quite possibly my first SOLO backpack hunt.

man. i might put this up in the "prayers and support" forum.

i think all my buddies are gonna bail on me. we have (had?) a backpack deer hunting trip into the sierras plans. we are to leave next week.

they are not returning calls..making excuses, etc. one guy is legit..he broke his collar bone two days ago..and is currently laid out on an operating table getting titanium bits installed.

i'm going, come hell or highwater. i already packed like i am going solo. my own stove, my own water filter. i packed a super light 2 man tent, so i can pull all my gear in, if it rains.

i love being around people. this is gonna be a mind game more than anything. i am not scared of bears or bigfoot. just the solitary environment.

trouble starts if i get a deer. my pack is gonna be HEAVY.

any solo backcountry guys here? tips?

 

Pack LIGHT and absolutely tell people where you're going to be, when, and for how long. If you don't turn up in x number of day they can send a search party.

First time out solo just remember to keep your wits about you and don't go deeper than you feel safe with.

You have a good navigation option? Know the area well?

 

Take good knives, and bone everything out. How far from the truck are you going to be? If you get an animal down could you make two trips?

 

After your Kern river trip I decided to check out the area since I only manage to escape to the wilderness in Northern Ca. I went down there alone for 3 days. Gorgeous country, was unbearably hot though. I left a map and directions of my 2 planned routes depending on how the fishing was. I packed light, no tent just a tarp. Lots of rice and water purifier. Being out there alone was fun and exciting. I didn't get nervous until I saw a rattler and then I became paranoid and started checking every rock and bush... It kind of ruined the trip for me because I was so shaken of being bit by a snake so far out in the bush alone.

I think your trip will be fun, memorable, and life changing. People used to go out in the woods alone all the time without any worries. Our society today has indoctrinated us to be scared of being alone or not being social.

My biggest worry for you is being able to pack all the meat out alone.

Goodluck

 

X2 on this.

Also be prepared to debone your kill, this will save you a lot of weight and if its for buck take a good saw. If you bag a trophy and plan to mount it you can cape the head and take the top portion of the skull which will save you another 10-20lbs.

 

Which zone? Should be a great time. Lots of good country to hike and hunt. Except for last year, I tend to go disappear into a chunk of country in either D5, D6 or X8 (if I can get that tag). Every time has been memorable and in a day or so you'll probably come to really appreciate the solitude. You see more, hear more and even smell more.


If you get a deer, your pack isn't going to be heavy. Unless you put an arrow through the critter really close to a road, you're making multiple trips to get that animal out. There's really no two ways about it that I've been able to figure.

 

zone D7.

i am going to be really far from the truck. all day hike in. up and over 11,000 feet. first time i did it, i was so out of shape..took me 10 hours to camp. i bet i can do it in six now. the hike back out is all downhill, well the first part is steep back up over the summit.. took me about 3 hours to get to my truck.

i got two maps. one for me, and one i am leaving with my wife with my route highlighted. well, my wife's is a photo of my map

i might keep a couple of hundred dollar bills with me in case a horse pack team rolls by me and a dead deer

 

707..next year i'm dragging your ass with me

 

Travois? Or some sort of 2-wheel, pulled wagon (they have those, right?)

 

I've never hunted D7 and I'm not going to say I know better, but the bucks are that high up this early in the season? I hunted D5 last year and got skunked, but I saw a few come out near the Blue Lakes area, and those deer were all under 9500 ft (I didn't go above 9000, but I'm thinking I should have). A few stupid forkies even came out around the 7k level.

Either way, that's going to be a nice hunt for you. I hope you fill your tag with something big and wall-worthy. And you could always eat some of it before you came back down to help lighten the load. ;-)

 

I think that would add too much weight for this kind of hunt. But you know what might work well is a deer sled. Like this one:

http://bit.ly/16AdZQC (links over to Cabela's). Hell, it's only 2 1/2 lbs of extra weight. I might just pick one up and lash it to the bottom of the RUSH 72.

 

shit.

doc might bench me. i have a lung infection. my timing blows.