Ok I think I have let a group of co workers finally talk me into a Colorado trip for Elk. Most of them are retired but we keep in touch. They have neen going each year since the 70's and are very sucessful. Its a DIY hunt, they pack in on rented horses, and leave a camper there all year they stay in, and shower in town. Other that the killing essentials, boots and clothing, give me a run down of the other essentials that are the most important please. This may be this Sept or the following sept! help me out here please!
This answer could have several facets... Gotta break it down. 1. What do you have or are planning for calls? 2. Decoys? This is largely dependent on how you will be hunting 3. What processing gear will you be taking? 4. What about your survival/fire kit? 5. Never forget para cord, duct tape, zip ties, and trash bags!!! 6. What are you taking for optics? 7. Navigation; GPS or paper maps? 8. I hate a misorganized pack. I vacuum seal everything! Great on game bags. 9. For the most, "newbies" tend to overpack. Post your final pack list for critique. 10. Evaluate all of your gear for usefulness. Saws are a great example, totally unneeded IMHO. I'm sure I'll have more.
Garmin 62s with map chip Merino wool base, I like Icebreaker and First Lite Light weight, extreme cold weather sleeping bag, pad Tarp Para cord Havalon Alaska Game Bags Foot spray Socks..wool Odor eater powder..your boots DDW .. in your hair Sitka Gear Vortex Binos Scope, tripod.. Water bladder & Food (on your back) Head light Camera Batteries Med kit Fire stuff GOOD COMFORTABLE BOOTS Advil Snuff Apples Arrows on your pack & on your bow Wind checker Cell phone... charged & powered off Pistol, loaded Range finder ...... that's all for now. Good Luck Brother!
SPOTnSTALK and Backcountry have listed most everything. It sounds like you have a base camp and are riding the horses in every day. If that's the case I would get a good day pack and get in the best shape you can. If its the first time on a horse hopefully you have some experienced horseman. I grew up in the mountains and deserts of Utah, if you have never been on a mountain hunt it is a totally different experience then your use to. There is nothing like bow hunting elk.
I keep hearing para cord, duct tape, zip ties, and trash bags among others as I prepare a list, but what are they in there for? Crick I'm preparing for my first hunt as well. Google has been very valuable, as well as several members here at answering questions. Lately I've been scouring through old threads on Rokslide as there are many topics elk related.
I keep 50' of paracord for 1000 uses. Lash things to pack, tie down damaged shelter, tie up game bags/quarters in the trees, tie up leg of bigger animal allowing you to work on butchering it solo, etc... I keep 20 ft or so of duct tape wrapped around an ink pen to use for patching shelters or other waterproof things, but more importantly to cover blisters. I only keep two zip ties and to be honest have never had to use them. Just as an incase type deal to repair a pack or secure a busted zipper. Trash bags are a waste really unless you only bring in one contractor bag to use as a pack liner to keep your pack blood free once an animal is downed (which I do admittedly). I don't mess with a rain cover for my pack as they aren't completely weatherproof anyway. I keep all my gear within my pack in 3 seperate ultra lightweight dry sacs. One for clothing, one for all my food, and one for all other gear I don't want wet. Helps keep the pack divided out and organized that way as well.
Trevor basically summed up my sentiments as well. Duct tape is a great fire starter as well! I use zip ties for any pack repairs as well as attaching my tag to my animal. Plus, they are light as hell. They will get vacuum sealed in my kill pack with game bags and flagging tape. I really like to pack trash bags for a number of reasons. Pack liners( like Trevor mentioned), drop mat for boned meat, dry seat in wet conditions, and sinking meat in water for cooling.
I like to use trash bags like you said as a mat to do my de-boning and such on. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Ahh didn't think of that. I use a small piece of tyvek as a deboning drop cloth and dry seat for glassing. Much stronger than plastic. I guess weight wise, I come out the same though as another contractor bag.
I would definitely take a survival kit and medical kit in your day pack in case of the unfortunate event you get separated and don't make it back to camp. As it sounds like you won't be carrying home on your back. A lot of people carry tough trash bags for a makeshift shelter or poncho.
