My pack is a badlands 2200. I bought it on E-bay some years ago for 99 dollars. I've used it for sheep, elk, deer, bears, etc. It’s an OK pack, a bit heavy empty but it works. My partners pack is a badlands Super day. To me the Super day is a bit small for packing in, but again, he makes it work. Does he get everything inside of it? No, but these packs were used to pack our camp and gear in for the week long hunt. Getting in is anything but a cake walk.
Tent, we’ve packed in a three man in the past, but this year we went with two separate tents. When big weather hits I don't like being that close.
Note the cotton pants! I handed them down to him......
Your biggest expense should be the gas and tags.
My thermal layer is a brown long john top that is actually the best piece of gear I own. I need to find another just like it. It truly is an elk killer if you think about the color, you will understand why.
My outer layer is a a gray Colombia fleece jacket I paid 25 dollars for it. My only complaint is after 5 years with this jacket, the zipper broke and I took it to a seamstress, problem solved for under 3 dollars.
Famous target shirts
glass eye's Link
Oh, and cotton does kill....... Cotton pants........ Cotton shirts, cotton undies.... but I did have a brown poly pro shirt on.
Post them up guys!
I used to backpack all over the wilderness areas in CO and WY, for up to 14 days at a time, with a sheet of visqueen and a rope for a "tent".
We put together great dried meals from the grocery.
Goretex was decades from being invented.
The only camo choices were cotton and wool, mostly variations of woodland pattern. The term "high-tech" hadn't been invented yet. Pants were jeans and cotton shorts. I did buy a North Face uninsulated mountain parka 40 years ago, which I still have today.
My Jansport pack and frame would be laughable today (still have it, too). My Optimus 8R stove still works like a champ, but is a collector's item. I still have my 3/4 North Face eggshell pad (but have upgraded to a Thermarest 40th Anniversary retro model), and the Northface Superlight down mummy bag.
Our "raingear" was called a poncho, and it doubled as a ground cloth.
Somehow we survived, and I don't remember being uncomfortable at any time. Somehow we managed to kill elk then too. Amazing, huh?
I agree. If you are from the east, you can do a western hunt for about $1000.
Of course, if you drive a V10 truck or cant handle roughing it, the money starts to add up, but it can be done.
The only thing stopping you is your level of ambition.
Last November I did a NE WT hunt which is comparable distance from me (southern California) as the west is from the east and I did the hunt for $600 door to door and brought back two deer. I hunted out of the back of a Honda Civic and stuffed my 162 qt cooler in the back, taking it out each night to sleep in the driver's seat.
Some wool clothing is worth the investment though. Even if you don't get the expensive stuff. It's more of a safety issue if it gets cold or wet.
I'll be doing 6 or 7 western hunts this year, paying for my dad's apps and single western hunt, replacing lost/broken/worn out gear, and 30+ apps for myself besides local deer and turkey hunting and I won't break 10 grand in expenses.
I hunt a fair amount in my tan carhart work pants.
I'm convinced, when you're close, I mean inside the herd, this is the best camo pattern! I've had elk look at me, I turn my back on them, start pulling branches and volaaaaaaa....... Sadly, brown poly pro around Colorado seems to be out of stock...... Back ordered.
Oh....... Big Dan gave me that hat!
As for boots, guys know their feet. I can get away with flip flops, but if there is one thing a guy wanting to hunt the West needs....... It's broke in boots. I don't care what brand (I wore cheap Timberlands for years) but have since upgraded to Vasques. The boot brand matters little. The fit is key. I'd just assume forget my toothbrush for a 2 week hunt vs. bad boots.......
I think you bring some realism to economics but there is no way that I could pack what was required on a multi day backpack hunt in Montana in a bad lands 2200. Frankly I sold one for $100 to a fellow bowsiter.
The best that I can hunt New Mexico is about $1500-$2000 with no hotels.
I would like to know if others could do it from the East much cheaper?
I will say that I could use your equipment for my New Mexico hunts.
How to turn a $100 clearance 3 season tent into a $650 4 season tent for 5 bucks.
1) Stake your $100 clearance 3 season tent to the ground.
2) Put your stuff inside.
3) Place a 5 dollar 8x10 foot tarp over the tent.
4) Secure the tarp with 160-200 lbs of rocks (20-30 lbs each on each corner and in between on all 4 sides).
