All that being said... I have never had any issues with predators. I have had a porcupine come into camp and eat the cork handle on my fly rod.
I had one night sleeping under a tarp where in the matter of 15 minutes over 6 inches of hail fell!
I had time where the mice ate a hole in my boots left out side because of the stank!
Other issues in the back country... Had a buddy slip on a log and cut his back! Ended up with 28 stitches after carrying him out 4 miles.
I a. Sure there are more!
Reminds me too of the snarling raccoon that got inside my tent Wish I would have had my .357 back then.
All that being said... I have never had any issues with predators. I have had a porcupines come into camp and eat the cork handle on my fly rod.
I had one night sleeping under a tarp where in the matter of 15 minutes over 6 inches of hail fell!
I had time where the mice ate a hole in my boots left out side because of the stank!
Other issues in the back country... Had a buddy slip on a log and cut his back! Ended up with 28 stitches after carrying him out 4 miles.
I am Sure there are more!
If you want to do a "solo bivy hunt" (the new cool manly thing), do it in summer on a scouting trip, then think about what you'll do if you have an 800 pound pile of dead animal on the ground. And it's warm, you're tired and alone, and also have a camp to pack out.
A nice comfy mobile truck camp will suddenly come into focus.
I do like the idea of being mobile hunting from a truck/base camp but with the option of staying out if necessary. With going solo the pressure to return at a specific time etc. is eliminated.
I agree with those concerned about a solo pack out...if yer not physically AND mentally prepared, you could be in for the shock of your life.
We live in a hectic hurry-up, go, go, go world today in our civilization (?), and you HAVE to learn to slow down in true wilderness environments. The mountains do not suffer fools, and people stupid themselves to death every day. A single thoughtless, careless step can spell possible severe injury if not out right doom for the unfortunate one.
I've always hunted out of a base camp, and travel on foot...walking maybe 5+ miles out in the AM, and hunting back in the evening...like the post above mentioned. The Wyoming locals I know will walk all day, but move at a snail's pace...good advice.
For many years I hunted some serious, rugged, canyon country in the Bighorn Mountains, where a single misstep could be real trouble. Temps can run from mid-day 70's to overnight freezing. I always packed a well stocked survival kit which would ensure I would make it thru an unplanned overnight "spike camp".
Unfortunately for me, physically I can't hump the big hills anymore, but I've sure got a lot of memorabilia to look back on to fondly recall my glory days...lol
One last thing I'd advise you young'uns on...do it NOW, while you can handle the rigors...too many I've known waited till they could "afford it"...the expense of an out of state hunt...by which time they couldn't physically handle it to truely experience thier wilderness adventure.
Mountian Lions....bears ..wierdos forget about it...You my friend area killing machine!!!! They should all fear YOU
As per being afraid, let's just call it heightened awareness when you are alone. So far it has worked for me over the past 40 seasons of mountain hunting, mostly for elk but also for deer, sheep, goats, bears and moose One thing for sure, when you are succesful, you know who gets the credit, or who to blame when you screw up!
I hunted hogs for years at night- nothing going to get you at night that won't get you in daylight. In fact, bears on the trails have gone out of their way to avoid me with a headlamp on while packing in at night. The early bow seasons and getting to a TH after a long drive- many times its an advantage packing in at night- its cooler.
To OTC Wills point; I have seen many guys that don't like to be out at night and they haven't developed that comfort level yet. Can you truly master your outdoor skills without feeling comfortable in the dark?
We also bought a cheap five year Medivac policy for a couple hundred dollars. A helicopter Medivac now costs over $30k, and many of the new, improved policies since Obamacare won't cover it.
I love solo adventuring, but now doing it smarter in my "old" age.
You can send and receive text messages from basically anywhere, although sometimes it can take up to 15 minutes to get one out if you're in a hellhole.
The basic subscription is 15 dollars per month...but you can cancel the subscription for the months you aren't using it (every month except September for me).
My bill was 50 bucks for September on my 9 day hunt (includes all the extra texts I sent beyond my free allocation to my Wife and Daughter).
The Inreach also allows the receiver of the message to pinpoint exactly where it was sent from on a map. And it has a "911" button if you really get screwed up.
All in all, I was pretty happy with it...especially when I was able to type "I'm on the bull...he's mine"
Best of Luck Jeff
Safety is always the first priority.
Bring some whiskey in a flask. Bring some nyquil. Bring a small pad and pen. Or make small videos on your iphone to keep you sane.
Chasewild 22 days is a good hunt. You probably looked like Jeremiah Johnson when you got out.
Forget the girly pictures. Well, ok, that is an option.
PS, do I look a little mad after 9 days.
my best, Paul
Are you a solo backpacker? Hunting solo basically adds gear and very early mornings, but the basic need to have your act together is the same. You have to be good with spending time all on your own. Some are good with it, cherish the silence and freedom to do your own thing, some aren't. It helps if you're in a decent area - days of not much/nothing tend to wear.
Chances are you won't score, so the reality of hauling meat out is more like a possibility. Average success is about 10%. That being said, are/will you be in shape to haul X hundred lbs of meat out Y distance in a very compressed period of time? Ever done anything close to that? I think we're all in agreement that it isn't cool to do the antlers, backstraps and tenders, and leave the rest for the 'yotes.
that Delorme Inreach might be the best piece of survival tech yet. A VERY cool tool. I would not be without that on a solo hunt.
