Anyone back pack WAY in?

[razorsharptokill]

If we get drawn for this New Mexico hunt I think we'll be back packing in. Looks like it will be 5-7 day hunt for us, drive included. Anyone here hike in a few miles to get away from the crowds?

I'm interested in hearing about ultra-light weight sleeping bags/shelter, packs and frames, and foot wear.

[Dr. Ed Ashby]

Jim,

Years ago I did most allmost all of my hunting that way. Hunted a fair amount in NM back then. Today you are going to find it a challange to find a spot that's very far from some form of 4 wheel drive access, anywhere in NM - except on a few private lands and limited access areas.

Today, I think I would favor backpacking with a minimal camp and just stopping to camp wherever I was at the end of each day. That will maxamize your amount of hunting hours - no time loss returning to a camp. Water will be your biggest problem in doing this. Plan your hunt accordingly.

Hope that helps.

Ed
TGMM Family of the Bow

[Viking69]

Don't discount the effort required for managing downed game. If it's Aug-Sept it's going to be real warm by mid morning. I use an external frame pack. This way I can dump my gear and get right on to packing meat out. Remember a Bull will likely be 5 trips out minimum, if your in 3 miles your looking at 30 miles of hiking loaded.

[Aaron Proffitt 2]

Excellent thread,guys.Been looking into conducting something similar,so,good tips are anxiously awaited.

[Dr. Ed Ashby]

Great point Sean. External frame packs are all I've ever owned or used. I totally forgot that most backpacks are now internal frames. Never liked that concept much - for a hunting pack. As one gets old, he sometimes forget what it is others might not be aware of. Hope that's not an indicator of impending "old timers disease"!

Ed
TGMM Family of the Bow

[Canyon]

What Unit are you hoping to draw? Will you get time to scout before the hunt? 5-7 days doesn't give you much time if you include travel,scouting,hunting and  packing meat from an elk from "way back". (That can be a day or more itself) Hopefully you know how to take an Elk apart using the gutless method.

I agree with Ed on doing it as bivy hunt to optimize your time. Get Cameron Haines Backcountry Bowhunting book and research all the ultralight backpacking sites fro equipment and test drive anything you choose before the actual hunt. Good Luck on the draw.

[Dr. Ed Ashby]

Another interesting thing you could research is some OLD camping books. I have one (I THINK it is called simply "Wilderness Camping", but can't get to it to check that for sure) by Bradford Anger and Townsend Whelen. In there is a detailed listing of what equipment and supplies they carried for a 2 week trip wilderness backpack trip. This is back before such things as freeze dried food too. The total pack weight was 35 pounds - including the old wood-and-canvas pack board! Guy were 'harder' back then than most are today, but it shows you what is possible to do. Many very good - and often forgotten - tips are to be found in some of those very old books. We often waste a lot of time relearning what our forebearers knew.

For what it's worth, I still enjoy such 'minimal camping' far more than I do a fully appointed luxury camp.

Ed
TGMM Family of the Bow

[Roadkill]

One thing you might do is contact a local packer and contract him to pack out your elk.
I backpacked for griz bears in AK for a couple of years and with all the stuff you need to take in, recall it has to come out-along with teh animal you harvest.
Water is a problem in the Fall out here in the west-if you can't find it, you have to pack it.

[razorsharptokill]

This is an archery Mule deer hunt in January. Area 2B and C. I just recieved that book by Cameron Hanes and it is very informative.

Hopefull if we get drawn we can make a trip out this summer to get a lay of the land. One week isn't much time. Thanks for all the pointers guys.

[Ken999]

Check out the Kifaru website. They are a company dedicated to backpack hunting with heated tipi's, internal frame backpacks, sleeping bags and soon to be released clothing.

 www.kifaru.net

[Horne Shooter]

Ken,
Looked at the kifaru website.  VERY cool stuff!  I added to my favorites and will probably make a purchase for my next wilderness trip.  Thanks for the heads up.

