Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Camping out for elk

My buddies and I are going on our second elk hunt this fall in Montana. We went with a guide last fall to get a feel for it and had a great time. This time around we will be doing it ourselves and staying a bit longer. Last time was a five day hunt, this time we are planning for a full week of hunting. Like last time, we are renting a house to come back to in the evening but, I and one of my buddies are preparing for spending a night or two out in the field if we think it will improve our odds of success. My other buddy is being reluctant. He is saying we are going to
freeze and that elk move too much for it to make sense.

Our line of thinking is that if we find a herd or some bulls that we want to go after late in the day, we would be better off staying in the field for the evening rather than hiking back to the truck and driving back to the house for the night. What do those of you with experience think? This will be Bitterroot MT in November, so we know there could be lots of snow, rain and freezing temps. My one friend that is on my side and I are open to buying a quality tent and sleeping bag for the event. We’ll probably just eat MREs and forego and type of stove or anything like that.

As a MT local who has hunted them via most methods, my favorite is to backpack in and spend night(s) out. Instead of walking in @ 0-dark-hundred, it's more productive to wake up just before first light already in elk country, ready to glass, cut a track, or whatever.

But if you've never backpacked or spent the night out in cold conditions you'll need to learn a few things... but everything can be learned.

Would never consider that without the lwt stove for a hot meal
. Yes I have camped in snow and cold. Mb

I have never "spike camped" while hunting for elk. I hunted elk for many years out of an old military wall tent with a wood stove and good gear. We took the time to set up early so the ground was dry and not covered in snow when we needed to use camp. We had firewood cut and a wood stove. We had food etc (plenty in case we were snowed in or someone needed it in an emergency). You will have to have a way to dry your gear if needed, you will need food as you mentioned, water etc. You would need to carry sleeping gear to stay warm etc. That is all fine if that is what you want to do, but I would consider just making a base camp closer to where you want to hunt. Just my experience. I have never had good enough gear, or been in good enough shape to hike in for a day or two and carry elk out in multiple trips. My trips are more like half day hunts from camp, or long day hunts if its warranted.

I've done a fair bit of snow/winter camping, backpacking & hunting. A lightweight backpacker's stove is wonderful thing to have!

Guy

Thanks, Brad. I always value your input and have already done some searching on things like tents and sleeping bags. I do have some pretty good navigation skills. My buddies and I all served in the Marines together and I studied forestry. Camping out with non-GI issue gear will be new, but I think we’ll survive.

What are your thoughts specifically on finding a target animal late in the day and camping out in hopes of getting on the same elk the following day. Is my buddy’s assertion correct? Do elk move too much for that approach to be effective? I’m of the mindset that if we watch an animal until nightfall, it shouldn’t be too far away the next morning as long as it doesn’t get spooked. Thoughts?

Thanks again for your input!

-Jeff

When y’all say stove, are y’all talking about the little butane jobs that you use to heat up food or water in a little pot? Thanks everyone!

No.A wood burning stove capable of heating the tent.I heartily suggest you get a little bit more experience before you undertake a hunt that you are proposing.

Thanks, Saddlesore . I appreciate the sage advice.

I’m aware of the wall tents and wood burning stoves and know that’s one way to do it. I have tent camped here in Texas in freezing weather. Am I ignorant in thinking that a good cold weather sleeping bag and quality tent to keep us out of the rain or snow would be sufficient?

The goal isn’t to set up a camp for the entire hunt. We will likely be spending most nights in a house. The purpose of any nights in the field would be to stay on top of the elk and have an early crack at them when the sun comes up.

Well a small packable stove was what I meant. I understood you to state a small backpack tent and bag for an overnight stay in the vicinity of the elk. I'd have a small lwt stove to boil h20 on period. Hot food it s value can't be overstated. Oak and saddlesore are talking wall tent camping. Mb

Should you be in the field? If you see a herd move out of the timber right before dark, be there before light in the morning because in all likelihood they'll still be there. I've seen it many times and have scored on a number of them.

Agree with you on the hot meal, MB. I have had many cold meals and know how nice a hot meal can be, but we’re going to kill elk, not eat fine meals.

That’s one of the points I was looking for and what I suspected. I know elk can move and cover a lot of distance quickly. In this scenario, I’m talking about finding undisturbed elk and sleeping where we can get to them at first light. I’m a whitetail hunter and have very limited elk experience, but I just couldn’t see why elk would make a big move in the middle of the night without having a good reason to do that.

