You’ve done your research, planned a trip, and are about to embark on your first ever backpack hunt. First off, let me say CONGRATS! You are in for a real treat. Backpack hunting truly is the whole package. It’s beyond hunting and a great opportunity to cut the cord of city life and embrace some adventure. These hunts are learning experiences, as you’ll find out. Each time we go out, we learn a little more about what to bring and what not to bring. These items will vary of course from person to person, but I promise you, you’ll be making modifications to your gear list sooner or later. It’s inevitable. Down below, I’ve listed 3 items that I’ve found incredibly valuable on backpack hunts. They are simple, cheap, and very useful both physically and mentally. These items are of course aside from stuff like boots, backpack, weapon, etc. I could add much more to this list, but these seemed to reach across the board in terms of general items you really want to consider checking out.
Spring Hunting Season is finally here and it’s for BEAR! This is a hunt that I look forward to each and every year. A time where the weather is fantastic, water is usually plentiful, and backpack hunting is on the agenda. I first ventured into this area about 4 years ago. Back then, I packed into this spot without ever stepping foot in it and was lucky enough to find bears! Since then, I’ve come in every year and look forward to it more and more. This would mark the first trip of the year for me, and I couldn’t wait to hit the trail.
On this hunt, I was solo, which is always interesting on the mental front. I enjoy hunting solo immensely, but there is always a tad bit of anxiety in the back of my head when doing so. Once out there though, I’m fine and generally end up having an amazing time. This was no different. After a few hours of hiking and gaining elevation, I arrived at camp. What a great feeling it was to sit down in the shade and relax for a bit. To see how the rest of the hunt unfolds, you can watch the video down below!
As I was hiking back to the truck, it was comforting to know that this was just the beginning and there was a lot of hunting to be had. What a great way to get out and stretch the legs though. Not to mention, get away from the chaos of the world right now. We are definitely living in some crazy times and I hope this whole pandemic hasn’t put too much of a damper on you or your families. Let’s not forget to get outside and enjoy Mother Nature when we can. It’s therapeutic to say the least and a break from the noise is much needed.
Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the Youtube Channel and blog to stay up to date on Spring Hunting Season episodes and much more. This is all just getting started, and I’m so pumped to share the adventure with you all! Good luck out there and stay safe!
Knowing what to pack, as far as food goes, for a backpack hunt is a common question among those looking to get into this. The immediate apprehension is fear of getting hungry. Folks are worried about not having enough. Then there is the what behind all of this. What kind of foods should you bring out? So, in this post, I’m going to dive right into my food bag for an upcoming backcountry hunt I have planned. While getting my stuff ready for this trip, I thought it might be beneficial to do a backcountry food bag dump. I’ll walk you through a whole day of food and also give examples of other options you might be able to take advantage of.
Who loves coffee?! I sure do and missing out on my morning, and sometimes afternoon, coffee is not something I am a fan of, haha. In light of that, one of the questions that I get asked a lot is what I do on backpack hunts for coffee. Am I bringing some cheap instant with me? Am I pre-grinding and bringing my own with a press? I’ve done all of the above. You gotta do what you gotta do in the name of coffee on hunting trips. Nowadays, things are a bit different on the coffee front for me. So, I’m going to walk you through my backcountry coffee set up!
In the video below, I take you through my stove, and how it works. I also lay out the kind of coffee I’m bringing with me. Dark Timber Coffee has been a huge improvement in my coffee game in the field! Not only is it super easy, it is DELICIOUS! You’d be doing yourself a disservice by not trying this stuff out. That is of course if you’re a coffee lover like me.
I hope that this video helps elevate your coffee game on your hunts! If you have any questions about any of this stuff, please feel free to reach out. I’m happy to help and explain anything more that needs explaining. To learn more about backcountry hunting, check out the recent book I wrote called “Becoming a Backpack Hunter: A Beginner’s Guide to Hunting the Backcountry.” And if you dig the videos, I’d super appreciate if you hit SUBSCRIBE on the Youtube Channel to stay up to date with future videos. Thanks for watching and until next time, good hunting!
