Lightweight packing for *hunting*

One of the things I'm pondering is packing for lightweight *hunting*.

Most of my hunting here is done from a heavyweight spike camp with day trips. I'm looking to reduce that down to a more manageable size with the aim of potentially being able to comfortably backpack for big game hunting.

My challenges are the following:

1) I'm doing big game hunting in Oct/Nov in canada - it's often chilly at night, so this is almost a winter trip.

2) I'm hunting moose and large deer. This means that I have to take some considerable gear for dealing with an animal if I get one. This means some rope and pulley gear you might normally see associated with climbers..

3) Rifle and ammunition is just heavy, there's no two ways about it.

4) My old pack frames for meat transport I've mainly used for short hauls with meat - not for packing and packing and packing. I need to think about a pack frame that is strong enough for a quarter of moose but light enough that I could strap on a lightweight bag of my more usual gear, along with some field gear, and pack it all day.


So - anyone else doing much the same? Got any suggestions?

I am not 100% sure on what you are looking for. Do you want to ditch the spike camp? Do you want a more comfortable pack to haul around your 170 lbs of swamp donkey? I am sure you know more pack options than I do.

When I used to do backpacking hunting, I used an old Camptrails or Trapper Nelson pack-frame and carried all of my minimal overnight gear in a large sleeping bag stuff sack tied to the lower part of the frame. I would drive to the trail head and then hunt from there. I would camp for the night with the animal if I found one or spend the night out if I was hot on the heels of one, otherwise, I would return to my pickup and sleep there. The pickup wasn't much warmer than the tarp.

My overnight gear wasn't too much more than a tarp, 15°F bag, matches and Ensolite pad. I carried a light aluminum block and tackle, a good quality pruning saw and a skinning knife. These were in another, smaller bag tied on to the frame. My rifle (6.5 x 57 mm Mauser) was a sporterized Mauser Model 98 with a 4X scope at about 9 pounds. The pack and gear weighed about 18 lb. Mostly I was hunting in either central Idaho or in the North Cascades in Washington. I never saw it colder than about 20°F. I ordinarily carried a pound or so of non-cook food as well. I generally would cook a bit of liver over my fire for dinner if I found an animal.

I was able to handle mule deer, bear and elk with this rig but did have to make several trips to get the pieces out. I never was quite up to hauling out a whole dressed elk in one trip; even being the mighty fellow that I am.

How about "Just One"?

http://www.eberlestock.com/J34%20Just%20One.htm

Nice explanation of features and review here:

http://www.eberlestock.com/Grizzly%20Skins.htm

Hope this helps.

BF

I'm probably of no help to you, Phat; all my backpacking hunting is of upland game with a shotgun. My biggest issue is with ammo. On a three-day trip I carry at least 40 shells -- that's almost four pounds of ammo, even when I shoot my 16. And my Ithaca Model 37, one of the lightest shotguns around, still weighs in at a tad over six pounds. My fifteen pound base immediately becomes 25 pounds.

Perhaps you could rig some sort of travois to drag the animal out?

Hire an infantryman to carry your gear in and your kill out. Your pack will feel light to them, compared to full military rig.

Interesting, my concern is that looks like it would work for hauling capes and boned meat, but if I want to pack whole quarters it's still a bit difficult...

I was kind of pondering something like a bull-pac frame (http://www.bullpacs.com/) which seems to weigh about four pounds and a bit, and then essentilly strap my own bags/daybag to it. I'm just pondering the comfort of the big frame, but I'm pretty sure I want something I can actually tie a quarter to easily.

Well, you could always shoot 28 or .410

but yeah, shotgun ammo is just heavy..

Phat,

I've used a "Deer Sleigher" roll-up plastic sled W/ metal grommets for tying the deer in by literally lacing it up in the "sled". This same system is used by the military for transporting wounded off the battlefield. Works well and weighs little.

Of course, with a moose you'd only be able to haul one quarter at a time.

Eric
Q. "What's the best place to shoot a moose?"

A. "Beside a pickup."

how many moose can you carry out?
how many rounds does it take to kill one moose?

multiply the two, and that number shouldn't be very high. you don't need to carry too much ammo, right?

