Bivy Hunting For Elk!
Elk
Do you bivy hunt for elk? If so why do you or why don't you?
To date I've never bivy hunted for elk, I return to a basecamp each afternoon or by night fall depending on the activity of the elk!
ElkNut1
Paul fyi bivy means carry camp with you all day, I never have. I spike camp and for 90% of places it is best. I hike in once and get a lot more time to sleep, never worry about waking up late and I am in elk country from the door of my tent.
Also, for sure it is more comfy then a big main camp. Small tent is warmer, and I never have to search through the 90% of items I never need.
The exception is the very best elk hunts where you are looking for the biggest bulls in the unit, you need to cove ground and not 10 miles, 30-50, using roads and your vehicle to glass more country in a day then you can in 2 weeks on foot is the only way.
Obviously Paul I've hunted from a lot of pack in camps. I've only actually bivied a few times. it was when I was younger and thought I needed to. But as soon as I learned more about elk and my areas it because obvious that it wasn't necessary.
Obviously it can really help in places with lots of hunters. I hunt general areas so it's not like I'm alone. But I am careful about where I choose to hunt and it's good enough to get into elk from the truck without too much trouble or time. When the hunting is good other people don't go as far in either so if I do choose to I can put on an extra 2 or 3 miles and not cross paths with many if any other hunters. But that's still not far enough for it to be worth the time and effort it takes to pack a camp in and back out.
The one reason I can think of to bivy is for the fun and solitude. Being in the back country is a whole other experience from base camping. That is if you have the gear and know how to do it. I have some funny bivy disaster stories.
I've done it, but it's not my favorite way to hunt as I feel I can be more mobile with nothing on my back. I hunt a lot more comfortably, get up at 3 AM a lot easier, and feel I get to where I'm going better without a bivy pack.
I start at the road from base camp. Hunt 1-2 days. Try another spot from the road for a day or 2, maybe do it a 3rd time, all from the same base camp. If no action, I spike in 2-3 miles and do 2 nights at the spike. If no action, I leave and spike in another area.
IMO, if you're just walking around all day with a bivy pack on your back, you're probably walking past elk between 10 AM and 5 PM just for the sake of walking with a heavy pack. You might get lucky and run into a mid-day buglefest, but IMO, pressured public land elk like to bed down by 10 and shut up for the day. Mid day for me is spent cold calling or sitting a wallow, or moving camp. Sometimes I'm hitting specific ridges or parks looking for fresh sign, but those destinations can usually be hit at the end of the AM hunt around 10 AM.
I want to be looking for elk from 3 AM till 10 AM and the last hour of light. I'm not interested in hiking 10 miles with a 30+ lb pack during the heat of the September day.
The times I've bivvy'd, it was just a one night excursion from a spike camp to check an area out that was too far out to effectively hunt from closer in.
When I met Don V in Az...he was spiking out of his hatchback rental car....and I know he wasn't packing that on his back! grin
I spike camp or pack in on horseback. I used to bivy- rolling out a bag in a mule deer bed...but not anymore. Waking up to pouring rain, to drag a tarp over me was no fun. I suppose a guy can do it with the lighter gear now...but it seems to me I'm a much better hunter while not lugging gear around.
And you can still spike close to the elk.
"it was when I was younger and thought I needed to. But as soon as I learned more about elk and my areas it because obvious that it wasn't necessary."
Mule Power pretty well sums it up. I bivy hunted almost exclusively for years. I always thought it was better farther away from where I was no matter where I was so it made sense to always have my camp on my back. Lately however, more guys have been going way back and I have found that when you know the elk and your area well enough, there is really no reason you can't find good or better hunting within a day hike from the car. Some of my best action in the last few years has been within 1/4 mile from the car.
Thanks guys!
Yes I'm basically referring to guys that do not return to a basecamp or truck camp each night. I'm not going to get to techy on the differences, most get the idea! (grin)
ElkNut1
I do all the time.When going into certain hard to get to spots I take the bivy instead of a tent,any weight you can shave means more energy to hunt.
We hike in a couple miles and hunt from small/light weight backpacking tents. We do it to get away from other hunters and to limit how far we need to hike every day to start hunting. It's also real cool to be back in the woods and keep things simple... Only carry what you can. Just an awesome experience!!
Josh
I'm going to do some bivy camping this summer scouting. Hopefully find a spot to remote base camp I'll call it for hunting season. It's probably closer to what most people would call a spike camp except I won't have a base camp somewhere else. We camped only a half mile in this year and hunted from there but that saved us 500 feet of elevation change each way and about 400 feet of that came in less than 1\8 mile. That's a lot for a couple of old goats like me and the wife!
