backpacking hunts

[deserthntr]

a friend and i are going on a backpack hunt the week after christmas. we dont know where to go yet but we will probably go somewhere in the superstitions, because 22 and 23 are closed during the december hunt unfortunately. if you have any tips on what to take that would be great! besides food, water, etc. we will probably pack water in before hand and stash it somewhere. this will be our first backpack hunt so we are excited!

[BowNut]

I have been wanting to do the same. Wish I could get time off in Dec. to do it. Was going to pack water out first and then try a August hunt but not sure I can deal with the heat! But it's a lot easier for me to get time off work then. Sonds like a blast can't wait to see what others have to say.

[308Nut]

Carbs in the morning, mix of protien and carbs by day, lots of protien by night, lots of water all the time, cover you head while you sleep and dont sleep on the ground (use a thermal barrier). Dont forget the rain gear and fire starter.

[grizzwald)-->]

Sounds like a blast!!! I would be willing to bet that you will have no problem finding water in the Superstitions during Dec/Jan. Of course always err on the safe side; do you have a good water filtration sys? Hard candy is light and makes for a great little snack to look forward to... Something as simple as the watching the forecast can make a world of difference depending on where you camp, a friend and I got caught in a nasty flash flood a few years ago during January in 23

[coues hunter]

Wet wipes are a necessity for me. Closest thing to a bath and they weigh just ounces. If you dont already have a stove you should check out alcohol stoves. For solo backpack hunting theyre as light as they come. Mine is just a couple ounces and it cost nothing. Google soda can stove.

[fx4hauler]

Mini Bull Designs has some good alcohol stoves. Try not to wear or bring cotton clothes. King Camo has some great camo clothes. Good water filter. Just remember ounces make a pound pretty fast. So try to keep it as lite as you can. Take a look at some of the backpacking forums they can give you some good ideas. Have a great time.

[AZP&Y]

If you want a great trail, yet solitude and nice hunt - check out this section of the Az Trail in the Supers:

 

http://www.aztrail.org/passages/pass_19.html

 

Great access and water up there as well.

 

For packs you may want to check out the new Badlands Sacrifice from the sponsor on here - Payson Outfitters. That pack has 3800 cubic inches and weighs in at 3lbs 8oz. It can carry 25 times its weight ( Coues deer) . Everything starts and ends with your pack. Big Agnes makes some of the best ultralight tents on the market. It will be down right cold. I suggest a good ultralight bag. Western Mountaineering is great company. I wouldn't skip any steps in buying the very BEST gear you can afford as it can get nasty winter-time in them there hills...

 

oh and 1gallon of water weights 8.2 lbs. As others have said , there is water in the supers and generally a filter in Dec/Jan will serve you well.

 

Best of luck and take pics as there is nothing like backpacking into wilderness on a bow hunt.

 

AzP&Y

[deserthntr]

i have a backpacking tent my gpa gave me about 4 years ago that ways 2 lbs. its nice. i have a water filter, etc. but i need to pick up a nice sleeping bag. so thats on my list. thanks for the tip on the trail, my friends dad is convinced we are gunna get lost but i have a reliable GPS and plan on hiking the trail a few times before. if we dont find water one of the trips we will backpack just water in there for us. i have a Just One pack i plan on using so i think i have most of my gear. thanks for the tips keep them coming!

[BML]

Carbs in the morning, mix of protien and carbs by day, lots of protien by night, lots of water all the time, cover you head while you sleep and dont sleep on the ground (use a thermal barrier). Dont forget the rain gear and fire starter.

 

 

Good advice. I think most guys spend most of their planning efforts concentrating on what gear to bring and generally don't give the food much thought. It's imperative that you replenish your body with the proper nutrients each day and throughout the day. Water is obvious, but the carbs, proteins and calories are equally important.

 

 

 

[TAM]

Those soda can stoves are pretty cool. I've used them for years. They're simple, light weight, very inexpensive to make and work very well.

[cmc]

First know your limits. Don't go in thinking you're invincible or you are out to beat your buddy or something your read online or in a book. You need to test yourself as you go and monitor yourself to set limits and do not overdue it on your first trip. Learn from this one and work your way up to multi day trips and further hikes into higher country. Let someone know where you guys are going and what the game plan is.

 

Plan now how you will get the deer out and back to town. Ice blocks in a cooler work great in the truck.

 

Now for getting ready.... I suggest you get your body ready for the abuse. Train hard months in advance and then weeks prior to your trip load up weight in the backpack and get out on a steep incline as you can find and hike or get on the treadmill and set it to 10% grade at 3mph and go for 1/2 hour twice a day if possible.

