Solo backpackers ???

[mnoland30]

Even with Covid, the most dangerous thing we do is driving. That kills around 40,000 a year, although it is going down with better designed cars and highways.

 

[Ward Thurman]

Even with Covid, the most dangerous thing we do is driving. That kills around 40,000 a year, although it is going down with better designed cars and highways.

Big bump up in hwy fatalities in 2020 over 2019. Me thinks it was due to the fewer people on the road and hence people driving a lot faster than normal. I also think it may have some to do with people moving from Cali that have never had to drive in snow, slop, ice, sleet, etc. With the massive influx of out-of-staters to our wonderful valley, the number of traffic accidents, murders, burglaries and such has increased dramatically. Not all is due to the out-of-staters though. I agree, driving is our most hazardous activity. The solo backpack hunting probably won't kill you, but getting there and back might.

 

[mnoland30]

Here in Albuquerque, people are speeeding because of the lack of cops. I think we're down about 1200 below what we need.

 

[Ward Thurman]

Here in Albuquerque, people are speeeding because of the lack of cops. I think we're down about 1200 below what we need.

Wow! At the beginning of the pandemic shut down in April 2020, I drove to Florida. As I was crossing Georgia, everyone was driving 85 mph in a 70 mph zone. We all were passing stationary cops with their radar out and nary a one moved a finger to slow us down. I think they were looking for the guys going 100 mph.

 

[justin1134]

Your family will worry less if you tell them you’re with your 2 buddies:
1.) Garmin InReach
2.) Smith & Wesson

I couldn’t agree more. Plus the InReach can be activated by the month so you don’t have to pay for it when you don’t need it.

 

[Muddyboots]

Hard to believe I've now been hunting solo for almost 50 years. That seems insane. Not the solo part but that it's been 50 years. If I had waited to just hunt when uncles and friends could/would also hunt with me I would have spent about 20 days in the woods and fields during the last 50 years. Be smart. Take precautions. Learn about yourself and how to take care of yourself. But, make sure you go every chance you get. There is really no describing a morning sunrise as you sit alone on a ridge top. Both the view and the feelings can't truly be expressed to another but you WILL always remember. Hunt elk in the high mountains and have a calf elk appear out of nowhere and decide to bed 15 feet from you. It's these miracles that touch your soul and also open your heart & mind.

You'll spend more time thinking about your loved ones and those that are gone but touched your life. Sometimes the only way to find your way back to your loved ones is to get away from all of life's distractions. Best of all, hunting solo is the best ego check in the world. I have never met a solo hunter who spent one minute asking me about my bow, my rifle, or my pack. We have shared hours talking about what we've seen.

I've been telling my family for decades that if I don't call or arrive as scheduled to wait two weeks so my body bloating will be gone. Of course this has always disturbed them. But, they finally understand after watching and praying for family and friends who have been eaten by cancer, or became debilitated by disease, or accidents occurring while safe at home.

Technology today means we can keep our loved ones connected to us better. Do it. They deserve their peace of mind. Keep going solo. It's what we all do every day of our lives. One day all too soon we won't have these days and nights of joy, tension, fear, excitement, special moments, and peace. I wish you just "one more solo hunt" and all of the equipment manufacturers will keep our equipment debates alive forever!

Exactly my thoughts as well. Well stated!

 

[WildRose]

Hespco: What do you mean "Plastic sheet to cover yourself if wet weather comes?" Hunting solo or with one hundred friends, I can stop a drought in the Mohave Desert just by thinking about being there. When I was a young stud muffin I hunted all over Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona with very few amenities of today's backpackers. It was usually too cold to worry about rattlesnakes, and I never really thought about the dangers of being picked off by other people as I would today. (Everyone out there is not there to enjoy nature.) I would not let fear play too large a part in the experience, or the trip will be mostly worry and not as much about the enjoyment. Take two plastic sheets and plenty of dry socks. Don't miss, don't wish.

In 74 my dad and his best friend were 20 miles in on a 45 mile back packing trip trout fishing when they were confronted by two very nasty looking armed guys who obviously had every intent of ripping them off.

Only when Dad and Lewis both flashed the guns they were carrying did the other two decide to find easier game.

Between that and numerous encounters with bears and big cats in NM and CO over the years I got over my love of Solo BP'ng and never went unarmed from the time I was 16 on.

I was lucky though, I could always find a friend to go with me if my dad couldn't.

 

[Akredneck]

Solo, hunting is the best. Biggest thing to realize, you are going to get yourself into a situation that you have to deal with, By yourself. Inreach mini is a great tool for being in bear country. I carry one in Alaska. It is comforting to have. But if I get mauled by a bear , I will need to help myself first. Help might be 6 hours out. First aid and fire is a must. Always keep first aid and fire small and separate from main pack, especially if bear wants food in your pack. I keep mine in cargo pockets or by my ankles. Also leave TOPO map with detailed route. If I deviate from route use orange flagging tape every 100yrds.

 

[chindits]

I hate finding flagging in the wilderness as much as I hate finding the remains of helium balloons. We’re just not that important in the grand scheme of things

 

[Akredneck]

I hate finding flagging in the wilderness as much as I hate finding the remains of helium balloons. We’re just not that important in the grand scheme of things

Just FYI, responsible hunters will retrieve their flagging from off route adventures. In Alaska we mark our kill sites with flagging so hikers don't turn into bear scat.

 

[sierrastalker]

I do most backpack hunts solo, but it's not because I don't like hunting with other people. I actually love trips with people that are on the same page. I certainly don't want to be babysitting somebody, but there's nothing like being on a trip with a hunting partner that you really click with, both in hunting style and just personally. I just don't know enough people like that to be out very often. Taking time off work, traveling, drawing tags, and all of the stuff that goes into a really good trip are just too hard to coordinate with other people and all the stuff going on in our lives. If I want to hunt more than every so often, I have to go solo. Not every time, but most times. That's whether backpacking or day trips or whatever. The last big backpack hunting trip where I went with a buddy, he showed up at the trailhead after months of planning and told me he was going to have to hike out after 3 days because of work. We were supposed to be out for a week. And the problem was that we were going DEEP - 12 miles from the truck at the farthest. That makes for a long pack out if you've gotta make more than one trip getting meat and a week's worth of gear back to the truck.

I also think solo hunting is a little over hyped in this YouTube age. It's made out like you can't even hack it as a hunter if you can't go solo. I don't really buy that. There are also many things that make it great which other posters have mentioned - the quiet you can only get alone, that story about a calf elk bedding 15 yards away is amazing! And that last beer you left at the truck after a long walk back with a heavy pack alone is hard to beat.

I've also been in a few pretty ugly emergency situations in the backcountry, not while hunting and thankfully not alone. Having some company goes a long way, even if you're the one with the emergency and have to take care of that end of things yourself. Just having another person there can be very helpful if things get bad suddenly - someone to talk to or help with carrying extra weight even if they aren’t much help otherwise. Pretty easy to talk on a forum about how you don't need anybody but yourself. I've seen more than one those types in real life emergencies completely forget their training (and they had real training) and just shut down, and they weren't even the one injured, much less injured AND alone.

But, all that being said, I'll very likely be solo on my next backpack hunt. If I wait for someone else to come along, I'll probably just be waiting until next week, next month, next season. And, as many others said - the InReach makes my wife feel better.