now assuming your not going to use an outfitter who will set up your camp and pack out your elk for you...
Ive been hunting mule deer and elk in some darn steep canyons for 5 decades,
so heres a couple tips you can take or ignore.
assuming you'll be packing into an area or at least packing your elk back to your truck once its down...I'd say the rifle caliber or action might seem to be very important but Its been my experience that,
most of the 25-45 caliber rifles work in even semi skilled hands,
if you can get into a decent shooting position at a decent range,
And if you can shoot accurately from field positions,
the same can definitely NOT BE STATED in regard to your average back packs ability to cope with several hours of the strain of transporting 60lbs-80lbs of meat and gear out of some steep canyon.
IM FORCED TO REMIND YOU, that any dead elk ,even when the meats boned out to reduce weight and placed in the 2 gallon zip lock bags and after they are placed in the snow too cool off on any elk hunt, tends too weigh a great deal more than you will feel comfortable packing out of most deep canyons on your back!.
you generally will require several round trips, from some steep canyon to your truck over rough terrain, to pack out an elk!
finding a higher strength back pack that will not fall apart under a significant load over years of use is a huge challenge for most guys,
remember youll want at least the main compartment to be rather deep and large because you may need to transport a single rather large size ham or shoulder,
most aluminum frame pack frames I've tried eventually failed
before you bring any back pack on a ELK HUNT youll want to test it out carefully, by actually testing it,with significant weight loaded over at least 30 -120 minutes,if your slowly walking up some stadium stairs or walking hills near your home to get in shape for your hunt!
what might feel OK in a 2 minute test in some store,...WON,T feel the same after 30-90 minutes!
you need to spread the significant load on your shoulders and hips and youll need too pad straps on hips and shoulders over a wide area, pad it as much as you can!
you need too adjust the straps and hip belt so 80%-90% of the weights on your hips not your shoulders, and youll want too,find several trash bags and put a 80 lb bag of sand inside them,and duct tape them carefully so it won,t leak, then place the large load simulating a elk quarter or load of meat,in the pack. if your pack won,t fit a MINIMUM of that size load in its main compartment YOULL NEED TO LOOK INTO A LARGER STRONG PACK!
then spend a minimum of two hours walking around ,ideally, up a few stairs,in some out door high school stadium or condo stair case,or across local hills etc, if the pack you selected squeaks or rips, under that load ,its JUNK and you just saved yourself a whole lot of grief knowing that well before the hunt, and getting a better pack is mandatory, because you normally will be packing gear into or elk meat in or out, in your pack, and a pack that fails 1/2 way up a steep canyon is a huge problem.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Stanspor...MIzfCq942T4AIVzEwNCh0QjwU7EAQYASABEgIInPD_BwE
this one linked above is better than most and at roughly $60 a bargain
I tried at least 4 different welded aluminum frame freighter style pack frames similar to this,(I'm sure theres a dozen good quality freighter packs but the ones I tried were junk!,) every one was noisy and eventually broke under the loads I packed out, of those canyons, they were a HUGE P.I.T.A. and in my opinion a waste of money
http://www.eberlestock.com/miva/merchan ... ry_Code=BP
these are supposed to be top quality
the first few elk I packed out I used an external frame aluminum frame, pack. the first year was a total disaster as the riveted aluminum frame squeaked constantly and eventually broke under the 80 lb loads in very short order, the next year I bought a far stronger name brand welded frame ,that cost over $120 which was a huge expense in the early 1970s, it lasted two years before it broke , I explained my problem at cabelas store, to an old geezer who had actually experienced similar issues, and the guy suggested a cheap PEAK ONE pack,frame,at that time or something like the CURRENT ,
RED HEAD ENDURO FLEX
but suggested I have a much better bag made, from a military duffel bag with lots of strong nylon buckle attachment straps sewn on,with a larger compartment, I bought a heavy nylon duffel bag and heavily modified it so it securely strapped too and was supported by the flex frame at a dozen plus all adjustable strap locations, on the frame, plus
