Half Cocked, Unlocked, and Loaded Lite
Elk
That's how I feel a week out from my first elk trip. Unlike my turkey trips where I know I have everything I need, I am short on many necessities of elk hunting...and it starts from the ground up. No real boots...just a 10 year ilk pair of hikers. I have my knee high rubber boots but the left one makes a cow call every step. No new fangled wool I hear spoken highly of...no tent..no Garmin...no maps...no snow chains or bumper Jack...no light wt sleeping bag...no bear spray or pistle...no binoculars but I have hopes of borrowing my dad's. No food...no water treatment pills or filter. But I am excited as all get out and possible I van fill in some of the gaps next week. Last week of prep..
Boots? I thought you were going barefoot. Though I guess that special hoochie momma boot might be a secret weapon. Were you planning on backpacking in to set up camp or camping at the road?
No problem! A guy that went with me a couple of years ago showed up the morning we were leaving with most of his gear still in the packages. He had spent the evening before at Cabelas. 'Course, He was a little disappointed that first night when he found he couldn't fit in his sleeping bag!
I kind of have a three pronged approach to my camping situation as of now. Out of the gate I want to take it easy the first couple of days so I will stay close to the truck and sleep in it or camp nearby using a tarp for a tent. Once I get acclimated I will reach out further with bare minimum survival gear because I want to cover as much ground as possible in order to find elk. I will plan a daily circuit of 10 miles or so and end at the truck by nite. If I find elk and get to hunting them until dark, I will just have to make the best of it that nite and sleep by a fire, pulling hot rocks under my poncho for warmth. The next morning after I hunt, I will then go back to the truck and bring tarp and sleeping bag and food for a more comfortable stay. So until I find elk I want to stay light and mobile...I even considered not even taking a bow on these excursions but got talked out of it by other bowsiters.
TBM I have garmin Rhino gps you can use for your trip with manual. Let me know if you want to and I'll ship ASAP
TBM if you still are in need of some good bino's let me know.. I have a pair ill loan you...Nikon monarchs. 10x42's.. Let me know and ill send them out.. Wvarcher
Also, not sure if you had a decent pack or not, I have several that wont be getting any use this year... If you need one let me know..wvarcher
pulling hot rocks under my poncho for warmth.
Really! Be carefull with your rock selection some don't take kindly to abrupt temperature changes and have the potential to explode
Not the wake call you want HDYLMK
John Muir went out for a walk in the Sierras with lunch and decided to stay out the entire summer. This was 100 years ago before we had all this fancy stuff.
You'll be fine.
By any chance are you related to someone named McCandless?
I think what you are proposing CAN be done (and I've done it a couple times- stuck out overnight without sleeping bag/gear) Those night got down to freezing or below and the only solution was to keep the fire burning- which is not conducive to getting a full nights sleep....exhausted the next day in both cases.
Though there are plenty of water sources in the mtns that don't req filtering....when wandering in new areas you may or may not bump into them, filter is a good idea.
Headlamp is a must have.
It's exactly like turkey hunting, only difference being dumber animals due to not residing in Alabama. Just take your turkey set up. They pack the same and everything. You have it licked.
How can you know everything in the world about hunting, but not have a pair of boots? Many on this site have worn out literally dozens of pairs of boots mountain hunting, yet according to you know nothing.
Actually your chief shortcoming is at the top, not " from the ground up".
well if you are serious I would not start a fire out in elk country if you know they are there and also never go without your bow you never know
Man are you in for a WAKE UP Call. I have been in to many bad weather situations in sept in the high country. Please be careful i dont want to have to on a search and rescue mission. Man you need some gear.HUNT
Bravado, ego, and hubris are all quickly destroyed by an unexpected turn of events in the mountains.
Be fair and considerate to the folks that have to come and look for you, and make sure you take all of the essential survival items with you. You can leave your bow at the truck if you want, but take this stuff with you.
Just go & enjoy...but be prepared!
Well I'm working on the food...only had a little over an hour to cook the jerky so I hope that's ok. Had to go with a higher tempature for that short if time but I think it will be good enough.
Is "good enough" next level?
Good enough is not anywhere next level, but I don't think under cooked jerky will hurt my production. T Mac is going to let me borrow his gps and that will be a huge help in the logistics of how I plan to hunt. I just don't have the money to get everything I need right now. But I like the way that feels...I feel like a beginning bowhunter again.
A GPS is going to be the best piece of equipment you will have. It's easy to get turned around when your hunting. Quit sweating the fact that you don't have all "the gear".
Make sure you can get back to your vehicle at dusk and pack enough on your back to shelter through a cold night. I started out like you in 1978 and it's not that hard. Find them and hunt, you'll learn fast enough.
+1 Idyll
Damn funny post TBM with your elk hunting scenarios, I have been elk hunting the back country for many years and have been in some real chit courtesy of mother nature, more than once. Hypothermia in Oregon, stuck for days in the mud in Montana and a monster blizzard in New Mexico to just name a few. Oh, crap forget the broken ankle in Arizona, but was relatively close to a vehicle. Good luck brotha, obviously your not really going to do any of the things you mentioned are you.......Good luck man!
