Backpack Hunting

[azcouesandelk]

I would like to thank everybody for your post and information especially cmc, AZP&Y, mattys281 and hunter4life. I will be keep posting on this to bump it and incase anybody wants to do a CWT pack trip this summer along the Arizona Trail up in the pines.

[audsley]

I maintain that AC Guy gave you some great advice. Lose the "nice-to-have" stuff. Fuel? I always use either mesquite or oak, and I don't haul any with me. For light in the evening, I just use an old mountain man's device called a campfire. And try to find a way to avoid hauling water. That stuff is heavy.

 

Hunter4Life's estimate of 40 lbs of meat with the hindquarter bones left in is a good one for Coues whitetail. If going alone, I wouldn't want to go in burdened with any more than 30 lbs including my rifle unless it's an antelope hunt (flat ground).

 

For backpack hunting, a two-man operation with only one being an armed hunter and the other being just a spotter, pack mule and companion would work best.

[mattys281]

I like the simpler the better mentality, but have trouble with it in the desert. Some of the places I've been in the last eighteen months would have you spending a heck of a lot of time fishing for fire wood, time that I'd rather spend hunting. There just wasn't much to burn & what was there was so small & dry that it burned as quick as a match stick. A single butane/propane bottle weighs ounces & the lantern/stove that screw on also weigh next to nothing.

 

When I was in the Mazatzal in Dec. the temp. plummeted the minute the sun went down & I holed up right away. The lantern & stove made the tent toasty warm so I could slip off my glove for cooking & a bit of quick writing in my journal without freezing my fingers to death. They may not be for everyone, but they're staying in my pack.

 

When the weather is nice, I don't pack a tent at all, just a heavy-duty rain poncho w/ metal eyelets around the edge so that it can be strung up as an emergency shelter if it rains. When I head to Ca. this Sept. for my blacktail, I'll be trading my tent for a bivy sack.

 

As time goes on, you'll acquire a ton of gear so that you can adapt your load to the specific situation that you're venturing into. My May pack for the White Mountains was a heck of a lot different than my Dec. pack for the Mazatzal was.

 

Matt S.

[jnobleinaz]

I have one question for all of you guys. How do you keep the meat from going bad on a hunt like this? If it is warm i do not see it possible. I would like to hear input.

[cjw2222]

I like the simpler the better mentality, but have trouble with it in the desert. Some of the places I've been in the last eighteen months would have you spending a heck of a lot of time fishing for fire wood, time that I'd rather spend hunting. There just wasn't much to burn & what was there was so small & dry that it burned as quick as a match stick. A single butane/propane bottle weighs ounces & the lantern/stove that screw on also weigh next to nothing.

 

When I was in the Mazatzal in Dec. the temp. plummeted the minute the sun went down & I holed up right away. The lantern & stove made the tent toasty warm so I could slip off my glove for cooking & a bit of quick writing in my journal without freezing my fingers to death. They may not be for everyone, but they're staying in my pack.

 

When the weather is nice, I don't pack a tent at all, just a heavy-duty rain poncho w/ metal eyelets around the edge so that it can be strung up as an emergency shelter if it rains. When I head to Ca. this Sept. for my blacktail, I'll be trading my tent for a bivy sack.

 

As time goes on, you'll acquire a ton of gear so that you can adapt your load to the specific situation that you're venturing into. My May pack for the White Mountains was a heck of a lot different than my Dec. pack for the Mazatzal was.

 

Matt S.

 

 

I second that. I too was in the Mazatzals this December and i only spent one night there and froze my a** off. I am definately going to continue taking a stove during winter months as well

[hunter4life]

jnoble, What I do with the meat all depends on the temperature and how cold it gets at night. Once you get an animal down, taking care of the meat is the first priority. I immediately skin and quarter the animal and then hang it in the shade or place it on rocks in the shade if there are no trees big enough to hang it from. At this point the meat cools from evaporation. If it is getting cold at night (30-40F) you can find a good shady place and hang the meat in gamebags. It seems to be okay for two days or so even if it is getting up into the 80's during the day. If it is hotter than this, I just let the meat cool by evaporation for a bit and then pack it out to the truck and a waiting ice chest. Coues deer are pretty easy because they can be carried out in one trip including camp and everything else.