 

Make a pack list using a spreadsheet and weigh everything you plan to take then log in the spreadsheet. Use the pack list as a check list when you pack your gear into your backpack. It bites to end up several miles in and you find out you forgot a days worth of food. Been there as I rushed packing for the trip and failed to count out my meals right. Luckily I tend to bring more food than needed and bummed off my buddies to cover the missing food. That and being sick helped not be hungry.

 

Speaking of food - I swear by Wilderness Athlete bars and drink mixes. You have to feed your engine inside and if you feed it crap you get crap out of it. This is not the time for a bunch of junk food. Quality by all means! For dinners I've had just about every Mtn. House meal they've made. Some don't sit well with me so try them prior to going out. Being sick back in there is not fun. Oh take wet wipes and a full roll of TP. Stomach bugs hit at the worse time. Like the first day of a 6 day bear hunt. That can set you back. Goes with having a game plan if things go south. For lunch items I like to take bagels and pre mixed peanut butter and honey in a tube. Tubes are sold in the camping section of Sportsman's Warehouse. Breakfast tends to be oatmeal as we like a warm breakfast to get things going. If we lack water in the area then change things up and go with a cold breakfast of bars or something.

 

 

Water - We like to use iodine but have been using Aqua Pure water treatment products. But what ever you do treat your water some how prior to consuming. Filters take a lot of time and can break so if you go that route take backup iodine tablets just in case. They work while you sleep. If your water is cold to freezing put it next to your sleeping bag or boil some at first as the iodine takes forever to dissolve in the cold water. If you're going with iodine count out how much you need for how many days you'll be out there.

 

Take maps and GPS, but don't forget the maps no matter what that GPS is subject to fail. I don't care how much it costs. Take a second headlamp. You're SOL if the main one tanks. Trust me.

 

Have backup plans for everything you do and what you'd do if any piece of your gear fails. Test all your gear in the back yard prior to going. Have you slept outside in the cold in that sleeping bag and pad setup? Several miles into the back country is not the time to find out it's not warm enough and you shiver ALL NIGHT LONG. Again... trust me it's not fun. Packer and I still laugh about that trip. I got up at 2am and made oatmeal to just warm up some.

 

Back at your truck: Some of these are in case you pack out your deer and need to crash there then go back in for your gear or help out your buddy.

- Have a spare change of hunting clothes and socks

- full days food or two days with multiple guys going in.

- 7 gallons of water seems to work well. If below freezing - have a second stove or something to heat it up with at the truck.

- ice chest with blocks of ice. Even if it's below freezing out.

- spare sleeping bag to spend the night at the truck. If bag isn't rated low enough bring blankets to assist keeping warm.

 

 

Just a sample of stuff but I hope it helps ya some. I suggest you get Cameron Hanes book Backcountry Bowhunting and David Longs Public Land Mulies. Both have a wealth of info for backcountry hunting.

 

 

Cheers,

cmc

[JMP]

i have a backpacking tent my gpa gave me about 4 years ago that ways 2 lbs. its nice. i have a water filter, etc. but i need to pick up a nice sleeping bag. so thats on my list. thanks for the tip on the trail, my friends dad is convinced we are gunna get lost but i have a reliable GPS and plan on hiking the trail a few times before. if we dont find water one of the trips we will backpack just water in there for us. i have a Just One pack i plan on using so i think i have most of my gear. thanks for the tips keep them coming!

 

 

i've been pretty happy with my kifaru slick bag. a 0 degree bag weighs only a few pounds and packs to the size just larger than a nalgene bottle.

[azslim]

Tang, powdered lemonade or some of the instant tea's cover up the taste of iodine.

 

A chunk of plastic painters drop cloth takes up no space, weighs very little and is nice to spread out so you can walk in bare feet around camp.

 

Take care of hot spots before they become blisters

 

hand sanitizer works great on feet and armpits to take away the stink - is a good fire starter too

 

ounces feel like pounds miles from the truck, only take what you KNOW you will need, not what you might need

[Broken Wheels]

Sweating, under-nourished and out of shape are the serious end results to freezing your arse off so wear wick away clothes, keep your engine pumping with good carbs and hopefully you are in good enough shape BEFORE you head out. Maybe consider doing three weeks of P90X just to hone the body a little bit maybe! Have fun and take your time going in and coming out as broken ankles and torn ACL/MCL"s are not a good thing!

[cmc]

A slick fire starter that worked in a down pour of rain for us this year was the old Vaseline soaked cotton balls. I store them in an empty advil container. One tip is to stretch them out a bit so there is air pockets in them. They burn on top of water. Pretty cool.

 

 

I'll second the P90X and add in that the Insanity program will help you get ready for a backpack trip.

 

cmc