First of all, before I start my first thread (I am a newbie), let me say that I really appreciate all of the previous topics posted in this section! I have found a place to seek feedback from an extremely knowledgeable audience that is willing to help.

Okay, now on with my topic. I started backpack hunting two years ago, and I can say that I honestly still have very much to learn. I feel that I can continually work on the areas that I know I need to develop further (pack weight, physical preparation, map / GPS skills, shooting proficiency, etc....) but I feel lost when trying to figure out how to prepare mentally.

This might be a bit embarrassing for me but I am going to have to set the stage here: Last year I was attempting my fist "long" (for me) trek into the wilderness for Mule Deer. I was doing this solo, as all of my trips are, because my friends are too lazy for backpacking or hunting (maybe if I could get a keg back into the wilderness they would show up!). I was already a bit edgy about being alone from the possibility of falling and breaking a leg or getting struck by lightning (my biggest fear in the high country during the September monsoon season) without having anyone to go for help. I also ended up with a bit of altitude sickness the first day (lack of physical preparation?) and could not catch a break in the weather for over the first 24 hours. I did get a chance to glass up some deer the second morning across the basin and was preparing for a stalk when another thunderhead rolled in. The storm brought with it some heavy lightning. It felt like bombs were exploding all around me. Finally, after a lightning strike at a very uncomfortable distance, I decided that I was out of there. I hiked four hours back to my truck at the trailhead and hunted the remainder of my time out of base camp (with no success).

As I look back I realize that I should have stuck it out, which is very easy for me to say as I sit here typing this (much different than being there in the moment). Do any of you have suggestions on how to build your mental confidence for solo backpacking? I know that the" what ifs" are endless when you are alone, but I figure that some of you might have advice on how to deal with them so that they don't get the best of you.

Any and all advice is much appreciated! Thanks.

-
Jason

Jason,
If I may offer a few thoughts here, and ramble a bit, in the interest of offering you some things to consider...
I'm an olde pharte and have spent as much of my life in the woods as I could. I financed my education by working in the high country on fire control back when the philosophy was to control them instead of letting them go. Lots of emphasis on personal safety. Worked in an area with daily thunderstorms. Lightning is a hazard that can be avoided fairly easily if you don't already know this. For safety seek low ground away from trees or other attractions for the strikes. The lower the ground and surrounding vegetation the less likely the strikes will be close by. At least that is the way I was trained.
Mapping skills are a learned thing. There are books on them and many combine GPS/compass/topo map reading and interpretation. It can be learned with a little effort.
I am also mostly a solo hunter. To plan for not having a problem I increase my caution and don't engage is risky behavior. Carefully survey routes and choose footing. Unless a person is a klutz in all their life the risk can be easily reduced with good judgment. Maintain a high level of alertness. Hazards can come in a number of ways. Some of them are on two legs. Maintain personal security. Camping gear that blends in to the surroundings and sites off the path and out of sight are prudent measures. I never build campfires when I am alone to avoid the telltale smoke.
Perhaps carrying a walking staff of some sort is useful. I use one that is stout enough to be a club, to serve as a splint, to use for steep decents, to serve as a rainfly support, and to tie head and front legs of a downed animal if I choose to drag it.
Learning to be completely comfortable in the backcountry when alone comes with time and experience. Like much in our lives you must first learn to walk before you can run. It comes one step at a time. Confidence comes with security and experience.
Good luck in your endeavors,
gudlif.

JC,

I don't think that you should beat yourself up because you left during the bad weather.....remember, this is supposed to be fun.....it can be dangerous and, being by yourself, you made the call to err on the side of safety, which is universally accepted as being a sensible choice......there will be a day when your personal experiences will mesh with suggesions from the experiences of others and everything will take on a different look.....you'll feel better about your choices and yourself.....just don't let the "growing pains" discourage you...get good at it and you'll have more "friends" than you'll care to have wanting to tag along....one suggestion I would make from looking at your post would be to change "map/GPS skills" to map/compass skills.....I use a GPS regularly, but I would depend on my compass first.....Epirbs, satphones, Av-radios, etc., are safety items solo hunters should consider when going remote.....if nothing else, leave a trip plan behind with someone YOU CAN COUNT ON.

Experience will change the "what ifs" into positive decisions to deal with the circumstances you have at hand....alsways err on the side of safety and common sense decisions and you'll be fine

There's a lot of experience here on this forum and I'm sure others will be along to help you out.

Joe

Jason
Doing things alone adds to the danger 10 fold.

It would be much safer if you can fine a buddy to go with you.

That being said, like you I have done solo trips.

The key is to always think about what you are doing. Something a simple as a twisted leg not to mention a broken bone can be fatal if the weather goes bad.

I would be sure someone knows where I am going, and if you change locations let your contact person know.

