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Long Range Rifles/Optics for Backpacking hunts
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<blockquote data-quote="Pdvdh" data-source="post: 1061883" data-attributes="member: 4191"><p>I suspect I've got you beat when it comes to long distance endurance hunts. I've been on at least two Dall sheep hunts that involved hiking more than 100 miles in, thru, and over mountains. One of those was a 22-day hunt, strictly living out of our backpacks. 40 air miles from the nearest residence/civilization. We dropped food from the plane about 17 miles from the air strip we were set down on, to replenish our food supply when we hiked in. The guide that had been hunting that area for the prior 20 years said they'd never seen another hunter. We saw a huge 42" dall ram and could have killed it with our rifle at 60yds, but we were bow hunting. The guide and his client were both <em>very</em> disappointed when they reached the head of the river cut and found us camped there. The guide told us they were after that ram. They knew the ram was living in that locale. I lost 10lbs of weight during that hunt and my partner lost 15lbs. We both thought our knees and ankles were swollen when we took our first shower back in the civilized world. They weren't swollen. Our legs were shrunken.</p><p></p><p>On a differnt sheep hunt, our air taxi pilot set us down 42 air miles from the location we walked back out to. Again 40 miles from civilization. After hunting for 7 days, we packed one ram back out those 42 miles. It took 2 1/2 days of steady travel. No trails. Cross country in the wilds of an Alaskan mountain range.</p><p></p><p>I've packed black bear, brown bear, moose, deer, sheep, mountain goat, and caribou. It requires 7 separate trips to pack out a mature bull moose. A really large one might require 8, even 9 trips. And then camp must still be packed back out. </p><p></p><p>The last time I packed a 12lb rifle into the mountains was on a Mt. Goat hunt 22 years ago. Six miles into the mountains. Twice up and down the mountain. Last time down the mountain was with a billy, and then six miles back out. I was 37 then, and I've never packed a rifle that heavy since. </p><p></p><p>Packing out a bull caribou in western Alaska when I was 21 years old, I suspect I was packing 150 to 160 lbs of weight, which would include 8-9lbs of rifle. I weighed 165lbs soaking wet. I pinched a nerve in my back, hip or somewhere carrying that heavy load. Didn't notice it while out ther in the wilds. Too many other discomforts to notice a little deadness to feeling on my right leg. I later realized I'd lost feeling over an area of skin above my right knee, and that feeling has never returned. </p><p></p><p>I've backpack hunted in Alaska for 37 years. Having done that, I'll pay an extra $600 to purchase a scope that's a mere 8oz lighter in weight. I'm not rich. But that's $600 well spent, knowing how far, and in what terrain, I'll be carrying that scope. </p><p></p><p>I've done the tough Rambo stuff. No longer interested. My enjoyment of the hunt is equally important to any success I might have. And I enjoy hunting a lot more carrying a 9lb rifle on top of a 50-130lb pack, than an 11 or 12lb rifle. Folks that believe carrying 12-13lbs of rifle is the equivalent of 12-13lbs of weight well centered within a quality backpack simply don't know what they're talking about, as far as I'm concerned.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Pdvdh, post: 1061883, member: 4191"] I suspect I've got you beat when it comes to long distance endurance hunts. I've been on at least two Dall sheep hunts that involved hiking more than 100 miles in, thru, and over mountains. One of those was a 22-day hunt, strictly living out of our backpacks. 40 air miles from the nearest residence/civilization. We dropped food from the plane about 17 miles from the air strip we were set down on, to replenish our food supply when we hiked in. The guide that had been hunting that area for the prior 20 years said they'd never seen another hunter. We saw a huge 42" dall ram and could have killed it with our rifle at 60yds, but we were bow hunting. The guide and his client were both [I]very[/I] disappointed when they reached the head of the river cut and found us camped there. The guide told us they were after that ram. They knew the ram was living in that locale. I lost 10lbs of weight during that hunt and my partner lost 15lbs. We both thought our knees and ankles were swollen when we took our first shower back in the civilized world. They weren't swollen. Our legs were shrunken. On a differnt sheep hunt, our air taxi pilot set us down 42 air miles from the location we walked back out to. Again 40 miles from civilization. After hunting for 7 days, we packed one ram back out those 42 miles. It took 2 1/2 days of steady travel. No trails. Cross country in the wilds of an Alaskan mountain range. I've packed black bear, brown bear, moose, deer, sheep, mountain goat, and caribou. It requires 7 separate trips to pack out a mature bull moose. A really large one might require 8, even 9 trips. And then camp must still be packed back out. The last time I packed a 12lb rifle into the mountains was on a Mt. Goat hunt 22 years ago. Six miles into the mountains. Twice up and down the mountain. Last time down the mountain was with a billy, and then six miles back out. I was 37 then, and I've never packed a rifle that heavy since. Packing out a bull caribou in western Alaska when I was 21 years old, I suspect I was packing 150 to 160 lbs of weight, which would include 8-9lbs of rifle. I weighed 165lbs soaking wet. I pinched a nerve in my back, hip or somewhere carrying that heavy load. Didn't notice it while out ther in the wilds. Too many other discomforts to notice a little deadness to feeling on my right leg. I later realized I'd lost feeling over an area of skin above my right knee, and that feeling has never returned. I've backpack hunted in Alaska for 37 years. Having done that, I'll pay an extra $600 to purchase a scope that's a mere 8oz lighter in weight. I'm not rich. But that's $600 well spent, knowing how far, and in what terrain, I'll be carrying that scope. I've done the tough Rambo stuff. No longer interested. My enjoyment of the hunt is equally important to any success I might have. And I enjoy hunting a lot more carrying a 9lb rifle on top of a 50-130lb pack, than an 11 or 12lb rifle. Folks that believe carrying 12-13lbs of rifle is the equivalent of 12-13lbs of weight well centered within a quality backpack simply don't know what they're talking about, as far as I'm concerned. [/QUOTE]
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