Elk hunt gear advice?

[Lrreloader]

This fall my father and I will be going on a elk hunt 4 years in the making, it has been an ever changing style of hunt, from driving to camp and to hunting spots, to driving to camp and taking horses from camp to hunt. To final version is drive to trail head, 1 hour horseback ride to camp and hunting on foot from there. We are now going to be limited to what gear we can take because of packing everything in. So my question for anyone with experience is what to take and what to leave behind?

Or better put what did you find an absolute need and what are things you took that didn't need or things you wish you did have?

Thanks

 

[nwmnbowhunter]

Wet wipes and chapstick are always on my person.

 

[Lrreloader]

Edit 9 day rifle hunt

 

[26Reload]

A good exercise regiment......if you aren't getting enough exercise you're gonna hate yourself....still time...

Is this a drop camp?...are tents cots and sleeping bags supplied....
Cookware...food...BEAR COUNTRY?
Storage containers.....

Clothing...couple warm coats...everyday hunting clothes(wear each day)...but make sure....extra underwear & socks....
Some wipe clothes(bath)....gonna be sweating......and yep..chapstick

 

[Lrreloader]

2 on 1 guided, camp will already be setup food and drinks provided

 

[nwmnbowhunter]

A boot regimen that keeps your feet happy.

Hurt feet are the worst.

I like clean dry feet that don't have blisters. I have enough socks to change out during the day. [Can rinse and dry them at camp]

 

[Rick Richard]

Synthetic clothing, good boots that are already broken in and a well fitting pack.

 

[Gamesniper19]

Awesome and congrats. It is something I wish every hunter on the planet would get a chance to experience. IMO here is the order of importance getting ready for your hunt.

1. Get in the best possible physical shape you can be in. The mountains are bigger, higher, and steeper than you think. Your pack is going to be heavier than you think, and hunting for 5-7 days in that environment will break you down fast. There is no way to mimic that environment if you live in a flatter state unfortunately so do every exercise, work out, and cardio program you can to get in shape. It will make your hunt more enjoyable, you can cover more ground and if you do find and see elk, you can be more effective hunting them. Think about the best athletes in the world who can run a mile in about 4 mins. An elk can cover a mile in about 90 seconds, and continue to cover that mile up a hill, down a hill or across any terrain you can think of and keep going for 4-5 miles before stopping. You wanna try to follow that out of shape?
2. Get the best gear you can afford.
   • First and foremost, get a good pair of boots and break them in and put >70 - 100 miles on them before you hit elk camp. Blistered feet will ruin a hunt faster than anything else. Get good socks to go with them. Throw your white cotton socks in the trash and get some thin merino or other purpose built foot gear - I cannot stress your feet enough. Perhaps even upgrade your footbeds - I do and it does make a difference.
   • Good gear including a pack that fits you correctly. Wear it. Walk with it, hike with it and make sure you can carry the weight. If it feels heavy now, imagine how its going to feel at 6500 feet with 80 lbs in it.
   • Leave your scent lock at home. If you have nothing else, fine but if you can afford to get good elk gear, do it. You are going to be playing the wind anyway as a rule and scent lock is heavy and doesn't breath. Bring gear in layers that will keep you comfortable from about 20-75 degrees. Temps can vary that much in a day sometimes. Bring rain gear no matter what the forecast says. It could save your life and it has, take my word from experience
   • Take hypothermia seriously. More people die of hypothermia when the temps are in the mid 30s than when it is colder. Why? you get wet, you get tired, you get cold and when its above freezing you think you are fine. If you sit and cool off and begin to get hypothermic, there is almost nothing you can do in the field to recover fast enough. Stay warm and as dry as you can. To the previous point, bring merino or other layers the dry fast (10 mins over a camp fire) and will keep you out of harms way
   • Bring a first aid kit and survival gear - I bring it every time and everywhere I go. No matter what. Nope, dont leave it this time, dont forget it, and dont scrimp on it. Elk country is harsh and nature doesnt apologize. If you get in a bad way, have it to start a fire or signal or stay alive. Nope an elk and machismo is not worth dying
   • Sleep warm and dry. Pad, bag, and tent. You can only recover if you sleep well. Physically falling asleep will be fairly easy, staying asleep and refueling your body and mind over a week in the field is imperative to your hunt and your well being.
   • Have a plan. Tell people where you are going, get a GPS based tracking device or panic button if you get in a bad way. If you arent communicating with people by a certain time, they need to know where to come search and find you.
3. Make sure you can shoot. Bow or rifle. That means more than standing at 20 yards in a perfectly flat shooting area or on a bench at 100 yards with no wind - know your capabilities and limits. Success comes from being sure of what you can do and how you do it. Leave your ego at home. If you cannot hit a pie plate at 60 yards at home in perfect conditions, why try that shot in the field.
4. Get the best possible optics you can afford. Period. Your face will be in your optics all day for 7 days straight. You have to be able to pick out critters and do it without loss of clarity or headaches from bad glass.
5. Be prepared if you are fortunate to kill an elk. Its an all day affair to field dress and pack an elk if you have never done so. Think 4-5 trips with an 80 lb pack. If its only 2 people and you are 6 miles in, that is 24 miles in one day with 160 lbs on...and its not gonna be flat ground. Back to point 1, get in shape and if you can, get some help. Bring bags, 550 cord to hang meat, and bear spray. G Bears are being conditioned to know what a gunshot means and I have had them come in on my carcass before, and posture and threaten. They are large and in charge and they will kill you if you arent prepared. A good sidearm may be a good idea as back up too, if you are bow hunting. Keep your head on a swivel when you come back to your kill, there may be a bear within 100 yards sleeping off a meal and it will see you as a threat. Make noise, and let your presence be known.
6. Enjoy the experience. Everything I am sharing will help you enjoy your experience and more than that, hopefully get you back home safe. Killing and elk is the goal but even before that, coming home is more important. You can always draw another tag, you cannot draw another life.