Going in and setting up a camp and hunting from there is spike camping/hunting, no matter how light your stuff is and no matter how much you rough it, what you sleep in, or how many comforts you give up.
Bivy camping/hunting implies that you are carrying everything you have/need on your back and sleeping where you stop.
If you can walk in a straight line and exit a different place you entered, then that's bivying.
If you have to go back to get camp out, that's a spike camp.
I'm planning to Spike camp from the truck till I get into elk, then bivi sack it from there. I've got 2 weeks to hunt them next year, and I don't fell like spending time in the morning and night hiking when I can be getting more sleep by being closer to the elk. I guess the situation will dictate the distance.
Spike camping is great and easy to move if necessary.
Saves a lot of time not going back to a truck or base camp a couple of miles away.
An added benefit is you are part of the environment 24/7, all day and night, and one can learn a lot after the sun goes down if one only listens.
Picture of spike camp with two 32oz tarps.
and then later, spike camp with mt tent as it got colder in the season.
I would hike down the 2 miles to my base camp (pop up camper) and drop 1000ft every 5 days to refresh for two day. I spent most of the 21 days in this spike camp and heard elk most nights.
My best, Paul
Tent==6 pounds
2 tarps==4 pounds.
down sleeping bag, air mat, bivy sack.
I used to bivy hunt a lot when I was younger. It's a really fun way to hunt, and allows you to stay more rested than any other type of hunt IF you want to be in the most productive areas early and late. Many, many times I would go to bed with the elk and wake up with them, all while getting a full nights sleep and not having to walk around much in the dark. I HATE getting up at 3 AM. Several times I was nearly stepped on at night by elk and once, a bull walked up to the spruce I was laying under and began to rake the branches right above me, while the herd wandered around feeding in the moonlight.
I ate cold food, and didn't even carry a ground pad. (Found many soft spots to sleep, especially in thick pine duff). I could stay out for a max of 4 nights without feeling too over-burdened. I did have access to horses I could hike out for when I was successful, so that wasn't an issue.
I hate freeze dried food and heavy packs more than I hate getting up at 3 AM. There's not a lot of folks who like getting up at 3.
My preference is a spike camp. I tried bivy hunting a couple times and found it nearly impossible to hunt effectively. Try glassing on 45 degree slopes with a 40 to 60 lb pack on your back for hours and hours...and for several days and you'll figure out quickly what I'm talking about! It's pretty tough to still hunt quietly through brushy country, downfalls, etc with much weight (including carrying a bow, spotting scope, water, food, etc). Weight adds up quickly if you want to bivy many nights out!
I hunt Alaska every few years for sheep, mtn goat, and bear....and still prefer a base camp that I may spike camp out of to different locations for a few days at a time. My ultralight spike camp is pretty easy to move if needed but I seldom hunt with camp on my back for any extended period of time.
Anyway, I can hunt a lot quieter and cover a lot more country if I backpack in a spike camp and carry minimal weight each day while hunting.
I hunted elk with a bivy camp on my back exactly one time. That was the first and last time for many of the reasons already mentioned.
Today, I rarely even spike camp for elk. Most of my hunts are solo and hauling an elk off the mountain by yourself is tough enough without adding extra miles. Maybe I'm just getting old!
Not old pav..... wise. I realize some people enjoy being mobile like that. But I always think that many of them are just mobile because they don't know enough about the area to zero in on any one camping spot. No doubt it's a great way to learn a new area. But once you know it I bet a spike site or even hunting from the vehicle will be the all around best way to go. Especially if you are solo and need to save all of your energy for hunting and packing.
I like bivy hunting...It doesn't mean that I am 10 miles in it just means I am there all night. Sometimes I will use it to be on the right side of the elk when the road band starts to play. Other times I will use it to locate elk at last light and after dark then I can be in a great position come morning. Camp can be very simple and very comfortable I use a bag, biv sack and Tarp. I rarely wake up at night anymore. I camp where my scent wont drain to the elk all night. Sometimes afternoon can be tough. Man who naps while on biv hunt has long night lol. Wind sucks for sleeping with the dead fall and so does snow, rain. I usually bivy right after the weather leaves. About half of my 15 nights last year were in the biv sack and I usually only do 2-3 nights at a time. Personally if I keep my pack weight starting with a 2 including food and water I am fine hunting with it on. To me its a tactic that I use when hunting from the road goes cold. I hunt pretty much the same area of roughly 70 or 80 sq miles if I had to guess. Been there for 12 plus years now and I know most of it pretty well now after biv hunting it.