Also in todays world I would carry a Sat Phone.

As others have said a good compass, maps and GPS to keep you from getting lost.

Most of all a Man has got to know his limitations.

Start out with shorter "closer" trips until you get your confidence.

PS ALWAYS carry a 4" 44 Mag, a few speed loaders, and fair amount of extra ammo, and know how to use it. You never know when an animal or some Banjo pickers might cause you some problems.

Never fear the night... MAKE the night fear you.

JasCald,

Being away from civilization in the wilderness alone is not a normal human activity these days for most people, even hunters. It is only natural for you to feel some apprehension. As Ovis said spending more time out there and gaining more experience will lessen the problem. It may never totally go away nor should it necessarily. I believe being a little on edge is just a part of being a predator and a hunter.

Do you have any interest in fishing? If so, spending as much time as you can in the high country fishing through the summers fishing will help you to feel a lot more at ease at altitude. Driving up and sleeping higher than the trail head you will go in from will also give your body a big boost on adjusting to the altitude hiking in the next day, whether fishing or hunting.

Snowshoeing and or cross-country skiing can get you into the mountains in the winters as well, and they will be a pleasurable way to build up your conditioning, as will the hike in fishing and backpacking during the summers. Plus you can also scout for deer sign while you are fishing. Come the fall hunting seasons, you will be much more at ease in the mountains and a lot better prepared to hunt. Plus you will know and be more at ease with your equipment.

The advice given on lightening was accurate and to the point. Graphite fishing rods are a lightening wand, so fishing should be curtailed during electrical activity. But one thing I would like to point out to you is that the deer are just as vulnerable to lightening as you are. They must know enough to avoid the wrong places because I have never found a lightening struck deer and neither has anyone else that I know of.

I don't use a GPS or know how to use one. Not knowing exactly where you are all the time is not the same as being lost. When you are lost, you have no idea how to get back to where you will know where you are. I have found some of the best things to be found out there while I was wondering around not knowing exactly where I was. A GPS will get you from point A to point B and back most efficiently but it will also limit your exploration potential to some extent. In the high country the terrain is usually all the guide that you need. I seldom use a compass either. Locating your camps along prominent water features makes it much easier to find your camp in the dark.

Just get out there and do more backpacking and day fishing trips and your next hunt will be a lot more comfortable mentally and physically. The only time I bother carrying the weight of firearms is when i am actually hunting something. Do what ever makes you feel most comfortable and you will do fine...Rusty.

As with everything the more you do it the more you're comfortable with it. A buddy would be a good idea-they are harder to find than a good wife though, seriously. I took a buddy packing a couple years ago and his mind took over and destroyed his physical ability. He couldn't make it more than a mile and he thought he couldn't go any further, simply because he was out of breath. So your bugging out is nothing to be ashamed of.

Out of curiosity, how were you going to get your game out?

the chef

Thanks everyone for the feedback. This will be a “growing†process for me. Rusty, I do fish, I should use this as an opportunity to pack my fly rod into those areas above 11,000 feet…….catch some cut throat while adjusting to the new altitude.

Maybe I should also invest in a Sat phone, I am thinking that this will come in handy incase of an emergency…..all the while providing me peace of mind. I never head into the wilderness without my 9mm (when I am bow hunting…..I see no need when I am carrying my Rifle), I know that the 9mm would be useless against an angry Black Bear trying to protect her cubs…...it is mostly for protection against the two-legged dangers.

Chef, my plan was to de-bone the deer and carry the meat, antlers, and possibles out in one shot while leaving my “camp†in the woods. The next day I would head back in to grab all of my gear that would have been stashed away somewhere. I am sure that I would have to have a different plan with an Elk.

So my plan over the next few months will be a couple of short trips close to home (solo), and then gradually increase the length of stay and distance. Is there anything else I am missing? Hopefully I will be able to find a hunting buddy that will want to do the same things, until then I will have to rely on myself to make sure that I am making smart decisions.

Does anyone have experiences that validate these “what ifs� Are black bear attacks EXTREMELY uncommon? Are lighting accidents unheard of? Are problems with people a one in a million chance? I am not looking for a statistical chart, just seeing if anyone has had or heard of some of these unfortunate circumstances. Thanks again!

I shot a better than 200 pound buck, my first, at about 10,600 feet and 16 miles back in from the trail head last year, on the second day of the season that opened the 22nd of September, so afternoon temps were running pretty hot even at that elevation. I split the hide down the back and boned the animal out, putting the meat in a 5 x 21" silnylon ultralight stuff sack to protect it from the flies.

I have a Kifaru LongHunter Guide Pack complete with their CargoChair, which allows you to pack meat out quite effectively. The Chair was mounted on the frame at the botton, there are 3 different mounting options available on the pack, and the wet noodle bag of meat deformed to the full width of the chair when I tightened the chair's support straps down, securing the bottom 2/3rds of the meat bag in place on the back of my pack. Next I pulled the pack's top pouch down over the top of the meat bag and tightened its straps down, securing the whole load completely in place.