WP
I'm just basically going to hunt them like they are big turkeysthat see about like the ones that turkeyslr hunts only they can smell. Bugle= gobble...cow call = yelp....glunk = drumming. That should do it.
I don't post on Bowsite very much but have been reading it for several years. I have got to post this comment.
There is no way I am buying this bs about you not being prepared any more than you say you are.
I just listed what I don't have and I need to add 2 back tires for my old 99 dodge...that's going to cost me the money I had set back for a tune up. Hopefully the knocking is just a doe nut but it could be one of the lifters. I got the old thing second while on a turkey hunt in Chadron back in 2003. My dad said I would not make it back in my old Isuzu trooper and he was right. The thing locked up out there and I had to buy a new vehicle for to get back home. Hopefully that want reacure this trip. The dodge has served me well but I can tell you this...you don't get a good deal when you drive up on the lot in Nike's.
Eddie c it looks bad when I say what I don't have but looks a whole lot better when I say what I do. I have a tarp, some matches, so of those fire starter things, paracord, and a whole bunch of ingenuity.
Sounds like you owe T Mac a Turkey Hunt. All you really still need is a good topo map and a compass. Daniel Boone did'nt even have those. As soon as you park the truck make sure you save the trucks location as a waypoint on that GPS. Don't get yourself kilt out there. Good luck on your hunt TBM.
I don't know why but I can't get the picture out of my head of western bowsiters pacing back and forth saying " I must stop TBM from coming"(-:
Don't mistake people not wanting you to die for fear/envy of your success.
If you've spent as much time in the woods as you say you have, I'm sure you'll live. You may be really uncomfortable and have to abort some hunting time, but you'll live.
People hike the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada through the Sierras/Cascades with just a sleeping bag and a tarp and do just fine.
You sure do stay up late.
I'm working ER doctor hours for a whole lot less pay.
haha, this is really good. Tbm is jerking all your guys chains and it is working. Probably just a tree hugger that is not really going hunting at all.
That's all fine and dandy TBM but read Hunt Man's post. He's just trying to help. Even if a truck camp is the plan you will need a decent sleeping bag. Since hypothermia is a silent killer not only will you wake up alive but you'll actually have gotten some sleep and be able to hunt. No sleep/no elk hunting.
Other than good boots and lots of water, the two basic necessities are food and sleep. You might be able to hunt them like turkeys but it is NOT turkey country. Are you ready to sleep in the snow in sweat soaked clothes?
But you know I have a certain amount of faith in you man so like I asked somewhere else... what do you have to pack elk out other than legs & blind determination?
TBM, I'm glad your heading out to elk hunt. I don't consider elk hunting a competition so I enjoy everyones success stories.
I must say though, that when I read your first post in this thread, the thought that popped into my mind was "Oh my, this guy is going to get himself killed out there." Sometimes I think you're yanking our chains and sometimes I think you have no idea what you're getting into. Whichever it is I'm glad you are heading out and hope you have a great time. But be safe.
, the thought that popped into my mind was "Oh my, this guy is going to get himself killed out there."
That's funny because I was going to give my 16 year old son the he is going to be the man of the house speach if I don't come back. But before I did, he told my wife that I was going to get lost and not come back. I went into his room and said thanks for the vote of confidence. He laughed and I did too. I told him I was going to give him a speach but since he already knew I wasn't coming back he was already prepared. We were both laughing as I walked out.
Here is my short list of MUST HAVES for any hunt in the mountains:
Good boots/ merino wool socks/ decent wicking long johns (NEVER COTTON)/ good rain gear/ warm sleeping bag
That is it ! But if you skimp on ANY of the above list, you may very well live? to regret it.
Can't walk/hunt if your feet are not happy, warm, and blister free
Will be cold if don't have decent long johns (don't have to be thick or name brand, just decent wicking)
You will be cold AND wet if you don't have decent raingear
You would pay any amount of money to be warm,if you are freezing cold in your sleeping bag.
Forget the fancy brand names and exotic camo patterns, but if you skimp on the above list you WILL be sorry
Food and parasite/virus free water comes in handy too.
TBM do you know if you'll have a cell signal where you'll be hunting? Well I guess the first question is do you have a cell phone? If the answer to both is yes PM me your number and I'll send you mine. There's no way I can wait until you get back to see how it's going. Plus never know when you'll feel like having a second head to perfect your game plan.
I dont know where everyone is getting the idea that he doesn't have a warm sleeping bag. He said he doesn't have a fancy small one.
I added a nice large pack to the list of stuff I do have. Got it from Walmart. It's really heavy duty but made out if the noisy material. Got a 2 quart hydration blatter to go with it. All for $60. I didn't think that was bad.
TBM I hunted in the south many years and actually I have noticed some similarities to hunting unpressured, vocal elk and turkey hunting - so that may work for you. However if you are hunting from your truck unpressured elk aren't likely. If you're hunting from somewhere with high elevations, these guys aren't kidding about the survival issues - it gets very cold high up even this early in the year and the weather changes fast. You just need to plan for this. Hunting out here is a different game from hunting in the South. Some people here may want you to get a rude awakening to western hunting but no one wants to see someone unprepared to the point of emergency. Of course if you're planning to stay by your truck you should be fine.