As far as transporting it. Consider tying it up in a (very tough) bag, and dragging it behind you? Or maybe a sled?

dragging it behind you.. heh.. someone's been around too many scrawny texas whitetails...

as opposed to carrying the whole thing on your back?!

phat,

Your question really interests me because I came to this site originally for this exact reason. I hunt on a regular basis and wanted to learn how to get weight down. You already know most of it...here's a couple things I've learned. Most major rifle manufactures make 'lightweight'. Work up a load in a 'short mag' and it will work well on Moose. Be forwarned however....even 'shorts' in a lightweight will talk to you. Next...I have come to the conclusion that it is much easier to 'bone' everything. Forget all the rope, saws, pulleys, etc....I even know a guy that only carries 2 ultra-lite Gerbers and sharpens them on the opposing blade. I don't deal much in Brown Bear country so that might be a different situation but I haven't quartered a harvest in years. Last....hunt packs are HEAVY (well made but heavy)... Ebers were too heavy for me, take a look at the Kifaru site...there are some nice items that weigh slightly less, especially the rifle carrier works well and reduces the weight from an Eber, both are very well made however. Kifaru has some stuff that will 'piggyback' and you can use the smaller pack as a daypack from the 'spike' camp. Also on the same site...their meat bags are great...you can hoist them in a tree and return the next day to pack them out. I have used only their military packs. Bad...their expensive and take a long time for delivery.

Just my two cents.

As far a know the external frame is the only way to go. You can make a larger duffle bag for your sleeping gear, you wear you hunting gear. Generally we would hike in to a spot well off the roads and set up camp. I also only carry at max 10 rounds of ammo, on me...more often than not i just carry the 4 rounds i can fit in the rifle.

If you get a deer or moose you can bone them out and pack it to the car. If you find yourself at the car near dusk you can camp sleep at the car. Have two sleeping bags. Thats what we do, not really picking up camp every day but it nice to pack camp 10 or so miles away from a road, then hiking more to start the hunt.

The funny thing is half the time one of us gets a deer hiking in!

Using lighter materials hunting is not really my style, especially the gear i wear. Maybe camp gear you can get away with.

My thoughts...keep in mind i hunt in Northwestern California, smaller deer, steeper canyon/valleys.

I've got an Eberlestock Just One, and while it's a neat pack, it's heavy. I think it weighs more (empty) than my normal pack, sleeping bag, and tent combined.

You can't carry or do much of anything with the whole thing.
Normally we pack out quarters, or bone out the meat and pack out bags if we're in a really bad place. If the moose has the decency to die on a trail it can be sledded out, but they typically have this nasty habit of dying in the middle of plain old bush full of logs, deadfall, and blowdown, so dragging it very far isnt' much of an option.

Generaly speaking we're talking frame pack or packboard here, and usually only to get to a trail from which you can get horse or ATV to it.

Insofar as rifle goes, I have a lightweight. I grabbed a cheap but nice shooting savage .308 short action with a 20 inch barrel, and I've been taking weight out of the fibreglass stock
with a drill and hacksaw - I have it topped with a straight old school leupold 4x, although I might decide to splurge for a lightweight 2->7

It's light, shoot well, and will take down a moose just fine

(I'm not a believer in "short magnums"

Anyone used the bull-pac frame?

HA! 4x leupold, the best. I have a Winchester model 70 with a 20" barrel. I have break aways scope rings on it to. Not the lightest gun because of the wood stock but i want to but a light weight stock on. Oh yeah its in a .270.

I don't hunt anything bigger than Elk. If I can, I use a Cabelas Magnum game cart. Can't use it in wilderness and I can't drag it loaded through the brush. But it makes handling 500lbs of stuff manageble. I have had two Elk on it at once - probably 800lbs, which started to bend the axle but it made it.

I'm a firm believer in using what you're comfortable/confident with. I like 308...have one in Model 7.

Someone earlier said to bring the 'infantry'....actually, that's the best way to reduce/share weight. Here we call'em the 'camp beotch'

I'd check out Kifaru. The Siwash might be a good choice for you in a smaller pack depending on the bulk (as opposed to weight) of your gear. All of their packs are designed to haul hefty amounts of meat. They aren't ultralight but then again, ultralight packs aren't designed for carrying as much weight. Always a compromise. The Gun Bearer works well for me for carrying the gun. I have the Guide pack and find it to be a great all around hunting pack. It will definitely haul a big load and bulky winter gear.

i have heard very good things about the kifaru gun bearer. It looks simple and straightforward, although simple enough that I have thought about copying it with some webbing.

I got several moose hunt photos a few weeks ago via email from my brother-in-law in AK. They take one moose each year and do it the same way each season:

-They have a small lakeside cabin about 60 miles up a river from their main house.
-The moose come to the waters edge very early every morning.
-They shoot the moose from a boat.
-They then tow it across the lake and butcher it in front of the cabin on the beach.
-Very few whitetails up there.

Went huntng the other day with my grandpa and he shot a deer up on a ridge. He didn't drop it and of course ran down the canyon. Being old there was no way for him to get the deer...so i had to fetch him. Shot the deer around 10am and got him all the way packed out by 2pm. Boy hope the deer meet is worth it!