I mean who really hunts wilderness areas?

[Kevrod3]

Its funny to hear people talk about wanting to hunt the remote wilderness areas of the west without anything other than a pack on there back and weapon in their hand. People like Cameron Hanes who hunts 10-15 miles deep into wilderness areas to go for trophy bucks and bulls. So my question is this possible? I don't mean is it plausible, do you guys feel you could hunt without pack animals or a drop camp deep in a remote wilderness? I was talking to a friend we hunt with who has experienced more wilderness and backcountry hunts than I could ever imagine. He said he wouldn't even think of doing a hunt with out a packer. Do you guys feel the same way? I think with meat care alone it would be a must!

So how many of you guys actually spend the majority in a true wilderness area to chase elk?

The places I've hunted are what I would call backcountry, but by no means a wilderness area. Within a half a days walk I could be back to at least to some kind of road where I could be picked up by a vehicle. How many here really put on the miles deep away from all civilization?

Would you have it any other way?

[steveo]

After packing one elk less the 600 yards down a mountain, I can tell you I would never try a wilderness hunt without a Packer. We were tired after cutting up the elk. We were not dead after the movement but I can tell you it was hard and we didn't go up hill.

[elkmtngear]

I hunted Solo Wilderness this Season, killed a bull two miles straight down the mountain, about 2000 feet in elevation change.

Turned out to be one long night, and two days of packing out loads of meat. Certainly doable, but I'm very glad I wasn't 4 or 5 miles in.

If you were 10 to 15 miles back, I would think you'd be looking at adding on at least 4 or 5 days just to get the animal out (hunting solo).

That being said, I'm 53 years old, of small stature, and certainly not able to go into "beast mode" and pack a half an elk out on one trip.

[Indian Summer]

In a word: No! Look at the facts. You can't predict weather when you are planning your hunt in the spring. So what if it's in the 70s? it takes a full day to kill the thing and get one quarter out. If you're lucky you can get 1 per day out after that if you're solo and the backstraps go with the fronts. You'd have to make a 5th trip for the rack. You'd likely lose meat and for starters you'd need 2 weeks for sure to hunt it. Even if you have a partner it can take 2 days that you might not have. Plus your partner's hunt goes down the crapper which isn't a very nice thing for anyone right.

Also.... think about this: Can you really kill an elk on the 2nd to last or last day of your hunt that far in? Remember you have to get camp/gear out too and take care of the meat waiting at the truck. Cam Hanes has unlimited time. That's a HUGE factor.

I'm really thankful to know how to use horses which means not only saddle and ride them but possibly doctoring them too. I'm also hunting where I have access to leasing them along with all the packing gear & a trailer. But packing in with them means 2 extra days because you need to get hay packed in before you can even think about setting camp.

It's really hard to find a packer for hire. First of all to do business on public land they have to be authorized. That means having a USFS user permit which boils down to being an outfitter. A lot of outfitters won't pack for you in their area. Even if you are nearby logistics are a problem. You hunt prime time. They are busy in prime time. Phone signal??? Once your animal hits the ground the clock is ticking and who knows where they are or what they are busy with. When I outfitted I could never commit in advance to packing for people even if I wanted to. I had a few NR hunters with elk down cross paths with one of my guides who knew where to find me and as long as the animal was on or near a trail I'd pluck it out of the hills for them. But that was rare. Obviously any sensible hunter had a plan that was better than hoping to randomly cross paths with someone who can help. They were just glad to make it easier by running into us.

Last comment: It doesn't have to be wilderness to be too far. Elevation is a bigger factor than distance. You can run in & out of a trail that runs the bottom of a wilderness drainage and cover plenty of miles easily enough. But two miles as the crow flies with an elevation gain of a couple thousand feet is a whole other story wilderness or not. Wilderness is a Forest Service term & nothing more.

I hate hunting where I'm worried I might kill an elk. It's a crappy feeling for sure. If I was planning to hunt anywhere that could present a problem I'd have a 4 man crew so one trip would get an elk out and make sure everyone knew that it was one for all and all for one once an elk hit the ground.

[Brendan]

Cam Hanes has unlimited time. That's a HUGE factor.

Won't argue with anything except that - he has a 40 hour a week job like the rest of us. That's why I think he's a pretty impressive guy. With that said, read his book, he lines up a packer for his "deeper" hunts, and his success has probably made things easier for him in recent years in terms of support from his sponsors....

[Indian Summer]

Do you think he takes off a single week from that job to hunt? I'm thinking with sponsorships he is actually "working" while he hunts and can swing more time than a lot of people. Maybe unlimited wasn't the best choice of words but two weeks anyway.

