Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Camping at treeline tips

Going to be camped at treeline this year for my archery elk hunt. This is only my second year elk hunting. Was wondering about any tips/recommnedations for this? We don't plan on having a fire and know that our camp needs to be as quiet as possible. Other than that? Thanks,

Jim

I'd camp in the trees for a windbreak. And also looks for a reliable spring nearby.

As Muzzleloader Man stated, be sure to break the wind. Don't set-up on a ridge or any point of land. I'd stick to the trees and inside a swale within those trees. Wind can really make a mess of things and it can quickly ruin a hunting trip, if you're not prepared for it. Also, be sure to take a good wind-resistant tent. Wind and actual altitude are your biggest concerns when camping at altitude. Every other natural obstacle is pretty much a "piece of cake", in comparison to those two aspects.

So I figure you will be camping at 10,500 or 11,000 ft.

You would do much better by camping a little lower so your body can regain depleted oxygen you expend in the day. You will sleep a lot better and last longer.

From MO, which is what about 3000 ft max, you jump up 7-8k ft in elevation. Your body won't acclimate very fast ,even if you show up a few days early.

In addition it would be the pits to have to go down the mountain to hunt if the elk are not up there. It's lot easier to walk down the mountain after hard days hunt than to climb up.

Remember, it's the cows that decide where the breeding grounds are. The bulls just try to amass a harem and keep them together. I find the best locations are in those timbered bowls below treeline. Most will depend on if your hunt is pre rut or rut

If you do that, always step out of the tent first, your hunting partners will appreciate it.

Not to derail the thread as it's just getting started, but just had to follow-up on Smoke's observation:

Decades and decades ago, when I was working for a Registered Guide before I stared my own outfit, I shared a mountaineering tent with an elderly gentleman and one morning I awoke to find him astraddle a plastic garbage bag, defecating in it. Needless to say that there were some tense moments shortly thereafter and the rather strange incident of the so-called "poop episode" put a damper on moral during the remainder of the hunt.

Anyway, back to the thread as originally posted by the OP ..........

With my limited experience chasing elk I should not be giving advice but I do have experience with this

>>And also looks for a reliable spring nearby.<<

Hauling water every day to your strategic camping site gets old very quickly if the nearest stream is a ways down the mountain.

Read up on altitude sickness and pay attention. It is real.
Be in the best shape you can be.
Know how to treat water and stay hydrated.
jmho
Tim

Good water source and protection from thunder storms. Also, I camp at ~10,500 during 1st rifle (below where I expect to find the elk) and some sinus meds & saline nasal spray are good to have. The air is very dry and will wreak havoc on your sinuses that are used to humid air.

Be very sure there are no standing dead trees near your tent. Even very live trees will just fall at times with little or no winds (aspens) � ie widow makers.

No bear, moose ect scares me as much as the crackling sound of a nearby tree when I am laying alone in a tent during a good blow.

Yes! Do everything possible to get ones tent into/behind some sort of wind break. Avoid prominent peaks or points that will attract lightening. Use only absolutely proven equipment and clothing, schedule a lot of time.

AKTITUDE SICKNESS
The two most serious types of altitude sickness are HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema) and HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema). HAPE is fluid in the lungs and you can self-diagnose it when you feel gurgling in your lungs or pain in the chest. If your breath is condensing and your friends aren't condensing, then you may have fluid in your lungs. HACE is fluid on the brain. You can self-diagnose it when you get dizzy and stay dizzy for more than a few minutes. If one of your hunting partners goes unconscious or doesn't wake up in the morning, you need to transport him to lower elevation immediately to save his life. The only effective field remedy requires an item called a Gamow Bag and you won't have one. So DECEND, DECEND, DECEND! Get to lower elevation immediately if you want to live. Fortunately HAPE and HACE are both rare (but not unheard of) below 10,000' elevation.

The most common type and the least severe is AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness). It's often associated with dehydration. Its' symptoms are similar to those of influenza and they may include mild headache, nausea, vomiting, lassitude, loss of appetite, and periodic breathing (waking up gasping for air). Common Aspirin and Tums can help because they coincidentally contains the just the kind of ingredients that your body needs and it is a mild astringent that reduces the effects of dehydration. Diamox is the brand name of a prescription drug that works for some people. Start taking it a couple of days before you begin to ascend. But it doesn't work for everyone and there are some potentially miserable side effects. I�ve heard that chicken soup helps and it can�t hurt. In most cases, if you rest for a couple of days, drink lots of liquids, and take Aspirin and Tums, AMS will subside and you can start enjoying yourself.

The best way to avoid altitude sickness is to ascend slowly, at the rate of 1,000' per day. But you don't have that much time. So get in good shape now. Good shape means strong heart and lungs. Good exercises include running stairs, swimming, bicycling, or any other kind of exercise that works the heart and lungs. However sometimes even the best athletes can get altitude sickness, so don't count on that being the cure all. Get to high elevation a few days early and just lounge around for a few days before you start exerting yourself. Stay hydrated, avoid alcohol and coffee or any other kind of diuretic. Take one Aspirin and one Tums each day. Be alert to the symptoms mentioned and react appropriately if they occur.