Oldgoat that is great that you and your wife can get out and do that. Keep at it.
Paul good one. What you eating?
Williamtell the part about being out and just trying will be good. If I fall in the 10% great, if not great as well. I'm seriously thinking about picking the unit based on looks alone and nothing else. Bow in hand, hunting elk and trying to see what's over the next rise. I will be out this summer doing some scouting.
I was wondering about bear encounters as I love bear hunting and love the feel of crawling down in the dark right after chasing the bear off the bait. Makes one feel alive. Never did hunt in griz country but have done some hiking. All encounters with griz were far away. I think the mountain lion stories my brother in law told me are just that, stories. LOL. He also claims he saw a ghost levitating in a doorway of an old building he was renovating.
I'm glad I stood up when I did or things could have gotten uncomfortable...
I give you kudos for snapping the pic. I on the other hand, would have been overwhelmed and distracted by my sphincter contracting uncontrollably.
Is "Get the F#@k out of here" a sufficient deterrent? Yikes!
But sometimes things are out of control or accidents happen. Be prepared.
I typically pack in 8 days of supplies to hunt 7 days. (Extra days worth of food buys me some margin) Resupply, hike back in and hunt another 7 days. You can use the turn around day to go into town and get a burger, talk to a live person, and or relocate to a new hunting area. Sometimes a fresh view can reinvigorate you.
My 2013 MT elk hunt was the toughest. Weather made life very difficult and life threating. I had consumed more fuel than allotted in an effort to stay warm and try and dry out. It had become a Bear Grylls survival mission and not a hunt. Hunting tough and deep with no end to snow in sight, I packed down to truck and hunted from the truck/trailhead. No shame and it was the smart and right thing to do. Only time I have ever "packed it in". No hunt solo or otherwise is worth it if you don't come home.
Based up that experience, the Delorme In Reach is on my shopping list.
#1- I arrived at TH and loaded up the pack. My plan was to hike to a clearing around 10K and set up camp. The camp was a little over 4 miles and 2500' of vertical climb and I thought I could make it before dark.
I had never been to this area and had done all of my research via cyber scouting. Google Earth tilt does not do many climbs justice. It started getting dark and per the map, the steepest climbs were ahead. In the interest of safety, I erred on the side of caution and set up camp next to the trail in the flattest spot I could find, near a stream. I pitched my tarp and went to sleep. For those who hunt the mountains, without a moon, it is VERY DARK. Sometime during the night, I awoke in a post hike grog/fog. I could feel something crawling on top of my sleeping bag. WTF! I am not sure if I screamed like a girl or not, but I kicked my feet and whatever it was went flying through the air and hit the brush. I couldn't see it but heard it. I figured it was ~ the size of a rabbit.
#2- I had moved camp and left camp set up for a couple of days. Unfortunately, the mice also set up camp. Again I woke up in the middle of the night with the little b@stards running over my sil ground cloth. I stealthily donned my headlamp and grabbed one of my boots. When the timing was right, I clicked on the headlamp and began imparting "Extreme and Sudden measures" upon the mice. Don't worry, God made more of them. I am sure I looked pretty silly hammering mice with my boot in the middle of the night in the NM wilderness, but it made me feel good, albeit temporarily.
I meant to say "here bull, here bull" but I must have misspoke and accidently said "here kitty, kitty, kitty"
I felt like running but knew it would probably be counterproductive. It's not the first time that I pulled my camera out when I probably should have had other things on my mind...
Your mouse story reminds me of the time I camped in "Mouse Meadow". I knew it was going to get interesting when I was boiling water for my evening Mountain House meal and the mice came up and sat next to me on the log I was sitting on. Everytime I turned my head it looked like the ground was moving as my headlamp beam swept through my campsite. It reminded me of the scene in the movie "Never Cry Wolf" where Tyler declares war/dinner on the mice in his cabin.
That night as I laid there with only my face sticking out of my mummy bag I almost went insane at the pitter-patter of all of the mice scurrying across my Tyvek ground cloth and feeling them running across my sleeping bag. The last straw was when I finally dozed off to sleep and woke up to a mouse crawling across my neck! I kind of lost it and it's very hard to swat mice while you're bound up in a mummy bag!
In the morning I discovered that they had chewed holes in a pair of Smartwool socks that I had hanging in a tree to air out.
These days I'm more prepared! ;^)
Never tried a micekabob; not hungry enough I guess...
Agreed, that although Never Cry Wolf was entertaining it was fictional propaganda. The wolves only killed the sick caribou as evidenced by the disease in the marrow... YEAH RIGHT!
I had a stare-down with the cats for a few minutes and then I stood up on a log to look "bigger" and they decided to leave... thankfully.
Suckers climbed up on the rubbermaid tubs in my walltent and chewed the crap out of my icebreaker shirt. I've had them chew through packs too until Dan McHale made me one with a Dyneema bottom...now its literally bulletproof.
Razor it would be great to hear one of your griz stories.
Why not sink down in the bag, close it and go all Chuck Norris on that mouse?!?! Or was that Rambo?
Solo is fun and the mind can and does play all kinds of tricks on u...if u let it!!
Friends are great to have after the bull hits the ground too!
Matt
