What I have…….and what I need?

[boone65]

Large jug of outstanding whiskey !

 

[BILLYCURRY]

Sounds like the guide cleans the animal? Gut bag is a lot of weight if you don't have to carry it in.

I hunt elk at 10k feet in CO about every year.
I take:
a rifle and half a box of ammo.
Sunglasses.
Chapstick.
Binoculars, rangefinder, and small camelback day bag with water, food, lighter, and fire starting material. Alternatively, an eberlestock rifle bag with water bladder and supplies if the terrain is going to require me to stow the rifle.
1 high end aluminum trekking pole. Used for hiking and as a stabilizer/shooting stick.
Snowshoes if necessary. More relevant late season.
1 pair of boots, and 3 pair of excellent socks. 1 spare boot lace.
Whatever underwear you think is enough.
2 sets of thermals.
1 pair camp shoes.
Orange baseball hat and warm orange toque. You'll need the toque in the morning and the baseball cap during the day.
Orange vest.
2 pair camo pants, 2 short and 2 long sleeve camo shirt.
2 camo jackets, one heavy and one light.
Clothes get aired out and hung up if possible in between uses.
Carhart coveralls, brown. I will hunt with these on instead of camo almost always. But sometimes it's too hot for them.
A good set of thinly insulated gloves.
Good pillow, good bag, good tent, catalytic heater, ground pad.
Camp stove and fuel.
Dopp bag.
Suture kit, bandaids, ibuprofen.
Small bottle of good whiskey.
Water and food for the duration. Or the means to acquire what I need.
Radios for communicating with the group if we need help or have an animal down.
1 flashlight, 1 headlamp.
Phones stay off while hunting, so no need for an electrical charger.
Gut bag consisting of gloves, ziplock for the heart, 3 very sharp knives, zip tie and pen for the tag, marking tape and a glow stick.

I don't mess with rain gear that time of year. If the rain is moving in, I'm hightailing it back to camp.

Edit to add: wet wipes and a small towel.

WHAT KIND OF TRNG DO YOU do to get ready and for how long ? age please im 56

 

[RH300UM]

WHAT KIND OF TRNG DO YOU do to get ready and for how long ? age please im 56

Train all year. Hike, walk,ski,pack,repeat!!
Always look for the hardest way to do things that involve manual labor. If you look for the easy way it makes you soft
I'm 59 now and this works for me.
You have to repeatedly acquaint yourself with misery.
It's that simple!

 

[sp6x6]

Ditto I work contruction,stay active.I do lighter weights.Hike to high lakes and fish.At camp I do pushups and If have my camper have a dumbell,do pullups at my tree stand off limb. I just did 90 miles hunting and packed at bull solo 10 M total for that day 5-9 ,170lb.58

 

[Blacklab1]

6 tops and bottoms? Is this base and outer layers, all clothing?

For me, extra boots. 2 pants max. 1 Base layer top and bottom. 1 mid weight top. Puffy vest. puffy jacket. puffy coat. Rain set.

12K. Doesn't seem right. That is nose bleed altitude and most elk aren't that high right now. We are into elk every day right at 7000-8500 and over that, there isn't anything up high.

That's not what I wanted to hear about where the elk are, we're hunting unit 481 in Chaffee county. The web says the elevation is 8,000 to 10,000 feet but the emails from the guide say 12,000..... soooo I guess I'm not exactly sure what elevation we'll be at. And yes 6 tops and 6 bottoms, since I have no idea what to expect I'll take what ever I can and keep in the weight limit. I figure 3 layers at a time of light and mid weight so I can adjust through out the day...... and if I float my hat while crossing a creek I'll have an extra 3 layers of dry clothes and if the temp drops too far I'll just add a 4th layer. I'm really out of my element on this one so I really have no idea what works.

 

[Blacklab1]

I might have missed it but how do you get all of this Equipment out their ? Do you use horse or AtV to get to a base camp and then leave and hunt and return to base camp every night ? Marty

Yes, we'll pack in on horses and stay at base camp. Then every morning we ride horses for about 2 hours before light to get our hunting spot. If we find elk then the foot chase begins, if we don't then we ride to a different spot. after dark we return to base camp.

 

[Blacklab1]

Just a suggestion at 12k you will need to be acclimated for altitude. I've seen a few guys get real sick and have to go down low as fast as possible. Try and get to an area that you have some altitude 2-3 days before you head up to hunt.
12k feet in October for elk? I'm not sure about that but your outfitter should know.
Drink a lot of water. Don't wait till your thirsty. Don't be like a lot of guys and not drink water before you go to bed because they don't want to get up during the night to pee. This has a cumulative affect and slows you down on the hunt.
Be very mindful the first few days of over exerting yourself. The bodies abilities to recover are reduced at altitude.
I'd cut down the gear weight some and get some puffy gear( pants,coat). The new hydrophobic down is outstanding. I'd loose the bipod and take trekking poles instead.
Duct tape for blisters and gear repairs.
Loose the pillow and stuff a puffy jacket or pants in a stuff sack at night for your pillow.
Dry socks every night before you get in your bag will make sleeping much more enjoyable.
Be safe and enjoy the trip. Let us know how it goes for you when you get back

Thanks for the advice. We are going out early, our hunt doesn't start un till the 16th. We'll be staying at a lodge for 4 days at 11,000 feet. We,re also staying at a base camp so most of the stuff stays at camp when not needed.