5) Sleep securely despite freezing temps and 50 mph winds.
Tarp doubles as a surface to process your animal.
I've done this more than once in winds that were so strong you had to lean into them to walk and once in Washington state where we endured 48 hours of torrential downpour without so much as a drop getting inside.
Explain the differences in MT? Is this an archery hunt? I don't pack light, and I can hunt for over a week out of a 2200 even with horrible weather including food and this year my buddy used a Super Day.
Sure the tag cost stinks, as does the gas and cost of travel, but as far as gear goes, most guys already have it. It seems everyone is so focused on gear these days they make it sound like nothing will die without X coat on, Y pants, etc.
I say put the keys in the truck and have at it!
Me too !
Prior to finding hunting, I was a backpacker. I would do 2 week trips with 42-44 lbs (that's including pack wt and 1L water) and that was with a liter of scotch in a Nalgene bottle.
Guys do the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail - Mexico to Canada) in two week stints between resupplying and carry 25 lbs. They wear tennis shoes and replace them every 2 weeks to limit weight.
The hunting crowd could learn a thing or two from the backpacking crowd in terms of economics. You don't need the kitchen sink.
Yes, there's a bunch of things that can go wrong. So walk back to the truck if the SHTF and you (insert random thing that can go wrong like running out of batteries or losing your head light.)
To the eternally pessimistic planners, my track record is this: Over one year spent in the back country over the past 20 years and I've never hiked out early for any reason, most significantly, due to gear or lack thereof, ever.
As far as the brown shirt, You betcha. I usually wear a really faded Mossy Oak Brush hoodie, which looks an awful lot like an elk. Wonder why that works? :-)
Ditto on the boots. Mine are whatever is on sale that fit the best.
Gas and tags were 70% of the cost of the trip.
Gun Killed 5 bulls and 4 cows in 12 years.....and firmly planted the seeds of western adventure!
Mark
I'm a self admitted gear junkie but Chad is spot on that you don't need the latest and greatest to be successful out West. My brother (who happens to be 10x tougher than I am and also regularly kills bigger critters than I do) finally retired his 20+ year old Caleba's fleece pants that have been patched many times over and he added his own belt loops about 10-years ago. He was asking me about the Sitka's, Kuiu, First Light that I'm wearing, but I was sad to see him putting his old fleeces to bed...
I think I finally bought my first pair of new boots a couple years ago, before that it was whatever I could find at Cabela's or REI sidewalk sale.
Disclosure: I did have a little Camofire problem a year ago before I quit work, when my old reliable wool pants were wearing thin and I upgraded base layers a little. Great deals.
If cotton kills, it's only because you ain't smart enough to know when to put on your rain gear!
Most of my hunting gear comes from the second hand store or yard sales.
Nick, You know how it goes.....the human mind can justify any "need" it wants!
If the above quote is your mantra, I wonder what Kota-man's is?!
Mark
I do have a decent tent and sleeping bag and pad
My first elk trip was in 2009, and I bought almost nothing for it. Had my whitetail boots and clothes, bought a $150 sleeping bag, a $100 pack, and a $25 bivy sack in the bargain cave at Cabelas. And bought a backpackers stove.
Bought the CO elk tag, and paid for half of the fuel cost from Missouri, and half of a $68 motel room on the way home. All in for less than $1000
Since then I've splurged on a tent, pack and a few other items that are specifically west-hunting related
But still, most of my western trips are well less than $1,000, depending mostly on distance, tag cost, and whether I get a motel room on the way home. Usually time my leaving home to drive straight through, but on the way home, usually won't drive through the night, and get a motel room to sleep
I tell people around home that they can be done awfully cheaply
Bake
My brother, who is a non-hunter, is going to go elk hunting with me this fall. He'll tag along on the hunting part, as well as just relax in camp when he feels like it.
Unfortunately, he is of a size that second hand stuff is going to be non-existent. He's 6'8"
I told him not to spend a bunch of money, and if he did, to buy stuff with multiple uses.
For example, he has young kids. . . so I told him to just buy a cheap walmart tent that his kids would like. We are truck camping, so we'll have tarps, and can rig something up if it proves un-waterproof
Pants and shirts. . . I told him to buy khaki or dark green, or brown. Stuff he would wear while working outside, etc. Doesn't have to be camo
A good pair of tennis shoes, or hiking boots that he can also wear around working in the yard, etc. Doesn't have to be expensive mountaineering boots, just something well broke in.