Wasn't talking fine meals was talking enough heat to boil water for instant coffee , tea bag, or freeze dried. I take a 5 oz tuna can with a couple of wires thru the top to hold a Sierra cup, fuel with trioxane heat tabs( GI) whole kit don't weigh sh*t but gets the job done. Brad was right you got alot to learn by your own no more unwanted comments from me. Mb
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I don’t think I read your comment correctly and certainly didn’t mean to be contrarian. Just trying to understand what people with more experience do when they are out in the elements.

Sounds like only one or two nights are planned. Prepare for the basics. Warmth, staying dry, calories, water.

I've not hunted like that, but I've back packed a bit. Cold weather, and exertion demand calories. Don't skimp. Same with foot wear. Your feet demand great care in that situation.

If your far enough in to warrant staying the night how you gonna get your gear and an elk to the truck?

`

Make damn sure someone knows were this so called camp out sleep over is located i have spent to many days looking for people that didn't know the mountains, that got in way over their heads, not all of them turned out well.
listen to Saddlesore, and others that have years of camping and hunting in Colorado, Rio7

If you can't survive something like this,best make other plans.This happen s more often than not .

Really wouldn’t be all that far from the truck. Probably 3 miles, max. This will be a backpack hunt, and the plan for most nights would be to walk back to the truck, drive back to the house, eat, shower, maintain gear, sleep, wake, eat, drive back out and hike back to that day’s hunting spot. That in itself is hours of hiking and driving that could be avoided. I also see benefit in not driving back in the following morning and humping back into the spot where we left elk the evening before.

To Saddlesore’s point, we would have no intention of staying out in a blizzard. I get the point that weather can change without warning, but just like boating, or anything outdoors, paying attention to weather reports and radar will be our standard for conducting movements and potential nights in the field.

I'm with saddlesore ..

The Bitterroot is big, steep country. I am there right now, at my mom's house.

I have spent a few unexpected nights out on the mountain around here during the elk season in November, without a tent or sleeping bag. It wasn't the Waldorf Astoria, but if a guy can't handle one uncomfortable night out without a hot meal then he has issues. It can get cold for sure, but it rarely is so cold that it becomes unsafe (but it can happen in November). A hatchet may be nice for a small fire if desired but I wouldn't sweat it to not have one and I rarely make fires when hunting. If you do find a herd that is too far to go after in the evening, then I would for sure consider staying the night right where you're at. There are situations when it makes sense and several places in the Bitterroot don't have roads to get you any closer to where you may want to go in the morning.

I have done it lots of times in September chasing archery elk. More than once with no tent. Watch the weather November can get cold. I have the luxury of coming back next week and use it. Hunting in November with enough gear in a pack to spend a comfortable night out or two means a heavy pack every day. I would travel light with the gear needed to take care of an elk once down and made a couple of pack out trips the next day. I like to hunt from camp and cut my sleep short if needed.

It’s called camping. Have you ever backpack camped in the winter? Then got up real early and leave camp in the dark? Thats what you’ll be doing. It aint rocket surgery. Just the same as if you were day hunting, you need to have a plan in place for:
-staying warm
-getting lost
-getting wet
-getting hurt
-transporting meat
-food and water

Without someway to warm up and dry out clothes and boots if one ran into some snow and single or below digit temps you can run into problems. Having to survive a night in inclement weather in a survival situation is one thing but to go spartan and then plan on hunting from a spartan camp, especially without heat, is asinine. Too many things can go wrong. Don't get me wrong , it's doable, but not advisable.

I've done " OK" in the winter with a small 3 season tent, a good bag and a pocket rocket stove to cook with, but if you can add handle a little more in your pack, I've been much more comfortable in my seek outside tipi/titanium woodstove.
Just make sure you and your pack can handle both camp and full game bags.

So, I won't comment on whether you should do it or not. One thing I will suggest is an equipment choice. While there are plenty of good/light bags/quilts out there, I would suggest a system that has a Gore-Tex shell. Since you are a Marine, I would suggest looking for the Mil Surplus 4/5 piece Modular Sleep Systems. Make sure you get the patrol bag, intermediate bag, and bivy cover at least. The whole system will be comfortable down to at least 0 and cost ~$200 (or less depending on how close you are now to a base). Weight for the 4 piece system is around 9 pounds, but you are going to have a hard time getting a commercial system that works as well for the price/weight that the USGI system provides.