[Big Sneaky]

Best advice I have for you is to get in great shape.  Carrying 45-50 lbs can get real old in a hurry.  If you hunt with your camp on your back it can take a toll on you especially in rough country.  My advice would be to scout a good area and find a reliable water source and pack to that spot.  Then you can hunt from there.  If it is unproductive it is very fast and easy to move camp.  Good luck, sounds like it will be a fun hunt.

[Chad Lewis]

Yeap, don't forget, when you're way back, the elk or deer has to come out too.

Imagine yourself loaded down looking at a tree in front of you straight up, and telling yourself you'll walk to that tree and take a break. That tree being 4 steps in front of you!

This was my last load out. Elk head, along with a boned out hind quarter, and front shoulder. I got the elk out in two trips, and their were moments I thought about crying. I may have......

The reason the head is still attached was for CWD testing, what a pain!

 

[bowfiend]

Let me preface this by saying the following: I'm a big fan of backcountry elk hunts and do it as frequently as I can manage. I think there is a "magical" barrier somewhere in the 3-4 mile range that signifies a reduction in hunting pressure. Finally, I don't want to come off as being negative, but...

If you're only trying to get "a few" miles in, why do you need to pack in a camp? I ask because I routinely hike between 3 and 5 miles in the dark to get where I need (or want) to be at dawn. I find that a comfortable, well equiped base camp is well worth the 5 miles in and out. Generally, I'm going to cover the miles anyway so you might as well be returning to a cooler full of good eats.

If you're talking about 10 miles in, no question that a camp on you're back will save you effort. But it sounded to me like you were only thinking of 3 or 4 miles in from a tailhead.

[NY Yankee]

Around here, if you go very far in, you find yourself coming out the other side!

[razorsharptokill]

I guess it depends on what area we get (IF) I should say.

There are LOTS of gas well roads in some areas. I'd hate to hike in 5 miles, set up our bivy and have a 4x4 drive up 1/2 a mile away. I think good scouting trip would help avoid this. I've been looking at google earth trying to find areas that are farther from roads that look promising.

It looks like in some areas we can get more than 5 miles off the road. The elevation looks like it's around 5000 to 7500 feet average. The hunt is in January and the cold is going to be an issue too.

[Nate Fikkert]

YES!

I love to backpack in.  Haven't gotten into hard core bivy hunting yet, but plan on it.  I have many times packed in 3-4 miles with about a 50lb pack.  I will voice the opposite opinion of bowfiend.  I would much rather have a short hike each morning into elk or deer than have to cover that same mileage each morning and evening to come back to a "truck" camp.  Just a different opinion on what a "comfortable" camp is I guess.

Lots of ideas for lightweight backpacking on the internet.  Just have to adapt some of the ideas to hunting.

Nathan

[Ken999]

Horne Shooter- I bought my first piece of Kifaru gear back around 2002. Since I've added in a few more items and I can say that the gear is worth the money. Handmade in the USA and built very well. Patrick, the owner, spends 150-200 nights afield testing/camping/hunting with his gear to ensure his products work as claimed.

razorsharptokill- Is it safe to assume you will have snow on the ground? I don't know much about NM, but one of the first things that popped into my mind logistically was water. More specifically, drinking water...

[DGW]

I have hunted unit 2 in January several times. snow can be very crunchy and it can be very cold.
 Have done alot of backpack hunts and dont know if would try it in unit 2 in january. we set up a base camp and hiked in during the day then back out at night. you will see lots of trucks as the oil and gas pumpers have to travel even the roads that are closed to hunters. We also saw hunters when we hiked in over 4 miles. good luck get a good sleeping bag.its cold.

[chinook907]

Keep your pack going in to 35-40 lbs total (tops), leave the cool gadgets, 2nd pair of boots, extra clothes, etc behind.  They say you pack your insecurities.  You don't need to spend a lot on ultralight gear.  And like bowfiend said, you might consider day trips, don't know the terrain there but 3-4 miles isn't much.  And don't write-off internal frame packs, used externals for years and am now sold on my internal frame, have hauled 80-110 lbs a number of times (MEAT !) with it and was way more comfortable than my internal frame.  And have a good time !