If you can find a packer to hire it opens up a whole other world of opportunities. I haven't had any luck with that when trying for some of my DIY hunters and they've struck out at it on their own too as far as I know. Some will say "Look me up if you get one down and I'll help if I can"

[Lefty]

I would love to hunt a true wilderness hunt,.. but I would have a horse for a backup,. I wouldnt think of true bivi hunts either,.I would make a few trips in or pack in to have a decent camp

[elk.addict]

Going solo, I wouldn't want to go more than 6 miles (well further if I was off of a reasonably flat trail). The furthest I've packed out by myself was a hair over 5 miles with about 1,000' of elevation gain, and it sucked. Fortunately for me, I've got a few pack animals, and they're always getting bigger

pack animals.jpg (48.21 KiB) Viewed 7848 times

[elk.addict]

That being said, I'm 53 years old, of small stature, and certainly not able to go into "beast mode" and pack a half an elk out on one trip.

I helped my buddy on a mature bull this year. It was a short distance and we were in a hurry, so I took 2 hind quarters out in one trip; it was difficult. Now, I'm a big guy and in good shape, and I couldn't imagine doing that more than a mile or so. Maybe some people can actually pack weight like that out long distance, but I'd like to see it to believe it.

[Indian Summer]

My brother and I packed my first bull 12 miles. It was uphill for the first and down for the rest. 6 of them were on a gated road... and it still sucked. Took a couple days. Never again.

[POk3s]

I've hunted fairly deep into wilderness areas but I hunt them more for deer than I do elk. For deer I can start walking in the early morning hours and be 4 miles deep or so. If I kill one I can bone it all out and take it out in one trip....which is what I did this year. Yea the pack sucks but you have a lot of time to get it done and take as many breaks as you need. You also know you don't have to go back in for another load. With elk I haven't killed a wilderness bull but I'm thinking seriously about horses for next year. I just feel like I hunt too hard and scout too hard to have the place crawling with people. A lot of which have "stumbled" across my hard work and screwed it up without knowing. They have to hunt too and I understand that....but I have to do something different!

[pointysticks]

i've done it. same spot in the sierras. did it about three seasons. i have not been back in two seasons.

couple of reasons: the secret is out and the valley is getting crowded.
water up there has been a real problem.

9 miles in. climb up and over 11,000 feet. it was ugly the first year..but i was with friends and one guy got to 11000 and came down and took my pack up for me. (humiliating).

deer are scarce. super challenging. couple of successes amongst my friends. bring the meat out is a chore, and it isnt super cold during the season. you have to boogie.

twice i hiked up solo to meet my friends. i dont love it enough to do the trip entirely solo.

not so sure i will go back. maybe next year if i dont draw a tag..but my friends said there were 12 hunters there this year. too crowded.

[ak32]

If you're in a good shape, then why not?

I can hike 6 miles with 2k of climbing at 9,000ft+ altitude in about 2hrs which makes it easily do-able just for a light and fast day hunt. No need to to haul 60lbs of gear to setup a camp. If you do go in that far, definitely pay the money to have it hauled out by horse for you, well worth it. A lot of people seem to focus on wilderness areas, but there are a ton of BLM/National Forest areas that are road-less and fairly remote as well, but the same logic still applies.

If you do pack it out on your own, go in the later season when it's colder so you can take your time packing it out without worrying about the meat spoiling. In 3rd rifle season in CO in the Gunnison basin the average low temp is 15 degrees Fahrenheit which means if you leave it hanging overnight you could find it frozen solid the next morning when you pack the rest of it out

[pointysticks]

My problem is the logistics. My pack is mostly full going in. Coming out with additional meat is daunting. I figured gear on the outside. Meat inside if I ever get lucky. Second trip? I guess light gear back up just to sleep and eat. And do it again.

[kevin_t]

This was completely wilderness. Granted not super far back, but far enough
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/9268978/First_Season_Backcountry_Elk

[ak32]

This was completely wilderness. Granted not super far back, but far enough
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/9268978/First_Season_Backcountry_Elk

wow nice, looks like the perfect hunt, thanks for sharing

[BrentLaBere]

Taking care of meat is the biggest issue and there are a lot of different scenarios you could play out. Two people can haul an elk out in one trip, but I think that depends on what that person takes, only by legal standards of the state they are hunting in anyway. D Boned hind quarter and front shoulder with 1 tenderloin and 1 back strap is doable for me. Gear and the bones can wait for another trip.

[pointysticks]

^^i've always been to nervous to dump my gear.

if anything bad should happen, i want to be able to have my gear to crawl into.

backcountry is a challenge..no doubt.

[ak32]

^^i've always been to nervous to dump my gear.

if anything bad should happen, i want to be able to have my gear to crawl into.

backcountry is a challenge..no doubt.

same here, what's the point of carrying survival tools in if you're just going to dump it somewhere...unless of course we're talking about non-essential camp equipment or other things.

