What I'm Taking on a Solo Elk Hunt

[Litehiker]

I guess we lighten up on different items. I have a slightly heavier silnylon Tarptent DW solo tent than snake's cubes fiber tent and a lighter EXOS 58 pack than his. I'll tie ends of meat bags together and sling them over my shoulders as well as in the pack.

Here in 'Vegas we're expecting 6"+ of snow above 8,500' in the Spring Mountain range tonight and tomorrow. ( They are high mts., Mt. Charleston is only 2 ft. short of 12,000 ft.) So when I get to northern Nevada it may be that there's a lot more snow a lot lower.
I'm adding snowshoes just in case. :roll eyes: Plus I'll have knee high gaiters and GTX boots.

Preparing 10 days of food but only packing in 5 days. If no elk then I'll drop south to my tag area for buck mulies. I think NDOW gave me 2 tags because of my "advanced age" - or not. ;o)

 

[Litehiker]

Well, my Nevada hunt area was 072, up against the Idaho border in the Jarbridge Wilderness area. I could hunt anywhere in area 72 but there were quad ATVs everywhere outside the Wilderness Area and I don't like them roaring around while I (try to) hunt. I ended up "car camping" instead of backpacking in to the Marys River basin. A haul of meat out to the trailhead was just way too far and steep to be practical. My pack with 5 days of food and the scoped rifle was almost 40 lbs. and "light" enough to get there but packing even boned meat out, say 3 trips, including the top of the head for NDOW was too much like d@mned hard work.

I hunted 5 days and on the 2nd day jumped 10 elk cows as I crested a ridge. By the time I got high enough to shoot they were over 300 yards away and running fast. That was my only elk sighting of the hunt burt more than the other hunters at my trailhead/campsite saw.

The views were beautiful and worth the climbs. I glassed and ranged distances with my 10 x 42 Bushnell ARC 1 Mile range finders. Those binoculars were great for all day glassing. The quality of the glass and manufacture meant no headaches from constant use.

The rest of the hunt was mulies, mulies, mulies. I could have shot 3 nice bucks on three separate days, one as close as 15 yards. Also I could have shot many doe mulies as well. Unfortunately NDOW saw fit to issue me a buck license further south in the Ruby Mountains ("Nevada's Yosemite"), But the word from both local hunters and the NDOW game protectors was that NDOW had issued 500 mule tags for that area in my mid season hunt time. So I skipped it B/C I'd hunted there two years ago with very heavy hunter pressure. (Blaze orange not required but REALLY wise to wear there!)

I did carry my frame pack, an Osprey EXOS 58, with the Kifaru side carry rifle holder up and down steep mountains every day.
The Kifaru worked very well, allowing me to use walking sticks, which I needed in the steep terrain. Average altitude was 7,500 ft. going up to 9,000 ft. With the help of GNC's NO2 (time-release L-Arginine) tablets to expand my blood vessels I found the altitude no problem. Yeah I huffed and puffed while climbing but need very few rest stops.Those tablets make a difference at altitude. I have use them for skiing and mountain backpacking for over 10 years and they work. Also great for weight lifting.

I've vowed to get a better, lighter scope for next year, maybe a Nightforce 42 mm. hunting scope in mil turrets and reticle. My old 3 - 18 X 50 Burris Black Diamond is big and heavy. I'll keep my Browning A-Bolt .300 Win mag because it's a great long range rifle and very accurate.

Th-th-that's All Folks!