I do agree with others that if you can do a tipi/woodstove as well for heating water and drying clothes it would be much better. Also, having heated water will help a LOT with getting/staying warm. Put heated water in to a nalgene bottle, wrap it in a sock (helps dry out the sock too) and put it in the foot of your sleeping bag. Will make for a MUCH better sleeping experience.

Its absolutely doable, if 2 of you plan to stay out you can split the extra pack load. Look for a used lightweight teepee and titanium stove on places like rokslide. Food tent stove and sleeping bag/pad will be around 10lbs each. Even just a good bag and a cheap tarp or tent will be fine for a night or two. Spent my honeymoon in a Walmart eureka tent in subzero Montana temps hunting muledeer. Attitude and a good bag will get you by just fine.

Something else about seeing a herd of elk at last light - this hunt is in Nov. Quite often after the rut the bulls will go into hiding for a while. They won't be with the cows. It's not uncommon to see 40 or 50 cows and not a single bull. They're close by but stay hidden for a while, maybe into Dec. We were hunting cows last Nov in so. Idaho. We saw one herd that might have been 200 cows and we couldn't see a single bull in the crowd.
The year before, I spotted a dozen or so way up high shortly before dark. I wasn't able to tell what they were so I started climbing I climbed maybe 800' in elevation before I got a good look - all bulls. I found the bachelor herd with a cow tag in my pocket. Meanwhile, one of my partners found the cows. They weren't very far away but it was getting too dark to get on them and we weren't fixed to spend the night there. This was in late Oct.

You absolutely do not need a wood stove. I've backpacked, skied, climbed in winter conditions spending many nights out down to -20F with no fire of any kind. It's done all the time. And building a fire in Montana is the simplest thing in the world given the abundance of dry wood.

You're only going to be in a few miles in. You're a Marine. Get a 0 - 15F sleeping bag, pad, light tent or tarp, pack and a decent backpack stove. You'll figure out the rest!

It's doable and I've done it, but there's two problems with backpacking for elk. The first is extraction. Any place that you can't walk out in a couple hours is going to be a VERY long process. Second, you need to have enough stuff to survive not just a night in the snow, but if something goes wrong like say wet equiptment + blizard. That means you need more calories, more fuel, and more warm when wet gear than you're going to want to carry. There all kind of ways to go "lightweight" and some of that gear is expensive but good. Some of it trades weight for survival margin in bad situations.

I agree that no wood burning stove is required or really even desired IMO. A backpacking stove that can produce hot water is an important hedge against hypothermia though. You can eat MREs under normal conditions and never fire it up, but you should have it.

I also like an expedition type tent where you can run the stove in the tent, even though those are out of fashion.

You want redundant and reliable ways to make a fire. I cary waterproof matches, a lighter, cotton balls with vasoline on them in a baggie, and a miniature road flare. The road flare can start a fire in totally wet wood, which is valuable.

Jeffrey:

Since you have never gone on a hunt on-you-own (a guided/outfitted hunt doesn't count), here are some tips from someone who has been an avid camper, backpacked and backpack hunter for seventy years.

1. Don't go on your first backpack trip and make it an elk hunt. That could be dangerous.

2. Forget the idea of renting a house, motel or any other kind of lodging. There’s a problem with sleeping in a motel or lodge because it’s not located in prime elk habitat and you have to spend time in the morning and evening traveling between where you are staying and where you are hunting. So, you either have to spend less time hunting or less time sleeping.

3. I suggest that you camp at the trailhead. But you shouldn't do that without some practice. Get some good gear, including a four-season tent and sleeping bags rated at 0°. Do your first camping in your back yard. Then do some camping near your home. After a few trips and a few mistakes from which you learn, then take what you’ve learned into the hills. I see you're from Texas. Texas has some excellent state parks with campgrounds. That's a good place to start.

4. I hope that you own an SUV or 4x4 pickup. Drive that to the end of the road, at a wilderness area boundary. Setup your camp there and day hike in from that camp to do your hunting.

5. Remember that elk hunting will probably be done in the cold and snow. So be prepared. That's why you need a 4-season tent and warm sleeping bags.

Completely agree with number 2

Showers are nice but certainly not needed, especially in Nov. You'll be shivering, not sweating. A pack of these things or maybe some baby wipes will take care of your hygienic needs just fine.

For the colder weather make sure you have insulated boots or packs that are up to the challenge.

