Ok, so I live in Southern California. There's not much to hunt here in SoCal which is going to drive me northward. So be it...

(Preface: I'm planning on doing some bear hunting...more on this later.)

I'm considering back-pack hunting, but I'm trying to get a better feel for this, conceptually. As a youngster I spent countless days (5-8 day trips) in the back country. I'd backpack into an area and cover 50 miles of hiking in a week.

As I start thinking about this conceptually, I fall into the question of "Just how does one pack out a game animal?". I get that it's easy enough if you shoot an animal within a mile of a road or so...but what if you are 10, 15 miles in? It strikes me that 50# of meat is going to be a huge burden on a pack that may already weigh 35#.

I'm planning on doing some bear hunting this year. Yes, this is normally done with dogs in Cali (baiting not allowed), but I'm going to do this "old skool" style: walk around in an area and if I see a bear, shoot it. My expectations are realistic: I'm not going to see anything!

But what I will get to do is tromp around Deer area's (X-Zones) and do some seasonal scouting for 2010.

So my goal is twofold: Scout for 2010...and if I see a bear, maybe get a rug out of it.

But if I'm so far into the back country...and I see a bear (heck or deer in 2010 for instance), how the heck am I going to pack it out?

I figure Head/cape, Loins and straps. And try to stay within "X" miles of the car?

Any primers on this I can read?

I know what you are talking about, I dropped a huge Bull moose about one mile from my truck in a walk-in only bow only area...It took two whole days of packing that big guy out on about 12 trips.

I have packed bears and other smaller big game many miles before , it does help if you have two trekking poles to balance the weight as you lean a little hunched over to take on heavy loads, working out in the off season has helped me alot, one tip is to get an external frame pack, you can detach it and wear it on the front of your body while the meat is on the frame on your back, the best way is to take it one mile at a time, then take a break, its a painful feat, but when ever you have sheep on your back, a smile on your face....the pain is NOTHING!!!!

My range depends upon the chap who is doing the packing for me....

I think 20 miles is reasonable if there are a couple of you. Don't expect to pack it out in a day but in a couple days, packing deer-sized game 20 miles isn't all that difficult. I've pushed it a bit further with sheep but don't plan on doing much but lying on the couch for a day or two after.

It largely depends on the weather, terrain and forest cover of the area you are hunting. In the wet mountains of BC, for example, backpacking your emerg. camp plus a whole, boned Mulie 4x4 or 6x6 Elk quarter and these are legal minimums is VERY tough going.

A packout of an Elk that is just over a mile from your vehicle and 5000 ft. higher, on a barely existent trail through buckbrush, Devil's Club and slippery moss-covered rocks is a REAL baztard, even when you are young, tough and backpack heavy loads as a part of your employment. A Moose under these circumstances is something beyond most people and even a half mile is VERY harsh.

With all the BS from flatlanders about mountain backpacking on the 'net, one gets the idea that a highend pack, good boots and off we go without a care to slay a B&C monster ram or bull and then pack it for miles. This ain't exactly how it is and the realization that successful backpack hunting for most species in genuine wilderness is DAMM HARD WORK will benefit you greatly.

Being physically and MENTALLY prepared for that will also aid you tremendously.

Dewey and All, thank you for the comments. Good stuff!

Agreed that terrain plays a major factor but I think far too many people avoid hunting the best areas (which suits me fine) due to the difficulty of getting game out. I've always lived by the shoot it and we'll worry about getting it out later moto. I've packed moose (over the course of several days) in excess of 10 miles and I've packed countless elk, mule deer, sheep and goats 10-20 miles. It ain't easy but if you're fit and have the mind to do it......you can do it.

I hunted with a buddy last year that's 58 and we packed a ram out for 26 miles. We were on a 10 day hunt and it took us two days to pack the ram out. Mind you, he's the fittest 58 year old that I know and he still guides backpack sheep hunts but it goes to show what is possible. Here's Paul crossing a river on the way out with about 120 pounds.

Rnovi,

I am also a California backpacking hunter. I got my first deer the season before last, at 10,600 feet above sea level and 16 miles back in the second day of the season, so it was still quite warm in September even at those elevations.

I boned out the meat, netting about 50 Lbs of pure meat from a better than 200 Lb buck. I packed the meat down to my camp and placed it in a stream in the shade. When the air temperature became colder than the water was cold, I had hard frosts every night up to that point, I hung the meat bag in a tree. The next morning, rather than wait to dry out my gear and pack everything up, I packed the meat down another 6 miles and stashed it in a stream again to keep the meat cool. I returned to my camp, broke camp and packed camp down to the meat's location. Instead of stopping to set up camp there, I packed on up for another mile to a small lake that was near the highest point that I would have to go over on my way out, and set up my final camp.

