Where to start

[peterk123]

Hi All.

My wife and I are finally getting out of Massachusetts after living here all of our lives. We will be living in the Livingston MT area. Time frame is probably August of next year. This has been in the works for a few years now. We are in our mid 50's and if I can get my wife to stop buying clothes, we may be able actually retire. At least its clothes for being outdoors

My hunting these days is fairly straightforward. Scout during the summer. Small parcels of over hunted public lands (50 to 200 acres). Hunt mostly with a bow because shotgun season (our "rifle") is downright dangerous. Climb a tree and wait. At the end of the day drive five minutes to your house.

I love reading and seeing the pics you all post of your trips. I am looking forward to a new way of hunting, particularly the opportunity to go out for multiple days and camp. I am prepared to scour the public lands where I will live. I look forward to even going out during the summer months with a pack and a tent to do the some early season scouting and learn the lay of the land. Heck, our first season there I would be a non-resident, which is perfectly fine because I will use the time to learn for next season. That first year we will hunt with a camera.

My question is this/these.... What is a good resource for learning about what gear I will need? Should we have a quad, stoves, etc. large tent? We camp and do some backpacking. But it seems some places you can get in with some type of vehicle. Other places it is a long hoof in by foot. I also have to be realistic and design my hunting around my age. I still have some years left in me but it will get harder and harder to lug animals out over time.

This will be a huge change for our way of hunting and getting in and out of any backcountry. Heck, my longest trek right now is less than a mile. I wear my climbing saddle and have a 20 pound pack that has everything I need to get an animal out of the woods.

I am a big fan of good books on how to do things. Internet resources work as well. Free advice always appreciated.

Pete

 

[def90]

The gear that you will need will depend on the experience that you want to achieve. You can drive/atv in and car camp and get elk or you can hike 10 miles in to a wilderness area and get elk. Each of those experiences requires different things.

My suggestion is to move there, start doing some weekend camping trips over the summer, some of them drive in, some of them a short hike in. You will find out pretty quick what works and what doesn’t.

I started out with a really small two person tent. It’s ok for hiking in a ways but any extra unneeded weight is going to kill you over a long distance. My tent is almost too big for a real backpack hunt and it’s pretty small/snug for two people to share while car camping. This winter I am getting a large enough tent that I can put in a full size inflatable mattress for car camping and I am looking for an ultralight one man setup for hiking in.

 

[EastHumboldt]

When you go to select a pack, weight of the pack is not insignificant but it is not as important as fit and a really good suspension. Mystery ranch and kifaru packs weigh more than some of th ulyralight stuff, but they are bombproof. Other brands mentioned here as well. The same goes for other gear... it’s always a balancing act between weight durability and utility.

 

[Werty]

Pete

I hunt all over the state, each part can require different clothes. Windproof, water resistant, synthetic or wool. Make sure you can layer. Weather temps vary. Don't be in a hurry to buy a bunch of stuff, get it as you need it. Any of the new camo clothing is good.

 

[Elknutty]

Some good advice above. I moved to Idaho 18 years ago from Ohio. You will learn a lot in your first year of just camping and not hunting. I usually go elk hunting for 7-10 days and I take my 12x17 Montana Canvas wall tent with a wood stove. This makes for a very comfortable camp and a good nights rest. I also take my backpacking tent if I decide to spike camp closer to elk. I don’t use any motorized vehicles except my pickup, but I’m 37 and in good shape. I personally seek out areas that are closed to atv’s and dirt bikes. I backpack all of my game out, just one step at a time.