[audsley]

Good question.

 

I once shot a large, heavy-bodied buck at first light and didn't get it on ice until around noon the following day.

 

I had to travel down a deep canyon too rugged to allow carrying everything, so I carried half the deer and half the gear to a point where the going got easier, hung the meat from some nylon cord tied to a tree trunk and lowered it down a cliff face (with a human-scented shirt wrapped around it), then went back for the rest. Because it was simply too dangerous to stumble over treacherous terrain in the dark (this was the kind of country where you have to use your hands to climb up and down in places), I spent the night in the canyon bottom still not having caught up to the first load. Surprisingly, the meat I had left hanging unattended on the cliff had fared better than the half I slept next to. The hanging meat had not been molested, but the 2nd load (hindquarters) suffered repeated visits from a ringtail during the night. Fortunately, the ringtail ate only in the one small spot where he'd gnawed a hole through the cloth game bag.

 

Temperatures out on the nearby desert were probably mid to high 70s, but the canyon bottom was completely shaded all day and stayed cool, probably never gettng above 65. This is due to cooler air sinking as well as the shade factor. During the night temperatures in the canyon bottom probably got down to about 40 which chilled the meat very nicely in advance of the next day's mile-long trek through mesquites and palo verdes. In the end, the meat was just fine.

 

As I see it, the whole purpose of a backpack hunt is to get into country you could not otherwise reach by first light or return from after dusk. That can mean country that is extremely rugged, remote or both.

 

I spent much of the 80s searching for a mythical Lost Canyon of the Monster Bucks that I'd convinced myself must exist, a place where no one goes because it can only be reached by three or four hours of rough bushwhacking, and where the buck-doe ratio is 50-50 and the ground is littered with huge sheds, and the deer have scarcely seen humans before. Such settings do exist in abundance in southern Arizona, although I'm no longer certain they produce deer in the quantities or qualities I'd imagined. But for a few years it was like searching for a lost mine, and I had fun and certainly saw a lot of interesting stuff along the way, including some nice bucks.

 

That said, I vote for going as light as possible and for thinking through in advance just what you're going to do if you get a big deer, taking into considerating the weather, terrain and whether or not the area is remote enough that you could even stash some non-essential belongings and come back later. Backpacking in extremely rugged places is already hard enough before the deer hits the ground.

[cmc]

I spent much of the 80s searching for a mythical Lost Canyon of the Monster Bucks that I'd convinced myself must exist, a place where no one goes because it can only be reached by three or four hours of rough bushwhacking, and where the buck-doe ratio is 50-50 and the ground is littered with huge sheds, and the deer have scarcely seen humans before. Such settings do exist in abundance in southern Arizona, although I'm no longer certain they produce deer in the quantities or qualities I'd imagined. But for a few years it was like searching for a lost mine, and I had fun and certainly saw a lot of interesting stuff along the way, including some nice bucks.

 

I seemed to have picked up where you left off Audsley... That must have been your yard-sale I bought that coues hunting map at... now things are starting to come together.

 

 

Once the meat is down on the ground it is the number 2 most important task in your life at that point, with your life being always at #1 level. What good is meat in the freezer if you're dead!

 

That being said, skin fast, quarter and get into a shady spot. If at all possible let the wind be your friend. De-bone the meat next and get it broken down in size this also helps in dispensing of heat. Do your best to ward off critters, urinate in the area, change your socks and let hang near the meat, although with my feet I'm not sure that's a good idea. If you hang meat think about how the sun will move. Might be shady now but how about in 3 hours or in the AM if hanging in the dark. Hate to get back there the next morning and see it's been in the sun for the better part of the morning.

 

Next it's time to figure out how to pack it out ASAP if it's warm. Figure out if you can leave gear and come back the next weekend to get it? Sometimes like Audsley said pack part to a point then go back and get the rest tag-teaming till you get the whole thing out. Try to have coolers with blocks of ice back at your vehicle. Coues deer you should be able to debone pack out meat, hide and head in all one trip. Should be able to is the key word. It's going to hurt but hey... you can rest in the off season. Right?