Backpack Hunting is filled with rich experience and the origin of many potent memories, no matter who you are. It’s a kind of hunting that isn’t for everyone, but the one’s that do cherish it, seem to live it. They thrive on the unknown and beauty that falls before them on their trips. Landscapes that are more unseen than seen. Then there are the challenges that come along with hunting the backcountry. These are things like rough country, carrying everything you need on your back, and just the general practice of living in the dirt. Another challenge though is just finding somewhere to hunt. This is especially true when coming from out of state and heading into a spot that you’ve never been before. One of the ways that I “E-Scout” is by utilizing maps to my advantage, and more specifically, topographic maps.
So, I wrote a book! This has been a project I’ve been working on for the past year and a half and I’m so excited that it’s finally ready to be seen. The book is called “Becoming a Backpack Hunter: A Beginner’s Guide to Hunting the Backcountry.” From the title, I’m sure you can gather what it’s about, but let me give you the skinny on it and why I decided to write this in the first place.
Got another gear video from the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah! Late last year, Exo Mountain Gear came out with their new 1800 day pack. I’ve really enjoyed this minimalist backpack in the few months I’ve used it. Recently, I had it out on a javelina hunt, and I’ve been using it for short day scouting trips. It really does hold everything you need and nothing that you don’t. You can check out a video of how I personally pack this backpack for the javelina hunt I linked above. You’ll see a layout of the pack and exactly what I am putting and where. Of course I had to stop by the Exo booth at the show to get a rundown from the company. Jake from Exo Mountain Gear runs through their whole new 1800 pack and gives insight into pricing and other options with the K3 pack system. This isn’t a piece of gear you should sleep on!
I really hope you’ve been enjoying these gear videos I grabbed from the Expo! I sure did enjoy chatting with everyone. Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the Youtube channel and blog to stay up to date with all of my future posts! Thanks for watching and good hunting out there. I’ve been currently out scouting for a spring bear hunt coming up here shortly in Arizona. Tick tock! Before we know it, hunting season is going to be here and this whole thing is going to start over again.
I just got back from the Western Hunting Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah! Man, we saw some awesome products, made new friends, and overall had a blast. Through that time, I had the pleasure of interviewing a few companies that I personally work with. They go through what they have available and even some insight into what 2020 has in store. Argali was top of mind as far as 2020 goes, so that’s what you’ll find below. You can also check out reviews that I’ve done on both the Argali Carbon Knife and the Argali High Country Bags. I’ve been using both of those pieces all Fall and have really enjoyed it! Here’s a short video of owner Brad Brooks going through what 2020 looks like for Argali. Enjoy!
This story starts a few years back. I never really had the urge to hunt mule deer above timberline. Elk were always the animal that grabbed my attention, and the reason I went on my first out of state hunt to begin with. That hunt brought me to Colorado. A 10 day backpack hunt that was filled with some potent memories. Some of them were pretty hard to swallow. During that hunt we saw multiple big velvet mule deer and I think that’s when they caught my attention. On top of having to backpack for these high country bucks to get above timberline, there was something magical about seeing those velvet antlers float across a bed of wildflowers. It was entrancing and screamed adventure hunting. After a few years drooling over watching others success, I decided 2019 was the year of high country mule deer.
Smart homes, smart TV’s, smartphones, oh my! Yeah, the day and age we are living in is riddled with new technology at every turn. This smart technology that was once something many of us only dreamed about, is now a part of our every day life. It’s our new normal. And while I think there needs to be a balance that we hold between this technology and the real world, I can’t deny that some of this stuff is pretty cool. Each day that goes by there are more and more smart(fill in the blank). One of those items are watches. These smartwatches are showing up on more wrists each turn of the clock. It’s for good reason, as they are super handy. They do all sorts of cool stuff. Track your fitness, send and receive texts/emails, have GPS features, play music, tell time(duh), and much much more. Surely, these are too delicate for the hunting woods though right? I’d say that most of them are. That’s where the Garmin Fenix 5x Plus comes in though. A watch that can handle backcountry hunting and assist in it along the way with it’s mapping/GPS technology. I’ve been putting it through the paces for the past 6 months or so and have some thoughts.