Also try to develop a technique called Alpinisti Breathing (pressure breathing). Essentially you consciously make your lungs inhale and exhale before you feel the need to breather heavy, you generate a rhythm between your body effort and your lungs so that you have air before you need it. If you wait until you need the air then it�s too late and you are always out of breath. It�s sometimes called the Rest Step (step-breathe-pause-breathe, step-breathe-pause-breathe, repeat, etc.)

MOUNTAIN AIR
Mountain air is very different than what you may be used to. It is thin and dry. There is simply less air to breathe than you may be accustomed to and the relative humidity is low. The low humidity has several negative effects that your body may not be accustomed to. With every breath, you humidify the air that you breathe. So you are constantly losing body moisture and you don�t realize it and dehydration is a very real concern. Also your perspiration evaporates so rapidly that you often don�t realize that you are sweating.

The dry air also creates some extreme temperature variations. It�s common for night time lows to be in the teens and day time highs to be in the 60s. This means that you can be hypothermic in the morning and experience heat exhaustion in the afternoon of the same day. Short afternoon storms are common and these often drop the temperature by 30 degrees. When combined with some wind and some sweaty clothes, that can be deadly if you don�t react properly.

LAYERING
Experienced mountain hikers dress in many thin layers and don�t use one big coat. So they can adapt their clothing to a changing environment. When you sit down to rest, put on a jacket or sweater right away. Don�t wait to get cold. It�s too hard to warm up again. Try to avoid cotton clothing. It's deadly in cold wet weather because it soaks up water like a sponge and encourages hypothermia. Wool and wool/synthetic blends, polypropylene and polyester fleece are best because they keep you warm even when wet. I wear a set of polypropylene long johns, wool trousers, a long-sleeved synthetic shirt, a ball cap, gloves, wool socks, gaiters and good boots. I also have in my pack a bandanna (the only cotton that I carry), a fleece hoodie, a knitted watch cap, vest with synthetic insulation and a Gortex/Nylon parka with a hood, extra gloves and extra socks

HYPOTHERMIA
Hypothermia use to be called exposure or freezing to death. Essentially any time that your core temperature drops too low, your body automatically reacts to try to keep the core warm by redirecting blood and the warmth that comes with it, from your limbs and brain, to the core. So your body starts robbing your brain of oxygen. The first signs of hypothermia are uncontrollable shivering. Then it progresses to slurred speech, cold fingers and toes, weakness, and eventually coma a death. It can occur at relatively warm temperatures when you are hot and sweaty, and weather conditions conspire to drop the air temperature rapidly. It happens every year on the slopes of Pikes Peak when unprepared tourists get caught in an afternoon storm above timberline and don�t have the right clothing. Being prepared with the proper layering system of clothing and using the extra layers when necessary, is the best way to avoid hypothermia.

HEAT EXHAUSTION
Heat exhaustion (hyperthermia) results in headache, dizziness, weakness and fainting. It can also progress to coma and death (heat stroke). It�s more common in high humidity environments but it happens in the mountains too. Mostly in people who have big body mass and high thermal inertia. In other words if you are over-weight, then you are more susceptible to heat exhaustion. I�ve also seen it in people who were not over-weight but they were big people. They have big bone and muscle structures so they don�t dissipate heat readily. If you start feeling like you are going to faint, then sit down in the shade, drink some water, rub a wet bandanna on your neck and head. Dunk your head in a stream if one�s convenient. Rest for a while and you most likely will recover quickly. Then don�t over exert yourself until it�s cooler.

FROST BITE
Frost bite occurs when body parts freeze. The lymph and blood freeze first but eventually body tissues also freeze. This causes damage that may never heal properly and cannot be regenerated. Frost bite will occur first in extremities; toes, fingers, ears, nose, and cheeks. The best way to prevent frost bite is to keep those areas warm and dry and protected from the wind. I carry extra socks, an extra pair of gloves, and a bandanna. I use to carry a balaclava and that works great but a bandanna has so many other uses that even if I carry a balaclava, I still carry a bandanna. I use the bandanna to keep the wind off of my face and I cover my ears with a knitted watch cap.

Good Luck. Have a safe and enjoyable hunt.

KC

Good post KC!!!!!!!! Learned something new today...thank-you

Before you decide on where to set up camp, I'd strongly suggest you try to gain a good understanding of the habits of the elk in the area during the season your are hunting. Build your camp accordingly. Nothing wrong with an early morning hike (up or down) to get to the best altitude for your hunt.

This is the first thing, camp close to water! I am from Mo. and have never had problems with altitude, staying in shape helps. Some will have altitude sickness no matter what kind of shape they're in physically.

KC -

That is an excellent summary.

+1

I went from 150' to over 8k' in one day with a 3-4 hour hike in and the altitude sickness tore me up for a day. Headache, etc. to the point where I didn't even want any of the tang/vodka mix we brought up for my bachelor party weekend camping out.

I just remember that pounding headache. Be careful.

The pre-cursor to that will be an elevated resting pulse rate. Get aquainted with what it is normally, now, lying in bed and check it in camp before you stand up or get out of your bag. Tailor the days' activities accordingly.

When I gain several thousand feet in altitude, I always have an elevated resting pulse rate. It's your body adapting to the elevation gain.