How far do you go in the backcountry?

[WAB]

In Alaska you use planes, boats, snowmachines, etc. to get as close as you can. Here are a few examples:

Brooks Range Dall ram, 8 miles to plane
Porcupine herd caribou; 6 miles to truck
PWS black bear: 5 miles to zodiac
PWS brown bear; 0.5 miles to zodiac

Lower 48 is much easier. My longest pack with an elk when I lived in Wyoming was just over a mile. You’d have to work hard to get 10 miles from a trailhead in Wyoming. In Alaska, you have to set limits as distance is basically limitless.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Looking at the threads on the cost of hunting in North America, I figured going on ones own was the most economical, which got me wondering how far into the back country do people go away from their access point/vehicle. I imaging there is still a fair amount of public lands in the Northwest and Alaska where people could self- guide, but with a rifle/camping gear and the weight of packing the meat back out over rough terrain, would be pretty limiting on how far one could go on foot at least.

I’d be curious how far do folks realistically go from their access point 1) especially on foot 2) horseback 3) small ATV

Great Question!

I'll be Watching and reading responses to this OP.

 

[Dudders]

I have watched several videos now of people hiking into the mountains to hunt elk etc and then pack out there kills. But i would like to know is there any order you have to take out the meat and trophy head and do you bone out the meat and what are you allowed to leave behind.

 

[AckleyHunter]

We keep going until we find the animals we are looking for. Make a plan with a far limit in mind based on your fitness and willingness and hope you don't have to go that far. Sometimes it is 2 miles, some times 12. We hunt on foot. For elk, it will take about 4 loads to get it out deboned. So 4 people one trip, one person, 4 trips. Those will be about 60-80lbs packs depending the size of the elk and weight of your gear.

How much you have to take out, and how to leave proof of sex vary by state and can be found in the regulations manual.

 

[wesheltonj]

At ages 20-40 - miles. Now, that I am 65 and concerned about having a medical emergency, not very far.

 

[Cornell Cowboy]

Too many variables to answer cleanly. Need species, time of year, how many going with. Sometimes temperature drives it--I didn't bowhunt elk at all this year because I didn't think I could get the meat out in time when temps were above 80F in September. Some years ago I had planned a solo late October mule deer hunt and temps dropped to -35F-- my wife told me there was no way I was going out by myself, one slip on the steep rocky terrain and I would have frozen to death before anyone found me. Under normal conditions, for deer and pronghorn, walk as far a you want, but I doubt you'll ever really be more than 5 miles from some access point and they're easy to pack out. For elk, I would try to find a buddy. And unless you know what you're in for I wouldn't want to pack more than maybe 3 miles (and that will likely not be flat terrain). No experience using horses. ATVs to me are the same as pickups, just sometimes give you more road options.

 

[revturbo9967]

2024 Wyoming elk was the deepest I've gone into the back country at around 18 miles in from the road. 10 hours on horseback to get into that spot, and some of the nastiest country I've traveled. An amazing experience

.

 

[BourbonTrail]

Furthest out was 2hrs by pavement, 1 hr by dirt road and 2 days hike into the mountains for black bear. Saw no one but my brother in law for 3 days. I plan to go back there for coues when I get enough draw points.

 

[Pilgrim]

This is why I like to hunt Africa. It's not the hiking I mind, it's the hauling.

 

[CM McKenzie]

2024 Wyoming elk was the deepest I've gone into the back country at around 18 miles in from the road. 10 hours on horseback to get into that spot, and some of the nastiest country I've traveled. An amazing experienceView attachment 768796View attachment 768797.
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View attachment 768799

Which drainage where you in?

 

[odonata]

Depends on how much time you have, the shape you're in, species you hunt, and how much you like to suffer.

This was an interesting question to consider & I enjoyed reading the responses. For years I've hunted on leases in Arkansas, Mississippi & Louisiana. But now that all of my peers are starting to retire, there's been a lot of changes in the status quo. Some leases haven't been renewed. Some land has been sold. New land is being developed. I might have to come up with a new plan.

Even though I spend most of my time in Virginia now, Arkansas is still officially "home". It's a state with a lot of public land & wildlife management areas with a relatively small population of people & a large amount of deer. I've been pondering the idea of inhabiting a rustic backcountry campsite this fall & testing my luck in the wild. Sort of like backpacking with a rifle. If I manage to harvest something, then great. If not, I get a little camping done. But I have no idea of exactly what to expect or how much effort it would take to haul a deer out of the woods on my back.

We'll see what kind of shape I'm in if I'm lucky enough to be successful. The last time I backpacked through the Wind River Range a couple of years ago, I threw up a couple of times because of the exertion at altitude. I'm not young & indestructible anymore.

 

[revturbo9967]

Which drainage where you in?

This was bliss creek in the national forest.

 

[CM McKenzie]

This was bliss creek in the national forest.

You were only about 6 miles from were I was last fall. I was in the drainage straight west on the Teton Wilderness side.

 

[revturbo9967]

You were only about 6 miles from were I was last fall. I was in the drainage straight west on the Teton Wilderness side.

Any Luck? Some big bulls were taken in camp. I shot a smaller 5x6 but I had no real size wants, just legal bull. We lost a hunting day due to fires and I decided any legal bull was game.

 

[CM McKenzie]

My buddy took this satellite bull.

We got onto a good herd bull that would have touched 360, but we couldn’t get him to come out of the dark timber. By the time we packed this bull to the trailhead we ran out of time to make another run at him.

 

[revturbo9967]

That’s a killer bull. One of the guys tagged a 350+ . No whale tail but insane mass

 

[CM McKenzie]

That’s a killer bull. One of the guys tagged a 350+ . No whale tail but insane mass

View attachment 768828

There are some good bulls in that country!

Back about 2006 I was guiding for an outfit up by Hawks Rest. On the third hunt of the year we had the perfect storm… Literally. We killed 10 bulls in two days. The smallest green scored 353 and the biggest 396. Plus we killed the biggest moose taken in Wyoming that year on the same hunt. I haven’t had a hunt like that since, but have definitely tipped over some good bulls back there in the last 20 years.

 

[revturbo9967]

I hope to get back up there one day. It was a sweet area. Tons of elk and tons of bears

 

[CM McKenzie]

The bears have definitely getting a little more playful over the years.

 

[tarbe]

I have set up camp as far as 20 miles deep into the Frank Church, and hunted several miles further in from there (Cottonwood Creek area).

I was on foot, but I had a sat phone with a packer on "speed dial". I was not going to try to pack out an elk that far! LOL

Three other times packing into the Frank Church on foot I camped about 9 miles in (Nolan Lookout area, up the Stoddard Trail).

I love that country. Worth the work just to gaze upon the Bighorn Crags.