May I ask (roughly) where you're planning to go? The Bitterroot is a long valley. Some trailheads are near densely populated areas and others are a fair drive from town, though there are some lodges randomly scattered around the valley. I think the Sapphires generally has better hunting than the Bitterroots, though the scenery isn't as good.

This may sound like good advice, but it is really ambitious. If you are capable of this recipe, by all means go for it, but anyone that spends that much time in a tent in those conditions, you could get tired of it short of your allotted time.

If its only 3 miles I'm walking in the dark in the mourning, ive done it many times. Its amazing how well you can see when your eyes are adjusted to the dark and even better if there's snow on the ground. You can actually see better without a flashlight and animals are pretty calm in the dark as long as they dont smell you. If your worried about time wall tent at a trailhead or closer to hunting then you can dry out or have decent food and forget staying in town.

We’ll be in unit 270 near Sula. We definitely saw several good areas last year and a few shooters. Closest we came to tagging one was an opportunity I decided not to take on a young bull. Shot was 380ish yards with a heavy crosswind and several cows around him. I think I made the right choice in not shooting, but I can still see that elk in my crosshairs.

The last day we found one old bull with a couple younger guys with him. It was the last day. Im confident if we could have woken up in the vicinity the following morning we would have gotten one of those bulls.

We all have good boots and packs. We will have to invest in a good tent and sleeping bags.

Somebody mentioned the GI sleeping system earlier. I remember that system well and it definitely did the job, but it also compressed down to about the size of a beachball and weighed a ton. I’ll be looking for a good, backpacking cold weather bag.

We’ll be hunting the same area and time of year that we all hunted last year. Of course it could all be different, but last time we were in deep snow and had a blast. Saw lots of elk too. Just would like to avoid driving to and from the field every day. My one reluctant friend is not wanting to give up his creature comforts. Hank’s for the advice. This gives us something to consider.

Stop over thinking it. Spike camp for a night or two can be productive and fun. Since I normally elk hunt solo I carry in my pack the minimum to spend a night in the woods. I may not be very comfortable but I'm going to survive. Be safe but don't be a pussy about it either.

This is the correct answer.

I have had people (on this forum and elsewhere) tell me how reckless I was, and was taking my life into my own hands because I don't carry all the luxuries that they seem to need.

I spike camp during hunting season all the time with just a sleeping bag and Walmart special tarp, and 1-2 times a year I spend the night hunkered underneath a tree without a sleeping bag at all. It isn't comfortable but my god, it isn't that bad. I also next to never build a fire, for various reasons and usually don't carry any kind of a stove to make a hot meal.

If I do build a fire it usually is just to heat up a can of stew real quick and not to stay warm or dry anything out.

I learned the hard way that killing an elk a long way from the truck in rough country turns the hunt into type 2 fun. It is easy to carry a pack 5 miles, add an elk and that adds lots of time and plenty of effort. Putting a good elk to bed and having a spike camp nearby is worth a night or 2 out. Being in perfect position at 1st light is priceless. Watch the weather, humping out an elk in a foot or 2 of new snow will alter your schedule

Give it a try, that's the best way to learn.


mike r

Big difference in camping out in muzzle loader,archery season, or earlier rifle. Rules change come late October and November.

Give it a rest. It’s not that big a deal.

Figure this has been answered pretty well already. I’ll still throw my tent in the mix, adding weight to whichever side this post aligns with.

On pub land, it’s not uncommon for us to get on bulls right at dark, unable to get a shot off.

Instead of hiking out, back to the house, hoping and praying the whole night that we’ll be able to get back into position the next morning without someone else on the X. We have made a fast spike camp with what we have in our packs to get us through that night.

Sardines, jerky, candy bars, water and a flask of Pendleton 1910 is typical field food for a night.

Clothing and gear we have on us is already weather ready for November Coastal conditions.

It’s elk hunting for gawd sakes...Suffering a smidge is what it’s all about.

🦫

Thanks everyone for your input.

It looks like our buddy is warming up to the idea, or at least admits he doesn’t have a choice.

We’ve been diving in this rabbit hole all day and it’s been fun. What do y’all think about each man having his own one person tent instead of us sharing one larger tent? I see benefits both ways, but I’m starting to think that each of us having our own tent could be the safer bet if one of us were to get lost or hurt.

I think there's a few different vendors for the GI stuff, but the one I'm familiar with was clearly a Wiggy's. They're a good example of a piece of gear that is heavier and larger than you'd like but which will save you if conditions are much worse than expected. They are legitimately warm when wet, which is not true of almost any other commercial bag.

