Want to try Backcountry hunting. I live in Illinois and have no clue where to start

[JeffRaines]

My opinion is to ease into it.

You had a great first post and if you’re honestly trying to get into “backcountry” hunting… just get experience in the woods first.

Going along with what Inked has said - OP - just doing a "front country" style car camp as your first western hunt is likely gonna blow you away from both a physical aspect(you're gonna get your ass whipped still) and a mental aspect(you'll come away in awe of the country you've spent the last however many days in) along with being easier on the body and having a higher likelihood of filling a tag and having something to bring back in the cooler.

Trust and believe I know that's not always possible(it is hunting after all), but it goes a hell of a long way when it comes to convincing the wife that spending all that money was worth it.

 

[JustSomeGuy35]

I lived in WA for a significant chunk of my life and hunted the back country. It was nothing to me to hike 5-10 miles up into the mountains and spend 3-7 days hunting. I had no money for fancy lightweight gear, carried a heavy pack, and was fueled by a whole lot of determination. My success rate was abysmal, rarely even saw legal shooting animals, but every year--for 14 years--I was driven to go to the extreme. Why? Simply because I hated to bump into other hunters and wanted to feel like I had the whole world to myself.

If you're looking for a high success rate on filling your tags, hunting the back country isn't necessarily the answer. Roving hunters that are bumping animals around, in my experience, will give you more shot opportunities. Like others have said, find the pockets that animals hole up in when the pressure is on.

If you are simply craving the experience of backcountry hunting, with no expectation of killing something, then search for the gnarliest terrain in a state and gmu that offers cheap otc tags. Worry less about buying fancy gear and focus more on ensuring your physical fitness is up to par.

Side note: Since moving to NW IL, on any given year, I've seen more quality bucks than I ever encountered in WA state. I sure as hell miss walking into the woods with tags for elk, bear and cougar though! I miss mule deer too. Whitetails are pussies compared to mulies.

Good luck to you!

 

[jbsmith1]

Whatever you decide, don't wait around for friends who drag their feet. Even after I moved west from Illinois, I had friends out here that always had a reason for pushing things off to next year. I finally said f**k it and went solo on some hunts. Don't get me wrong, I love my friends, but I just got tired of waiting. Even if you come and strike out hunting, time spent in the front/backcountry is never time wasted.

 

[schmalzy]

(Been lurking these forums for a bit and just signed up today). I’m currently in the pre-plans of a diy Colorado hunt next year with a buddy. I still feel overwhelmed with the amount of knowledge etc out there and what we need, want or lack of experience. But I’ve spent a lot of time In the Texas woods camping, hiking etc. I’m more or less one of them late adult hunters. Father never hunted as a child and uncles kept their leases secret. Whatever. Spent alot of time with the paps out in the bays in lakes. Anyways been a dream of mine and I’m starting to realize times ticking and I want to get out in the mountains. I’ve got soMe public hunting land not to far from me im still learning Davy Crockett national forest. But one thing is definitely need to get in shape. Everyday been hitting the gym walking incline on treadmill and the stair stepper and lifting waits. Try to stop all bad habits, get in shape and focus on your dream of doing a backcountry/mountain hunt. All we can do is get out there and try. Meat or no meat I’m sure you will comeback with a ton of memories and know what you need to do tweaking your equipment etc. looking fwd to seeing how this goes! You have taken the 1st step really.

You’re definitely on the right track. You can spend a lifetime learning that area.


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[SoCalHunter]

Get in the best shape you have ever been in and make sure your hunt buddies do too. When you think your in great shape, you still need to get to the next level, most likely.

Nothin will make you want to quit like *thinking* your in good shape only to find out you are totally wiped after a day or 2.

 

[knale87]

Just do it. Find a way to do it this season and then every season going forward. Put some experience under your belt. By the time your 40, you’ll have 3-4 seasons worth of experience.

