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Last minute tips

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Last minute tips

Postby >>>---WW----> » 07 29, 2012 •  [Post 1]

Elk season is only two weeks away for me. So, I figured it might be a good time to share some last minute tips that can be used for either elk camp or the hunt itself. I'll kick it off with a couple.

Lights are always nice around camp. Those solar driveway lites are the cats meow for me. Set them out in the sun during the day and they will provide light in or around your camp all night long.

Sometimes clean clothes can be a problem. I usually have enough underclothes to last me awhile or at least until I can run into town and hit the laundrymate real quick. But here is what I usually do for my hunting clothes. I fill a 3 gallon bucket about 2/3 full of water and add a cup of baking soda. Then I put my shirt and hunting pants in and stir it up real well and let it soak all night long. The next morning I hang them on a line to dry. I switch out every other day wearing one set while the other set is drying. Does it get them clean? Heck NO! But camo is supposed to look like dirt anyhow, right? But it sure does get rid of all the B O and other human odor. I suppose you could throw you under things in there also. But, the may not come out looking so nice and white. LOL!

When you take them off the line. they may be stiff as a board from all the baking soda they soaked up. But give them a shake of two and they will soften right up. I hunted a whole month once with only two sets of clothes by alternating them every other day. And I started out each day smelling fresh as a daisy. Well, maybe fresh as a box of baking soda. LOL!
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby easeup » 07 29, 2012 •  [Post 2]

I would have never thought of the patio lights mr.ww-->.

thanks for the tip.
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby ElkNut1 » 07 29, 2012 •  [Post 3]

Make sure you have plenty of calls & keep them protected from the heat & sun! Early season do tons of listening & sitting after calling if hunting dark timber! I'll be giving chili powder a shot this year! (grin)

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Re: Last minute tips

Postby Bullnuts » 07 29, 2012 •  [Post 4]

I always have an extra string and cable set for my bow and a portable press. I cut a string a few years ago and it cost me a full day of hunting driving into the nearest big town and getting things set back up. I also bring a bottle of Sports Wash or Scent Killer laundry detergent with me and wash my clothes in a big plastic tote. For WW, I also always have TP in my pack- not trying to start anything...just saying...
I keep three knives, a Gerber saw, and knife sharpener in my pack, along with an LED flashlight and other stuff that will help me make it through a night in the woods if I have to.
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby Lefty » 07 29, 2012 •  [Post 5]

Make sure the sound is off on your phone/camera ,watch etc
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby >>>---WW----> » 07 30, 2012 •  [Post 6]

Bullnuts: wELKome to the forum. As for the TP, at a buck a sheet, you are just too pricey. However I do carry a full roll with me at all times now. And I'll never eat Russ' chilli again. LOL!

Another tip and reason for the full role of TP. It is great for marking blood trails as well as for obvious reasons!
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby N5J » 07 30, 2012 •  [Post 7]

1. I take a small piece of cardboard (pin card) and mark sight pins 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60. I've had sight pins come loose...I take out my (pin card) re-adjust my pins accordingly and can be hunting in no time.
2. Take extra fiber for your sight pins...incase one breaks.
3. Shoot with all your hunting gear on before you are in the field hunting...never know what you'll hit with the string. :D

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Re: Last minute tips

Postby welka » 07 30, 2012 •  [Post 8]

If you haven't practiced this already, do these last two "hunting" practice scenarios:
1 Draw your bow, hold for 2 minutes and shoot at small circle inside 15 yards (simulates a bull staredown). If you haven't done 2 minutes, you'll see why after you try it.
2 From at least 25 yards, draw, hold for 10 seconds, mew with a mouth diaphragm and then shoot within 3 seconds. If you haven't practiced stopping a bull, you will be surprised at how much it can throw off your shot when you have to react quick.

Good luck!
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 07 30, 2012 •  [Post 9]

Hike, hike, hike, and then hike some more. For those who are venturing into the backcountry in September, you should already be in damn good shape by now. Final conditioning should be training how you will hunt, with some weight on your back and hitting the hills. Nothing can prepare those who do not live at high elevations for the change but being in top CV and weight bearing condition helps a ton. RJ
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby bowpackerrob » 07 31, 2012 •  [Post 10]

I always carry some duct tape, mole skin, and dental floss. Dental floss is exceptionally strong and is great for repair or patching broken straps, boot laces or serving on a string. Of course we all plan on none of this ever happening. Duct tape and mole skin is for the blisters we never expect to get.
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby >>>---WW----> » 07 31, 2012 •  [Post 11]

Duct tape is also an excellent fire starter. Take a piece about 3-4 inches long and roll it up like a small stick and lite one end of it. It will burn for a couple of minutes and helps to get a fire going. Also, Fritos corn chips not only taste good but they burn a long time and can also be used as a fire starter.
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby Bullnuts » 07 31, 2012 •  [Post 12]

WW - A buck a sheet is cheap compared to the price of a new t-shirt!
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby cnelk » 07 31, 2012 •  [Post 13]

Trim your toenails!!! Before season starts!
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby Vanish » 07 31, 2012 •  [Post 14]

cnelk wrote:Trim your toenails!!! Before season starts!


