Unit 47 Hunter-Frying Pan Wilderness

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We are planning our first Archery hunt and based upon the research I have done I have found that the White River national forest has one of the largest elk herds as well as success rates. I found another website alltrails.com and read that in this area you must use a bear canister. Is this true for all of the national forest?

I also found that this area has peaks almost to 14k. Is this an area that I would be better off with going high and glassing? What kind of weather should we be expecting for the first 2 weeks of the archery season? I assume I can park at any of these trailheads and backpack in to get in the backcountry. How is the hunter density?

Any guidance you could give a newbie would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
 
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The bear canisters are only for the wilderness areas as of now not the white river national forest. Hanging food doesn't count anymore, must be bear proof certified, I have not had any of my camps get checked yet In the Maroon bells wilderness but it is supposed to be a fine.


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OP
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The bear canisters are only for the wilderness areas as of now not the white river national forest. Hanging food doesn't count anymore, must be bear proof certified, I have not had any of my camps get checked yet In the Maroon bells wilderness but it is supposed to be a fine.


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Thanks for the info. Any info about my other questions would be greatly appreciated!
 

jmez

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Not much glassing to be done in 47. What there is you don't have to get real high to do it. Really thick country that isn't real conducive to glassing. At least that is the case where we hunt in there. We have much better luck finding fresh sign and then cold calling. Has been very effective for us in 47.

Weather is likely to be pretty warm the first two weeks of the season. Though, don't be surprised to see some snow. Will be frost in the mornings and variable in the day time. Probably high 60's low 70's in the afternoon. We've had years where it was well into the 80's and others where it struggled to break 40. I'd take rain gear, at least a jacket.

You can park at any of the trailheads and hike in. You can also camp at the trailheads. Are you planning to camp at the trailhead or hike in and camp? I'd recommend hiking in and camping. There are a lot of recreational users in 47 that walk the trails. We run into far more recreational users than hunters. You will likely have to climb and get away from the trail systems to get into the elk. It is steep country, really steep.

When we were camping at the trailheads we would get up at 4am and be walking by 4:30. About 1-1 1/2 hours through deadfall in the dark to get to where the elk were staying. We'd then get back into camp about 10:00 at night, again walking through deadfall in the dark for a couple hours. I'd recommend a spike camp, especially if you find some elk.
 

jmez

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I'll add, make sure you take chap stick and a travel size tube of sun screen. You get up that high and the sun is intense, put the sun screen on your face every am.
 
OP
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Not much glassing to be done in 47. What there is you don't have to get real high to do it. Really thick country that isn't real conducive to glassing. At least that is the case where we hunt in there. We have much better luck finding fresh sign and then cold calling. Has been very effective for us in 47.

Weather is likely to be pretty warm the first two weeks of the season. Though, don't be surprised to see some snow. Will be frost in the mornings and variable in the day time. Probably high 60's low 70's in the afternoon. We've had years where it was well into the 80's and others where it struggled to break 40. I'd take rain gear, at least a jacket.

You can park at any of the trailheads and hike in. You can also camp at the trailheads. Are you planning to camp at the trailhead or hike in and camp? I'd recommend hiking in and camping. There are a lot of recreational users in 47 that walk the trails. We run into far more recreational users than hunters. You will likely have to climb and get away from the trail systems to get into the elk. It is steep country, really steep.

When we were camping at the trailheads we would get up at 4am and be walking by 4:30. About 1-1 1/2 hours through deadfall in the dark to get to where the elk were staying. We'd then get back into camp about 10:00 at night, again walking through deadfall in the dark for a couple hours. I'd recommend a spike camp, especially if you find some elk.

This is the kind of information I needed! Thanks so much!

We will likely set up a spike camp to increase the amount of time we can learn the area and less time hiking in and out. Not looking to find out your spots but more specifically is there any areas we should avoid? Still have to get a bunch of gear. Some better layers and rain wear. A pack and sleeping system for my son and get in better shape. I live at sea level with the bay coming into our yard at least once a month with a full moon so there is nothing I can do to try and acclimate with the elevation or the steepness but I do live where the highest point on the east coast is . A paltry 250 feet or so LOL. But I have been doing weighted cardio at least 1 day a week for a couple months with a 50 pound pack. This trip was originally going to be after my son graduated college so I had a couple of years but my wife suggested we go this fall so now I have to get my s--t together.
 

sto4355

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I'll be heading from PA to that area this September. Maybe I'll see you there. Best of luck. I also have been looking for information, so this post was a nice one to find.

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Peroge

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Dec 18, 2017
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Have been looking at Hunter Frying Pan for 2nd rifle.Being from Michigan and flat ground it is overwhelming trying to decide on an area and be within ones capabilities.Thanks for the thread Farmingdale and the info Jmez.
 

Skull10

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The bear canister issue is interesting. Can't imagine back packing in one a few miles. One big enough to hold 7 or 8 days worth of food.
 

sto4355

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From what I read a bear canister is not needed in this area. But yeah they dont look big enough for that much food.

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OP
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The bear canister issue is interesting. Can't imagine back packing in one a few miles. One big enough to hold 7 or 8 days worth of food.

Ok so I am not alone on this. I can't imagine one canister fitting 1 1/2-2 pounds of food per day times the 6 days that we plan on hunting. :confused:
 

satchamo

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Jan 23, 2014
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I've been there a few times and all I can say is be in shape and be willing to use your legs. Elk are there, but damn they can be a mother to find in that country. As others said, thick and dark. Binoculars are practically useless there.
 

Thomas11

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Feb 13, 2017
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The eastern side of the unit and wilderness looks to have some more glassable country? Can anyone speak to this area for elk? It’s seems everyone has more or less talked about how the unit is mainly all timber but the east side has a lot of high country
 

njdoxie

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From what I read a bear canister is not needed in this area. But yeah they dont look big enough for that much food.

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I carry one in stuffed with food for 9 days, carry it out stuffed with clothes and gear. I use the largest size bearikade brand. Sometimes I have a little more food than can fit and I eat that first. It's real light and really doesn't take up any more room than your food and/or gear. It's not required where I hunt but gives me peace of mind.
 
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OP
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I found some areas on alltrails.com that looked very diverse with areas above treeline, thick forest and many meadows that are in and near the trail as well as a Powerline cut which I would imagine would be like here in NJ where they top the trees and open up the underbrush for new shoots. There is also a lake and some smallish streams. I would imagine that this would be a good area based upon my limited knowledge. One thing that I liked about the description was that there were no reviews or pictures on the site as well as the description saying it's lightly traveled trail.

Is there any other terrain sign i should be trying to key on?

I believe this is still in area 47 but am not sure how to confirm this?
 
OP
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I would love you guys to critique our layering system. We will be there for the first 2 weeks of the archery season.

I planned on packing one each of a SS T with wicking fabric, then a Long sleeve wicking shirt, then a microfleece turtleneck, a down vest, my Cabela's Legacy Fleece jacket and a Cabela's Goretex rain jacket. Mix and match based upon conditions. For pants I am not going to wear camo since I discovered the Eddie Bauer Guide nylon pants. These are the most comfortable pants I have ever worn. Two Pair of Darn Tough lightweight merino socks with a coolmax liner sock. My boots will be Lowa Camino's and my son's will be Salomon Quest 4D's.

I realize I could save a pound or so by eliminating the Legacy Fleece and going with for instance a Sitka Kelvin lite but the additional cost is prohibitive. The above layers are what I use here for Whitetails for the entire season down to the single digits except I would add long underwear and my bib's.
 
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