 

Or should be due to being in good shape... This is where physical conditioning comes in to play and preseason training will pay off big time. Light weights, get in a ton of cardio and stretch as often as you can. Do something every day!!! As I shiver my butt off at 5am each morning I get to bike ride 13 miles into work in the dark I question why.... well my motivation is an 80lb pack full of camp gear and bear meat on a 10 mile pack out to the truck come end of March.... and not being tired doing it, that there is the key! Not dieing while doing it.

 

Want to figure out how to drop 10lbs on your backpack hunting weight... try loosing those love handles. Training in the off season is by far more vital than weight reduction of gear in your pack. And for the most part it costs a lot less too with far longer payoffs than just hunting. This years bear hunt I'm already 20lbs lighter on my boots and my pack weight will be the same as last years. That's a big perk over last year and my knees are loving it. I suggest you run if you can, if not then jog, if not then just walk, hike with or without a pack just do it. Bike, lift weights, swim, stair step, WHATEVER... just do something for 1/2hr - 1hr each day.... every day you can for 3 months before the hunt! Toss in eating right and (gulp...dare I say it) cut out the beer till after the hunt is over and I bet you'll thank yourself 10 times over when you get back home and feeling great. My recovery time after a hunt is not near what it was the past 3 years. Why... I got chubby... ok flat out FAT. But that's changed as I built back some stamina and dropped a few pounds and the hunts don't hurt like the use to.

 

 

I also stretch like all get out not because I like to but I have to. I have almost no cartilage in my knees and the only way I can fend off the knee pain is to keep the legs limber by stretching, should be every day but I slack off at times and only get in 2-3 times a week. It's makes carrying a 50lb pack for hours on end go a lot easier when the back is loose and not aching tight from the strain the weight. Dare I mention how it keeps you from pulling up lame part way through a hunt. Oh and for those new to stretching I suggest you try reading a book titles "Stretch to Win". It's an awesome read and proven program to get you limber and ready for hunting. It was refereed to my by a professional personal trainer with of over 15+ years experience, an AZ hunter and a who also happens to be my brother. (shameless plug if you don't mind but he owns JDM Personal Training in Phx. (http://www.jdmpersonaltraining.com/) so if you know someone looking or you are... hit him up.)

 

Back to packing meat out.... If possible you can also make arrangements with someone that has horses to come in and pack it out for you. Some places offer cell service from top of the mountains, I've been surprised where I get cell service back in the boonies. Maybe your packer can bring in an extra mule to haul you out too.... Just make sure to work out all the details before hand with them leaving no unanswered questions to what each party is responsible to do.

 

Hope that helps some.

 

cmc

[mattys281]

I've been doing a heck of a lot of jogging this last year. Did a seven miler yesterday in the rain. Fortunately, it didn't pick up while I was out, but that slow drizzle still had me soaked by the time I got home.

 

The first pack in hunt I tried was last Dec. (2006) in the Superstitions. I got about 8 miles deep and was literally broken by the moutains. That trail was horrible & overgrown, I had cat claw scratches from my finger tips to my shoulders & those thickets even ripped off fletchings from two arrows & one of the rubber feet off my tripod. Two important lessons came out of that: 1.) what looks good on google earth & on topos is not always good, so scout or talk to some people who have actually hiked an area before wasting hunting days in it. 2.) Physical training is paramount. I was about 2/3 up a big hill on a trail that showed no eveidence of having been walked in years when I simply couldn't go any further. My head hung low & I felt about as tough as a ten-year-old girl on my way out. I was beaten, and not by a slight margin. One night & eight miles was all it took. I could hear Cameron Hanes laughing in my head. That trip has been strong motivation & the memory has kept my feet moving even when my butt's dragging on lots of hikes & jogs since then.

[cmc]

I got a mountain just like that down south that did it to me. The week after I was home is when it hit me to change things up.

 

Cameron Haynes has some good ideas on the subject. I'm re-reading his book this week to keep the motivation going.