I used 50 feet of seat belt nylon and brass grommets to make a custom pack,support sewn to the edges with a great deal of sewing of seat belt web strap, to secure the duffel to the pack frame so it comfortably supported 100 lbs of sand bags inside the duffel ,the dozen plus individual buckle straps sewn so the weight stayed centered and close to my body, I bought far better quality hip and shoulder belts and added those and its lasted and worked for 30 plus years, its ugly and not high tech, but like a crowbar its hard to damage, and it works
HERES A GOOD BASIC FRAME
http://www.basspro.com/RedHead-Endurofl ... LL_PRODUCT
http://www.basspro.com/RedHead-RH5000-E ... 160606328/
80%-90% of a loaded packs weight SHOULD be supported on your hips NOT the shoulder straps,
so a sturdy well padded hip belt is ABSOLUTELY mandatory
you may NOT be able to find a quality hip belt on a sturdy frame,
but most quality back paks sell replacement component parts separately,
so mix & matching frames,
belts and straps might be your only choice
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/3111784728 ... rmvSB=true
yes if you have deep pockets there are decent packs available off the shelf on-line but they are not cheap
http://www.kuiu.com/outlet/outlet-i...riteo&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=remarketing
a few tips
a decent wide brim hat treated with water repel-ant spray, to keep rain and snow out of your eyes or running down the back of your neck and sun out of your eyes sure helps
as does having a comfortable light weight back-pack to transport game meat, and a poncho to keep you drier in heavy rain or snow.
comfortable insulated boots with good ankle support and an aggressive tread are nearly mandatory
this is a darn good value in a skinning and dressing game knife
a jacket and or vest that can be stored in your back pack for sudden temp swings helps a great deal
a decent rifle bi-pod aids accuracy
Ive been hunting mule deer and elk in some darn steep canyons for 5 decades,
so heres a couple tips you can take or ignore.
assuming you'll be packing into an area or at least packing your elk back to your truck once its down...I'd say the rifle caliber or action might seem to be very important but Its been my experience that,
most of the 25-45 caliber rifles work in even semi skilled hands,
if you can get into a decent shooting position at a decent range,
And if you can shoot accurately from field positions,
the same can definitely NOT BE STATED in regard to your average back packs ability to cope with several hours of the strain of transporting 60lbs-80lbs of meat and gear out of some steep canyon.
IM FORCED TO REMIND YOU, that any dead elk ,even when the meats boned out to reduce weight and placed in the 2 gallon zip lock bags and after they are placed in the snow too cool off on any elk hunt, tends too weigh a great deal more than you will feel comfortable packing out of most deep canyons on your back!.
you generally will require several round trips, from some steep canyon to your truck over rough terrain, to pack out an elk!
finding a higher strength back pack that will not fall apart under a significant load over years of use is a huge challenge for most guys,
remember youll want at least the main compartment to be rather deep and large because you may need to transport a single rather large size ham or shoulder,
most aluminum frame pack frames I've tried eventually failed
before you bring any back pack on a ELK HUNT youll want to test it out carefully, by actually testing it,with significant weight loaded over at least 30 -120 minutes,if your slowly walking up some stadium stairs or walking hills near your home to get in shape for your hunt!
what might feel OK in a 2 minute test in some store,...WON,T feel the same after 30-90 minutes!
you need to spread the significant load on your shoulders and hips and youll need too pad straps on hips and shoulders over a wide area, pad it as much as you can!
you need too adjust the straps and hip belt so 80%-90% of the weights on your hips not your shoulders, and youll want too,find several trash bags and put a 80 lb bag of sand inside them,and duct tape them carefully so it won,t leak, then place the large load simulating a elk quarter or load of meat,in the pack. if your pack won,t fit a MINIMUM of that size load in its main compartment YOULL NEED TO LOOK INTO A LARGER STRONG PACK!
