leprechaun
FNG
Hello all, cool forum here, lots of info to be had!
I'm from the southeast originally and have only really hunted back there--most of it on food plots out of a shooting house!
Backpacking is my real passion and I have thru hiked the Appalachian Trail 1.5 times. This summer I will be working on a wilderness trail crew, mostly in Hell's Canyon, Oregon.
I've only tried back country hunting once, 2014 I was in three sisters looking for Mulies when I got hit with at least half a foot of snow, I wanted to continue the hunt but my GF at the time was with me and staying out in the snow wasn't in the cards for her.
This year I am putting in for Elk and Deer tags (probably will buy a bear and cat tag too, why not!) and I'm hoping to glean some knowledge from the site as I will be completely DIY.
I have been out looking for sheds lately, snuck up on two 3x3 bulls last Thursday. I think I'll go back today and see if they have dropped yet!
I'll take all the advice I can get. My number one gear need is a good pair of binos, I have some cheap 8x42 Barskas but good glass makes a big difference I know. Other than that, I have all the backpacking gear I need, though I am considering making my own breakdown trapper john pack or buying an external frame. The only pack I have for hauling weight right now is an Osprey Aether 70. I'll be using it all summer for work, so I should have a good idea of how well it will work for hunting by the time season comes up, but I anticipate an external frame would be more suitable for heavy work.
I've been getting some trigger time lately too as I had taken a hiatus from shooting for a few years. I have never shot at a target beyond 200 yards, so I was curious, for these super long shots do y'all just go in the woods and set up targets and practice in a real world environment? Seems like the only way to do it!
I'm excited for the coming season, and hope to use some of my work time as scouting time. If I can draw a Hell's Canyon tag it might be perfect. I've rambled enough, thanks in advance for the help!
LC
ETA: I also gave away all my camo years ago, I'll be hunting with a 30.06 and am a skeptic when it comes to deer/elk camo vision (I get up pretty close in work pants etc) but I'm open minded to picking some up as long as it is good technical gear!
ETA2: I'll also throw out there that I am a hippie vegetarian (unless I have first/second hand knowledge of the animal's death) and I am a staunch supporter of public lands. It has been refreshing to see that most backcountry hunters are on the same side of that fight, as the political rift between myself and hunters on the east coast was somewhat insurmountable. There, hunting means a fifth of bourbon in you before you even get in the stand--seemed a little detached from the primal-back to the earth experience I am looking for!!
I'm from the southeast originally and have only really hunted back there--most of it on food plots out of a shooting house!
Backpacking is my real passion and I have thru hiked the Appalachian Trail 1.5 times. This summer I will be working on a wilderness trail crew, mostly in Hell's Canyon, Oregon.
I've only tried back country hunting once, 2014 I was in three sisters looking for Mulies when I got hit with at least half a foot of snow, I wanted to continue the hunt but my GF at the time was with me and staying out in the snow wasn't in the cards for her.
This year I am putting in for Elk and Deer tags (probably will buy a bear and cat tag too, why not!) and I'm hoping to glean some knowledge from the site as I will be completely DIY.
I have been out looking for sheds lately, snuck up on two 3x3 bulls last Thursday. I think I'll go back today and see if they have dropped yet!
I'll take all the advice I can get. My number one gear need is a good pair of binos, I have some cheap 8x42 Barskas but good glass makes a big difference I know. Other than that, I have all the backpacking gear I need, though I am considering making my own breakdown trapper john pack or buying an external frame. The only pack I have for hauling weight right now is an Osprey Aether 70. I'll be using it all summer for work, so I should have a good idea of how well it will work for hunting by the time season comes up, but I anticipate an external frame would be more suitable for heavy work.
I've been getting some trigger time lately too as I had taken a hiatus from shooting for a few years. I have never shot at a target beyond 200 yards, so I was curious, for these super long shots do y'all just go in the woods and set up targets and practice in a real world environment? Seems like the only way to do it!
I'm excited for the coming season, and hope to use some of my work time as scouting time. If I can draw a Hell's Canyon tag it might be perfect. I've rambled enough, thanks in advance for the help!
LC
ETA: I also gave away all my camo years ago, I'll be hunting with a 30.06 and am a skeptic when it comes to deer/elk camo vision (I get up pretty close in work pants etc) but I'm open minded to picking some up as long as it is good technical gear!
ETA2: I'll also throw out there that I am a hippie vegetarian (unless I have first/second hand knowledge of the animal's death) and I am a staunch supporter of public lands. It has been refreshing to see that most backcountry hunters are on the same side of that fight, as the political rift between myself and hunters on the east coast was somewhat insurmountable. There, hunting means a fifth of bourbon in you before you even get in the stand--seemed a little detached from the primal-back to the earth experience I am looking for!!
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