Backpack Elk

[GregB]

I'd bet money you could get further in the Frank.

 

[Newtosavage]

Ah, that led me to this pretty interesting story. Leave it to an aggie. LOL

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42104894

 

[Newtosavage]

I'd bet money you could get further in the Frank.

I think you'd lose that bet. And what about the air strips?

 

[GregB]

I think you'd lose that bet. And what about the air strips?

I don't really count air strips as roads.

 

[Jd259]

I think rumor has it is somewhere in the thorofare is the most remote area in the lower 48 could be wrong though

 

[AaronMColeman]

I think rumor has it is somewhere in the thorofare is the most remote area in the lower 48 could be wrong though

It's fun to read those "most remote town in USA" articles. By one criteria (distance from closest interstate) I live in the most remote town...but we have a state highway running right through. If you can get half a mile from a road hunting pressure drops exponentially

 

[NCSURodney]

I live in North Carolina but spend some time every year in the Gospel Hump Wilderness as my father in law has a couple cabins up there. The mountains in Idaho are very deceiving. I'm alright until it comes time to pack one out. He's 70 years old and carry them out of those valleys by himself.

 

[Z Barebow]

15 miles? Bring a fork, match and a bunch of toilet paper. There is no way you are packing an animal out w/o spoilage. Additionally, there are very few places to get "in" 15 miles. You will be closer to a road the further you hike. With exception of Frank Church, Thorofare, and maybe Gila, you cannot hike 15 miles without being closer to a road. If you kill an elk, you are looking at a minimum of 4 trips. (Solo) Do the math. 15 miles x 2 x 4=120 miles. (60 miles of that with 70-80 lbs) Have you ever hiked/backpacked before? Lastly, Idaho is no joke. Where I have backpack hunted in ID, it is STEEP. Almost no relief with constant 25-45 deg slopes.

Please hike in 15 miles. Leave the other elk alone. Good luck.

 

[SWOHTR]

I’ll beat your 15 miles! In 2023 I am going to backpack into the Idaho panhandle from San Diego. 1,600 miles one way, set up a spike camp and go out from there. I think a 65lb pack will be conservative enough and I’ll be able to pack it all out in one trip.

 

[cgasner1]

All I can think is weather your either gonna lose it because it would be spoiled before help showed up or better being a lot of clothes so you don’t die


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[OneRingTrTa]

The X2 is a good daypack. I've packed in camp for a couple days with it and a rear quarter out. However, without functional load lifters on either, my neck and shoulders couldn't take it anymore. Ended up with a Kifaru duplex frame and a Mountain Warrior pack.

 

[kiddogy]

I have found that one really needs only to get just out of sight of the road to see a reasonsble amount of animals. especially in the later seasons.
I figure if someone wants to be a walkin dude and put in the miles , more power to em. personally I would rather walk a quarter mile,(less if possible ) , TO a vantage point were I can glass and let my eyes do the walking, then once I spot my prey ,I will walk what I must(but not one damn step farther) for the stalk. I did the walkin dude thing in my youth and can no longer do it . funny thing is, I am more successful these days , with less effort,then I was bustin my posterior in my youth.
HUNTER SMARTER ,NOT HARDER!


that said , I wish the OP well on his trip and look forward to reading the outcome, be it good or bad.
I have many good and bad memories of my youthful efforts but zero regrets , other then that which I did not try. I spect you will also.

 

[87TT]

Where did he go??? Anyway, I guess how far you go depends on if you just hate and want away from people or want to kill an elk.

 

[honuswagner]

The term "safe environment" only extends so far

 

[805Bowhunter]

I'm a road hunter that "identifies" as a backcountry hunter. Therefore, that makes me a backcountry hunter.

 

[honuswagner]

 

[bridgermgmt]

let’s do some variable math.

400lbs of meat, 5 miles one way, 20 hours per day, no weather, 1000 elevation feet gained or lost on 1 trip (500ft).

one guy carrying 100lbs who can average 1 mile per hour under load and regardless of elevation can do 1 truck to downed bull and back in 10 hours. That’s a max of two trips per day. So your looking at 2 days of packing, 8 hours of sleep, no room for error or any issues that may arise.

pardon my skeptical hippo face.....

either your full of it, or setting yourself up for failure, or you are doing this for the gram and the spoilage of meat is not part of the Money shot.

more realistically, if you said “guys, I’m looking to successfully harvest an elk in Idaho in area X, I’m putting a distance limit of 7 miles because at that elevation I can average x mph, or 36hours of packing time max, and I’d like some tips or tricks on how to make that plan more efficient or likely..... than I think you’d get a much better response.

 

[Michael54]

I have found that one really needs only to get just out of sight of the road to see a reasonsble amount of animals. especially in the later seasons.
I figure if someone wants to be a walkin dude and put in the miles , more power to em. personally I would rather walk a quarter mile,(less if possible ) , TO a vantage point were I can glass and let my eyes do the walking, then once I spot my prey ,I will walk what I must(but not one damn step farther) for the stalk. I did the walkin dude thing in my youth and can no longer do it . funny thing is, I am more successful these days , with less effort,then I was bustin my posterior in my youth.
HUNTER SMARTER ,NOT HARDER!


that said , I wish the OP well on his trip and look forward to reading the outcome, be it good or bad.
I have many good and bad memories of my youthful efforts but zero regrets , other then that which I did not try. I spect you will also.

Someone asked me how far i walk when hunting. I responded only as far as i absolutely have to and not a single step further.