then spend a minimum of two hours walking around ,ideally, up a few stairs,in some out door high school stadium or condo stair case,or across local hills etc, if the pack you selected squeaks or rips, under that load ,its JUNK and you just saved yourself a whole lot of grief knowing that well before the hunt, and getting a better pack is mandatory, because you normally will be packing gear into or elk meat in or out, in your pack, and a pack that fails 1/2 way up a steep canyon is a huge problem.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Stanspor...MIzfCq942T4AIVzEwNCh0QjwU7EAQYASABEgIInPD_BwE
this one linked above is better than most and at roughly $60 a bargain
I tried at least 4 different welded aluminum frame freighter style pack frames similar to this,(I'm sure theres a dozen good quality freighter packs but the ones I tried were junk!,) every one was noisy and eventually broke under the loads I packed out, of those canyons, they were a HUGE P.I.T.A. and in my opinion a waste of money
http://www.eberlestock.com/miva/merchan ... ry_Code=BP
these are supposed to be top quality
the first few elk I packed out I used an external frame aluminum frame, pack. the first year was a total disaster as the riveted aluminum frame squeaked constantly and eventually broke under the 80 lb loads in very short order, the next year I bought a far stronger name brand welded frame ,that cost over $120 which was a huge expense in the early 1970s, it lasted two years before it broke , I explained my problem at cabelas store, to an old geezer who had actually experienced similar issues, and the guy suggested a cheap PEAK ONE pack,frame,at that time or something like the CURRENT ,
RED HEAD ENDURO FLEX
but suggested I have a much better bag made, from a military duffel bag with lots of strong nylon buckle attachment straps sewn on,with a larger compartment, I bought a heavy nylon duffel bag and heavily modified it so it securely strapped too and was supported by the flex frame at a dozen plus all adjustable strap locations, on the frame, plus
I used 50 feet of seat belt nylon and brass grommets to make a custom pack,support sewn to the edges with a great deal of sewing of seat belt web strap, to secure the duffel to the pack frame so it comfortably supported 100 lbs of sand bags inside the duffel ,the dozen plus individual buckle straps sewn so the weight stayed centered and close to my body, I bought far better quality hip and shoulder belts and added those and its lasted and worked for 30 plus years, its ugly and not high tech, but like a crowbar its hard to damage, and it works
HERES A GOOD BASIC FRAME
http://www.basspro.com/RedHead-Endurofl ... LL_PRODUCT
http://www.basspro.com/RedHead-RH5000-E ... 160606328/
80%-90% of a loaded packs weight SHOULD be supported on your hips NOT the shoulder straps,
so a sturdy well padded hip belt is ABSOLUTELY mandatory
you may NOT be able to find a quality hip belt on a sturdy frame,
but most quality back paks sell replacement component parts separately,
so mix & matching frames,
belts and straps might be your only choice
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/3111784728 ... rmvSB=true
yes if you have deep pockets there are decent packs available off the shelf on-line but they are not cheap
http://www.kuiu.com/outlet/outlet-i...riteo&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=remarketing
better options for starting a fire
the consistent and dependable ability to easily make a fire, when required, is a potentially life saving and death preventing/ mandatory skill, set. having and carrying several options & tools available to do so is a very good idea. your ability to think rationally and perform simple tasks...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
Kukri Related
a well made kukri is a great tool and yes ITS BOTH A TOOL AND , with the required skill set a very effective lethal weapon originally potentially a weapon, in skilled hands, THAT'S DESIGNED SO IT EASILY KILLS WITH A SINGLE HIT these kukri are generally built from thick truck leaf spring...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
a few tips
a decent wide brim hat treated with water repel-ant spray, to keep rain and snow out of your eyes or running down the back of your neck and sun out of your eyes sure helps
as does having a comfortable light weight back-pack to transport game meat, and a poncho to keep you drier in heavy rain or snow.
comfortable insulated boots with good ankle support and an aggressive tread are nearly mandatory
this is a darn good value in a skinning and dressing game knife
a jacket and or vest that can be stored in your back pack for sudden temp swings helps a great deal
a decent rifle bi-pod aids accuracy
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