Down is the lightest and warmest as long as you can keep it dry. It's worthless when wet. They have a coating for down now but I've read mixed reviews on whether it works or not. I don't have any experience with it.

I like the idea. Unless I'm sharing a tent with my wife, I prefer sleeping solo. You can rig up a tarp for a communal cooking/eating area.

Aside, 3P tents are just right for two guys riding out bad weather, but are a bit small for three doing the same.

Since you have to buy a tent anyway, here is one that will hold up in bad weather and will fit three guys.A small back pack wood stove could be added in the future. If you have to hole up for a day or two,everyone can sit up around the cook stove and be some what comfortable.

https://luxe-hiking-gear.com/products/megahorn-tipi-tent-wood-stove-jack.

As for individual tents or all in one, it depends how friendly you are,or any heavy snorers.We use to run a camp with one big tent and everyone had a small tent.The ones in the small tent complained about having trouble getting dressed.

Splitting up tents between people who are not physically together (and hunters rarely are) seems like another example of something that is fine unless something goes wrong, and then it's trouble. I'm experimenting with the Eureka Solitaire AL as a possible solution for a 1-man. There are smaller, tougher, and lighter options but I'm tall (6'6") and I find many psuedo-bivy type tents very confining.

If bad weather hits, a tent or tarp that allows you to sit up and boil water in your LW stove and pot for coffee and the freeze dried meal of your choice lets you continue the good times.
It is actually fun to enjoy small luxuries when the weather gets stormy.

Elk hunting is tough enough, get your fun when and where you can.


mike r

couple of MRE`S with the heaters in the packages extra water bottles or canteen work well for over a night or two small tarp and fire starter material . good luck i no longer at my age wanna fight the cold ,snow or tents in the mountains with pack animals anymore ,we rent a cushy cabin with heat ,water and a electric stove. i wish you great safe luck i will be up in the mountains of Montana also this fall. Pete53

I appreciate that input Pete. What time will you be in MT this fall?

We’re still somewhat full of the proverbial piss and vinegar. None of us have killed an elk, but I’ve been hunting deer and other game all my life. My two friends have come under my wing since we left the Marines in 2009 and they have made several trips down here to TX to hunt with me. We want the elk and I’m looking forward to the adventure just as much as harvesting an elk. Thanks again!

What rules change? From the first day of sharp stick season to the last day of late cow tipping, they stay the same. I can have my wife show you how to camp in cold. The old men that taught me were tough old dudes. Swallow a can of cold spam for dinner, roll out a tarp, drop sleeping bag, cover with tarp. Repeat the next day.

Splitting the weight three ways sounds appealing right up until you don’t end up together at night. Better to each have their own. Unless you’re with a hot Swedish blonde girl.

That's exactly what me and my brother did for years. A saddle horse with grub in the saddlebags and fart sack tied behind. Sleep when it got dark, ponies snubbed to a tree. Sometimes wasn't much fun, as we usually couldn't hunt for ourselves till all the hunters were done, and that was usually late in the season. Never died, but spent some cold, wet, miserable nights out to get an elk..... Nowadays I'm a wuss. A heated tent, good bag and better food as I'm not interested in suffering in my old age.

I think I may be a tough old dude myself or at least was. I am probably as old as the ones that taught you.I have been hunting elk in Colorado for 45+ years with a 95 % success rate and another ten years in New Mexico.I started out exactly how you described. My stupid only lasted so long until I learned how to survive more comfortably rather than a tarp, two quilts a pot,and a coffee pot, cooking on an open fire with the food carried in a burlap sack. As for Spam, I carried one can.When it came time I had to eat it, it was time to go home.

Early season,you don't worry about frozen drinking water, 2-3 feet of snow, tents collapsing, having to leave equipment until spring if you get snowed in, not being able to get to your hunt area because you are snowed out, to name only a few.

Early seasons you can get by without a heat source. Might have to put up with rain or mud and won't freeze if you don't get back to camp at night.Still a possibility of hypothermia, but usually mother nature nature is kind to you. Ignore her in late seasons and and you might not fare as well.

Things might be different here in Colorado hunting at 10-12K feet elevation than where you hunt.I have packed quite a few people out of the high back country who thought they were tough and found they weren't after out staying in a one man tent in a blizzard and then could not make it a mile post holing thru 18"-2 feet of snow. Forget about them being able to pack their elk out. Then there are those that got injured, hunting alone with no communications, and had to be packed out on a pack saddle rigged to carry a person, or have someone ride a sure footed mule 9 miles in an hour and half to get to a phone to call S&R.