 

My hat is off to you for running in the rain. I'll hunt in just about any weather but thus far I'm a fair weather exerciser. No bike or run in the rain yet.

 

I'll be out running tomorrow though as other things are keeping me from riding in this week.

 

cmc

[CouesWhitetail]

Well, you guys know I love backpack hunting. I don't have the weight on all my gear, but here is a link to a thread where I posted some pics of the gear and descriptions.

http://forums.coueswhitetail.com/forums/in...amp;hl=backpack

 

I usually don't take the tent and just us a bivy sack. That works great for me. Bivy sacks add a lot of warmth and cut the wind. Frequently even if you have no rain or snow, it will be windy at night and that can really chill you down if you don't have a tent/tarp or bivy to break the wind. Bivy is nice because you can stuff all your clothes and such in it while you are out hunting and everything stays dry and protected.

 

For a backpack I use an external frame pack that was my dad's old boyscout pack. I love it! It's light and sturdy, but I suppose a slightly larger oen would be nicer for packing out the buck and gear.

 

For food I find that Lipton noodle or rice packets mixed with some tuna is just right for a dinner for me. Tuna comes in those foil packs now with spices already added and the lipton noodle packs come in a great variety so you don't get tired of eating the same thing. Bagels, cheese sticks, jerky and granola bars are also staples for me.

 

Amanda

 

Photo below shows what happens when I decide the weather will be mild and so don't bother bringing the tent! My bivy sack is the red one on the right, my poor husband had just the orange plastic tube tent to shelter him during the rain and snow that fell for hours! Love the adventure of a backpack hunt!!

 

[mattys281]

I've got a good lite-weight tent. REI Quarter Dome. Literally takes maybe 3 minutes to set up & weighs less than 3.5 lbs. It's a great place to do your cooking & writing out of the wind. I also usually carry a little bottle of scent shield so that I can spray my clothes at the end of the day & put them between my bag & pad to dry overnight. Much more pleasant doing that in your long-johns when you can get out of the wind.

[cmc]

I guess although I have a list of gear I never gave details of some of it.

 

Kelty Teton 2 tent.

Mountain Hardware Clouds Rest 5 deg down bag for cold times.

SlumberJack 10deg bag for warm weather (don't let the 10deg rating fool you it's only good to 30 if that)

Brunton Raptor folding stove (cuz it has a self igniter which is a godsent over my MSR Pocket rocket)

Thermarest Z-lite for ultralight or quick trips

InsulMat air mattress pad for comfort trips or space an issue.

Kelty Coyote 4750 Internal Frame pack.

Platapus & Camelback 100oz blatter (one is a spare)

UnderArmor Cold Gear

[mattys281]

I guess although I have a list of gear I never gave details of some of it.

 

Kelty Teton 2 tent.

Mountain Hardware Clouds Rest 5 deg down bag for cold times.

SlumberJack 10deg bag for warm weather (don't let the 10deg rating fool you it's only good to 30 if that)

Brunton Raptor folding stove (cuz it has a self igniter which is a godsent over my MSR Pocket rocket)

Thermarest Z-lite for ultralight or quick trips

InsulMat air mattress pad for comfort trips or space an issue.

Kelty Coyote 4750 Internal Frame pack.

Platapus & Camelback 100oz blatter (one is a spare)

UnderArmor Cold Gear

 

I've also found that. My 20° bag is good from around 30-50° & my 0° bag is good from the mid teens up into the 30's. I'm pretty thin though, so the absence of anything that resembles muscle or body fat is probably a factor. This leads back around to what's been said before, though: test your gear before your hunt so you'll know things like this!

[cmc]

This leads back around to what's been said before, though: test your gear before your hunt so you'll know things like this!

 

 

Exactly. This past weekend I finally got to test my Kelty tent in the rain so while out archery deer hunting and spent the night on a hillside in the rain down south about 3/4 mile from the jeep. The tent did great, my new jacket doesn't breath as well as I'd hoped but did keep me dry from the elements. I can't imagine camping like that Amanda in just a bivy without a tarp. Wow. Ultra light.

 

I've tested just about everything once, if not twice before I got out on a very long trip.

 

cmc