If you could have been told just one thing.....

[D.Turvey Jr]

Have a complete FirstAid kit and Personal Survival Kit (PSK) and know how to use them. Above all, don't become over confident in your abilities in the backcountry. That false confidence can lead to unnecessary risks and get you into life-threatening trouble. Always be calculated, cautious and methodical.

 

[Don K]

Stop, take a deep breath and enjoy your surroundings. Sometimes you get so focused on trying to kill something you don't think to enjoy everything that is happening and what your seeing.

 

[Timberstalker]

Stop, take a deep breath and enjoy your surroundings. Sometimes you get so focused on trying to kill something you don't think to enjoy everything that is happenings and what your seeing.

I've been doing more of that lately, good advise!

 

[Drhorsepower]

Know just this one hunt can start an obsession. You will wake up in the dead of night thinking about a deer you had a missed opportunity at and lay awake until the sun rises. Suddenly your free time will be consumed with scouting, researching and training to help even your odds next year. Your bank account will feel the affects of your licenses and tag fees in multiple states and the best gear you can buy. Your Facebook friend list will grow exponentially with people all over the west coast who share the same passion as you do. While driving down the highway, your eyes will constantly be looking at the mountain you are passing and wondering if that basin holds deer.

 

[buckbull]

Very good advice already mentioned. I thought I was really prepared my first trips in the mountains, I wasn't.

I will add:
Don't forget chapstick. My lips will crack and bleed in about 2 days without it.
Keep your scope covered. I didn't on my first time out in some crappy weather; and a 330" bull taught me a hard lesson that day.

 

[tdcour]

Take your time.

Take your time glassing, walking, shooting, stalking... pretty much everything. I rushed so much my first year I ended up doing more harm than good. Slow is smooth, smooth is quiet, quiet is good.

 

[CrimsonArrow]

I agree with tdcour, go easy the first couple days. It will save your body, and reduce the chance of blowing every animal out of the area.

 

[trkytrack2]

Never, ever leave your truck or camp without a means to survive in the back country. By this I mean your back or fanny pack with a map, compass, GPS, a knife, a means to start a fire, water and a water purifier system, food of some sort, a space blanket or tarp for shelter and rain gear. Over the years, I have come across four individuals that "were turned around" and two of them were at or near panic state. None of the four had anything but what they wore when they left to go hunt. All four were totally lost with no idea where they were. None were prepared to spend a cold night or more in the mountains. One guy did have a lighter so he might have been able to start a fire. Be prepared when you go out to hunt and it will be a very rewarding experience.

 

[wolftalonID]

Make a friend who lives there....tag along with them!

 

[squirrelduster]

Some great points.
Take your time and don't rush is great advice. Some of the country out here is dangerous. One slip and you could fall a long distance and if you're alone and you break something your screwed. Take a good day pack stocked like trkytrack recommends. Extra batteries for your headlight.
Good solid boots with high quality socks and liners. Make sure the boots are broken in well.

 

[kentuckyhunter]

I'll add

Have realistic expectations
It's probably not going to be like tv where wild turkeys walk up while your caping trophy bull elk in beautiful weather.
3:55 fourth video breaking down elk.
I learned much from that series. Thanks for posting.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[shootbrownelk]

Turn the power down on your scope, I saw one fella across a canyon from me jump a big mulie almost underfoot. He never shot, and I wondered why. Ran into the guy later, and asked why he didn't shoot that deer. I had been glassing him for an hour, and knew he was a shooter. He said he couldn't find him in his scope. He had the power cranked-up to 14! And still did later when I talked to him. He was from Wisconsin, and someone told him it was all long range shooting out here, and he was prepared!

 

[Engideer]

There are definitely some great points covered. I wish I had read this thread before my first trip! One additional thing I would add is while you need to be prepared to not get an animal on your first trip, you also need to know what you will do when you do take an animal. I know that I always thought of elk as just a big deer, trying to get my first one back to the trailhead was a circus. Have a plan on what you will do to get an animal out before you ever release an arrow/pull the trigger.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Stop, take a deep breath and enjoy your surroundings. Sometimes you get so focused on trying to kill something you don't think to enjoy everything that is happening and what your seeing.

