New to backpack hunting

[PHSChrisby99]

Hello all,
I live in WV and hunt whitetails and small game, but I’ve been slowly building my backpacking gear to start hiking and eventually hunting out of a pack. Purchased a 75L Dueter pack and I’m wondering if it’s a worthy contender to take on a short backpack hunt, what do you all think? Also any tips for a newbie backpack hunter are greatly appreciated!

 

[RockChucker30]

There is a lot to learn....

My advice, read all you can. Reading is like mining - you're digging ore. After the ore is dug, extract the gems and throw away the waste.

I'd suggest backpacking first, then add in backpack hunting. As for species, mule deer has better success rates in almost all seasons, AND they are a lot easier to pack out. A small bull is going to yield around 180 lbs of boned out meat. Think about that, and think about what temperatures are going to be.

I'll leave a few links to some reading that may help.

How to pick the right backpack hunting pack (for YOU).

How to logically decide what you need and what you don't in a backpack hunting pack. No BS, just good honest info.

seekoutside.com

Backpack Hunting Meat Care

How to take care of meat on a backpack hunt.

seekoutside.com

How To Cut Your Backpack Hunting Weight

How to logically cut your backpack hunting weight, looking at the time gear is worn, the percentage of total weight for each item, and the cost to cut each ounce.

seekoutside.com

 

[RockChucker30]

Backpack whitetail hunting is a lot of fun. Lots of land around WV, PA, OH, KY where that is possible. I've hunted the Wayne in SE Ohio a few times and had a great time.

 

[hikenhunt]

Your pack will probably work great until you try a heavy meat load, but you can try and find the max weight that's still doable/comfortable before you go.

You can read about all sorts of topics, gear, strategies, lessons learned, but nothing substitutes time in the field. As rockchucker suggested, the best prep you can do is a couple backpacking trips to figure things out and dial in your gear.

Some people love backpack hunting, some walk away after there first. Good luck!

 

[Geewhiz]

The answer is yes, your pack will work fine. Especially if you don't know any better.

Also, you might get guts in it since it doesn't have a load shelf, but that never stopped me.

 

[22lr]

Highly recommend using what you have for the first trip or 2. If nothing else you will get a much better idea of what you want in a hunting pack after you go hunting out of a pack a few times. You may find you really want a dedicated hunting pack, or you may find it works pretty dang well for what your trying to do.

For packs that don't have a external meat shelf, just take a few contractor bags. Let the meat air dry for a bit, then line the bag with a contractor bag and put the game bag down into the contractor bag. Will keep blood out of the pack and off your gear. If you drop a bloody game bag into your bag without a liner, just know that it will be an absolute nightmare to ever get clean again. And if you ever go to sell, most people who want to buy a Dueter pack don't want it covered in blood...

But, since you already have it, I'd definitely recommend you try the bag a few times before you replace it. Experience from use is far different than experience from reading. If nothing else you will find exactly what you like and don't like out of a bag.

 

[BDRam16]

Planning my first backpack hunt for next season as well. Good luck.