Told him not to worry about an expensive sleeping bag, since we're truck camping, we can throw in a few old comforters for extra warmth for everybody if needed.
That's about all he'll need. He's excited about it.
Gear is nothing. Also if you buy the best gear possible once.....you normally won't need anymore.
I can tell you that you don't need much. Some waterproof boots a tag and your archery gear. Most of our kills are wearing a black hoodie and/or a t-shirt. I've used my old t-shirts as game bags. Usually at the beginning of season my pack is heavy ... as season goes on I start taking things out and lighten the load. Every year I try to upgrade one thing.. check places like camofire and cabelas bargain cave.
I have purchased some decent gear over the years, but still wear some of my cheaper treestand gear, and my first elk hunt, I just threw my whitetail early season stuff(all cotton) and didn't have any problems.
I also like a good bargain when I can find one and so far have had a hard time justifying $1000 for a backpack.
A couple years ago I bought a Marine Corp surplus ILBE (Increased Load Bearing Equipment) pack off of eBay for $39. It's pictured here on the right next to my buddy Les's Kifaru. The ILBE pack is extremely well built and will handle 150lbs plus. It has a lot of very nice features and although it is heavier and won't compress as well and probably not as comforatable as the Kifaru it is by far the most comfortable backpack with a heavy load that I have ever used.
I normally get elk cut up and chilled for two day drive back home and I buy dry ice day one and day two $300+.
$100 dollars food while I am there.
OK, penny pinchers tell me where to save.
P.S. I do not own sitka or kuiu but I want kuiu rain gear and I the sitka kelvin jacket and bibs for cold weather stand hunting. I freeze on the stand and I typically hunt daylight to dark. My current down coat was bout in 1978...
This fall I hauled out 2 deer stands, climbing sticks, all my clothes, boots, bow, etc. for about 3 miles and when I got to my truck I weighed it and it was 85 pounds. It was heavy but the it carried the weight well.
Here's a photo of my Molle frame with a Lone Wolf sit and climb stand strapped to it.
What are spending $50 per day on the road on? I never count the cost of food I buy because I have to eat no matter where I am. You could pack food from home if you want to save a few bucks.
I've slept in my truck or camper many times to save the cost of a motel when I've been solo. But when you have two guys or more it's worth having a room if you can split costs.
I've never needed or bought dry ice. Cut up your elk yourself or at least break it down to the larger muscles and skip the dry ice and save $300.
Basic stuff every WT hunter has will get them through most if not all trips.
If you look at this site as of late, it's all Brand X, Brand Y type discussions which is great, and some people have really put time an effort in giving reviews which will save guys alot of money. Thats one of the great thing about this site.
My motivation on this is to let guys know that there are plenty of guys out here killing stuff with low end stuff.
Here is my Elk outer layer. Sorry, it's a deer. Same hat when it gets cold. Just fixed that zipper but I'm sure we've all seen these cheap Colombia specials in every store. Talk about quiet.
It's just a shelf in my topper with a vinyl pad from some patio furniture and a sleeping bag. It's actually pretty comfortable.
An elk tag in ID, CO, or WY will cost you about $600.
Borrow a car that gets 35mpg and your gas bill drops to $200.
Like I said, I just brought two deer back from NE in a Honda Civic and an elk will fit in the same setup.
My NE trip I ate out twice, slept in my car coming, during, and going, and spent less than $150 on food for the entire trip (6 hunting days, 2 travel days).
Total cost: $950 for a DIY elk hunt from GA. My deer hunt was less due to tag price.
Now, if you choose to spend more on a tag in NM, that's totally understandable, but it's still a choice. A $50 PP this year will give you good odds at a $600 General tag in WY next year with roughly the same trophy quality as all but about 5 zones in NM.
Still, you're going to burn your savings if you take a full size truck.
I really don't need to go to town to resupply anything for a multi-week hunt. Spike out for 4-5 days, come back to a shower and great bed, a couple hot meals, some clean layers, and back on the hunt. Nothing like steak, potatoes and a couple cold beers after a week of Mountain House, without driving to town and paying a restaurant.
