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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Budog56 on February 22, 2009, 11:33:00 AM
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There is a chance the me and a couple of friends will be going elk hunting this august..Well they are for sure and Im hoping I can get some funds to go with them. They are planning on walking in and being there for 8 days. WHat all would you pack. I realize the lighter the better etc. My main concern is food for 8 days etc.. Cuz keeoping energized is very important..THanks for the imput..
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I use the Mountian house dehydrated food. Its light, and I premeasure my water in advance. I have a small portable stove, and I just boil the water and dump it in! You have a great meal with high carbs that weighs next to nothing. I never elk hunted, but I do take it on all day hunting exhursions.
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Snickers bars!
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Budog, It's not food related it's more important than that! (grin)
Here is the list of essentials that I highly recommend! I have not adjusted the weight & items for a few years now; it appears to be perfect for our hunting style! We bring these items on all our elk hunts!
Water Bladder, min 60oz.
4 Elk Bags-
Wyoming Pack Saw-
Orange flagging tape-
Food for all day-
Back up energy bars 5-
Space Blanket-A Good One!
Large plastic garbage bag-
1 25' & 2 50' 1/4" nylon rope-
Water Purifier Carbon Straw
Roll of Athletic tape-Emergency Use
Ziplock bag of matches,lighter,fish hooks,flies,20' fishing line,small packet magnesium flakes-
2-knives & carbide sharpener-
small leatherman-
mini mag & petzel headlamp flashlights-
4-extra AA batteries, fits all my units-
Garmin GPS 130-
Compass & maps-
small notebook & pen in ziplock bag-
6-rounds .357 spare bullets-
Extra longbow string-
Eye glasses-
Baggie with aspirin, benadryl for bee stings, vicadin for bad muscle/leg pulls-
Disposable camera,36photos-
All this goes into my Badlands Superday or 2200 Pack with tons of leftover room! It weighs 14#-15#
ElkNut1
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I'd add a couple of cheapie space blankets to elknut's list. They're liteweight, compact, and work GREAT for laying skinned and boned out meat on when butchering. Even if you put the meat immediately in your meat sacks, the space blankets keep your bags off the dirt. I'm anal about keeping meat clean! :readit:
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Depends.... how far ya walking in ? Can you walk back out for replenishing your supplies every couple days? Can ya stand 8 days of dehydrated food ?
ChuckC
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as little as possible...useable emergency kit and everything that would fit in a small backpack/fanny pack. Sooo much easier to get around.
Elk Nut has a good pack.
You can go many days without food, not that you want to, but water is key.
It is a good idea to actually take a course in wilderness skills so you can feel more confident and actually cut your pack size down.
Parachord is a very handy item and with the proper knots is unbelievably handy.
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I knew elknut would respond I followed his advise last year didnt forget anything and had everything I needed. Check out the vids on his site.
thanks
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Same as elknut, I use a wyoming saw, add salt and peper for grouse/fish, some fishing line and a few flies, 6 game bags (pillow cases), a few extra judos, and a good camera is a must!!!! worth the extra weight on my back for sure!
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Nice pack Elknut! That sounds alot like our setup. One thing I've had save a elk hunt more than once is a sheet of mole skin in my first aid kit. A blister or sore toes can really change your hunt. Cut a small piece of this stuff off and stick it right on a blister and your back to hiking.
Have fun!
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just a few items I carry, trioxane for a fire starter they work even wet, a army poncho for a quick shelter or just to keep off rain, water filter & a small spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide for cuts or hard blood trails,for meals cameron hanes book backcountry bowhunting might give you some ideas.
good luck steve
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Well, if I read your post correctly, you're actually asking how to pack in 8 days worth of food???
Pretty tough. The dehydrated meals are light, but unfortunately they are low calorie 6-800 per, and very bulky.
Try some Balance bars. Not the best tasting, but good balance of protein, carbs, etc.
About the highest calorie foods are nuts of all types, but they are high in fat. Anything with high calorie per ounce it.
You may need to go in and the back for more supplies midway. If you're successful you will have to go out anyway since keeping meat that early is really going to be an issue.
