Well, Wyle E Coyoite caught the road-runner...

**WhitewaterDuck** · 06-28-2021, 12:55 PM

I drew the coveted area 7 type 1 Wyoming Elk tag this year. Just re-arranged my schedule with my partner, and I have the first 19 days of September (first 19 days of bow season) to go after them. At first, I was all pumped up, and I kicked a couple of selfbow projects into high gear to get me a sweet shooting bow coming in at ~57-59 lbs. I told myself that I was going to head up there, hike my ass in to some good country, and figure out how to get within 20 yards of a Bull. I've never hunted elk, but I'm a hunter, and I know I can figure it out with that much time in that large of an area with that little pressure on them. Heck, I'm thinking I've got slightly better than a 50/50 chance on getting access to two different, vast, incredible private ranches. Then reality set in, and I realized that
a. although I have watched a bunch of Alone and Nekkid and Afraid...and even though I'm a freaking expert on telling my wife and kids what those folks are doing wrong and what they should be doing...I've never camped out in the woods by myself that I can recall. AND
b. this endeavor is about to cost me a shitpile of $$!

I know that my current clothing situation basically puts me at rung 0 on the clothing system ladder...right there beside rung 0 on the pack, game bags, garmin in reach, trecking poles, spotting scope, calls, tent, sleeping system, dehydrated food, emergency med kit, backcountry cooking system, and whatever the heck else I'm going to need ladder. I've been watching youtube pack dump vids, and all I can say is

OVERWHELMED!

I know I'm opening up a giant can of worms here, but anyone who has done some backcountry overnight to weeks-long trips...
HELP!

Thanks

**quackaddict** · 06-28-2021, 01:07 PM

Ditch the spotting scope first and foremost. If you can tell if a bull is big enough to go after with 10x binos, you’re way too far away(or you’re an inch counting retard).

Mountainsmith Mountain Shelter LT is a nice floorless option.

Get used to smelling bad.

Emergen-C is a good supplement to mix up every day. Helps with hydration and is way cheaper than Mountain Ops.

Academy and Walmart both sell earth toned breatheable/stretchy/quick drying pants. For the cost of one pair of Kuiu or Sitka, you can have about 4 pairs of bargain pants and they’ll be just as comfy.

Get some merino base layers from Black Ovis/Camofire.

Look for a used pack on Rokslide. Mystery Ranch, Stone Glacier, Exo are good packs. Kifaru is supposedly the holy grail.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**bbhntr48** · 06-28-2021, 01:10 PM

First off, congrats on the coveted tag. Random or preference points? Good John Barklow and watch his backcountry videos. Man has serious knowledge. Two huge pluses for a backcountry hunt, Under 10k elevation and few if any grizzly bears. Did I read you are going alone or do you have a buddy going? Plan now on how you will get 300lbs of elk meat out when you are successful. If I was on rung 0 as you said below are my first three things to do
1. Buy a Mystery Ranch Metcalf pack and Best boots you can afford
2. Begin rucking with 20-30 lbs and get more fit than you think is possible
3. Buy a single set of Sitka/Kuiu specific gear for Sept elk hunt in Wyoming. Could have a blizzard or could be 70 degrees. I love Mossy Oak, but am not willing to risk my life on it.

This is a heck of an opportunity, make the most of it and enjoy

**quackaddict** · 06-28-2021, 01:14 PM

Almost forgot, get a good pair of gaiters. Outdoor Vision makes a great pair.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**FULLCHOKE** · 06-28-2021, 01:16 PM

Buy a bunch of Sitka. A lot of it.

It will guarantee success. No need to worry about everything else

**quackaddict** · 06-28-2021, 01:52 PM

camofire actually has game bags on their site today.

https://www.camofire.com/

**buckpro** · 06-28-2021, 02:09 PM

Its a big ass turkey with a nose, keep that and thermals in mind, and you'll score.