I am sure I left out a few things. There is a ton of info and good advice, Send It!!

 

[calling4life]

biodegradable hemorrhoid wet wipes are better, regardless of whether you have hemorrhoids.

 

[Beer Baron]

I always carry a small tarp and 550 cord in my day pack when elk hunting. I mainly carry it to use as a clean area for staging meat in game bags after skinning, quartering and deboning an animal. It also comes in handy as a tent vestibule, emergency shelter or blanket etc. I agree that a pistol is indispensable. I packed out my first elk carrying my rifle and I much prefer to do it packing a pistol, .40 cal or bigger IMO. 100+ lb pack and a rifle is a complete pain to manage.

 

[Lrreloader]

I always carry a small tarp and 550 cord in my day pack when elk hunting. I mainly carry it to use as a clean area for staging meat in game bags after skinning, quartering and deboning an animal. It also comes in handy as a tent vestibule, emergency shelter or blanket etc. I agree that a pistol is indispensable. I packed out my first elk carrying my rifle and I much prefer to do it packing a pistol, .40 cal or bigger IMO. 100+ lb pack and a rifle is a complete pain to manage.

I have a few of those foil emergency blankets for putting meat on while skinning, cheap light, disposable. But small tarp is good idea for shelter

 

[ARCaveman]

As the other guys have stated get in the best shape you can and take care of your feet. I'd wager a paycheck that more hunts have been ruined by those 2 things than any others. Always keep dry socks and some sort of blister treatment in your pack, such as mole skin or the blister prevention KT tape. If you start getting any hot spots treat them early. Don't try to tough it out bc that will bite you later on.

 

[CONatureBoy]

A very sharp hunting knife, either with replaceable blades (I have and love the Outdoor Edge Razor Pro) and a couple of replacements, or a good sharpening tool along with a fixed-blade knife. Make sure you know how to use the sharpener in the field. Field dressing an elk dulls knives fast enough that you'll be very glad you had a way to do the whole job with a sharp knife.

 

[BrentM]

This is basically what I do every year multiple times. I generally guide a hunt or 2 or I scout for those hunts. Doing this for a really long time, insert old dude, I rarely am on the mountain without anything I really wish I had except ice cream.

things that don't take a lot of room...
1. Extra boots. I rotate boots throughout a hunt.
2. Emergency poncho. I hate packing rain gear everywhere so I tend to rely on the poncho, ultralight, packs small. A large trash bag works too.
3. Always a reliable fire starter. Fire is the number one thing that can make a bad weather day half way tolerable.
4. Gators- you'd be surprised how much a good gator can benefit you.
5. Battery charger/battery pack/ etc. I carry a spare light weight charger and I have a hand crank charger in camp. It's also a light.

Besides the obvious layering of quality clothing etc those are things I like. A good comfy back pack, bino harness, and all the other stuff is just a personal preference type gig. If I can stay warm, cool, dry.... I am generally able to tolerate higher levels of suck.