These guys that say it is no problem are doing a disservice to those looking for advice.Camping in the cold is no problem. It can be an easy hunt or a hunt from hell. I have done both.

I've hunted 270 a bit.

My recommendation is to shoot a legal bull, even if it's a raghorn. Like any general tag unit, there are some monsters, but if you have a week, better pull the trigger on the first 4" brow tine bull you see.

There's several places in that unit where a small spike camp makes sense. But not many.

I'll see you this fall.

Many here should thank their lucky stars Darwin looked the other way.

Stupid doesn't always hurt.

Maybe......or maybe you're just a pussy.

If a person isn't experienced or confident enough spike camp in November (or just doesn't want to) then that's fine, but yours is a pretty ignorant statement.

Maybe 8 or 10 years ago, a young guy in our church heard about a herd of elk hanging out around a high elevation lake. It was in a hellish place but he went in alone and got a nice bull. It took him several days to pack it out. On 1 trip, he'd seen a helicopter flying nearby. After he got home, he got a call from the IDFG. It was them in the chopper and they'd seen him hauling it out and got his license number from his pickup at the trail head. They called to congratulate him on his success. They said they'd been watching that herd for a long time and he was the 1st hunter they'd seen with the gonads to go after them. He said later that there was no way that he'd ever go in there again.

Badass! Sometimes once is enough, but I’m sure the memories of that hunt will last his lifetime!

We will be in the Bells during late September. Should we rent a condo in Aspen and start up the hill each day at 2 a.m. or carry our stuff up to 12-13k and live with the goats? Asking for a friend.

will be out there for the first 3 weeks of bow season and again 10 - 12 days for rifle opener elk season, good luck,Pete53 p.s. " i enjoy the bow season a little more , take a good climbing stand with."

Having the experience gives the confidence to know you can do it. It's kind of a chicken/egg thing; if you never attempt it you won't know whether it's doable or not. On my one hunt in AK, my guide had me climbing stuff, going places, and camping under a tarp in weather that I wouldn't have attempted on my own. After that trip I had a much better appreciation for what's doable.

Having said that, I gravitate towards the early seasons for backpack elk hunting because it's easier and you have to carry less gear to stay comfortable and get a good night's sleep. Carrying less on your back is always a plus in the mountains since you can go farther, climb higher, and recover faster. That's not critical on an overnighter, but for a week long hunt it adds up. And this is just my opinion, but if I'm carrying enough stuff to camp out for an overnighter, the next day comes and I don't catch up to the elk, I'm not going to want to head back out to the trailhead, I'm gonna want to stay a few more days while I'm already packed in, and check the next basin, and maybe the one after that. Hunting away from the roads is a definite advantage.

If you're rifle hunting elk here in Montana, you're October 24 - November 29. With the exception of a couple wilderness areas, there is no "early" rifle season like in Colorado and other states.

A bit of a tempest in a teapot from some on this thread. This isn't an ascent of K2. They're not going that far in and the guys are ex-Marines. They'll figure it out.

Jeffrey,
I've enjoyed reading this thread and am looking forward to hearing about your hunt. Take pics and share with us afterwards please!

Lots of advice already on here. I do have some comments and observations.

It sounds like you are preparing to set up a spike camp as a "camp of opportunity ", in case you spot something in the evening you want to put it to bed and be on it in the morning. (A least that is one scenario. ) That means you will be carrying all the camping equipment every day on your back, whether you use it or not? You may not use it at all, or maybe on day 5, but been humping it up and back for the first 4 days kinda thing?

Make sure you've figured out how you are going to pack the animal out. Are your packs full of camping and sleeping equipment, so you would have to return to the vehicle, empty packs, and return to pack out meat? Or can you guys get a bull down and pack it out without having to empty packs? Make sure if you return to the kill, somebody has a gun, somebody has bear spray. It's November I get it, but you never know about bears. Be prepared for a bear on your kill, just in case.

Do you guys know how to bone out a carcass and pack it out? If not, learn. The only bone I would pack out is the head, leave the rest. If you bone out the meat and have lots of room in your packs, the 3 of you should be able to get it out in one trip, but it is going to be heavy.

That's it from me, the biggest issue I saw nobody mentioned was logistics on getting the animal out with your already loaded packs. You guys will figure it out Im sure. Have fun and please lets us know how it went.