I'm going to stay close to the truck until I get acclimated... plus I want to check out a hunch or two I got. Even after I get acclimated I don't expect to get much more than 5 to 8 miles deep. After that your coming out the other side anyway.
OMG, offspring....
I had never contemplated the possibility..
He is just doing a good job of scamming people, already has a free GPS being shipped and a pack for free. If I act like I am an idiot can I get free stuff shipped to me too????
TBM- With all the stuff you already have you should be able to last at least a couple of hours. Should be enough time !.
If opening day in the bighorns is an indication of things to come I stand by my time line for you.
Here is opening day----RAIN----SLEET----SNOW-then some wind----REPEAT many times almost forgot FOG.The mountain roads are super muddy and mostly 4wd only right now so I guess the ole dodge with the snakeskin tires on the rear will be ok :-).....
Have fun !
MD, he never asked for anything. That is the beauty of Bowsiters.. some anyway. Helping their fellow hunters.
After all of the insanity and such, at the end of the day there are always people here willing to reach out and support other hunters which includes TBM.
If there is anything else you really need but can't afford Steve let me know. All you have to do is take care of it like it was your own... or better, and ship it back when you're done.
Mule Power, you got class my friend. it's guys like you that make Bowsite a better place. As for TBM, he's alright in my book as well.
Getting more cocked by the minute....this batch is better than the last...dales marinade does it good. tjsna most of us good ole boys from the south were conceived on a muddy road...we got the mud thing down pat. Yep fair chase lots of good folks here on this site helping one another, supporting, praying, and even give a little tough love sometimes. Don't none of that hurt a fellow.
Interpretation....game bags
Did they look at you oddly when you checked out of Walmart with woman's pantyhose?
Tbm- pillowcases are way better. Just let the wife pick which ones cuz if u pick, I can not vouch for your safety. Apparently women have good and bad pillowcases? Don't tell her "honey you can get that to wash out" after u use the wrong ones either. Makes women loud, real loud.
"Did they look at you oddly when you checked out of Walmart with woman's pantyhose?"
I doubt it...the pair he was wearing on his head distracted them.
I've become immune to "oddly" after 2 months of carrying around a heavy bag with an altitude mask on.
BB I am going to wear a pair under my pants. I think it will reduce friction between my legs and pants and make walking easier.
Tbm, that's gonna make you feel kinda tingly. Like when you used to climb the rope in gym class. You guys in Montana might want to padlock your tent zippers at night.
" I, TurkeyBowMaster, being of sorta kinda sound mind and broke legs, do hereby leaveth my bow to whatever finds it, Lord hope it be a white man. It is a good bow, and killt the bear that killt me. Anyway, I am dead. Yours truly, TurkeyBowMaster...."
Went by the feed mill today and got a load if their floor sweepings for making granola bars. Wheat, oats, ryegrass, corn, 13-13-13 and 3 chews of Redman tobacco.
Ah the old floor crumb bread.....My favorite
TBM I have some redman, goldblend and original, if you need some. Its also good for wounds and I hear it might cure ebola in case you find some up there. Good luck! When is your departure and have you pegged a route up to Montana yet?
The holier-than-thous don't know what they are missing. 13-13-13...
In the rock climbing community we use this acronymn for newbies heading out unprepared "YGD".
YOUR GONNA DIE
Going hunting. Will be off the grid for 2 or 3 weeks. Tbm, stay safe hope you get one. The smack talk afterward could be legendary.
TBM: Please get Mule Power's phone number: Your life may depend on it. Really. I am a southern boy who has lived out West. You can die very quickly. All it takes is you to forget your rain gear. I have seen it 75F and in five minutes a blizzard is on top of you. It is actually quite easy to die out there. You should be grateful for the loanership of many of the bowsiters above. They certainly have my respect.
No one can hear you scream in the mountains.....
Like everything else, my rain gear is fairly heavy, but I have confidence in it. I once spent 3 hours in a tree at 33 degrees with rain and sleet coming down all evening. I stayed pretty comfortable. Its saddlecloth so it is quiet enough to hunt out of all the time or in really windy conditions it will stop wind. I don't have anything for bears yet.
It's much easier to be unorganized and unprepared for a turkey hunt (anywhere) than to be for a elk hunt. I wish you luck on your adventure.
DJ
By the looks of the post above TBM wont be going hungry on his quest for Elk. He may be a bit cold, and a bit wet. I think he has the guts to work thru it. Hunters hunt that's just what they do. Then again talkers talk. I think we should wait and see who the real TBM is. I don't care where he's from he's got mountain man DNA. Win, loose, or draw He'll give it 110%.
We'll know this how?
Good luck TBM - stay safe.
"Damn! TBM was a wild one. He was livin' two years up in in a cave on the Musselshell with a female panther. She never did get used to him."