With camp made late in the day, I hiked back down to the meat and packed it back up to my camp to hang for over night. It didn't freeze that night. The next day I packed the meat inside of my pack with enough gear and clothing to stabilize the load and insulate the meat. I carried the remainder of my gear on the back of my pack, supported by a shelf - I have a Kifaru Long Hunter pack with the Cargo Chair. The total weight was about 90 Lbs and turned out to be a lot easier of a pack out than I thought it was going to be for the final 6 miles. I was back at my vehicle before noon. The meet was still cold enough that I didn't bother with getting ice for the ice chest I had in the car for the 2 hour drive down.

The meat bag was a SilNylon stuff sack, 5 x 21 inches long, which when loaded puffed out to almost the full width of the Cargo Chair shelf. Using a couple of ski poles, with rubber fitness walking tips, made the whole job of packing out the meat a piece of cake. Of course I had planned for this eventuality just in case, and everything worked out great for me with my deer. You may also have to take cooling streams and lakes into account to keep your meat from spoiling if you are a long ways back in, but it is quite doable even in September here in California. A good portion of the meat pack out involved cross country travel as well as lightly and poorly maintained trails. And by the way I got my first deer at the age of 63, so if I can do it, so can you!...Rusty.

I packed out my first deer, in the deep snow of the Lardeau area of the West Kootenays in BC, this was in December, 1964. I have not shot ...countless... game animals, but, I have shot/packed enough to be VERY cautious as to where I am when I do shoot as BC has very strict regs. concerning meat removal, I have zero desire to be found guilty of a wildlife crime.

With over 44 years of backpacking, backpack hunting and working solo in remote wilderness in BC and Alberta, backpacking heavy loads 2-3 times per week and often daily, I have a fair bit of actual experience.

I just turned 62 and I hunt BC wilderness alone on multi-day trips, always have, always will. However, I have SEEN guys waste game because they killed before realizing that the meat would spoil before they could get it out.

My old Pop used to say, "ya gotta crawl before ya can walk" and this is the best advice that a novice can receive, IMHO, take it slow, learn by doing and do not take foolish risks just to brag on the internet. Backpak hunting is a tremendous sport/art/pstime, but, it is not "easy".

What are you going to use as a main pack and how long do you intend to stay out on each trip?

Two fiends and I recenly did a trip up valley for Black bear. We went 10 miles one way and setup a base camp. We shot one 6 ft. black bear and had it to the car by the next day at noon. We were on good trail with great weather and each had 45-60 lbs. on the meat pack out. That trip took 4 hrs. We returned to camp that evening with empty packs in about 3 hours. We were not in any hurry and did some glassing along the way. We are in reasonable shape but not in great climbing shape. The bears were at 2000 to 3000 ft above us.

About 3 miles. I loose 90% of the other hunters in the areas I hunt at 1 mile or as soon as the elevation starts to get verticle. I try to avoid actually packing out meat. The initial load, backstraps and a boned out shoulder I will pack out on my back. At my truck I pick up my sled an pack it in. I then "pack" the rest of the animal out on the sled. Sled are legal in wilderness areas but not game carts. I those areas I can use a cart I do, sometimes taking my whole kit in with it.

Read Cameron Hanes "Bowhunting the Backcountry, a Guide to the Wild Side."

I don't have the book in front of me and may have loused up his name... But the title is correct. VERY insightful. Set me on the path of strike hunting.

My brother and I have a campsite about 8km from the carpark. One year we shot 3 red stags between us. when I went to stand up with my pack, the straps ripped off. I had to tie them to the frame, and the trip out took 1 1/2 hrs longer than usual. When I got home I weighed the pack, it went 120lb. Never again.

Well, I just got back from my goat hunt where I logged about 7500 ft of up, and then down, with 14+ miles of trail and bushwacking in 4 days. Which is pretty reasonable for a goat hunt I think. The scouting part of the hunt in Aug. probably added another 10,000 ft+ of verticle and a good 25+ miles of humping around.

I used a little MountainSmith Approach 3.0 as a scout pack and it is quite comfortable with up to 30 pounds of my crap, enough for an overnight scouting trip. If I were just deer hunting and didn't want the whole head and hide like I did for my goat this pack would be fine for antlers and backstraps and hunting gear.

