sheep pack weight ?

Jimss

WKR
Joined
Mar 6, 2015
Messages
2,074
I hunt sheep and mtn goats in Colo and Alaska on a fairly regular basis. My pack weight depends upon the type, duration, time of year, and area I'll be going. As mentioned earlier a super cub trip may be different than a backpack from road trip vs a float trip vs hike from truck camp. Generally speaking the longer duration the trip the more food and other supplies you may need. Obviously you may not need as many clothes layers early in the season vs a December hunt. I would likely have a different list in Alaska vs Colorado. If you hunt with someone else you can split up gear. One guy pack stove/fuel other guy packs tent..etc. I would say my average weight going in is likely around 60 lbs and going out over 100 lbs.

In regard to trekking poles. I would never leave home without them! It will make you a lot more stable on steep, rocky slopes plus is a lot easier on your back and knees. They help even more when packing out hefty/bulky loads. One of the down-sides to poles is they are super "clangy" on rocks. Sheep can likely hear you coming from a long ways away! It may be wise to duct tape the tips or bottoms so they are a little quieter

I bought a scale before my first Alaska dall sheep hunt and weighed all my hunting gear. I figured out which things weighed the most and where I could cut weights the most significantly. When looking through clothes and gear I could then narrow down where I cut cut weight. I found out in a hurry that it cost a chunk of $ to upgrade to the newest, greatest, and lightest equipment so get your credit card ready!

Several of my major purchases that cut the most weight were: backpack, tent, tripod, rifle, spotting scope, and clothes selection.


After every trip I make a list of which clothes and equipment worked great.....which items I didn't use and or didn't work and what I could buy or improve upon. It may be a good idea to take a few trips in the summer to test things out!
 
Top