Manny

No such thing as an ex-Marine, Brad.

I think we’ll be fine too. I just think my one buddy is getting a little soft on us! It could be a result of a winter deployment to Afghanistan where he got to spend a lot of cold nights in a tent. It’s also probably a matter of not having backpack camping experience, but as you said, we will figure that part out. We will have food, shelter and clothing. Like you said, there is plenty of dead wood in the areas we will be hunting. Starting a fire each night won’t be a problem.
If anything, I am sure we will overpack, yet still discover there are some things we won’t have that would be nice. Either way, we are excited and looking forward to our trip. We’re putting together a summer scouting trip as we speak, as of this morning.

LOL, true on the "ex-Marine." My FIL was a Marine and made multiple Pacific landings in WWII (forward gunnery observer) until he finally got wounded on Peleliu. He was a Marine until he died.

You'll have a great time, and I'm looking forward to your trip report!

Thanks for the encouragement, Manny.

I am sure we will take lots of pictures. We did last year when we went but did not put any elk on the ground. The scenery was fantastic though; the stuff dreams are made of. One of us has a cow tag this year, so I think our chances on getting an elk down will be much better.

We have all invested in nice packs and I have been taking mine out a couple times each month to our ranch in Hondo to get conditioned to it. It’s a purpose built pack and my plan will be to put off my sleeping gear in a dry bag and move that out of the way to utilize the meat shelf if we get an elk.
We’ve all been exercising a lot and I think packing an elk out will be a labor of love for all of us. In addition to our time allotted for hunting we have a day before to acclimate some and to settle in, and then 2 or 3 days after to tie up any loose ends and hopefully pack a bull out if we need to.

Thanks, Brad.

I’ll be sure to give a proper debrief after we return from our hunt.

I’m sure you FIL was a hell of a man. I can’t comprehend the hell those men went through on those islands. I’ve known several of them and they all were great friends from the time I met them.

By all means camp. My idea of a good season is I'm hunting when 50+ yds from my bed and I go for 10 to 14 days without burning a gallon of fuel in the truck.

Some years ago a friend from NC came out to try for a mule deer. I took him back about 3 or 4 miles with my llamas (the farthest we go go with good feed and water for the llamas) and we hiked from there. He got a medium sized buck. It wasn't a mossy horn but he was ecstatic. He'd never used a pack animal before and when we loaded it up, he got eddicated on how us old guys do it. We had a ball. The camping part makes the trip sometimes.

You had a coffee pot? Big timer. I suspect you would fit right in with the men that drug my azz all over. Sadly they are gone. I think Jeffrey will be just fine. Even if he is from Texas.

As a Texan, what I lack in knowledge and experience, I will make up with in good looks.

If you can get to there, and if you are hunting bulls, hunt the South slope of Hayden Pk at about timberline.

The white ones. I have no desire to hunt Colorado elk.

I often go into the west of you in the Selway side of the Bitteroot crest. There an early elk Sept season I walk into. When I was a kid that place was crawling with moose and elk but not anymore. Still I go because of roadless location and if you dive off trails into canyons you can really go where people aren't and there's amazing fishing.

Good God, he a f-ing Marine! He doesn't need advice on how dangerous a backpacking trip is. Lol. Seriously -- lol.

Depends on how early you set the alarm clock.

Can't walk in until after 6:30. That's when the latte shops open. The one on Main St. has croissants that are simply to die for.

I was talking about the archery seasons in September. Down here we also have an early muzzleloader season in September. Just something for the OP to think about if he likes hunting out of a backpack, and a good reason to try archery.

Any time in the mountains chasing elk is exceptional, September just happens to be my favorite. Aspens turning, elk bugling, fish in the creeks still hungry, and so on and so forth.

If you were in the Marines, you'd know what type of surplus sleeping bag and cover to pick up at a Army Navy Surplus Store... Done a lot of winter camping in my days, and pretty much always used surplus military stuff...I had a 1947 made Army Sleeping Bag and cover I used from aged 14 until it fell apart and I junked it in my early 40s. Got it from my dad's mobility bag in 1966 ( Air Force Dependent). Its hard to commercially find Sleeping Bags as good as military winter bags...got several now, that are Arctic Bags, I think I picked up for like $75. I've gotten hot in them and used them like a blanket at zero degrees...

a set of Mickey Mouse Boots wouldn't be a bad thing to look out for also.