Amortized over time, it's surprisingly cheap. I could sell it today for $1,800. So about $100 a year so far, plus tags. And I'll have MANY more years of use out of it. Yes, it costs a little more gas to pull (about .05-.07 a mile at today's prices), but more than makes up for it with savings elsewhere and convenience, plus I can pack gear and clothes for all conditions. I added a little 1K suitcase Honda inverter after a few years to recharge the battery when I get back.
And after I flipped the shackles, I can get it into pretty rough spots, tuck it in and leave it anywhere a truck will fit.
I'll even use a brand new Havalon blade.
I live on a tight budget and found my best friend on most trips is my basecamp....pickup with a topper on the back! It's a great place to stay warm and dry. It doesn't cost near as much as a trailer....and I don't have to deal with getting new tires, wiring, licenses every year, etc. It's also nice to stay mobile during trips and camp out where I end up at the end of the day.
I rough it on my trips on the cheapest budget imaginable. In fact, I've been on several Alaska trips where I rented a car or SUV for $25 to $30/day and slept in the back to get out of the rain and away from bears! There are a lot of ways to truly "rough it" on a budget!
I used to work with the daughter of a frugal friend of mine. She recounted a story from part of their move from NM to CO where it was just the 2 of them. In the middle of the night when they just couldn't go any further, he pulled into a Holiday Inn parking lot. She said how happy and surprised she was that dad was actually getting a nice hotel room for them, just like normal people do!
He backed into a parking spot in the back corner and reclined his seat...and said, "G'night sweety." Really took the wind out of her sails. Sounds like a familiar story for guys on this thread, myself included.
It's nice to have the new latest gear gear today but I was a more effective predator when I was younger and on a tight budget.
I even made three DIY Alaskan trips for about $6,000 total and brought home two moose, a caribou and a Sitka blacktail (in the '80s and 90s).
If there is a will, there is a way! Great thread!
What some guys will do to afford hunting and fishing trips! Just because you don't have a lot of $ doesn't mean you can't take part in great outdoor trips! I skimp and save all year to afford great adventures on a yearly basis! If you are willing to budget and think outside the box there are some great options available!
That was a real eye-opener to me! There comes a point where having proper gear for the conditions can possibly save your life! It may not be wise to skimp on quality clothes and equipment for back country hunting in less than ideal conditions. I try to remember the Boy Scout Motto.... "Be prepared!"
A serious question...how important is a pack frame? Or can I get away with using a softpack? I haven't looked at a badlands pack to know how rigid it is...it appears to be similiar in construction to my walmart special which has met its end. Once again I truly value all the input given here, I am pretty confident now that I can "strikeout" after elk. Plus with fish as big as what's in that there photo I think I can salvage any elk hunt with a 3 wt and some pheasant tails!!!
It is still my elk hunting "pack it back in there" pack as well as the "pack out the bull meat" on the frame pack. I've owned it since it was new and have had it likely over 20 years.
I got it for my "First Annual Once in a Lifetime Elk Hunt"! ;) To date, it has accompanied me on 13 or 14 such trips.... And its still going strong!
>>>>-------->
But it gets 4 hooves down , even if it doesn't get 2 thumbs up !
One thing that was great about my old gear was that I had zero worries that anyone would ever take anything from my camp. Nothing was worth carrying out.
I completely agree that a little bit of "heart", drive or desire will carry you much further than dropping an extra grand or more on gear.
In regard to pack frames. I used an Cabela's Alaska framed pack for years. The last time I used it I ended upside down like a turtle! I packed out a lot of elk and deer with it over the years but the shifting of a load with a pack frame was a dangerous scenerio. I finally wised up and got an oversized Arcteryx Bora 90 internal frame pack. It may not be a Kifaru but I've hauled out literally hundreds and hundreds of pounds of game over the years with it. Everything from dall sheep to moose. I've seen a few on Craigslist and Ebay for around $100! Mine is around 20 years old and keeps on ticking!
razorhead - how could you afford contractor bags, I had to make do with regular garbage bags. To save weight on daily hunts I always rolled one up in my pack in case of rain. Had rain gear back at the camp if I needed it but this worked during the day. Started this after getting caught in an afternoon temp drop then a downpour. There is NO warm rain in the mountains!
cnelk - I have always had the belief that different camo tops and bottoms were more effective. I have a buddy that just has to be the GQ camo guy. Heck, he sells arrows if the fletchings don't match.
