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Hunting
The Basics, Starting Out
First Elk/Muley Hunt (lessons learned)
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<blockquote data-quote="midnightmalloy" data-source="post: 1375354" data-attributes="member: 25605"><p>Dang, read this entire post. I think there are a number of things that I would suggest differently from the original poster after actually living in the west and hunting a lot at these high elevations. </p><p></p><p>So layering doesn't mean wearing all the layers. You should be fairly cold when you start hiking, which once you learn, means if it's 20 degrees you pretty much leave the truck with a couple layers of merino on your torso and that's it. </p><p></p><p>I would NEVER suggest to others leaving your backpack and you should ALWAYS carry a survival and first aid kit especially in the high mountain west in the fall/winter. No offense, but that is bad advice. </p><p></p><p>Most of the advice in this original post is due to not being in adequate shape for the environment that is being hunted. Also suggesting that hunting elk is not a solo endeavor is also not good advice as many of us do it all the time.</p><p></p><p>In the west here is usually how it goes: leave the truck and hike hard for 30 min-4 hours, Stop and glass for 30 min- 10 hours, stay there and shoot or race like hell to get to a shooting spot. Shoot and kill an animal if you do it right. Then you need to skin, quarter, take all the meat, hang it in game bags and then hike all of it out, not leaving any usable meat (even if you are sore and tired)!</p><p></p><p>I have seen a truck load of out of state hunters or out of the west hunters to be more precise, and it's usually that they THINK they can do it but once they get here and after the first two days they are at the bar telling stories. </p><p></p><p>My advice is to get in real shape, I mean 50% more than you think you need. For reference I can easily hike at sea level on rolling hills with 80-90 lbs for 6-12 miles without killing myself. At 8000+' 40 lbs is just as hard or slightly harder. </p><p></p><p>Also another suggestion for hunters that don't have any experience in the high mountain west is to start small. Get an any Mule deer tag for 2-4 years and learn the game before you jump into elk. Or just save your money, hire a high dollar private ranch outfitter and shoot a huge deer/elk and tell a good story. I'm not trying to be a downer but many of us have seen this too many times and it's just hard to watch. These are the guys that leave meat in the field, mess up too many hunts and put a bad taste in the ranchers and locals mouths about hunters. </p><p></p><p>Take advice from those that ACTUALLY hunt these places not keyboard experts that have no clue what it is actually like but regurgitate something they have heard. Get a clothing system, backpack system, binos, rangefinder and rifle system that mimics those that actually do this type of hunting and you will be happier.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="midnightmalloy, post: 1375354, member: 25605"] Dang, read this entire post. I think there are a number of things that I would suggest differently from the original poster after actually living in the west and hunting a lot at these high elevations. So layering doesn’t mean wearing all the layers. You should be fairly cold when you start hiking, which once you learn, means if it’s 20 degrees you pretty much leave the truck with a couple layers of merino on your torso and that’s it. I would NEVER suggest to others leaving your backpack and you should ALWAYS carry a survival and first aid kit especially in the high mountain west in the fall/winter. No offense, but that is bad advice. Most of the advice in this original post is due to not being in adequate shape for the environment that is being hunted. Also suggesting that hunting elk is not a solo endeavor is also not good advice as many of us do it all the time. In the west here is usually how it goes: leave the truck and hike hard for 30 min-4 hours, Stop and glass for 30 min- 10 hours, stay there and shoot or race like hell to get to a shooting spot. Shoot and kill an animal if you do it right. Then you need to skin, quarter, take all the meat, hang it in game bags and then hike all of it out, not leaving any usable meat (even if you are sore and tired)! I have seen a truck load of out of state hunters or out of the west hunters to be more precise, and it’s usually that they THINK they can do it but once they get here and after the first two days they are at the bar telling stories. My advice is to get in real shape, I mean 50% more than you think you need. For reference I can easily hike at sea level on rolling hills with 80-90 lbs for 6-12 miles without killing myself. At 8000+’ 40 lbs is just as hard or slightly harder. Also another suggestion for hunters that don’t have any experience in the high mountain west is to start small. Get an any Mule deer tag for 2-4 years and learn the game before you jump into elk. Or just save your money, hire a high dollar private ranch outfitter and shoot a huge deer/elk and tell a good story. I’m not trying to be a downer but many of us have seen this too many times and it’s just hard to watch. These are the guys that leave meat in the field, mess up too many hunts and put a bad taste in the ranchers and locals mouths about hunters. Take advice from those that ACTUALLY hunt these places not keyboard experts that have no clue what it is actually like but regurgitate something they have heard. Get a clothing system, backpack system, binos, rangefinder and rifle system that mimics those that actually do this type of hunting and you will be happier. [/QUOTE]
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The Basics, Starting Out
First Elk/Muley Hunt (lessons learned)
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