It is a nice pack, Im pleased with it and would recommend it highly to anyone looking for a pack. On the mountain Lion front, I was interested and found this... http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/Profiles/Mammals/MountainLion.htm basically, raise your arms, talk calmly and back off. If it attacks "FIGHT!!!!!"
According to that article 156000 deer are killed by lions annually. I actually believe the kill rate is higher. This is due to the fact that lions lose their cache to yotes and other predators. Two deer a week is more like it. That was a good read intended for city folks. If they were to come right out and say, "you're done for", then nobody would ever go to the mountains and spend their money. Moreover, the lions would hafta eat three deer a week! Did you guys know, lions kill more solitary bucks than does? I guess it pays to travel in herds....hint, hint.
I ain't skeered of no stinking lion......As long as the guy I'm with is slower than me, I'll be OK!!! Any of you guys really slow want to hunt with me.....:D On a serious note though, I wouldn't be too enthused about having a damned cat stalk me, but I ain't letting that keep me out of the mountains either!!! :D
I've heard a few stories from different bow and gun hunters on encounters with cats. My friend's wife from Utah told me about one encounter she had last year. A big cat came sneaking thru the trees and paced back and forth around her. She was carrying a rifle but was still pretty tense as he was close. Damn thing wouldn't leave her alone so she had to shoot near the cat to get him to leave. I would imagine Will has a story or two about the kittys!! I picked up a small .357 mag that I carried last fall in Utah. Hardly know I have it on and gives me a little more piece of mind....
Cool , that my hunting partner sorted then . Seriously though Tim , if you hear a loud girly scream ..... you come a running with that pistol ok , i don't hold much confidence in Mark and his Knife lol Is it true that you cannot harm Mtn Lions , unless they attack first or something like that ?
You always have the right to defend yourself in Colorado-against man or beast. However, a lion with a shot up the hinny or in it's side is pretty easy to sort out for most wildlife officers. That would be a tuff one to explain. Scratches and stab wounds would be a lot easier.... Don't make too much of this lads. I have seen four lions in my entire hunting career. They perfer the element of surprise. If you see them, that element can be quickly dissolved. Let's talk about survival and the things you need to pack. Be prepared to survive the moment you leave your front door. Who has what medical conditions? What should the rest of us know to help keep you alive? I'll start: The weather in the mountain can go from being incredibly beautiful to real nasty real fast! You need to be able to make shelter, fire, and signal, Therefore, please have two means of starting fire, a signal mirror, a whistle, bevy sack/space blanket, a means to heat water (the army canteens with the metal cup are awesome). Something bright, like a day glow orange vest laid out will aid a search from above. Please add your thoughts....team participation is manditory.
Ok for starters i'm Asthmatic , but i ALWAYS carry an Inhaler with me in my pack in the fannypack section of my Fieldline . As for the other stuff in my pack , i have everything Will has just mentioned . I wasn't trying to make to much of the Mtn lion thing , but its always good to know the rules and boundaries imo
I dont have any medical conditions that I know of(Last health check was all good) I always have a full survival kit with me including a very well stocked first aid kit with hospital grade heavy wound dressings.
You got that right Will. After hunting just west of Glacier amongst the bears, I'm not as worried about it. Most of us could probably hunt 25 years out there and never see one. As for the pack, plenty of protein bars in case, Water reservoir, Katadyn micropur water tablets, Mirror, a few different fire starter options, rain gear, game bags, two knives, Speedy sharp sharpener, radio, GPS, Spot Personal locator, extra batteries, calls, small first aid kit, small binos, range finder, 2 head lamps, etc. I always seem to take too much that first day and pare it down after that...
I wonder what folks will be carrying the last day compared to what they started with on the first? I'm not even going to list how little I carry for the fear of getting someone else in trouble but being a marine safety instructor and teaching wilderness survival in AK I've got a pretty good feeling for how little a person really needs to "survive"... but being "comfortable" is a whole different level. I'll survive a night or three with the clothes on my back but I may not be comfortable doing it.
Good stuff guys...I've never even had a thought about survival gear with only hunting in IL...all these tips are appreciated. No health problems here either. A pack can sure fill up fast. Water and warmth will be my main focus for survival gear. Besides items mentioned...also plan to have small camera in pack for fresh kill shots
most survival situations last no longer than three to five days. If you're prepared, you'll be found the next day. Preparation is the key....fire, signal, shelter. The reason I bring this up is simple. It's best to prepare well in advance of the hunt. 1 inch strips of newspaper rolled, tied with a piece of string, and then dipped in wax make great fire starter. Four or five of these in your pack are plenty light enough.
For those who have a GPS don't worry about getting Topo maps of the area, I will be bringing my laptop that has all the Topo maps for the US already loaded. Not sure if it will be compatable with other brands of GPS tho mines a Garmin 60CX.
No medical conditions that I know of for me. My pack will have what I need to make it for a few days. I hope that none of us will be in that situation. On another note, I might be buying a new bow in the next few days. :D
Russ, I tend to disagree a bit, because a MAP is an essential part of navigation in unfamiliar area. I think EACH and EVERY one should have a map AND COMPASS, and know how to use them, in my opinion, as sometimes in that dark timber GPS's don't necessarily pick up the greatest, and if someone were to fall on his GPS and break it or something, they could be SCREWED!!! Having said that, the guys who can travel through a place once and have it almost memorized, after one trip through may be okay until the suns drops below the horizon, then all bets are off. The big reason I like the BLM maps is because they show that little plot of private land right smack dab in the middle of a huge section of national forest. I've run into that a coupe times, don't particularly like to intend on being in that situation again if I can prevent it. Checking out the maps, there are some areas that certainly have my interest peaked.
