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


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.


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.

Last edited by saddlesore; 07/07/21.

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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.

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

Stupid doesn't always hurt.


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Originally Posted by MIKEWERNER
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.



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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.


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Originally Posted by Rock Chuck
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!

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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.

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Originally Posted by Jeffrey
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!



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."

Last edited by pete53; 07/07/21.

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Originally Posted by T_Inman
Originally Posted by MIKEWERNER
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.




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.





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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.


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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




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Originally Posted by Brad
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.


No such thing as an ex-Marine, Brad. wink

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.

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Originally Posted by Jeffrey
Originally Posted by Brad
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.


No such thing as an ex-Marine, Brad. wink

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!


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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.

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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.

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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.


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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.


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


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.


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.



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.

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


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.


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.



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.

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Originally Posted by wyoelk
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.

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

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