New to backcountry hunting!

[Seay]

Just starting the gear planning stages of a Wyoming elk hunt next September.

Any do’s and dont’s? Save money here? Spend money there?


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[Keith Stone]

The Hunt Backcountry Podcast

Wilderness Podcast · Updated Semiweekly · Backcountry hunters talking backcountry hunting. No advertisers or sponsors, no fluff, no BS. We discuss tactics, strategies, gear, hunt stories, and more — featuring a wide variety of guests, from in…

podcasts.apple.com

 

[String&stick]

How many points do you have? That may determine how long you are waiting.

But for a first time experience I'd stay mobile and truck camp and maybe have gear to spike out a night if needed.

Outside of that and assuming you have decent optics, boots and pack are your $ items, they can ruin a hunt in a hurry, then sleeping bag and shelter.


Those will get you started. They don't need to cost a fortune but you need quality and fit and you may need to try a few to get the right boots!

 

[fngTony]

Offline maps such as onX or similar and a satellite communication device ( inreach).

 

[Seay]

The Hunt Backcountry Podcast

Wilderness Podcast · Updated Semiweekly · Backcountry hunters talking backcountry hunting. No advertisers or sponsors, no fluff, no BS. We discuss tactics, strategies, gear, hunt stories, and more — featuring a wide variety of guests, from in…

podcasts.apple.com

Real smooth. I’ll start this one on my travel days for sure. Thanks


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[Seay]

How many points do you have? That may determine how long you are waiting.

But for a first time experience I'd stay mobile and truck camp and maybe have gear to spike out a night if needed.

Outside of that and assuming you have decent optics, boots and pack are your $ items, they can ruin a hunt in a hurry, then sleeping bag and shelter.


Those will get you started. They don't need to cost a fortune but you need quality and fit and you may need to try a few to get the right boots!

Thanks. I’ve been watching hours and hours of pack reviews (maybe days). I think I’ve set on the Exo Mtn K3 4800.
I’ll be going with an already established group of 3 (I’ll be #4). They’ve been hunting CO for the past several years.


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[Keith Stone]

Real Always smooth.

Fixed it for ya.

As specific as you can be will aid in getting folks to help fill in the gaps. Going with an established group should knock out a lot of the basics but to start are y’all bivy hunting, truck camping, or setting up a back country base camp? The K3 is an amazing pack so your on the right track.

 

[xcutter]

Boots that fit are very high or at the top of my list. Blisters and sore feet makes a long awaited trip miserable.

 

[String&stick]

Thanks. I’ve been watching hours and hours of pack reviews (maybe days). I think I’ve set on the Exo Mtn K3 4800.
I’ll be going with an already established group of 3 (I’ll be #4). They’ve been hunting CO for the past several years.


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Also Make sure you're boots are tall enough to give solid ankle support! Side hilling sucks but rolling an ankle will ruin a hunt real quickly. You need solid ankle support.

 

[jnawalaniec]

I’m in my second year of hunting out west, made the mistake my first year getting cheap boots and a pack that didn’t fit right. Had a pair of Underarmour boots that got me through the season last year, picked up some Lowas and wore through the sole in the spring. Currently wearing Zamberlans and they are amazing (post break in period) made the mistake of hiking 15 miles in them first time out and really suffered. I also invested in some higher quality clothing, didn’t make me a better hunter but is much more comfortable which = more time in the field.

 

[ranchhand02]

I think going with a group will definitely help you since they are seasoned and can help you along the way. I would also not try and cover the entire unit. I did that in my first trip out and I wanted to see the entire units we had tags for. We hunted a different spot every day and we never really got a good idea as to what the animals were doing in an area.

 

[Seay]

Fixed it for ya.

As specific as you can be will aid in getting folks to help fill in the gaps. Going with an established group should knock out a lot of the basics but to start are y’all bivy hunting, truck camping, or setting up a back country base camp? The K3 is an amazing pack so your on the right track.

The area we plan to hunt will be new to the group. We plan on a base camp, from there we would separate into a couple groups to be able “divide and conquer”


I the have boots covered this time.

I think after the pack and a few new clothing articles are bought I will focus on sleep gear?


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[Keith Stone]

Sounds like a good plan. You will have a lot more freedom choosing a sleep system if your not “bivy” style hunting as weight/stuff size doesn’t have to be as high of a consideration but I would encourage you to keep that in mind if hunting off your back is an option for the future. For this reason I am moving to a quilt(rather EE or Katabatic). Western mountaineering seems to be the gold standard for sleeping bags but I don’t have any experience with them so you will need to do your research on what best suits your needs. There’s a rabbit hole here I’m not going into with down vs synthetic but listen to both sides and go with the one that fits your circumstance.