Stone glacier 5500 with the Xcurv frame is a my new favorite pack.

**Carlisle** · 06-28-2021, 02:34 PM

We all think we are invincible but you need to think about safety when you are out there alone. Shit happens.

I like to hunt alone but carry a garmin rhino and have others that I know I can contact if something happens. A PLB is not that expensive either.

Had a buddy slip in the elk woods last year, literally on some pine straw, and broke his arm.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**reeltight** · 06-28-2021, 03:00 PM

Garmin with texting capabilities would be on my list.

**bbhntr48** · 06-28-2021, 03:04 PM

Those are vast wild places out there. Just get prepared and understand that if something does go wrong, you have to be able to take care of your self (Shelter, fire, water) for a day or two.

**drwilly** · 06-28-2021, 03:34 PM

fortunately you came to the right place. experts abound on every subject

**Catdaddy** · 06-28-2021, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by drwilly

fortunately you came to the right place. experts abound on every subject

Yep,....and get the wheelie bow tuned up. It will save you alot on rice.

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

**WhitewaterDuck** · 06-28-2021, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by drwilly

fortunately you came to the right place. experts abound on every subject

I wouldn't dream of taking this anywhere else! So, here is where I think I am on this. I agree with spotting scope...I should be able to locate and move in on some animals without seeing a hundred miles. I have good binos, and unless someone convinces me that I need a SS or I figure that out when I'm up there, I'm going with the binos.

I plan on finding some good lightweight merino baselayers and some good synthetic base layers and taking one or two of each. While I agree that I don't need every piece of gear in the Sitka/kuiu/First Lite lineup, I have used high end camo clothing here and there, and I can see where its worth the scratch. This is going to be some serious up and down.

Last Sept 7th, it was 90-95+ degrees...just as it was all of August when I was heat-stroking trying to stick a speedgoat. At daybreak on Sept 9, I was sitting in a blind with 7" of snow on the ground; it would have been 2' had the ground been anywhere near cold. That was down in the "banana belt." I don't know how much snow they got up in the hills, but I'm sure some folks came out of there early with some killer lifetime stories and some came out late thankful that they made it. That kind of swing isn't necessarily normal, but going from 80's to snow quickly is not unusual.

I'm thinking I should have a mid-weight merino or merino/poly blend hoody, light puffy down pants and vest, light to midweight water resistant pants and jacket, and a light but definitely quality set of waterproof pants and jacket for the not-so-unusual rain/sleet/hail storms that pop up. I don't think I need to take any single super warm jacket or pants, because if a crazy storm blows in I'll just put all that gear on...and if that isn't enough to weather that storm...I'll be hiking my ass out of there. Thinking of getting some killik base layers and maybe killick pants and jacket. I do like the elbow and knee pads on the sitka...I will crawl if need be in a heartbeat, and my old ass found out last year during goat season that crawling freaking hurts...and that was in a flat alfalfa field. I can imagine regretting not having the pads if I choose to go without. Can I get the same purpose clothing for a lot less? Yes. Would they be nearly as light, packable, and wearable thru temp extreme changes? Not even close.

I have owned and primarily worn quality hiking boots as an every day shoe from ~1992 thru 2018; my primary footwear is now cowboy boots. That said, I've owned and loved Vasque sundowners and Asolo abve the ankle stiff leather hikers for years. I got my Asolos wet inside last year and the goretex lining shrunk and ruined the damn things. I decided to try on premium boots in that vein, and I settled on the Kenetrek Guide Boot. It might be heavier, but if I can't hack picking up and putting down a couple of ounces more boot, I have no business going up there. Sidehilling sucks, and those boots are going to take a lot of suck out of it.

Will be going with the stormfront gaitors or something the same height/durability/quality.

Calls...No freaking clue. Ill figure that out.
Gotta put together a med kit; wish I had my old Kayak med kit that included some high octane pain meds should I or someone I was boating with break or dislocate a limb, but that mysteriously got gone years ago. Will take advil, tylenol, tums, suture kit, neosporin, iodine???

