Solo backpackers ???
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Ward Thurman
Well-Known Member
Big bump up in hwy fatalities in 2020 over 2019. Me thinks it was due to the fewer people on the road and hence people driving a lot faster than normal. I also think it may have some to do with people moving from Cali that have never had to drive in snow, slop, ice, sleet, etc. With the massive influx of out-of-staters to our wonderful valley, the number of traffic accidents, murders, burglaries and such has increased dramatically. Not all is due to the out-of-staters though. I agree, driving is our most hazardous activity. The solo backpack hunting probably won't kill you, but getting there and back might.
Ward Thurman
Well-Known Member
Wow! At the beginning of the pandemic shut down in April 2020, I drove to Florida. As I was crossing Georgia, everyone was driving 85 mph in a 70 mph zone. We all were passing stationary cops with their radar out and nary a one moved a finger to slow us down. I think they were looking for the guys going 100 mph.
justin1134
Member
I couldn't agree more. Plus the InReach can be activated by the month so you don't have to pay for it when you don't need it.
Exactly my thoughts as well. Well stated!
WildRose
Well-Known Member
In 74 my dad and his best friend were 20 miles in on a 45 mile back packing trip trout fishing when they were confronted by two very nasty looking armed guys who obviously had every intent of ripping them off.
Only when Dad and Lewis both flashed the guns they were carrying did the other two decide to find easier game.
Between that and numerous encounters with bears and big cats in NM and CO over the years I got over my love of Solo BP'ng and never went unarmed from the time I was 16 on.
I was lucky though, I could always find a friend to go with me if my dad couldn't.
Solo, hunting is the best. Biggest thing to realize, you are going to get yourself into a situation that you have to deal with, By yourself. Inreach mini is a great tool for being in bear country. I carry one in Alaska. It is comforting to have. But if I get mauled by a bear , I will need to help myself first. Help might be 6 hours out. First aid and fire is a must. Always keep first aid and fire small and separate from main pack, especially if bear wants food in your pack. I keep mine in cargo pockets or by my ankles. Also leave TOPO map with detailed route. If I deviate from route use orange flagging tape every 100yrds.
Just FYI, responsible hunters will retrieve their flagging from off route adventures. In Alaska we mark our kill sites with flagging so hikers don't turn into bear scat.
I do most backpack hunts solo, but it's not because I don't like hunting with other people. I actually love trips with people that are on the same page. I certainly don't want to be babysitting somebody, but there's nothing like being on a trip with a hunting partner that you really click with, both in hunting style and just personally. I just don't know enough people like that to be out very often. Taking time off work, traveling, drawing tags, and all of the stuff that goes into a really good trip are just too hard to coordinate with other people and all the stuff going on in our lives. If I want to hunt more than every so often, I have to go solo. Not every time, but most times. That's whether backpacking or day trips or whatever. The last big backpack hunting trip where I went with a buddy, he showed up at the trailhead after months of planning and told me he was going to have to hike out after 3 days because of work. We were supposed to be out for a week. And the problem was that we were going DEEP - 12 miles from the truck at the farthest. That makes for a long pack out if you've gotta make more than one trip getting meat and a week's worth of gear back to the truck.
I also think solo hunting is a little over hyped in this YouTube age. It's made out like you can't even hack it as a hunter if you can't go solo. I don't really buy that. There are also many things that make it great which other posters have mentioned - the quiet you can only get alone, that story about a calf elk bedding 15 yards away is amazing! And that last beer you left at the truck after a long walk back with a heavy pack alone is hard to beat.
I've also been in a few pretty ugly emergency situations in the backcountry, not while hunting and thankfully not alone. Having some company goes a long way, even if you're the one with the emergency and have to take care of that end of things yourself. Just having another person there can be very helpful if things get bad suddenly - someone to talk to or help with carrying extra weight even if they aren't much help otherwise. Pretty easy to talk on a forum about how you don't need anybody but yourself. I've seen more than one those types in real life emergencies completely forget their training (and they had real training) and just shut down, and they weren't even the one injured, much less injured AND alone.
But, all that being said, I'll very likely be solo on my next backpack hunt. If I wait for someone else to come along, I'll probably just be waiting until next week, next month, next season. And, as many others said - the InReach makes my wife feel better.
I also think solo hunting is a little over hyped in this YouTube age. It's made out like you can't even hack it as a hunter if you can't go solo. I don't really buy that. There are also many things that make it great which other posters have mentioned - the quiet you can only get alone, that story about a calf elk bedding 15 yards away is amazing! And that last beer you left at the truck after a long walk back with a heavy pack alone is hard to beat.
I've also been in a few pretty ugly emergency situations in the backcountry, not while hunting and thankfully not alone. Having some company goes a long way, even if you're the one with the emergency and have to take care of that end of things yourself. Just having another person there can be very helpful if things get bad suddenly - someone to talk to or help with carrying extra weight even if they aren't much help otherwise. Pretty easy to talk on a forum about how you don't need anybody but yourself. I've seen more than one those types in real life emergencies completely forget their training (and they had real training) and just shut down, and they weren't even the one injured, much less injured AND alone.
But, all that being said, I'll very likely be solo on my next backpack hunt. If I wait for someone else to come along, I'll probably just be waiting until next week, next month, next season. And, as many others said - the InReach makes my wife feel better.
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aarmst95
Member
A lot of people have already said it but…the InReach. Same situation I'm in a lot of years. Partners cancel for whatever reason and I'm not skipping a hunt. Had that fight with my wife for a long time. I bought the garmin, showed her how to keep tabs on me through the tracking, showed her I had EMS abailable and went on my way.
Never had an issue with the garmin not relaying my location promptly or sending texts from the field.
Never had an issue with the garmin not relaying my location promptly or sending texts from the field.
Another perk on the InReach is the buddy that doesn't cancel, but decides that he has to come in a day late....no problem if you've got the InReach, it's so easy to meet up even deep in the wilderness. I had this happen a couple years ago, and even though I ended up changing the original plan, it was no problem to just let him know to hike up over a ridge to the next drainage.
