Elk Hunting Food Storage

RedRidge · May 21, 2015

Going on a 5 day either sex OTC archery hunt in unit 37 come September and was wondering what everyone does for food storage. I will be hiking in and setting up a small spike camp and will hunt out and return there each day. What has worked well for everyone keeping critters away?

After researching some there are 3 types of people. Those who don't do anything with their food, those who hang it, and those who have bear canisters. What is your flavor and why?

ndbwhunter · May 21, 2015

If you're in bear country you should follow the regulations for proper food storage. Personally, I would hang it just to keep all the critters (bears included) out of it.

Jason Snyder · May 21, 2015

Hang it. Cannisters are a PITA because they don't pack well and you have to pack them out when you leave.

drrice · May 21, 2015

What do you typically use to put your food in when you hang it?

FreeRange · May 21, 2015

drrice said:
What do you typically use to put your food in when you hang it?

Sleeping bag stuff sack.

If you have to use a canister, put it in a depression in the terrain, not above some cliffs or a creek, if a bear decides to play with it you don't want to lose your food.

bwlacy · May 21, 2015

This fall I plan on using a 20L dry bag and hanging it.

Mike7 · May 21, 2015

I use a Mountain Laurel Designs bear hanging system (you could make your own) which consists of a small cuben rock bag, ultralight carabiner, and some smooth spectra cord. I cut the cord to about 40 ft which allows you to go over any branch up to 25-30 ft high. You can run the tie-off line through the carabiner that attaches to the food bag, before you pull your bag of food up...so then the line being tied to a tree pulls the food bag away from the trunk of the tree. It is a really slick set up, requiring a minimum of hassle.

For the actual food, I put a day's worth of food in a gallon Ziploc and then all Ziplocs go in a Kifaru Meat Baggie (dual purpose), or even an OR Large Zip sack with waterproof zipper if you don't have too many day's supply of food.

https://store.kifaru.net/meat-bags-p28.aspx

http://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Resea...52&sr=8-1&keywords=outdoor+research+large+zip

tttoadman · May 21, 2015

All my food is in a 10L dry bag that I clip up in the tent or tarp to keep the ground critters off of it. I havent had any problems yet. I have never really been in heavy bear country.

Shrek · May 21, 2015

I'm hanging mine in a stuff sack and try to put it a little out of camp with a clear line of sight to it so I don't get any surprises when I go to get something out of the bag. Twenty five to fifty yards downwind of camp. If I go to grizzly country again it might be farther away. I'm having a hard time finding the desire to go to grizzly country again though.

GibsonKuenzi · May 21, 2015

Shrek said:
I'm hanging mine in a stuff sack and try to put it a little out of camp with a clear line of sight to it so I don't get any surprises when I go to get something out of the bag. Twenty five to fifty yards downwind of camp. If I go to grizzly country again it might be farther away. I'm having a hard time finding the desire to go to grizzly country again though.

Did you have a bad experience the last time?

fulldraw1972 · May 21, 2015

I hang mine in a 20 L dry sack anywhere from 50 to 100 yards from camp. Depends on the tree

RedRidge · May 22, 2015

Seems like most people are hangers. Thanks for the input. I can't see using a bear canister is worth the bulk in the pack. Good idea just not very user friendly for backpack hunting.

RedRidge · May 22, 2015

Seems like most people are hangers. Thanks for the input. I can't see using a bear canister is worth the bulk in the pack. Good idea just not very user friendly for backpack hunting.

Shrek · May 22, 2015

GibsonKuenzi said:
Did you have a bad experience the last time?

Not really. I knew they were there but the full impact of how big they are and how vulnerable I was hit me when I looked down at the trail I was walking and found myself walking in ones tracks. I was up to my chest I brush and had just jumped a moose at 20 yards a minute before. The tracks were almost as wide as my size 13 boots were long and I hadn't seen the moose until he rose up out of the brush. That could have been a grizzly just as easily. Just wasn't as much fun anymore. I'll go again just to prove to myself I'm not CS but it will take effort to tame my fears. Working to add some North Idaho elk hunting this fall so if it works out I'll be back in grizzly country again.

Jason Snyder · May 22, 2015

Apache16 said:
Seems like most people are hangers. Thanks for the input. I can't see using a bear canister is worth the bulk in the pack. Good idea just not very user friendly for backpack hunting.

The only time I've used cannisters was in Glacier Park. There weren't trees to hang from in the subalpine, and they work great for that. If there are trees to hang from the cannisters aren't worth the effort or the cost.

pmkmw1 · May 22, 2015

I pull my food in trash bags and then put them in an ursack

Brady_goHUNT · May 22, 2015

I always hang my food, no matter where I am at. I've hunted in griz country a lot, so my mind is trained that way.

CA Karen · May 22, 2015

Hang it and use a scent proof bag inside your hanging bag to keep everything in.

JP7 · Jun 2, 2015

Unfortunately in western Wyoming, it seems as grizzly country is coming to us. I hang my food, either in dry sacks or in a spare contractor bag. The canisters I looked at weigh about three pounds empty, and I had read some articles where bears had figured out how to open them, kind of seemed like a waste of time.

orionsbrother · Jun 7, 2015

Hang it. Bring extra line in case you don't have a good tree and need to pull it out away from the tree.

Elk Hunting Food Storage

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