When I picked the pack up, with my hunting gear and extra clothing and gun, and more than 50 pounds of nothing but pure meat and the antlers upside down under the top pouch, it felt heavier than any other pack I had ever carried before. But the pack rode unbelievably well going down the creek bed I was following down to the lake where I cooled the meat down and cleaned myself up.

The stream in the basin I was camped in was not flowing, but there were deeper seepage pools of standing water that had ice on them every morning well into the day. There was one pool located just above where I was camped and I put the meat in it in the shade when I got back to camp. When the air became colder than the water was cold that evening, I hung the meat in a tree just above the ground. It was covered with ice the next morning but not frozen.

At dawn, rather than taking the time it would take to dry everything out and break camp and pack up, I headed down with only the meat and my hunting gear in the cool of the morning. I packed it 5 miles down to where the trail I took coming in leaves the stream you follow coming up. Where the trail heads up a ridge to get out of the stream canyon, I put the meat in this bigger stream to keep it cold throughout the day, and I left my gun and all my other hunting gear and extra clothing I carry with my while hunting there also, hiking back to camp with an essentially empty pack.

Everything was dry and ready to be packed when I got back to my camp sight, and I packed it all up and headed back down after lunch. When I got to where the meat was, I walked right on by it and another mile up the trail to a little lake located near the highest point I would have to go over on my way out. I set up camp there for the night, then I hiked back down to the meat and packed it and my hunting gear back up to my camp, putting a total of 18 miles that day.

The next morning I packed the meat in my pack because I was going to carry the whole load, more than 90 pounds, the remaining 6 miles out to my car, all in one trip. I was using an ultralight backpacking hammock on this hunt, and I put the two down bags I had with me in a 10 x 21" stuff sack and carried them on the CargoChair hanging out behind my fully loaded pack. I was concerned that having that much weight all that way out there behind me would be out of balance but I didn't even know it was there. I didn't notice the weight of the large Encore handgun that was riding on the hip belt for my pack either.

I made it back to my car by mid morning fairly easily because most of the way was down hill. I didn't have any sore spots or bruised hips when I got back to my car. The pack carried all that weight wonderfully well.

One thing that made a big difference in all of this was the use of a pair of one-piece aluminum ski-touring poles with the rubber pavement tips, which work much better on rock than the carbide tips do and are much more quiet. The poles use takes a lot of the load off of your hips and knees by spreading the load over your whole body. They made packing the meat a lot easier and safer, especially when traveling cross-country over very uneven ground.

I got my first deer at the age of 63. Most of my contemporaries have gotten too old and lazy to backpack hunt any longer. This was a solo backpack hunt, so I can identify with JasCald's situation with his hunting buddies not wanting to go with him backpack hunting.

By the way, the meat turned out fine in spite of the heat. I soaked it in some vinegar water to kill any bacteria it might have picked up out of the streams and froze it, doing all the processing work myself at home. It took 10 years of solo backpack hunting for me to get my first deer. I hope it doesn't take that long again for me to get my second one...Rusty.

Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

Going out alone is probably not the most sensible thing to do (so everybody tells me), unless you take the electronic gadgets that can call in the cavalry in case of a mishap.

That said, I don't have the gadgets, and I do go out alone 95% of the time, also on multi-day trips.

My gear is pretty bare bones: a sleeping bag, a a tarp, a knife and a little axe (saw is likely better), some rope, map, compass, GPS that I seldomly use at least not in the mountains), basic first aid stuff, firestarters, a road flare, a small stove, food, some bags to put meat in, gun, shells.

I'm not too concerned about danger from bipeds, I don't encounter many people in the mountains, and those that I have met were all pretty friendly and interested in staying on their own. Besides I don't recall any incidents like that around here. Bear safety is obviously an issue, so putting your food out of the way, don't stick-roast smelly sausages over the open fire, etc. is part of the routine. It's tedious, getting up on a frosty morning and having to hike up to your food cache, but better safe than sorry, eh?

As for bear encounters on the trail... nothing much I can do. I'm hunting, not hiking, so I won't wear bells, sing songs, make noise, etc. Though that is not entirely true. I have sang and whistled on pre-dawn approaches through the thick stuff, and I have sang my way through a patch of high country shrubs in grizz country (going around would have been wiser, but I was dead opn my feet from fatigue and dehydration; this was on my first-ever trip in the Rockies).

I always keep one eye on the sky. A storm can develop more quickly than you can pull out, if you are not careful, and a sudden fog can disorient you.