Eagle-eye-Andy - I have an early 70's Eddie Bauer external pack frame that has a lot of experience carrying 70 lb loads while backpacking for elk in Colorado. I will give it to you if you want it. I also have a smaller, cheaper external packframe my wife used. You can have them both if that will help get you started on your quest for elk!
Just think, only a couple weeks ago some clown was asking whether the Bowsite represented the average bowhunter...this thread screams out the answer...YES.
Dwayne
I would have to change locations to make the civic work due to read really rough roads. That would be true in every area that hunted in Montana, Arizona, Wyoming, New Mexico.
I agree that Cazador is correct in his premise of going cheap if it means not going at all.
Still loves this thread!!!
I would have to change locations to make the civic work due to read really rough roads. That would be true in every area that hunted in Montana, Arizona, Wyoming, New Mexico.
I agree that Cazador is correct in his premise of going cheap if it means not going at all.
Still loves this thread!!!
we can do Nebraska, but that's in November and the hood of my car is a lot colder which makes for certain physiologic changes in the target organs, if you catch my drift... think "mining for gold" instead of "panning for gold..."
And BTW, I was gonna bring Lidocaine, I'm not that mean. But you can bite on a stick if you want that whole civil-war experience.
$5 KMart coveralls on sale, $1.00 wool shirt, $.50 Goodwill hat with camo mesh hand-sewn on.
Somehow I managed to voice-bugle this bull in and kill him at 8 yards.
Here's my first bull also shot at a distance of 8 yards.
Check out the mis-matched camo, Cabela's Microtex pants in Skyline Apparition pattern and a Realtree cotton T-shirt. Look at how that Skyline pattern makes my legs disappear, I wonder what ever happened to that pattern...?
Oh yeah, and check out that vintage bow, a 1998 Mathews MQ-1, the first year they made them. And talk about low-budget, I still shoot that bow!
When buying gear, you have to keep a few things in mind:
1. Don't buy if it's not on sale. (Even Cabela's occasionally has sales.)
2. Is it a need or a want? Military snipers have a different take on what they consider "high-end optics" than I do. I use my rangefinder now and then, and never does my life depend on it.
3. Some things are worth buying "once" ... rifles, saddles. You'll spend less by purchasing quality.
4. But ... "Buy once, cry once" does not apply to socks. Knowing where to draw the line is important.
5. DO NOT SPEND MONEY YOU DON'T HAVE ON STUFF YOU DON'T NEED.
Mike, I still have some insulated bibs in the Skyline pattern (bought on sale, of course) and they are the Bomb for late season treestand hunting, which I don't do anymore.
Ike, my vasectomy was a "civil-war" experience. The only thing missing was a stick to bite on. I'll tell you about it sometime. Gruesome.
Thanks for the photos Mike. I may have to try something like that.
I don't like being cold or wet, so I have added to/upgraded my equipment over the years. Right now is a great time to buy - no big game season anywhere in sight and tax time around the corner - sales abound. Paying more than $50 tops for merino underanything is ridiculous. Even top shelf stuff like Smartwool socks can occasionally be had at substantial discounts. Plus if you keep going into outdoor stores, you eventually find exactly what you are looking for at 1/2 off.
Boots I gotta say is one area where if it does exactly what I want the extra dough is worth it. Cold and wet is nothing next to holes in your feet and the prospect of nothing but more torture.
What $$$ does buy you is less weight for gear that still performs. Extra weight can be compensated for by fitness, determination, preparation, and sheer stubbornness.
As far as out of state trip costs, making a bunch of food ahead of time (I use a dehydrator a lot) gets you great eats for no more than staying at home. We all ask for the 'hunter discount' at motels on the way and they always give it. Agree gas for big ol' 4x4's can eat a hole in your wallet. I drive a high mileage car and figure on packing that extra distance. Of course, every extra passenger (especially the first one) divides that cost.
I never regret a cent I pay for getting into the great beyond.
Goretex rain gear, tents. all sorts of hunting and camping gear. THe prices were too good to pass up.
Probably still have a dozen pairs of boots from then, which I rotate through now. Three pairs of Meindls, Danners, Cabelas private label back when the sizes were consistent and the overall quality seemed better.
I am glad to see/read this thread. I think it's awesome.
Lots of good tips here. >>>>------>