Good stuff guys! Lots of great points to gander from, I'm sure many will agree!
I suppose the biggest reason I haven't bivy hunted, or spiked in is because of my style of elk hunting! I mainly hunt elk in or within a 1/4 mile of bedding areas. I will try to either ambush elk close to bedding by sitting tight & waiting there or call them over to me if they aren't coming close enough. When this isn't the best decision for whatever reason while I'm there I then wait for them to get to their bedding area, this is where I take most elk! Elk are very vulnerable once they get to their destination, they are not easily pushed out!
With this style I haven't needed to bivy in, I simply get over to the areas that are holding the elk whether it's 3/4 mile from rig or 5 miles, doesn't matter to me as I leave as early as I need according to the distance hunted.
With that style you do not need to be there at day break since elk are not in or near their bedding areas until after 9:30 in the a.m. in most cases.
Once there I will do everything to kill that bull especially if there's a hot cow, if not I'm more subtle & will play on his curiosity as I'm within 150 yards of their supposed bedding spot! With this aggressive nature I kill him right there or push him into the next zipcode! (grin)
I have little patience with baby sitting elk & hunting the same spot multiple days! I have a pack that weighs in at 13-lbs for all day hunting, (Exo Pack 3500) so I can haul out 1/2 the elk at the kill site with that same pack! If the hunt for that day does not pan out I do not return to it, I pick another area.
You know what we all say? Stay with what works! For me, bedding areas have a large bullseye on them! (grin)
ElkNut1
Assuming I draw a muzz tag in 2016 I'll be solo elk hunting Colorado again after many years of absence
Weminuche I imagine, where I went in the 1990's just for old times sake
Anyway ... I was thinking bivy type as well, and 5-7 miles from trailhead. I have no desire to walk in and out same day
none
Paul, IMO, the advantages of bivying is to be in a remote spot right at light or before actually so you can position yourself to be right on them as soon as you can see your pins.
....Or to stay until the last rays of daylight in a nasty spot not easily navigated out in the dark.
These days a guy can do pretty good getting out of just about anywhere with a compass, map and/or GPS with topos loaded.
Bruce, I agree! There's a lot to be said to be in selective areas at daylight! More than once I've considered being equipped to bivy for a night or two but just haven't done it yet!
I will say I've come back at the stroke of midnight countless times over the years with the aid of instinct & GPS. One of these days I will bivy! (grin) Thanks!
ElkNut1
This year we hunted 2+ miles down a closed off road. Rather than pack less than 5# for a bag/pad/xtra sandwich we hiked in and out. That's over 4 miles to save 5# and I still would have been at less than 20 for all my gear. Next year if I'm back in there I'm staying out every other night.
I bivied once, left our spike camp that day with all the stuff needed for a bivy. The plan was to hunt all day and then camp wherever the elk took us. Got up the next morning and hiked the 400 yards back to our spike camp. That's the last time i ever bivied...
I always used my Llama Packstring to pack our 'stuff' so I guess I llama Bivied! haha
Good luck, Robb
"I always used my Llama Packstring to pack our 'stuff' so I guess I llama Bivied"
If the weather turns bitter cold and windy, you can go Luke Skywalker and climb in one of them. HA!!!
Our method is a spike camp one. Hike in all the stuff and hunt from there each day. We have used treestands, some in observation spots so we could relocate closer to movement. Sometimes calling has worked; sometimes in conjunction with treestands or blinds, sometimes w/o treestands.
Every piece of gear needs upgrading sooner or later and the new item must work better and be lighter! Tent is down under 4#, goose down bag, light weight camping pad, freeze dried foods as main meals.
Even so, it seems like my daypack is still too heavy!
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Bivy has its use if you are unfamiliar with an area and want to cover a lot of ground, not knowing where/when you might run into elk. We all want to be in "that spot" at last light, whether it is 200 yards or 2+ miles from spike or vehicle. Hiking any real distance cross country in the dark is not a great idea.
That being said, a gps, headlamp, and extra batteries makes hiking after dark doable. I always carry a space sack, fire starter, etc with me so if I have to spend a night away from camp it isn't going to be too adverse.