Sleeping pads are of the same nature as you will need to pick something for your use case based on comfort level, warmth, and weight. Don’t go cheap and I would be looking for something 4+ on R value. Keep in mind these ratings just got standardized so you might want to familiarize yourself with that.

Sleeping Pad R-Values of 2025 - SectionHiker.com

A backpacking or camping sleeping pad's R-value measures its resistance to heat loss to the ground w

sectionhiker.com

 

[Seay]

Sounds like a good plan. You will have a lot more freedom choosing a sleep system if your not “bivy” style hunting as weight/stuff size doesn’t have to be as high of a consideration but I would encourage you to keep that in mind if hunting off your back is an option for the future. For this reason I am moving to a quilt(rather EE or Katabatic). Western mountaineering seems to be the gold standard for sleeping bags but I don’t have any experience with them so you will need to do your research on what best suits your needs. There’s a rabbit hole here I’m not going into with down vs synthetic but listen to both sides and go with the one that fits your circumstance.

Sleeping pads are of the same nature as you will need to pick something for your use case based on comfort level, warmth, and weight. Don’t go cheap and I would be looking for something 4+ on R value. Keep in mind these ratings just got standardized so you might want to familiarize yourself with that.

Sleeping Pad R-Values of 2025 - SectionHiker.com

A backpacking or camping sleeping pad's R-value measures its resistance to heat loss to the ground w

sectionhiker.com

Sounds like solid advice as well as a few more DAYS worth of YouTube reviews!


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[Pilgrim2094]

Just starting the gear planning stages of a Wyoming elk hunt next September.

Any do’s and dont’s? Save money here? Spend money there?


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I'd definitely invest in an InReach. The most important thing you can do is scout. OnX was critical in my first western hunt. Definitely worth it. Other than gear, make sure you're in shape!

 

[Tall_Vol44]

This is a great thread. I'm hoping to hunt out west next season or the following... I wish I could give some input, but I'm learning just as much as the op

 

[Maverick1]

Just starting the gear planning stages of a Wyoming elk hunt next September.

Any do’s and dont’s? Save money here? Spend money there?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Gear can be fun and exciting. So many choices, so fun to research! Boots! Backpacks! GPS! Tent! Bow/gun! Enjoy the gear game…..

But, really, put all that aside. Spend as much time - or more - in HOW to hunt elk. Focus on elk hunting tactics. Immerse yourself in elk behavior and tendencies. Where to camp. Where to hunt in the mornings and evenings. What to do in the middle of the day. Early, mid, and late season approaches. Study and learn how wind and thermals work. When and how to hunt wallows. Study maps. Call biologists. Get really good with a call, and know when - and when not - to use it. Know how to make a couple of calls exceptionally well (location bugle, challenge bugle, cow call). Figure out what to do with an elk once you get it on the ground - and how you are going to lift an elk quarter off the ground and then backpack the meat off the mountain.
Good luck! Enjoy the journey.

 

[Seay]

Gear can be fun and exciting. So many choices, so fun to research! Boots! Backpacks! GPS! Tent! Bow/gun! Enjoy the gear game…..

But, really, put all that aside. Spend as much time - or more - in HOW to hunt elk. Focus on elk hunting tactics. Immerse yourself in elk behavior and tendencies. Where to camp. Where to hunt in the mornings and evenings. What to do in the middle of the day. Early, mid, and late season approaches. Study and learn how wind and thermals work. When and how to hunt wallows. Study maps. Call biologists. Get really good with a call, and know when - and when not - to use it. Know how to make a couple of calls exceptionally well (location bugle, challenge bugle, cow call). Figure out what to do with an elk once you get it on the ground - and how you are going to lift an elk quarter off the ground and then backpack the meat off the mountain.
Good luck! Enjoy the journey.

All of what you are saying is exactly what I am beginning to realize the more I listen to the podcast earlier recommended in this thread. Here I was thinking that beginning prep almost a year out was PLENTY of time. Now I’m figuring out it’s just BARLEY enough to actually be well planned, and prepared.


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[Super tag]

Invest in some really good super light weight rain gear as well, something like Sitka Dewpoint that’s lightweight and waterproof, not just water resistant, nothing can ruin a hunt faster than being wet and cold

 

[nnmarcher]

Keep an eye on the classifieds here. With this much time to prepare, you should be able to fill out your kit picking up used gear that is still in great shape!