I finally scratched an itch I've had for a number of years and after a lot of product research and dropping some dough (ouch!) I geared up to do some ultra-light backpack hunts.
I'm pretty excited about the whole deal as it's gonna boost my quality hours afield by a long shot while not taking away from my family time. I employed my new hunt method for the first time on a 2 day/1 night bear hunt the other day and I cant wait for the next, and the next, etc. I hiked in 5 miles in 2+ hours into some sweet undisturbed country. I even saw a bear...lots of Elk and Deer, almost got a shot on a scraggly coyote, and saw a nice mountain goat. Long story short...I bumped a herd of Elk who bumped the unseen Black Bear, who ran out of the south facing meadow into the timber never to be seen again. Decent Bear though.
Anyway, if anyone has thought about doing this style of hunting I can now highly recommend it. Keeps you in the woods at the right times of the day and no more rushing in and out before/after dark and gettin home at 11 pm etc. Plus its almost automatic to getting away from other hunters. Here are some pics, and if anyone has any advice on gear etc. I'd love to talk some about it...
Soundin good,,lets see them pics,,
Looks like the pics are as elusive as the bears! :D
Randy, have you read cameron haines books on this subject and or checked out his website. He has alot of info. on this type of hunt.
Look forward to the pics. (Wish I was in Montana :})
Headin out...havent broke a sweat yet!!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Ranman/IMG_0576.jpg)
A good spot to glass/camp!! 5 trail miles in.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Ranman/IMG_0585.jpg)
After dropping some gear I went exploring about 1.5 miles further. And saw the bear... however briefly.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Ranman/IMG_0581.jpg)
A beautiful AM.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Ranman/IMG_0584.jpg)
My Gear...minus some clothes. About a 25# pack dependin on how much water on board.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Ranman/IMG_0586.jpg)
Randy, nice photos. Can you give us the details on your gear and/or on anything you would change out?
Thanks Paul
I have always wanted to do that. How much to get set up? Please give us all the specs.
great pic's
Is that the Lost River pack? I traded for one recently, but haven't loaded it out yet. Do you get much sag in the pack when it's loaded out?
For anyone needing/thinking about gear, REI has a pretty great sale going on through the 13th I think. Their subkilo sleeping bag - which I've used the past several years with good results - is $80 off. Thermarest 4 season is $30 off. Jetboil stove $30 off. It's a good time to stock up for anyone thinking about buying for elk season etc.
All the stuff you see there plus another water bottle, ground cloth and e-kit went in the pack except the sleeping bag. The sleeping bag and long underwear, fleece shirt, extra socks went in a small saddle-cloth duffle (first pic)and lashed to bottom of pack. Rain coat and fleece pullover lashed on top.
OK Gear...L to R
1. Fuel Cannister 4oz.
2. MSR Pocket Rocket stove
3. Big Agnes insulated air mattress (in black bag)
4. MSR Titanium Pot with lid.(came with stove in this case)
5. Quart Water Bottle (2) 1 not shown. Gatorade bottles are lighter!
6.MSR water filter (had it for years)
7.Big Agnes Seedhouse Super Light 1 tent. Compressed.
8. 25 degree MontBell #2 Ultralight Super Stretch 800 fill Down bag (Amazing)Great if you are claustrophobic like me or a big dude.
9. Food mesh bag for hanging
10. Lost River Pack. Seemed to do quite well with 25-30#'s
11. Missing from photo...Tyvek ground sheet, 1 tent pole and stakes, 1 gatorade quart watter bottle.
SWEET set up. That looks like it would be awesome.
If I tried to hike five miles herre I'd have to cut thru 30 peoples backyards.
the public land in Montana is unbelieveable.
(of course ya got to draw for freaking tags :mad: )
Waitng to read another good bear story. Ya know if ya switched to a nice short sinew backed bendy handled bow ya'd save a couple pounds :jumper:
That's what I'm talkin about, right there! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
That's awesome! That's exactly what I plan to do in GA in the near future. I am in the process of gearing up right now! I just need to find someone to go with me who isn't afraid of a little heat and bugs! :)
So how much water did you pack and how did you transport it? Also, would you recommend bringing water or just purifying it as needed?
Matt
Oh yeah, does Lost River have a website?
Matt
Paul, thanks I'll look him up.
Steve, for the big 4 (tent,bag,mattress,stove system) lightest, and smallest (read best of the best) 3 season gear you are looking at...
1. Tent/bivy $160.00-$300.00
2. Bag $220-$380
3. Mattress $60-$90 for comfort and packability (volume)
4. Stove/pot $60-$90 for store bought...or...build your own simple alcohol stove using 3 oz. cat food can and burn Denatured alcohol for under $5
Very easy to do. Will boil 2 cups cold water in about 8-9 minutes using 2oz. fuel. Need wind screen though.
5. other stuff...$100 estimate... depends on what you already have etc.
6. Some stuff can be found on web-sites with classifies similar to ours here on the gang for great prices. I was in a hurry though.
Ton of variables to the above list and what each person will need for their part of the country and etc. etc. etc....but some great stuff out there to look at. There are some great light backpacking web-sites with forums/reviews/classifides to look at and do research I would highly recommend. These people are on the cutting edge and can cut down on some buyer remorse.
