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I'm taking the Wife and three Daughters to the Frank! Uh Oh.....

ErictheRed

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Jan 5, 2017
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241
Location
Michigan
I've gone and done it now! I'm taking my midwestern dwelling wife and three daughters on a back country bear/wolf hunt into the Frank. We'll be in the mountains late May into early June. I'm looking for any advice from ladies or guys on things I should be sure to not overlook. God knows if I get any detail wrong on this trip, they'll descend on me like rats on cheese! I need this to be a great trip; I want to keep their interest up in making Western hunting a part of their lives after they leave my home. I'm a little worried about weather and sleeping temperatures. Do we really need zero rated sleeping bags first week of June? Snow a risk? What else? Obviously I'll post pictures as this thing develops.
 
Zero degree bag, probably not, but a 20 degree bag for sure. Last year I brought my wife with me in mid-August and we had below freezing two of the nights.

Have your ladies done much camping before? I would say pushing them too hard will be the first and last thing they will remember about the trip. Have a plan, but be willing to be flexible if happy ladies are a goal.

I am married with two daughters and they all love the backcountry. My older daughter is 16 now and she prefers to be outside without doing all the work. Anytime I discuss a backcountry trip, the oldest reminds me of a Boundary Waters trip we took that pushed her harder than she wanted. Now she makes sure I'm not planning anything strenuous.

My girls love to be warm, well fed and clean. Include them in the food planning and don't forget baby wipes.
 
From my wife...feminine protection, comfortable when you sleep, bathroom of sorts, bug spray, good shoes for planned activities, flip flops for camp, don't push too hard, snacks/candy, books to read, dry shampoo, wipes, individual cameras, sunscreen, deck of cards, paper and pencil, hats, bug net for face, wash cloth for warm water in the morning and earplugs for you.
 
Im wondering if the Church is the place you want to take your family for their first back country trip, while it isnt that high, its steep and rough as all get out. This wouldnt be the first place I took my family for sure.
 
7 degrees in Stanley this morning, 14 at Challis.
Better hope it warms up and the snow melts. Low down you'll be okay.
Have fun.
 
What elevation are you planning on hunting in the Frank? There's going to be a big temperature difference between say, Mormon Ranch and Ship Island. Regardless, 20 degree bags will do the job at that time of year. I have been in there in April-November, and the past 10 years or so I've just used a WM Megalite with overfill. Never got cold yet.
Also, be prepared for a lot of tick removal....
 
Guys - thanks for all the advice. We've hunted Montana and I've been to the Bob. We have little experience. Elevation will be below 6,000 ft and we're with an outfitter so I'm hoping he'll take good care of us. This trip is all about fun so we won't be pushing anyone to do more than they can handle.
 
Trip is getting close now. We'll leave Detroit and head direct to Challis straight through. I was thinking about a cooler. If we actually shoot 5 bears - hard to believe but who knows, how much cooler space will we need to bring all the meat and capes home? Any other advice for last minute Amazon orders I should consider?
 
Well an outfitter definitely changes things. I'd just ask him for a gear list as he probably grew up or has guided in there for a lot of years (hopefully). Post lots of pictures, I'm very interested! Not a lot of guys will kill themselves to get into that country for bear.
 
Take a predator call and a cow call with you to try. I watched a video and saw a few where guys were calling bears. When they stopped calling, the bears stopped coming. Like they had short term memory loss or something. When they called constantly, the bear would keep coming. Not like calling coyotes in when you call too much they think something is up and get suspicious. Get some bear spray for each one of you. Comfortable broken in boots.

With an outfitter he will probably have a place/shower you can clean-up somehow even if just a sponge bath, but as others said take lots of scent free butt wipes. They are wonderful to have.
 
We left Detroit yesterday and drove through the night to Fort Laramie. My wife wanted to add a couple visits on the front end of the hunt. Tomorrow we are going to see Teton National Park. From there we'll head to Idaho and stay overnight. We'll then meet the outfitter Sunday noon and go into camp. Between the three daughters, wife and myself we ought to get something. I'll kee you all posted. Can't wait for this hunt to get started!
 
Sounds like a great family adventure. Even if you don't get anything I am positive you will all remember this trip for the rest of your lives. But good luck, and wishing you success.
 
Well, we just finished the hunt. Only one bear seen the last night with no clean shot opportunity. I have to say the horses, mountains and flooding rivers gave us all we could handle. We saw a goat, sheep and many deer during the week. The snow melt and rising water was a major impact on the hunt as it limited us on where we could go. Rivers were flooding everywhere and I glad we left when we did. It's only going to get worse. Several places on the Salmon river were already flooded and water was rising as we were headed north to Montana. Overall the Frank Church is an amazing place and glad we were able to enjoy it for a few days.
 
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Glad you guys had a good time. From the bit I've spent in the Frank, it's amazingly harsh and beautiful country.
 
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