 

[Silveroddo]

You're where I was 4 years ago. I've been hunting all of my life but I finally hit a point where I had time AND money, and wanted to hunt out west, now what?
It's a rabbit hole so be prepared.
The first thing you need is a tag. there's no reason you shouldn't be hunting deer out of state next year and be building points and working on planning hunts for 2-3 years from now. Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, you need to learn their points game and what it takes to draw a tag, and be prepared for it to take longer due to point creep. Gohunt or Eastmans or you can look up draw results on individual state web sites to get a feel for what it takes to get a tag. If you don't understand that part of it, its tough to plan anything.
Guys on here hate it, but there's a million podcasts and youtube videos on the subject and Randy Newberg has some of the better ones.
Figure out what kind of hunt you're doing and start figuring out what gear you need, classifieds on here are a good way to pick up decent used gear.
Start listening to podcasts and youtube videos, watch some hunts and see what they're actually doing. Are they 20 miles back and have stock? Is it a back pack hunt, but they have a packer figured out when they get something down? Do they have enough guys to pack an elk out in one trip? Logistics and developing a realistic understanding of what it takes to pack something out and if you're up to the task is a big thing.

You need some kind of digital mapping system, Onx, Gia, Gohunt, whatever. Google earth is also still an important way to scout. Doing a bunch of E-scouting and getting boots on the ground to see how it translates to reality is huge.

And as was previously stated, just getting out camping and doing it is huge. Don't be reliant on anyone, good hunting partners are harder to find than a good domestic partner. I've had more plans come apart due to partners in the last 4 years than anything else that got in the way. That being said my hunting partner and I drew Montana big game combos this year (per the plan) but my partner flaked out when we didn't draw the limited entry unit we've been trying to draw for 4 years. That being said I'm headed out solo at the end of the week, and I'm going knowing its a low odds proposition, and could care less, I'm going to get out there and put the effort in and see what shakes out and if this one doesn't work out I'll know more for the next one.

Its a process man, good luck!

 

[Smallie]

Start out backcountry camping for weekend trips to test your mental strength and gear out. Shawnee NF in southern Illinois is a good option to start and it has some elevation changes. Other options in the Midwest are the Boundary Waters and numerous national forests in Michigan. It’s not for everyone and these are places I’ve brought friends to before going hunting out West. It weeds out people that won’t cut it. You don’t want to drive 15-20 hours out with someone before you realize they want to go home on day 3. Mark Twain NF in Missouri is a good option as well. Grab a deer tag at least and just go

 

[def90]

Plan a "hunt" as if you are going to hunt and go do it.. do the whole hiking in and camping thing, scout, go through the motions.. see how in to you are without spending the money on a tag. This way you can also work out the kinks with your choice of camping gear ahead of time.

 

[Vartz04]

Thanks a lot everyone. I really like the idea of going on a "Hunt" without the hunting, or maybe doing small game hunting in this manner first to really give it a go without having to drop all the $$ on the tag and worrying about packing the animal out/getting it processed for the drive home.

 

[Burnsie]

I was in your situation about 8-9 years ago but a bit older. I'm also from Illinois and my goal was to do a full-on archery Elk backpack hunt, everything on my back for 8 days. My birthday is in September and I wanted to do it for my 50th birthday. We've been going about every other year since and I'm quickly approaching 60 now. My brother is my partner in crime - he is a couple years younger than me, but with 7 stints in his heart, lung issues and generally not in great shape. I can tell you all the things "NOT" to do for your first back country hunt. I too romanticized about how cool it would be to hike in away from the crowds and "rough it", but I can tell you, if you aren't prepared, it will kick your ass. Ask me how I know?
Thinking back on that first back pack trip, I wish we would have had a film crew following us. We could have made a fortune showing how two unprepared midwestern red necks fumbled & bumbled their way through a week of chasing Elk at 10,00 ft. It was a total Laurel and Hardy operation, but we actually got into elk and had some decent encounters, just couldn't seal the deal. That's what keeps us going back - plus being in the mountains in September is worth it whether you kill something or not.
So here is my list of things to think about for a 1st timer:
- Watch the weight of your pack. The saying "ounces = pounds, and pounds = pain" is no joke. My brother and I scoffed at all the hard core guys cutting down the handles of their toothbrush to save weight. You don't need to go to that extreme, but you need to watch weight wherever you can. My brother and I each got ALPS freighter packs off eBay and just crammed them full of everything we thought we would need. We never weighed them or did any real hiking with them. We got to the trail head and threw them on our back - that's when we knew we were in trouble. You literally could not get them on your back with out the assistance from the other guy. I'm guessing close to 90+ lbs, it was brutal.
- Get in shape. We talked a good game about getting ourselves in shape for the trip, but we weren't in any better shape than our normal day to day. We haven't been great at doing this on our trips since the first one either. Our usual MO is to come screeching into the parking area, throw our packs on and starting blazing down the trail at 7800' - heading up all the way. You wanna talk about sucking air. Elevation is 721' where I live - oh baby!
- Camp low - hunt high. The first trip, we hiked all our gear up to almost 10,000' where we found a spring for water. That about killed us. We now camp in the valley at about 8600' next to a small stream and hike higher each morning. At the end of the day, when you are beat and tired, its good to know you are going to have a relatively easy downhill walk back to camp. The first year we found ourselves in situations where we were almost at the bottom at the end of the day, and had an arduous hike back up to 10,000' in the dark - arrrgh!
I a few things got us through our first couple trips at our age:
- We are stubborn and won't quit once we are into something. My brothers one of the toughest guys I know. Even with all his ailments, he never complained once and kept on humping it, often out doing me.
In the first hour of our first trip we got off course and ended up in a swampy bog with beaver runs in it. My brother tried to hop across one of the runs and ended up waist deep in water. When he tried to push himself and the heavy pack up out of the muck he heard something pop. He tore his groin bad. He looked at me all pale with sweat beads forming on his head and said "sh..t I just messed something up bad" He was determined it was not going to end our dream trip in the first hour after driving for 24 hrs.
His thigh the next day. He kept going on this for a week:

- We are good hunters in general and are use to hunting large tracks of land in Northern Wisc. Not the same as the mountains, but being in deep in unknown terrain doesn't bother us. We have good woodsman ship skills and understand animals (farm kids).

We have learned a ton every trip, and things are getting easier each time, but now age is starting to catch up with me. I'll keep going as long as I can.

 

[tannerwulf]

Exercise with some sort of air restriction . Elevation change and exhaustion is totally a thing.

 

[kbaker9]

Vartz, I'm in the same boat you are, 35 years old, from Ohio and wanting to hunt the Backcountry. . Just joined here the other day. Appreciate the info so far, do you guys have any recommendations on starting points for a small game trip to begin the learning process?

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[Hnthrdr]

guy asked what the easiest western hunt is. It 100% is not elk. It is antelope followed by mule deer then black bear with elk being after any of those critters. I get you can get Otc tags in Co, but a doe antelope tag in any western state is the easiest hunt by far

 

[Brandon.miller.4]

There's a lot of good info already mentioned. My personal recommendation for someone seeking their first backcountry hunt would be a spring bear hunt in mid to late may in MT, WY, or ID. Fair weather, great time to be out, and a fun hunt. Good for getting your feet wet. A few pointers and mistakes I made early on.

-planned too long of a trip, I had 2 weeks first time out to "ensure success." Boy was I ever wrong. It gave me time to bounce around too much, second guess locations, not hunt hard enough, take days off in a hotel, etc. And was an overall terrible trip. I do not recommend planning for that much time off until you have worked up to it. Outside of travel days I'd plan for no more than 3 days, 2 nights on your first outing. If you have a week, great but keep it short for your first time.
-PHYSICAL CONDITION cannot be overstated. Get in shape, then get in your next shape.
-make it a rifle hunt
-you will pack way too much your first time out. Try to avoid the "what if" items
-pack your food before you go and eat only what you "pack" during your everyday routine. You can refine your system this way and know you have the right amount
-quality gear is worth the cost...to an extent. Don't spend so much on gear that you don't purchase the tag and gas to get there. (Think good glass, boots, pack)
-try to find someone as committed as you. Nothing worse than flakey friends or quitters
-commit to an area, give a certain spot enough time to be successful
-dont get lazy on sunrise or sunset times. (A lot of bear hunters leave minutes before the shot opportunity to "get back before dark")
-just go. Don't sit and plan and plan and push it off. Time is never right so make it work and go. Last year I had 3 days off because of an unforeseen work schedule change and I called my buddy saying I wasn't sure I could make a hunt happen, he said "only takes one day." We said f it and had 12 hours of driving, killed a bear day 1 of hunting, and drove 12 hours home. We were both exhausted, but I'll be damned if it wasn't worth it.
-build mental strength prior to leaving. The difference in success that I have witnessed is a difference in mental fortitude. There are some healthy young guys that don't last a day and some old fat guys that will die on that mountain before they quit. You can guess which one goes home with some meat.
-lastly, have fun. Don't make the trip all about killing a bear/deer/elk etc. Go into it with a good attitude and come home with a smile on your face and sore legs and back.

Feel free to PM me with any questions, if you're asking something I'm dumb about I'll be the first to tell you! I'd love to help