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Budog -- this is a perfect set-up for the "Crash elk diet." Guaranteed to work. I once did a 5-day solo backpack elk bowhunt just below timberline with a 35-pound pack including a $3.50 (at the time) K-mart orange plastic "tent," a pint of George Dickel in a light plastic bottle, a water filter, 2 pounds of trail mix and a pound of elk jerky. Can't say I enjoyed every minute, but after a couple of days the hunger pains go away and your energy level soars and you come out a new man ... or a nude man, depending if you get so hungry you eat your clothes! ;)
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Thanks guys! These are items we take on all out elk hunts & nothing other than food items never leave our packs! We are always good to go!
The large plastic garbage bag doubles for a poncho or ground cloth for quarters!. (yes i've used it, grin) If you cut it open it's as large as a kitchen tabletop.
Dave2old, I would have starved to death with those eats!! (grin)
ElkNut1
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My first sheep hunt here in AK was 8 days solo which turned out to be 12. Bad weather kept the plane from getting me which is typical AK.
The last 4 days I ate only sheep meat and fat. I could crap like an eagle. You know, bend over and hit something 10 feet away. Lost 17 pounds.
It's a myth that your energy level soars. In fact you have to rest regularly so your body can eat some of you to keep going.
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Budog56- All of these are good suggestions, but its what you carry in your heart that is of most importance. Just KNOW that you are going and you will be fine. Ha! Mike
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Never been in the brush for 8 days but if I was and food may be less than usual...I would be thinking of vitamins.
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For backpack hunting I eat the following every day:
2-4 Granola Bars
2 cups coffee
2 packages oatmeal
1 Cups GORP
2-4 TBSP Peanut Butter
8 oz package tuna in oil
Lipton rice or pasta side
I try my best to supplement with whatever fish or small game I get and huckleberries if I'm lucky.
A key thing for me is drinking as much water as I can drink.
That's about 2500 calories and weighs less than 2# per day.
I generally carry only 3-4 days worth and restock midweek.
Whatever you decide on, try it before your hunt. Simulate your hunting conditions as much as possible. Most of the sports drinks, energy bars, and dehydrated meals are not worth their price in my opinion. Some people swear by them. This list works for me. I lose some weight but I don't suffer from low energy too much.
I know I'm really ready for a cheeseburger and a coke at the end of the week :)
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I thought ChuckC was recommending you take a package of "Depends" there for a minute. As far as the food goes, you might look at "freezerbagcooking.com" if you have a dehydrator or can buy one.Good luck!
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I pack in every two years, but not for eight days. So far, we've always had to take an elk to town before our trip was over and we could replenish.
Things I've been happy to have - water purifying tablets. Tastes terrible, but being thirsty or catching giarida, is far worse.
Quite of bit of protein - I always take in about 5 lbs of very dry jerky. I don't want to carry water weight and 5 lbs of jerky goes a long way. The other main food item I bring in is nuts. Very high in fat and relatively light weight for the energy they give.
Fishing line, flys and hooks - I've had many a good trout meal to keep me going when there wasn't much else worth eating.
A couple blunts - there are some good small game meals to be had if you're prepared - need an extra license.
Elk tenderloins one or two evenings - of course you don't carry these in - you've got to do your shopping in the back-country - I prefer the tenderloins from large 6-by bulls. For some reason they taste better. ;)
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There's lots of water in the mountains so I assume you're not going to be trying to carry in water. I picked up a nylon water carrying bag from Campmore many years ago, which works good for getting water from a stream/seep to your camp. Only weighs a few ounces. Need to have the means to purify the water, of course, either iodine tablets, a filter or boil it.
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A small amount of duct tape is a good addition to the mole skin. It can help hold it in place an stop any further aggrevation of a "hot spot" and other odd jobs. I guess the athletic bandages would accomplish this too.
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Wet wipes.
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I've been bookmarking good pages on backcountry food for a year or two now...here's the list:
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/2370936/page/1/nt/3/fpart/1
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=25&Number=1469364&Searchpage=2&Main=127903&Words=food&topic=0&Search=true#Post1469364
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=25&Number=2292596&Searchpage=1&Main=184657&Words=food&topic=0&Search=true#Post2292596
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=25&Number=1606382&Searchpage=2&Main=136635&Words=food&topic=0&Search=true#Post1606382
http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=733052&highlight=food
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As far as water filter filters I was very pleased with my Katadyne camp filter. Did well for 4 guys might be overkill for just one though. It is extremely light. Depending on your area a spotting scope and tripod might not be necessary I carried mine it but it was much too thick to use it.
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Are you flying or driving? Are you looking for a gear list, bivy list,food list or all of the above. Shoot me a pm if you need a list.
