember I am inexperienced and uninformed in the ways of Western hunting). What sets these apart from the other packs mentioned on here?

As far as hunting partners go I have two picked out immediately. One may actually be crazy. Not clinical but if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck... The other busts his butt day in and day out on one of the most mentally and physically grinding jobs, in my opinion. What he does for fun is even more entertaining. The more I think of it, maybe I am the weak link! Lol.

I don't disagree that the better pack may be more convenient for meat hauling. However, even for a hunter this advantage must be kept in perspective. As you said, it's more important for an elk hunter, that is routinely successful, and hunts a long way off the road, and has the money, and is probably going to stick with it year after year. Any of these five criteria may not apply to a hunter or even the op.

Not many of those criteria DO apply to me, at least not currently .

 

[shaffe48]

Yeah hunts not backpacking trips, backpacker don't carry around huge quantities of meat... you don't have to kill something to have it be a hunt, but if you are hunting then IMHO you are ethically obligated to consider how you will get your meat home and avoid spoilage. My pack is 15lbs + heavier when I'm scouting or back packing with my wife because I know that half way through the trip I'm not going to suddenly have an extra 100lbs to get back to the car.

Honestly I carry way less gear than most backpackers, aside from the fee ultralight guys, check out SnowyMountaineer he has his gear dialed and has a couple of threads that are great examples for this style of hunting. (https://onyourownadventures.com/hun...ear-List-Sept-2018&highlight=snowymountaineer)

Yep high end specialized gear is critical only for a small subset of hunters, it's just helpful for most. Honestly use your bag if you want, I didn't see the need either until I started being successful in the backcountry, and if you don't get a bag with a meatshelf just remember meat comes out first then the horns and your camp.

Wllm now this post really plays with my emotions. No one on this thread said not to plan to get your meat out. I mean I'm just a bear hunter and I'm not that old but someone prove me wrong on this: people have been salvaging game meat and even elk meat long before kifaru was ever thought of.

I get really emotional when people seem to tell others that they need to buy uber expensive gear to go on a hunting trip let alone try to convince people you aren't an ethical hunter if you don't which is really just absurd. It might discourage people from going on trips just to acquire an object of comfort or convenience. If they were doing something dangerous or not planning or preparing that is one thing.

I'm sure your pack works great and totally worth it for yourself or others. But it is clearly not necessary or beginning to be so.

Have a good thanksgiving.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

You are totally right, that's not what I meant but it's how it came off... no you absolutely don't have to have kifaru to be ethical. Right now I'm listening to the meateater podcast and I feel like Rinella would have said "the mug who goes into the woods with that high dollar bag isn't going for a hike with his rifle he's looking to kill something."

There are lots of great hunters who get it done with no backpack, but they have all thought out how they are going to extract their animal long before they take the shot. Case in point I'm cooking up an elk hunt with my buddy it's going to be 16 miles one way. It doesn't matter how cool my SG is it's not getting that elk out in a reasonable about of time, so we are renting a bunch of llamas.

Honestly, I'm not trying to bust your chops, I just have made gear mistakes and learned from them and am just trying to pass on the knowledge so someone doesn't have to make the same mistakes I did.

I love bear hunting, heading to POW in may to chase an AK bear and then doing a fall hunt in CO.

Happy turkey day to you!

 

[Deleted member 16014]

If true backpack hunting is the primary plan, a certain variety of pack technology will allow you to move more weight, over more distance, more safely. Most guys regularly hauling big loads (90-120 lbs) probably started, or even still use, inexpensive frames or older internals from Lowe Alpine, Gregory, Dana, or early Arc'teryx or Osprey...I know I did and I'm not old by any measure (except my kids'). Then I got a hold of a Mystery Ranch NICE frame and everything was different. I could hunt deeper and still one-trip a mule deer because the technology was so much more efficient for my body to move a payload. It was my legs and core doing the work instead of my spine, haha. Now we have packs that did what the NICE frame did but weigh half as much--really cool advancements!
I know I do hunts now that cover more cool terrain, get me into neater places to look at, and haul out more meat in a manner that's probably pretty sustainable for my body than I could have early in my backpacking life. Lots of gear advancements help that, but for me the pack has to be near #1.

That said, if I had to start over tomorrow with a $100 to pick a backpack hunting pack I'd still get lots of fun hunting done and see some great country.

 

[shaffe48]

You are totally right, that's not what I meant but it's how it came off... no you absolutely don't have to have kifaru to be ethical. Right now I'm listening to the meateater podcast and I feel like Rinella would have said "the mug who goes into the woods with that high dollar bag isn't going for a hike with his rifle he's looking to kill something."

There are lots of great hunters who get it done with no backpack, but they have all thought out how they are going to extract their animal long before they take the shot. Case and point I'm cooking up an elk hunt with my buddy it's going to be 16 miles one way. It doesn't matter how cool my SG is it's not getting that elk out in a reasonable about of time, so we are renting a bunch of llamas.

Honestly, I'm not trying to bust your chops, I just have made gear mistakes and learned from them and am just trying to pass on the knowledge so someone doesn't have to make the same mistakes I did.

I love bear hunting, heading to POW in may to chase an AK bear and then doing a fall hunt in CO.

Happy turkey day to you!

We can learn to rap and do a YouTube rap battle.

No it does hurt to overload a pack. My old pack had a frame that flexed and it hurt with 50 lbs. I'm glad I splurged on something better. Had I not spent 600+ on airfare and 800+ on out of state tags per year the last two years I might have had the mystery ranch or similar at least.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Bahahahahaha... worst rap battle ever... my wife would mock me for the rest of my life...

Had I not spent 600+ on airfare and 800+ on out of state tags per year the last two years I might have had the mystery ranch or similar at least.

I like your priorities!