Great idea about looking into a used pack. I can't make up my mind on weather to go big or go huge...and that is serious scratch that I won't know if I like or not until I'm using it.

Going to get a Garmin In Touch with textability and sos. Planning on taking two Zerolemon battery cases for my phone, as I can charge one fully and with full phone charge, I can go from 6 days without having to plug in. I might look into one of the portable solar charging units, or I may just take several external battery packs. If I download the maps of the area before I leave, my phone should put me on the maps without signal.

Havelon knife with replacement blades.

Does it matter what game bags?

Oh...hydration. So a bladder system for the pack and extra water bags for camp and some type of water filter system. Any recommendations on water filter and why recommend will be appreciated.

Then there is the tent. I'm thinking of going high dollar on a tent simply because of the wind we get here...even if it isn't dumping snow or pouring rain, there will be wind...serious wind, and I don't have any desire to have 350$ crumble and colapse and tear up on me if 750$ will gurantee that I can have a tent that'll last me for the rest of my life.

Don't know weather to go -10 to 0 or 5-15 or 20-30 degrees on a bag. I used to sleep cold when camping. If my bag was 20 and it was 20...I was freezing. That said, I never had or used a pad, so that might be the reason. I don't want to be sweating and too hot. Any advice on bag rating for Sept in the hills will be appreciated.

Am I going by myself? That depends. I don't have anyone to go with that can go for that length of time. I might divide it up into three trips if it turns out I can get one of my buds out here to tag along. There are a couple of guys that, if they were successful with the draw, might want to team up and go after them together, but I have not talked to them yet. That said, I'm not counting on having anyone with me, and I kinda want to give it a go on my own. I know its risky, but I don't take nearly the chances I used to before I had children. Also, one person = 1/2 the scent to worry about and 1/2 the movement to conceal.

300lbs of meat...yup. Thats the biggie. IF I connect, I figure I'll be skinning and deboning the meat. I figure I'll pack out the first load and give my friends a call when I get to my truck. They should be at the truck by the time I'm arriving back with the second load. No matter how I look at it, it's going to be a very weird happy/sucky situation, but I've seen older doods in worse shape than me lugging meat out on their backs...so I guess itll be "head down and keep trudging" if or when I have to cross that bridge.

As for random or PP draw; it was random. Residents don't get to accumulate PPs here. The good news is that if we fail to draw where we apply for, we can buy a general tag good for a ton of good ground throughout the state.

So that's my plan at this point from watching the gurus on youtube and reading. This just seems like one of those deals where you get it dialed in as close as possible to what you think is best, dive the f in head first, and hope you end up regretting less than you are happy with and make adjustments from there.

Thanks for any and all input.

**WhitewaterDuck** · 06-28-2021, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by Catdaddy

Yep,....and get the wheelie bow tuned up. It will save you alot on rice.

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

Going to be flinging cane off a hand whittled osage stick...and before anyone states that it's a dumbass move, I did decide to go with steel broadheads vs stone. Seriously though...it might be a dumbass move, but I'm committed to it.

**Tater** · 06-28-2021, 05:00 PM

And that’s all that matters. Have fun!

**quackaddict** · 06-28-2021, 05:08 PM

Look at Kodiak Canvas tents if you're looking for a base camp tent. They'll handle wind great, and a Mr Buddy Heater will warm them up real nice.

Backpacking tipis are real nice, but make sure you cut the person rating in half. And a woodstove is nice if it's wet and/or cold out.

And I'd suggest looking at the Outdoor Edge Razor Blaze knives over the Havalons. They have a lot more backbone to them.

**bbhntr48** · 06-28-2021, 05:51 PM

I Missed the part about you being a resident. You then are intimately aware of the the vastness and wildness that is the back country. Thats a big first step. Cant wait to see pics.