Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Back from Hi country Mule Deer hunt.

Well first off I didn't get a deer..but that was my choice I passed up some really pretty good bucks that were smaller than one I had gotten a few years ago. Did find what I was looking for on the evening of the last day..but ran out of light. Good news for me is I just hit the big 60 and still can go anywhere I used to..just slower. Was out 6 1/2 days and never got below 11,000 feet, never saw another person. Anyway here are some pictures of the area, my gear, and a bit of what worked and didn't.

Pack: Used a Kifaru Zulu. Last minute decision and probably not a good one. Suspension worked ok but it was overstuffed and just didn't feel right until about the 4th day of eating down the food. I own better packs!


Started out in this country..Good for small to medium bucks, but nothing to pull the trigger on and pack out 4 miles!

Saw some decent bucks here in this rocky stuff..one that I probably should have taken, but is was only the 4th day.

One of my camps: Hillenberge UNA tent. 5 seasons on this tent & has been all over NA. Withstood high winds, Snow, hail. On this trip two really nasty nights of intense storms. Enough room for all my gear and to get dressed inside. Sleeping bag was a Marmot down bag. I obsese over this bag keeping it dry..but it's worth the worry. Warm and dry no matter what. Jet boil stove. Didn't use much fuel and worked ok, but extremely wind sensitve and kinda bulky/heavy. Prefer my pocket rocket and titanium pot.
Katradin pump type filter. Heavy but five years and works perfect. (Had giardia three times before I got this filter). Marmut champ pants..commando style. Worked great. Black diamond headlamp worked great. NULA .257 ROY never fired a shot..but if I go again will bring my .308 as it is shorter and lighter and I could have gotten within 300 yds of any buck I saw.

These guys behind the tent one morning.



Big buck that I spotted was on the back (west) side of the mountain on the right

Had to cross a lot of this stuff to get to the big buck..some of it at a 45 degree angle!
Passed this guy on the way down[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v300/bdestafeno/Vortex087.jpg[/img]

Few more things..Mountain house foods..by the 5th day I was starved couldn't get enough food. Just tanked out even with snacks..was thinking about shooting a deer and eating it!

All in all a good trip and I know where they are.

LC

Forgot about optics: Lecia 62MM spotter..sl heavy but superb optics.unbelievable resolution. cheap Cabellas tripod that worked great. Old Pair of zeiss 10X40..just excellent.

Looks like an awesome time and some beautiful country!

Thanks for sharing,

Brett

Nice trip....thanks for the pic's and the read...

SOLO? Stud.

great trip report, honest and clean, enjoyed it.

leftycarbon,
Great report! Thanks for sharing!

nice, I am in your camp on the down bags. I have a boat load of bags, but a top shelf down is just plain heaven. I hope you enjoyed your trip as much as i did mine. I am stuck home till oct 9.

Very cool.. nothing like the high country.........

I really looked forward to crawling in my little tent and bag at the end of the day. Most nights I slept with the tent mostly open..enjoyed the nights as much as the days.

LC

Great pics and story. Thanks!

Looks like the Rawah county. I hunted the early rifle season there last year, from the north end. What a great hunt. Some of the bucks were in velvet, and some not. Did you see any with polished antlers?

Sounds like a great hunt. Told well.Nice pictures as well.

Absolutely know the feeling. Great write up and thanks,
Don

Wow ! What country ! And I think I know how you feel. I'm 64 and still can get up and back in there. Don't know how much longer I'll be able to do that, but that's out of my hands.
Just to be able to do that is enough for me. If I see something I really want, fine. But if I come home with great pictures and memories that's what I went for. I spent many years wishing I'd done something diffgerent or shot something I'd passed up. Not any more. Besides, if you'd have shot a smaller one, you wouldn't even know that big one was there. E

Your right it is the Rawah wilderness. I have a home about 35 miles from the hunt area. All the bucks I saw were still in velvet, with some just starting to shed it. Saw a lot of elk and about 1/2 of them had polished antlers. One funny thing I heard no elk bugling untill the archery season came...then there was all kinds of bugling. I think the archery guys had a lot of fun bugling and stalking each other.

LC

Your the man lefty!! Sounds like a most excellent hunt!

6 1/2 days at 60?
You're an inspiration.

Buy yourselve a Kifaru SIwash or longunter. Awesome hunting packs.

very nice report lefty. what sort of sleep pad were you snoozing on nightly.

I was sleeping on a simple foam "Z" pad, 3/4 length. Not the thickest or softess but it worked pretty good and was really light. Have used Threma rest but twice ended up with punctures.

LC