Damn, you beat me to it!
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby Goneelkn » 08 05, 2012 •  [Post 15]

For those of you that use trail tape. Take thin metal, i use the back of a hack saw blade, heat it up with a torch and burn a "x" on both sides of the roll. Best way to keep it from unraveling.
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby 2OArchery » 08 05, 2012 •  [Post 16]

Goneelkn wrote:For those of you that use trail tape. Take thin metal, i use the back of a hack saw blade, heat it up with a torch and burn a "x" on both sides of the roll. Best way to keep it from unraveling.


Excellent tip. I always carry a roll in my truck and in my pack. I only use it to mark things like blood or where I was when I shot, but it is invaluable to me. That's a really good idea.
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby N5J » 08 05, 2012 •  [Post 17]

Blood trailing Tip! Here is one (Tip) I picked up from another site to help in those tough tracking jobs!

1). Peroxide in a spray bottle for those tough trailing jobs…blood will bubble up. There are a lot of plants out there with red on them and this trick helps differentiate between blood or plant color.

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Re: Last minute tips

Postby mattstanton » 08 05, 2012 •  [Post 18]

Take, d-loop material, couple feet of serving, one allen wrench for each size bolt on your bow. Zip ties are great for repairing gear. Duct tape is a must for gear repairs but mainly for covering hot spots and blisters on your feet. Clip your toe nails. Bring a large hankerchief (spelling?). They are great for many types of weather. Use as a scarf in cold weather, cover your neck while spotting to keep from getting scorched, and my favorite, wet it down and put it around your neck to keep cool. I carry a lightweight shimagh for this purpose. Lots more out there but those are the ones that come to mind first.
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby CrazyElkHunter » 08 05, 2012 •  [Post 19]

Just a few things that can ruin your trip. I see every year when we are getting our last minute stuff before we head up the hill at WalMart. Hunters driving thousands of miles and go up to the clerk to get there OTC tags and forgot there Hunter Safety Certificate from there home state. They will not sell you a tag without one in Colorado. It can really be a disappointment after spending months of planning, traveling long distances and expense only to find out you can not hunt. I see it every single year. The other is, don't forget to purchase a Colorado OHV permit. The last couple of years there were even roadside check stations 1/2 way up the mountain to make sure hunters had them. It was not required a few years back, if you had your OHV registered in your home state, but now it is. Another thing that new hunters may not know is your weapon, rifle or bow, has to be in a case when on a OHV or open vehicle like a jeep. Rifle scabbards and open bow racks are not considered legal. Soft cases are ok as long as they are zipped closed.
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby Bullnuts » 08 05, 2012 •  [Post 20]

CrazyElkHunter wrote:Just a few things that can ruin your trip. I see every year when we are getting our last minute stuff before we head up the hill at WalMart. Hunters driving thousands of miles and go up to the clerk to get there OTC tags and forgot there Hunter Safety Certificate from there home state. They will not sell you a tag without one in Colorado. It can really be a disappointment after spending months of planning, traveling long distances and expense only to find out you can not hunt. I see it every single year. The other is, don't forget to purchase a Colorado OHV permit. The last couple of years there were even roadside check stations 1/2 way up the mountain to make sure hunters had them. It was not required a few years back, if you had your OHV registered in your home state, but now it is. Another thing that new hunters may not know is your weapon, rifle or bow, has to be in a case when on a OHV or open vehicle like a jeep. Rifle scabbards and open bow racks are not considered legal. Soft cases are ok as long as they are zipped closed.


THANK YOU for passing on the info about weapons in a scabbard! Every year I see guys riding around with bows and guns out in the open. I hope others heed that advice.
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby ElkNut1 » 08 05, 2012 •  [Post 21]

WW, thanks for the Topic!!! Good stuff guys!!!

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Re: Last minute tips

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 08 05, 2012 •  [Post 22]

A few more....Bring an extra set of truck keys. Either hide a set in the woods by your truck if you're doing a backcountry hunt, or, give a set to your buddy to have in his daypack at all times if hunting from a basecamp. Yep... a tip from experience. I've never made the same mistake again. :oops: Lock in your wild game processor in the area you're hunting in (know his hours of operation, location, how late you can drop by your meat, if he's open on the weekend, etc.). Don't want to be driving around in 80 degree weather with a field dressed elk and no place to take it.
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby Bullnuts » 08 06, 2012 •  [Post 23]

Also, don't forget to tell someone where you're hunting and when you expect to be back. Getting lost isn't the only thing that can happen in the back country and it's sure nice to know that if you get banged up someone will eventually come looking for you.
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Re: Last minute tips

Postby Prairie Dog » 08 06, 2012 •  [Post 24]

I hunt alone quite a bit. I have a topo map on the wall inside my trailer, I tape a small circle on the map over the area I will be hunting each day.

The regulars in our camp all know where I went when they check the map. It at least narrows the area down to a square mile or so.
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