By the way, I was trained for field duty in Arctic Environments in the Army, for being assigned to both attached to a combat grunt unit, and also in setting up and Running a MASH unit in Arctic Environments also...( so more than just an Air Force Dependent) and dad was a Marine for 10 years, and after becoming a pilot in his later Marine Career, he transferred to the Air Force and did another 16 years as a Pilot there, then 22 years with the State Dept.
.Wouldn't know it nowadays tho, he's 90 and living in an Assisted Living since Mom died back in 2019.

For what its worth, Casey ( K C ) was also a Marine... just saying...

I’m very familiar with the military sleeping system. I was hoping to find something that wasn’t as bulky. There are a lot of options out there and I am doing my research.

My experience is modest compared to many of you, but I tend to over research my hunting gear. As far as I can see, the Wiggy's sleeping bags, Lamilite socks, boots ponchos, parkas, et al. are just plain worth whatever one pays, and are far better than highly-rated alternatives that I've had for years. They work awfully well for me, even in heavy snow and slush.

Jerry doesn't seem to advertise except for his very crusty comments on his website and the many personal testimonials from customers there. He does personally answer his mail and told me what works best (including products from other sources!)

Norm

You know you could outfit yourself with high altitude expedition gear that will pretty much maintain your temperature using your body heat. Wearing one of those feels like what a space suit must feel like. Your top layers are nearly identical to a down bag and a tent in and of themselves, and then pack in a bag and small tent besides. I spent 17 days on Denali wearing that and the biggest physiological concern is making water by melting snow, but ... would you really want to hunt wearing that or in conditions that require that?
I'm all for for spike camps. They have worked great for me and I've filled elk and sheep tags that way.
If you plan it well you should have a really nice hunt. I'd advise making the weather forecast a part of that planning. Keep researching and gathering info and you will probably have a great hunt.

How do you guys go about procuring or making water while you are out? I have used the sanitation/filter straws in the past and would have no problem pulling water from a creek and doing that. But how about boiling water or melting snow? What kinds of camp wares (pots, kettles, etc..) do you use? I would think a campfire percolator would work well, but I’m wondering if there are less bulky alternatives that are better suited to backpacking that I’m not aware of.

Of course the filter idea would be my first choice, but that’s assuming we are near running water that doesn’t need to be melted or thawed.

As far as cooking food goes, we will be keeping that part simple with MREs.

Melting snow takes a lot of fuel and fuel's heavy. If you can filter from a creek, you'll be better off. As far as boiling water to sterilize it, ignore the Boy Scout manual. They're wrong. You don't have to boil water 5 or 10 min to kill the germs. There are no harmful bugs that can survive above 160F. Milk is pasteurized at 160. If you get it to 170 or 180, you're totally safe. If you're unsure about when it reaches 180, you can go up to boiling but anything beyond that is a waste of time and fuel. If you want to be sure, you can carry one of these folding thermometers. They're pretty cheap and work well.

I’m thinking we’ll try using campfires for any heating needs. I suppose it would be a good idea to have one of the little backpacking stoves and some fuel for it in case we get rain or have trouble finding dry fuel. My experience from our trip last fall was that there was plenty of dead wood lying around.

Filtration is a huge PITA and in my experience it's easy to get contamination. Boiling is a bigger PITA. Generally my primary plan is filtration/grit removal through cotton t-shirt material followed by iodine tabs with boiling as a backup. Yes, iodine makes the water taste funny. Throw some tang or koolaid mix in it for straight drinking. For cooking you'll never notice the taste although starches can turn bluish. I like that the iodine water is aggressively sterilizing, and can be used to for example sterilize the threads of a water bottle.

If you are concerned about cryptosporidium you have to go boiling or filter. In my experience it is not a big problem if you avoid obviously contaminated water sources. But your mileage may vary.

Having backpacked in Montana for nearly 30 years, I have never once treated water in the mountains… one of the benefits of living here.

In real cold weather any filter tube will probably freeze up on you. Canteens can freeze up as the day goes on too. Winter camping has it's extra issues.

That was always the case in Idaho, too, until maybe 20 or 30 years ago. Then giardia started showing up in high mountain creeks and springs. It was apparently carried by rodents, if anyone really knows for sure. MT has it, too, lots of it. You just haven't drank from the right creek yet. Getting it when you're 5 miles back in the mountains is something you really won't want to do twice. It's not in every creek or spring but how do you tell whether its in THIS creek? You're playing intestinal roulette.