bvanetten

22south The round valley in question is just south of payson.

Well it happened. Someone stole one of my cameras.

I know we all like looking at pics and video's of big bulls but the footage I got this weekend cracked me up. http://s289.photobuc...Elk having fun/

If elk could streak it would probably look like the third video!

I edited the post to remove the location I'm scouting. I can't stand thieves. Guys, I really appriciate the info. Karma will come back and bite those in the butt that steal or try and take advantage of others good nature. I run cheap cameras just in case they get stolen! I can kinda stomach losing 50$ but 200$ would make me sick. I'm more than willing to swap info as I come by it. Like most of you, I don't do this for a living, I do it cuz I love it. And I don't mind helping others along the way.

Yep, Bear scat every 10 yards in every direction for 3 acres. All that and I've never seen a live bear there! We reported a poached bear there last year. Someone poached a deer, hung it in a tree just high enough for a bear to reach if standing on it's hind legs. They took the hide and head and left the rest. When the apples are dropping there is a lot of hiker traffic on the weekends.

Howdy folks, Ben lurking for a couple of years, great site. This thread hits on a passion of mine, hunting off of your back. Don't get me wrong, I like the Toy Hauler, 4x4, quad, ice chests full of frosty beverages kinda hunting also but for me nothing beats getting further back like a backpack hunt. It does a real good job of distilling down what is really important and focusing you to the task at hand. Our first backpack trip years ago was 70+ lb packs... ouch! steel pots hinging off of the pack and all. We looked like the beverly hillbilly's! You learn real quick what is an essential, needed item and what isn't. The next trip was at 55 lbs and interestingly enough we didn't want for anything that the 70 lb pack trip offered. These days I average 40 to 45 lb packs for a 4 to 5 day trip. That doesn't include what I'm wearing or my rifle. I really don't grasp how some of you are able to trim down to 30 lbs or below but hats off to ya, I wish I could. AC Guy, It sounds like we hunt the same area or at least close. I hunted the apples last November and helped a buddy hunt north and west of there in December. We both got deer. This year I helped a buddy hunt in the same area for his November hunt and 4 of us went in for a December hunt. I wanted to bring my oldest boy along (he's 9) this year so we opted for hiring pack mules to bring in our gear. I didn't want to sour him to hunting because of the work it takes to pack in. But at the same time I new a December hunt back in the Supes would give me the opportunity to test him out and teach him to spot bucks. He did great and we had an fantastic time. It's time for hunter safety now, he wants to put in for everything! One piece of gear I will not part with from now on is our new silnylon two pole tepee and stove. It's foot print is 15'x18' and has 7 1/2' ceilings. One of the guys I hunt with is 6'7" and he can stand up and walk around. The tent and stove weigh a total of 12 lbs. here are some pics... A buddy of mine got his first deer, a real good eatin spiker (he was deer chili that night). One of his spikes broke off so we are calling him a unicorn! The attached epic is him and my boy. There are also some pics of the area and camp and the apples last year (they didn't drop this year, the fruit skips a year) I'll update your gear thread with what I carry.