[BRazz]

Every year without fail I forget how difficult it is to haul elk meat off the mountain. So in August I make plans to head in farther than the year before, and in September/October I remember why we call it good enough after a couple miles. Just got back from a trip where we hauled three elk back to camp. One of them was less than a mile away but up a steep mountain - it was incredibly exhausting even for four guys who are all relatively young and in pretty good mountain shape. Another one was about three miles away and it nearly killed me. I can't imagine doing that for any farther a distance, let alone by myself. I think we owe it to our quarry to take care of the meat - if that can happen then I have nothing but respect for those guys who pack miles and miles into the wilderness. For me, a couple miles is plenty to find some good hunting and still be reasonable with my own limitations.

[pointysticks]

hahha..

my first elk. four guys.
the next day, my brother dropped an even bigger elk. a mile further. so two back to back days of hauling elk. and we were so judicious in removing ALL the meat.

best quote of the second day? (my friend Dusty uttered it), "oh crap..i think i just lost the will to live"

it is possible to laugh too much with a too heavy pack on...that quote probably saved me.

[BrentLaBere]

^^i've always been to nervous to dump my gear.

if anything bad should happen, i want to be able to have my gear to crawl into.

backcountry is a challenge..no doubt.

same here, what's the point of carrying survival tools in if you're just going to dump it somewhere...unless of course we're talking about non-essential camp equipment or other things.

The only things I have carried with me so far is a water purifier and first aid essentials in one pocket and the other with calories and electrolytes.
I see your point with leaving gear if solo.

[NCelkhtr]

I'm new to elk hunting and only been on 2 hunts now. The first hunt we were camped on the edge of the wilderness and hunted 3-4 miles in every day. This year we actually did the back country deal. We didnt have any pack animals (my budy is about as strong as a mule) but thats the closest thing we had to an animal. At our farthest point we were 7.5 miles from the truck (GPS measuring a straight line from point a to point b). It was very tough but we knew that going into it. We actuall passed 1 camp with mules and 1 camp with lamas. It worked on us a bit, enough that out of the 4 of us 1 guy quit and flew back home to North Carolina on the 2nd day. Looking back now I would have to say that on my next trip to the west I will do it the same. It was hard, but worth every bit of it. I dont know if it would be possible for me to do 10-15 miles though.

[Huntrgathr]

10-15 miles in ? Can it be done ? Yes. Is it necessary ? NO. And that's the biggest reason I don't go that deep. I've done a lot of trips that really tested my limits. 5 actual ( not air) miles is about the limit of my solo elk hunts. Beyond that distance, the risks outweigh the benefits. I did an elk shed hunting trip this spring that was what I would consider the absolute maximum distance I'd be willing to go off trail. Went in with a buddy 4.8 miles on cross country skis. After the first day he decided to ski back out with the sheds we had picked up that day and meet me 7 air miles south 4 days later. Over the course of those 4 days I systematically worked drainage after drainage collecting sheds and bivy camping. Every day I covered between 6-8 miles and climbed 2500-3300 ft. I had no weapon but packed at least some sheds the whole time. When I got to the meeting point the river had come up drastically and could not be waded. I camped another day and my buddy came back with an inflatable kayak and gave me the scariest extraction I have ever been a part of. My friend is an experienced paddler and was having trouble shuttling the sheds across the river - 120# in all. Then it was my turn. 2 guys and a pile of gear in a one man kayak crossing a raging river is not my idea of a good time.

I packed my bull this year from 3.19 miles ( just a hair over 1000ft vert) in in 3 trips ( 2 hinds in one trip). A friend ( the same one) showed up for the last trip and packed one front 1/4. It practically destroyed me. If the weather had been conducive to a two day pack out it would have been no big deal but you really can't count on that in september even at high elevation. In my opinion, to go more than 5 miles in and get the meat out in time, you need at minimum 2 superfit hunters to get the job done - 10-15 miles - you better have 4 guys or some pack animals. Factor in the lost hunting time and having to cut your hunt 2 days short and it adds up to a lot of inefficiency - regardless of your work schedule.

Indian Summer made a good point - guarantees from packers are hard to come by when you don't specify when and where ahead of time. And, to my understanding they're not going to pack 10-15 mi without a decent trail. If the area you're hunting has a trail that comes within a couple miles of it, what are you doing going that far in ? The idea is to get away from people. If there's a good trail you can almost count on running into horse hunters or guided hunters. Another issue for me is that I don't want a local packer knowing where I hunt. Call me paranoid but it's not worth the risk IMO.

So in short, it can be done but there's a lot easier ways to kill elk...