 

[sp6x6]

I run hot,but my son runs real hot.Here we max out at 8700,is a peak near me.But elk 5-7000 near there.Warm fall day,pants,t shirt,long sleeve zip front,light vest,light jacket.Kuiu,Sitka,I still run a lot of wool.If it gets cooler,zip off long johns,two long sleeve,or wool shirt,or a heavier jacket.If I know im glassing i bring light weight puffy,stuffs in anywhere.Usually hiking for elk,this gets me into the knee deep snow.I lalways run gaiters

 

[OldDutch]

WHAT KIND OF TRNG DO YOU do to get ready and for how long ? age please im 56

I need to do more training honestly. This desk job is slowly killing me, I'm sure.
I live in CO Springs, so the altitude difference isn't that big of a deal. But the answer is hiking. Lots of hiking. I'm also comfortable lifting and manhandling a reasonable amount of mass, which is probably a good idea too.

I have two boys under 5 right now, and one of them always seems to be on my shoulders while we're walking or hiking, so that's pretty much my training currently. Hiking with a weight on my shoulders.

Set your treadmill to a brisk walk, and a steep incline. Then go until you've had enough. That's pretty good CO elk PT.

You don't need to be a master sprinter or anything, but I'd suggest you do your best to be comfortable hiking 5 miles with a pack. If you can do 5 comfortably, you can do 15 if you're motivated to get into some elk.

 

[OldDutch]

Take a camera. Beautiful country! Get a Rx for Diamox to take for Altitude Sickness. It can be brutal and being in shape is no defense it just takes time to get acclimated to the lower level of oxygen. Be sure to have good sunglasses. You're likely to have snow at that altitude and it can be blinding. Take a sturdy pair of gaiters to keep snow out of your boots. Last, but not least take sunscreen. I lived in Colorado for 8 years and my house was at 10,600 ft. Just take it easy and don't push yourself. Good luck.

Not wrecking yourself by pushing too hard is about the best advice I've seen so far.

 

[Blacklab1]

Have you "adjusted" your Ballistic's on your Rifle's Scope and Velocity of, your Load, FOR,.. Elevation / Temp's ?
I Zero at 3,300 Feet, and about 70 Degrees, Temp, but my scope "Dial", is set for 6,500 Ft. and 40 Degrees for,.. WHERE / when, I Hunt.
Most Elk, in Colorado are LOWER than you'd think, "maybe",. about, 7,500 to 10,000 Feet,.. Max. !
Adjust, your, "ballistics" for, 8,500 Feet "average", 40 degrees, Temp,.. IMHO.
Agree with others, LOSE, the Bi-Pod ( Colorado Hillsides, are Steep ! ) So I'd use, "Sticks", and a Clothes, stuffed Pack with, a small, Lite weight, "Toe" rest, for Prone.. Good Luck, stay SAFE and,.. have Fun !

Unfortunately precision shooting isn't my forte. I'm into USPSA and 3gun where most everything is close and fast. Right now I'm zeroed @ 2000 feet at about 60 degrees and know my dope out to 500 yards, anything past that is out of my abilities. We'll be getting there a few day early so we'll have time to go to a range and make any necessary adjustments. I'm hoping that it works. Enough people told me to ditch the bipod so I guess it stays home (or at least in the truck). I'm good at shooting off my pack but I'm horrible off of sticks, I look like a sailboat in rough seas. Any suggestions on how to improve on that?

 

[Idaho Lefty]

@ Blacklab,..
I use, the wood, Hunters Specialties "sticks" and quickly take off my Rifle and Pack and get in, the sitting position on, a sidehill, then, I "prop up" the Rifles "Toe" with my Pack, that's sitting on my Chest, using some upward pressure from, my Knee, against the Pack, to hold the back end ( toe) of, the Rifle, steady. This method, takes a bit of practice, but now, I can hit, 11" Dia. Steel Plates EVERYTIME at, 350 - 375 Yards. I use a Kifaru "Gun Bearer" to carry Rifle, strapped to my EXO Pack thats "Stuffed" with extra Jacket, napping Pad, Lunch, Shirts, Kill Kit, etc. and use a piece of coiled up ( Taped round about, 6 to 7 inches tall ) Foam Pad for, a "Toe Rest" when shooting Prone, over, the Pack.
Holding, the Rifles "Toe", STEADY is,.. "everything" !
Removing your Rifle, Pack, sitting down, positioning Pack on Chest, Ranging the Animal, catching your Breath and getting STEADY, takes about One Minute or so, after practicing, a few times. Try it out, IT,.."Works" for, us ! Son and I, shot Two Elk, using this, method. Good luck !
Your Rifles POI now, at 2,000 Feet, will be, MUCH HIGHER at,.. 8 to 10,000 Feet Elev.,.. don't forget to, adjust for, Altitude !

 

[mnoland30]

Coming from tree stand hunting to mountain hunting, you'll want Endurox R4. It is a muscle recovery drink, and they claim to increase endurance by 10%. I have used it for years before and during elk hunts. It really works.

6 tops and 6 bottoms? I can see changing your T-shirt every day, but not your pants. Back in the day, I hunted in the same clothes for 5 days.

If you don't want to track elk down into a canyon, shoot them in the shoulder. It will drop them, and there's enough meat on an elk that you can afford to waste some.

You sunburn much faster at high elevation, so use sunscreen every day. Dry lips are the first sign of dehydration. Chapstick is also sunscreen, so use it.

The best exercise I found for getting in shape was walking 3 miles with a 45 lb. pack (use sand or dirt). It builds the muscle you'll need for up and down hills. Once I started that, my calves quit burning going up hills. Do that and drink Endurox afterwards. Even a week of that will make a big difference.

I'm 67 andI still hunt elk, and usually pack them out by myself.

 

[sp6x6]

I carry my atlas everywhere and trekking poles.Glass off the top of the pole is most use,besides treking.My kid got me them now I always use.