Last year, I was approached by a colleague I attended in high school when he drew the best mule permit in Utah and asked me for advice on how to start hunting. It was at this point that I became interested in the idea of backpacking, loading my luggage, driving to a place and setting up camp in my truck. I knew I needed to find the right supplies at a hunting and fishing store. Here are a few points to consider before you start planning for your next hunting and camping trip.
The most important piece of equipment is the backpack, fishing and hunting camping gear. If you are staying in a lodge or a guided hunting camp, you should not worry about whether you want to incorporate special equipment for camping and hunting in the hinterland into your hunting kit. Your backpack must be double-loaded, pack all your equipment for the camp and be able to turn into a day pack or meat tractor when you set off for the daily hunt.
If you’re hunting big game, you don’t have to pack for a waterfowl trip. Note that this packing list is tailored to moose hunting, but much of the equipment is suitable for hunting other wildlife such as fish, mules, pronghorn antelopes, bighorn sheep and mountain goats.
Like most of the equipment on this list, you don’t need a large pack to hunt. The best thing you can do to prepare for a backpacking trip is to put down your backpack, put on some weight and start hiking. You can pack everything in a backpack for hunting without feeling ready to compete in weightlifting.
Although certain things are important and it is nice to back them up and think about simple, big things, remember that there are times when backpacking and hunting are the things that can make or break a hunt, no matter how much preparation you have done. This does not mean a slap in the face or an arrogant apportion of blame, but if you want to experience a hunt, the first step is to decide to do it and not let yourself be disturbed. The most important backpacking/hunting trip is camping in trucks.
In public hunting grounds in Texas, it is best to do some research before shooting down the greenbacks and turn to a reputable outfitter. If you are hunting in an area where equipment suppliers use horses, it helps you avoid areas where they hunt with their packs. You can endure a lot of misery on a long hunting day when you know that you are expecting a safe shelter and a warm sleeping bag in the camp.
I hunted in places I never knew I would be hiking on the first day to get a good vantage point in the area without spending time on Google Earth.
With exclusive access to the areas we hunt, we can offer moose hunters one of the most unique and best opportunities to catch elk with a bow in their lives. There are a few outfitters who have done pioneering work with bears I’ve never hunted before.
For some hunters, success with the best outfitters can be as high as 50 percent, which means that a diligent hunter can kill two to four species with good trophy potential in a 10-day hunt. These are the things I think you will need most to take a test drive. They are the most important pieces of equipment that you have to carry from your camp to the hinterland to carry the goat or bull of your dreams.