As for electronic gadgets, lately I've been thinking about an emergence locator beacon, one of those avalanche thingies that you can set off in case of an emergency, to help the search. Other than that I realize that I may be on my own resources in case of a mishap for an extended period of time. I know the risk. I take it anyway.

Frans

There is something so very difficult and therefore rewarding about "going deep, going long, and going alone". You will test yourself and really see who you are, as a person and as a hunter. You will be proud of yourself and yet you will lose much if not all of your hunter's ego. It has done alot for me. Please do it.

SG,

Well stated.....great observation!

Joe

Altitude sickness of even a "mild" degree can cause headache and depression, throw in bad weather and it can be more misery than it's worth. Don't kick yourself for going down earlier than you planned.
Back-packing out your camp and a couple of loads of meat means--don't reach your limit to get to where you hunt, cause there's still tons of work to do.

Good point. Altitude usually requires some degree of acclimatisation. Trying too much, too soon can lead to real trouble.

Neat thread and some good advice. Rusty Hook, good on you for your persistence and your first deer. Enjoyed reading about it.

Great thread and all great advice. The boy scouts had it right. Be prepared and always leave yourself as many options as possible if it all goes to hell in a handbasket. Life threatening situations (and especially fatal situations) in the back country are most often like airplane crashes. They normally don't just happen; there are usually a sequence of events (and corresponding decisions) that were made that combined to cause the horrific end result. Plan your solo backcountry trip like a pilot would a solo flight and recognize that by going solo, you've already made the decision to take a major risk. Know your equipment, your skills and your experience. More importantly know what equipment, skills and experience you don't have and make conscious decisions about the risks you are taking. Don't compound mistakes, when it starts going wrong, minimize the risks, don't take more. It's not the first bad decision that will kill you. It's the third, fourth or fifth one. Trust your instincts, about what risks to take given those factors and those not too. You've already demonstrated you have good ones. Some practical advice: Take a good backcountry first add course and a back country survival course if you can. As others have said, have a means to communicate with the outside world if you have to. Anyone that hunts alone in the wilderness without either a Sat Phone or a portable hand held that you can talk to passing aircraft with is simply too macho or too ignorant for their own good. At the same time have low tech alternatives (a good compass and maps) and know how to use them. Have the right clothes and shelter for the worst weather you could conceivably encounter regardless of the forecast. Have a great lightweight first aid kit and if you are going to be out for days it should include antibiotics and strong pain meds. Have redundancy in all areas you can think of taking into account space and weight considerations and don't trust your life to gadgets no matter how sophisticated and always have a last ditch strategy. In other words, how are you going to survive and be found if the Sat Phone doesn't work or the hand held falls in a creek and the snow is ass deep and you are on a cliff with a busted ankle? Does someone know your intended route and have you gone over it on topo maps with anyone else before embarking so they know where you are supposed to be and when (in other words have you filed a flight plan). Hey, sometimes "shit happens" and it was just your time, but most of the time the biggest purveyor of the stuff was looking back at us in the mirror.

Jason, Your posting has inspired me. Here in Washington state we have an "early wilderness hunt" for deer 3 point or better in certain zones. I used to hunt that quite a lot in the Olympic mountains where there are five designated wilderness areas. Each of these areas require strenuous hiking, climbing, and a bit of navigation to get off the "beaten path". I could find no one to go with me. I was hesitant at first but the more I did it the more I liked it. IN fact I hardly hunt with a "party" at all anymore. I hunted with modern rifles and muzzleloaders but other than a few head shot grouse for camp I never got a thing. Yet, those are the hunts I remember most vividly and photos from them decorate the walls and halls of my house. I met a few "colorful" characters up there in the mountains and I grew. My advice: don't rely on gadgets or a partner: condition, condition, condition. I walk a lot sometimes with a 60 lb pack, I used to run, and I still pump iron. Most of all don't be afraid to stretch your boundaries. It may not be a consolation but my greatest peace came with the revelation that even a partner along wouldn't have gotten me out from where I was if there was serious trouble. I would get out on my own or I would stay there. Imagine Daniel Boone did this sort of thing two years at a time-while dodging po'd Indians! I'll never forget the morning when I had five bull elk bugling around my camp. I sat by a twig fire sipping coffee. When the elk finished the coyotes took over. Beethoven couldn't have made a better syphony and I wouldn't have heard it if I hadn't been there far back and solo. Now you made me want to do it all again. Thank you.

Good call on heading back. As it has already been said, solo missions are inherently more dangerous and significantly so if your out for the first several times. Mountaineering wisdom really rings true here. "The summit is only half way" Don't fixate on the prize and ignore reality. Better to slowly test your skills and comfort. As your skill set increases, so will your comfort level. Intuition is a very useful tool. Those who don't use it wisely often pay dearly. Mental preparation for such trips is largely about being comfortable with the balance of skill and challenge.