I've been big game hunting 60 years and before then used to tag along with my Dad & Grandfather deer hunting. They still hunted (really slow walking & glassing) and I still do. the one thing they hammered into my head was....Slow Down, Look, Listen. Some of the guys I used to hunt with thought it was a footrace to get to the next ridge or canyon. I don't know how many deer & elk I have shot that they went right passed. Slow is good.......especially at my age!!!LOL

Lots of good advice that is ALL important.

 

[THelms]

Water! Drink lots of water. My body needs 126 ounces of fluids everyday to be properly hydrated! Figure half your bodyweight in ounces each day. A lot of folks come out here from more humid climates and suffer horribly for lack of hydration. Elevation exacerbates this tenfold so that "altitude sickness" you're feeling? Its really dehydration... Drink up! If you don't like water or need something different get some flavoring for it (Wilderness Athlete, Mio, Gatorade, Crystal Light, etc.)

 

[shootbrownelk]

Stop, take a deep breath and enjoy your surroundings. Sometimes you get so focused on trying to kill something you don't think to enjoy everything that is happening and what your seeing.

Don, I find myself doing more and more of that the closer I get to 70! Them mountains seem to be growing these days.

 

[shootbrownelk]

I've been big game hunting 60 years and before then used to tag along with my Dad & Grandfather deer hunting. They still hunted (really slow walking & glassing) and I still do. the one thing they hammered into my head was....Slow Down, Look, Listen. Some of the guys I used to hunt with thought it was a footrace to get to the next ridge or canyon. I don't know how many deer & elk I have shot that they went right passed. Slow is good.......especially at my age!!!LOL

Lots of good advice that is ALL important.

Really good advice Cowboy, that's what I call "Sneakin' & Peekin" works whenever I employ it. Got my elk last year doing just that.

 

[BrandonM]

Hey guys, Brandon Mason here from Eastmans'. This is all great info and dialogue! Forgive me if someone else already mentioned this, but one thing I wish someone would've told me on my first backpack hunt is not to overpack. I learned the hard way, as many have, that just because your pack has the room doesn't mean that you need to fill it. On my first big excursion I was headed in 10 miles deep on foot with a couple of friends. They had packs that weighted around 40 lbs and mine weighed 65!!!! Needless to say I was wore out by the time we even made it back to our hunting spot in a wilderness area. Between getting lighter gear and not packing the kitchen sink with me, my pack weight is much more manageable now. You'll only make the mistake of carrying a heavy pack in once...it will scar you for life

 

[Timberstalker]

I've been big game hunting 60 years and before then used to tag along with my Dad & Grandfather deer hunting. They still hunted (really slow walking & glassing) and I still do. the one thing they hammered into my head was....Slow Down, Look, Listen. Some of the guys I used to hunt with thought it was a footrace to get to the next ridge or canyon. I don't know how many deer & elk I have shot that they went right passed. Slow is good.......especially at my age!!!LOL

Lots of good advice that is ALL important.

I was taught the same way, most of the animals I have taken were while still hunting. Its hard to slow down sometimes, it's amazing how alive the woods get when you are doing it right.

 

[Timberstalker]

Turn the power down on your scope, I saw one fella across a canyon from me jump a big mulie almost underfoot. He never shot, and I wondered why. Ran into the guy later, and asked why he didn't shoot that deer. I had been glassing him for an hour, and knew he was a shooter. He said he couldn't find him in his scope. He had the power cranked-up to 14! And still did later when I talked to him. He was from Wisconsin, and someone told him it was all long range shooting out here, and he was prepared!

I made that mistake on my sheep hunt, shot my ram @ 18 yards with the scope on 9x I had to look over the scope before I was sure I was on him.