David Sapp...didnt notice any sagging...but I didnt have a mirror either.LOL. Lash points were great. I hoped not to have to add the small duffle but really I ended up needing 2. One for top and bottom and also keep everything completely dry. It may be the best way to go anyway. I could have used the expandable game pouch for extra volume but decided against it this time.
I was thinking about trying a Jim Horn Canadian Pack or perhaps Alaskan model also. Cant find the Canadian model anywhere though to look at lash points etc.(I like the bottom lash points on a pack). Thinking of calling them direct tomorrow to get the scoop. Their expandability may be the ticket.
Ferret...you can buy Bear tags over the counter. One of the most pleasant times of the year to hunt the mountain west too. No bugs, no crowds, no heat, and easy walking (no tall growth yet), and beautiful green as far as the eye can see.
And I like my heavy 3 piece lonbows with a big quiver with lots of arras for stump shooting. I just switch arms more often while carrying it. ;)
Charlie...thanks Bud...I was hopin you would look in!
Matt...I didnt end up filtering any water on this trip but wanted to pack it anyway for future reference about pack size etc. Chlorine dioxide tablets are a good option these days and are available along with the other chems. I wouldnt carry more than 2-3 quarts at a time if you can help it unless you were in a dry area. I'd rather filter or treat the water available and only carry 1-2 quarts at any one time. The pack is Bison Gear Lost River model. Web-site yes.
That is awesome info. Thank you Randy. :notworthy:
Hey Randy, Great photos. I really appreciate the help you gave me the other day. Just fixin' to serve that string and shoot it in. Also just finished fletching my first dozen woodies. I will get pics up later. Will be in touch, TMG.
:thumbsup:
Great stuff Randy, & super pics. Thanks for the run down on the gear.
Hope to see a bear story soon.
Robin
I got tired of scrolling up and down, so here is the picture of the gear and the list together in one post.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Ranman/IMG_0586.jpg)
OK Gear...L to R
1. Fuel Cannister 4oz.
2. MSR Pocket Rocket stove
3. Big Agnes insulated air mattress (in black bag)
4. MSR Titanium Pot with lid.(came with stove in this case)
5. Quart Water Bottle (2) 1 not shown. Gatorade bottles are lighter!
6.MSR water filter (had it for years)
7.Big Agnes Seedhouse Super Light 1 tent. Compressed.
8. 25 degree MontBell #2 Ultralight Super Stretch 800 fill Down bag (Amazing)Great if you are claustrophobic like me or a big dude.
9. Food mesh bag for hanging
10. Lost River Pack. Seemed to do quite well with 25-30#'s
11. Missing from photo...Tyvek ground sheet, 1 tent pole and stakes, 1 gatorade quart watter bottle.
For the big 4 (tent,bag,mattress,stove system) lightest, and smallest (read best of the best) 3 season gear you are looking at...
1. Tent/bivy $160.00-$300.00
2. Bag $220-$380
3. Mattress $60-$90 for comfort and packability (volume)
4. Stove/pot $60-$90 for store bought...or...build your own simple alcohol stove using 3 oz. cat food can and burn Denatured alcohol for under $5
Very easy to do. Will boil 2 cups cold water in about 8-9 minutes using 2oz. fuel. Need wind screen though.
5. other stuff...$100 estimate... depends on what you already have etc.
6. Some stuff can be found on web-sites with classifies similar to ours here on the gang for great prices. I was in a hurry though.
Thanks for the info! I have just purchased a SteriPen for treatment purposes. I did this after reading about the taste that tablets and even the MSR Miox leave in the water.
Matt
Great stuff Randy! Lookin forward to some bear pics too, not seen anything but wolves and gophers over here ;)
Randy-
You can add a flexible ?polycarb frame (like in the Dwight Schuh series) to the Lost River if it has the right attachment tabs. I've needed to get in touch with Angelo about seeing how it attaches and if I can get my pack retofitted. With the frame a light meat load could also be carried out and more lashing options of gear could be had.
David
Beautiful Country, what part of Montana is that?
Just gorgeous!! What a place to hunt and just plain enjoy! Thanks for sharing it and the gear selection with us. Cheers, Matt
Thanks for doin that Larry.
Matt, I have heard a little about the steri-pen's. Dont know a lot though. Will look them up. Chlorine dioxide tabs do not have the bad taste associated with iodine. There is also a bad taste "killing" tablet you can use after iodine to "clean" the bad taste out. They often come in the same package.
Robin...Hey Buddy, good to hear from you.
:wavey:
Doug...I just hope to get some stalk opportunities this year. A bear would be a bonus but a big taxi bill too. :( Tryin again in a different area tomorrow night after work. Gonna go see how deep the snow is up the Canyon. Should be a nice night out.
David...how much do those frames weigh anyway? Have any idea? I have almost bought them a few times over the years. I just figured I'd throw 20-40 lbs meat in the expandable bag on the Lost River for that first trip out to the car. Supposed to be able to handle it. Thats one of the reasons I was looking at the Jim Horn packs...they have a light molded polycarb type frame inside that adds some rigidity for a slightly heavier load of say 60-70 lbs I would guess.
Panzer...South West MT, near Bozeman.