If I'm antisapating heavier loads, in this case the head, hide, as much meat as possible and gear or for elk hunting, and for the packing out and heavier loads, up to 60 pounds on the after the shot trip to the base camp (head, hide, rifle etc.) I used a Cabela's Alaska Outfitter Frame pack with the smallest bag they sell that fits it. Over the years I've packed out several elk, a quarter at a time with this set up and it works well for me.

I've had some of the original Dana packs, used to live in Bozeman and even test drove a few designs for them. Excellent packs. He's back in business again with the Mystery Ranch packs, and I'd be tempted to try one but I'm not unhappy enough with the set up I've got to warrent the $$$ I'd have to lay out for a new pack.

I've sold a bunch of "hunting" packs at garage sales over the years. It seems that the manufacturers think if it's made with "camo" fabric then good design isn't necessary. The Cabela's frame pack is the only "hunting" pack I've ever owned that comes close to being worth a sh*t.

Logistics is the issue with backpack hunting. I went in first and set up my spike camp to hunt out of. When I headed back to the truck with meat and head etc. I had a nice warm trailer waiting for me at the trail head. (With a cold beer in the fridge.) I also have a steel job box converted into a cooler in the back of my truck to store meat in while I'm out bringing back my spike camp or another load of meat.

quote:

I've packed countless elk, mule deer, sheep and goats 10-20 miles. It ain't easy but if you're fit and have the mind to do it......you can do it.

Sheephunter your forgetting another facet of life. Some of us have jobs to get back to and passing up game that will take days to get out is a way of life.

I also kinda wondered exactly how OLD a guy would have to be in order to KILL ...countless...big game animals of the species refered to. Seems like a lot of relatively rare game to me.

My brother and I bagged a nice Billy Goat on Kodiak in 05. We quartered and boned him out, the only thing left on the mountain was the intestins, spinal collum and rib cage. Every thing else was split between two packs and haulled out in one trip. It was 6+ miles of hell. I was not in shape for it and ended up spliting a small bone in my left foot. Ron called me 4 weekends before the hunt when his freind that planed on going couldn't make it. I had one of the Cabels Guid Series packs. It was a pile of shit when we got to the bottom of the mountain. The pins were bent severly. the bag was ripping and there were at lest 3 welds in the frame broken. It was new when I got to Kodiak the day before. It was a raod system hunt so when we got back to town that night we weighed our packs... mine was 151 lbs and Ron's was 154 lbs. That included about 25 lbs of gear each, we took up on the hill with us. We rugged out the goat and left his skull in tact with the hide.
[URL= ][IMG]
[URL=[IMG]Ron with his Goat. http://i111.photobucket.com/al....jpg[/IMG]][IMG]This is all that we left on the mountain. Nothing was wasted.
[URL= ][IMG]Ron rolling up the rugged out Goat.

458Lottfan, is that a Frontier Gear pack frame behind you in that first pic? It must be your partners as you said you had a Cabela's rig. Did you get a chance to carry his pack?
I've used that frame exclusively for the last 15 years and would highly recommend it. Have owned several of them and if they are adjusted right for you will carry a load.
Nice goat by the way!!

Some of these mentioned distances and weights would be beyond the capability of the vast majority of hunters. If the critter + camp is gonna take more than 1 extra trip back, or more than 1 day extra, either friends or pack animals need to be involved, IMO. Knees and backs, feet and ankles, can reach their limits before one's heart and lungs are too old.

quote:

Originally posted by rnovi:
"Just how does one pack out a game animal?".

Multiple trips. 50 to 65 pounds of meat per trip, no bones. You simply can't take all your camping stuff AND the meat on the same pack. 2 trips per day if you are lucky. Some time try packing out a moose.

Pointer: park the truck downhill of where you will hunt. If the truck is uphill, it's doing to be even more difficult to get that animal out.

I read once the majority of elk hunters never hunt elk after killing their first one.

I was hunting in CO in the mid 90's and found myself about 4 miles from the jeep on my last day of the trip while hunting solo. I unloaded the rifle and walked out. No way I could kill and pack out an animal and be at work the next day.

quote:

Originally posted by Duckear:
I read once the majority of elk hunters never hunt elk after killing their first one.

I was hunting in CO in the mid 90's and found myself about 4 miles from the jeep on my last day of the trip while hunting solo. I unloaded the rifle and walked out. No way I could kill and pack out an animal and be at work the next day.

That's what the sick line is for. JK. Smart move.