I always tell guys the Big 3 items are: -Boots: need all day comfort, good support, break in before hunt -Pack: all day comfort, practice shooting with it on leading up to hunt -GPS: you can go crazy with topo, etc...or as cheap as you can. I dropped $30 on used ebay GPS my first year, worked great - essentially just needs to get you back to camp/truck. If you are hunting from a truck or base camp - it helps that you can pack much less for day hunts. As most do, you'll pack too much along the first time...but better safe than sorry. My tips for elk are be ready to shoot at any time, do not put bow or quiver on your pack, mileage = encounters, stay positive! Getting the opportunity to go with seasoned vets like you mentioned will really help speed your learning curve - regardless, it's hard to beat a week in the Rockies...Enjoy!
In what ball park should I budget for a pair of boots? Also, what features should a GPS have? I've recently purchased an Eberlestock X2 and after loading it up and playing around with it I must say I really like it. Can't wait to see how miserable/wonderful packing out elk quarters will be with it! As I continue building up a gear list I'm going to let you guys critique it and tell me what needs to be taken off.
I think any basic GPS will suffice. Anything that can mark a way point and guide you to where you want. Just bring along a topo map, compass, and hopefully some satellite/aerial picture of the area so you can get an idea of the visual of the area. Then use terrain association.
Scott, Boot prices are all over the board, and I'm a penny pincher when it comes to buying gear - I always wait for sale/promotions/clearance. With that said, both of my pair of boots are Asolo with over $200 regular price. The first ones I bought for $140 I believe during sale at REI, the second ones I bought online for about $95 (www.sierratradingpost.com)...I highly recommend signing up for emails deals on this site, at least once a month they have a 35% and 40% off day...that's some major savings. They also carry some super low priced base layers that we have had great results with...down to about $10 a piece at times. But...back to boots, I'd say it's very likely to spend $100-$200 on boots, you can spend much more if you want or need to in order to get the fit you need. If you get a chance to visit an REI store I recommend it, their boot dept staff are very knowledgeable and helped me a lot, even have a large rock to test boots out on. For $20 you can become a life member at REI, which will get you a couple 20% offs each year, plus their guarantee is hard to beat...you can return anything in first year no questions asked...even if you've already worn them in. GPS: I find myself using it less and less, mostly because my phone works just as good and is faster & more accessible. The bottom line is that any form of GPS saves you steps. I could hunt without one, but I wouldn't always come out right by the truck...GPS keeps you on line to get to truck/camp or to a waypoint you marked to hunt. If you can mark waypoints, it will work fine. After my second year I did go to a Garmin etrex 20 to be able to add maps with topo and private property. I'm very happy with it, and it is nice to see the waypoints over the years build up on the topo map for each wallow or good elk sign I've marked. It did also help me one day stay off private property when I took a back way out to a different road. All the maps I downloaded free online. But...if I had as good a phone then as I do now, I would consider just buying the $10 app for my phone, and keep a cheap or used GPS in pack as backup. I will say I spent way too much time on my GPS my first year, and rightfully so - I had never been to such huge expanses of land...but I do feel you need to put it away at times and just hunt.
My boots this year are Cabellas Full Draw Icebreaker Mid Weight Socks GPS - dealers choice....review above.
Back on GPS.. I have a garmin 62s with the map chip. I highly recommend this tool. AA battery operated and I used it to mark camp and decipher distances for the next days hunt. It has an alarm clock and time of day. Overall it was in my Sitka pants pocket all the time and did help. It also helped show my tracks, areas covered and that were missed. At days end it was a campfire asset. Couple other things would be a good: Sleeping Bag Lighted Nocks Head Light Good Glass or Scope on tripod Merino Base Layers Good Luck
Also, check out the Extreme Bulls DVDs from Steve Chapel. They are great motivators and think there are 7 of them. I have not drawn a tag yet but his calls from Bugling Bull Game Call Co. are great and good to practice with.