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I second Ringneck on the WET WIPES for an extended outing if your not planning on jumpin' in the lake or stream to fresh'n up.
While some may consider them a luxury on an extended back country outing - they'll make you feel like a NEW man (or woman)!
And they are great for cleanin' off any blood that might happen to get on you....
:~)
Shoot straight, Shinken
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sounds like everybody has covered most of the essentials. I usually do a 5-8 days backpack trip every year and its amazing how every year I find things I could have left at home and things I should have brought. Since most of the bases have already been covered I'll just chime in a little.
I always carry an extensive first aid kit and we use iodine tablets to purify our water. They weigh less than a purifier and we usually pack some powder gatorade in a ziplock to cover the taste. We eat a lot of mountain house meals but for dinner only. breakfast is usually instant oatmeal or a breakfast bar. We also pack in folger's singles for coffee.
If the weather is cold we will pack our jetboil with us on our hunts and will eat a cup of noodle and then use the empty cup to make coffee to warm back up. I love backpacking but expect your pack to weigh more than some people have mentioned. Once you add your sleeping bag/pad, tent, clothes, gear, and food it doesn't take long to add up the weight. Remember in the high country the temp can change drastically so you'll need plenty of clothes/layers to cover a wide range of temps.
You will burn more calories than you ever dreamed of so pack plenty of food (especially snack type items: snickers, crackers, cookies, trailmix). You should also expect to make a couple of trips packing the meat out. Another helpful tip is not to pack in all of packaging in relation to the food. Take the granola bars out of the box and ditch the box. Remember ounces make pounds and save where you can. We use quite a few ziplock bags and our lunches we usually pack in a 1 gallon zip lock which might include trail mix, jerky, granola bars, candy bars and crackers. You can use the same ziplock every day and just throw everything in it. When hunting the backcountry whenever you get a chance to stop and rest make sure you eat something, no matter how small, to help refuel the body. This will help more than you can imagine. We don't eat big lunches but instead choose to graze all day.
In saying all of this I must tell you that we usually set a camp and then just do long day hunts from there. If need be we will move camp but we do not put our camp on our backs everyday.
I hope you have fun and I cannot explain the joy I get every year loading up the backpack and heading out into the backcountry (no phones, computers, traffic) Have fun and good luck!!!!!!!
Oh yeah last but not least we never hit the backcountry without a little flask of some kind of adult beverage. This can be to toast to a successful hunt, warm the spirits, or can even be medicinal when it comes to aches and pains. A lot of times you'll find yourself sitting on top of a mountain with a majestic view and a sip of the good stuff is a nice reward for getting there.
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I would recommend getting hold of Cameron Hane's book "Backcountry Bowhunting." It wil cover all the gear you will need for a hunt of this sort. It will also cover preparation (mental and physical) for the hunt. Many of your questions will be answered. Cheers
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My last two mountain hunts we used strickly dehydrated meals. The first year I used two large meals a day, and one small one. However going hungry in the mountains was worse than carrying extra weight, so I bumped it up to three big meals a day. We put a lot of miles and terrain under our boots and were starving hungry each day. We burned a lot of calories. In my opinon going slow the first day packing in to set up a base camp was worth being able to enjoy good meals and not being hungry.
If you do go with dehydrated meals buy lots of different brands. Each brand taste different, but within brands there is not a lot of taste difference. Spend the extra on good meals to, speghetti in meat sauce is only good the first two times. I toyed with the idea of making my own meals, but I couldn't come close to getting the variety and colorie content of a "mountain house" or "backpacker pantry" meal.
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Trail mix is great to keep hunger to a min.
I used to try to bring the kitchen sink, a tent, bag, pad, etc etc etc. Then I took a wilderness skills class and my pack was cut to about 1/8 the size. Everything but a sleeping bag and food fits in a "pot" about a quart large. Of course, this is not during very cold conditions. Clothing is worn or lashed to pack. Knife or 2 makes for a very important implement. I do like dehydrated meals. 8 days is a long time so you do need more. I agree with the idea of making a trip out to re-energize if necessary. U can cut weight by using a tarp and build up a bed instead of a tent. Takes about an hour. A saw is safer and more useful than a hatchet.
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We take granola, raisins, sunflower seeds, cashews, grapenuts cereal, honey,m&m's or milk cholocate chips , mix, spread on a pan and bake till fairly hard and dry. Light with lots of energy. The colder it is the more nuts you add for the fat calories.