We have always had a big wall tent with stove, etc, but this year we tried spike hunting and really liked it. We had to move once to get closer to the elk, but otherwise worked well to be closer to elk early and late. We hunt in griz and wolf country so hiking in the dark is not fun, although we have done it lots of times. Another advantage we discovered is that the area around our usual camp had more activity this year, so I'm sure our presence with a big camp has an impact on the elk that use the area. With a smaller camp in a more concealed place didn't seem to bother the elk as much this year. We were concerned that bad weather would be a problem, but wasn't too big a deal. I shot a nice bull on the evening of a big snow storm on Sept 17, and we still had a comfy warm sleep after. Its true that a stove is nice to dry clothes and for heat, but even without that we managed to get by without freezing to death.
one thing not mentioned that greatly effects your hunting style is WATER.
first did an overnight bivy with a sleeping bag and a trashbag back in 96. no place to get water. had to camp near truck.
bivyed our current area a number of times but were limited to 3 places to get water. we now base camp near one of those water sites.
I think bivy hunting is a cool way to go if you can hack the weight and can find water.
a base camp near elk is better. to me that means less than a mile walk into elk.
maybe amazon can drone drop food and water ??
Water is a consideration....also weather! It often snows and can be miserable in most high alpine areas in Sept! I can't imagine camping out in a trash bag in hypothermia type weather! I was 3 miles in 2 seasons ago and an unexpected blizzard came through with 6" of snow...and around 40 mph wind. Luckily I was prepared!
I did it one time in 2011 solo New Mexico high country. But as Mule said it is normally unnecessary. Better to spike camp. I got my bull 6 miles in from trailhead. This tube tent was uncomfortable and if I ever draw a tag again I'll take my 7'x7' dome.
The result was good though! As jims said it's a risk in high country. That year I actually hung out at the base of the mountain monitoring weather radar at a tiny post office (I'm USPS employee) to confirm favorable forecast. When it broke I was the only guy up there since the soaked trailhead was inaccessible for horse trailers. I had the whole place to myself.
I recognize that area....good bull for that unit. Definitely above average. Congrats.
I like to bivy hunt. Lots of perks. As I get older I also appreciate the comforts a truck can hold for me :)
Ken, great looking bull sir! Congrats on a fine trophy there. It's nice to be alone with no one messing things up, thank god for heavy rains at that time! (grin)
ElkNut1
Ya not a trophy area just got extremely lucky. Stars were aligned. I am getting older too (56). Was 36 the first time in that unit. If I ever draw again I hope I can backpack at all considering two bulging discs. It would suck to have to hunt from a trailhead to be close to my truck. But one thing I know, I won't be in that freakin little bivy tent. It's beautiful up there. I'm getting married to a gal from China in 2 months. Curious what she's think of a wilderness area. I'd love to take her there but I don't think it's realistic.
?? Where does this definition of bivy come from? I look it up and I never see anything about , "Must have camp on back all day"
Ken, great looking area, she may surprise you & love it! Fingers crossed! (grin)
ElkNut1
Not sure where it comes from but when I started the thread I was referring to ones who take their camp back into the woods with them, it didn't matter if it was on their back for the duration of their hunt or if they spiked from it once back to their destination.
What does it mean to you?
ElkNut1
To me, spiking out was something you do from a main established camp for one to two nights, whether it's from a truck camp or whatever. Bivy to me is there is no main camp. Gear needed would be the same for both, just would need more food along on the bivy because you weren't heading back to the main camp after a night or two.
It's a contraction of bivouac.
"a temporary camp without tents or cover, used especially by soldiers or mountaineers.
stay in a temporary camp without cover."
Steeler you are correct. When I used to bivy hunt, I usually carried my full pack all day, but occasionally, when the situation warranted, I would leave my "camp" in one place, for up to a day while I hunted the area.
And technically what we usually call a bivy is really a siwash. "camp without a tent", since we usually use some form of cover.
Well I guess by definition my one man tent does not qualify as bivy then. But I always thought of it as that. I moved that around following the elk each night. I have slept under the stars with no tent in Nevada so maybe that counts.
Zim1, a one man tent counts in my book. No cover, could be death in the mountains,on occasion. I think you should be able to carry a bivy camp on your back. I just don't agree it has to be carried all day. That would be like saying one has to have a bow in hand all day to be considered bow hunting.
My cousin and I bived last year. It rained and snowed on us for a few days which was not fun. Then he thought it would be a good idea to use all of the stove fuel to dry his clothing. I think this year will be more of a spike camp.
I've never really "bivy hunted". I pack light but like to have a little base camp to return to each night. Seems like a lot of trouble to pack all your stuff around while hunting. You'd have to roll it all up every morning before getting started, and unpack each night after dark. It's possible I just don't know how to do this method efficiently, so if I did I might have different thoughts on it. I like to pack in, set up camp in an area where several good holes are accessible and hunt from there. That's just me.
