Backpack hunting tips

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py2o3434

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May 20, 2016
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Hi all,
I have been hunting for a couple of years now but have yet to be successful for any big game. I have been on several 2-3 day backpacking trips but will be finally doing a 7 day trip at the end of the month. I had some questions and wanted some tips on how everyone does things.

Glassing: Do you normally wake up and head to a glassing spot before the sun comes out and hike in the dark? Breakfast, how many of you guys cook up a breakfast then head out or just grab a bar or two and eat on the way to your glassing spots?

At the end of the day, do you breakdown your glassing setup and head back to camp before it gets completely dark?
 
Depends on species and situation but if you don't think you'll bump something on the way to your glassing point, get there in the dark. I usually eat there.

Stay on glass until dark. You can see through binos after your naked eye can't. Can see tomorrow mornings buck that way.
 
Agree with both above.
-You should be ready to do anything camping or hiking related in the dark just as well as you can in the light. Navigation, camp set-up/tear down, putting on miles, butchering, etc. That creates maximum flexibility for making the most of your daylight hours. Some people don't like butchering at night in bear country, and I can respect not killing an animal at dark for that reason. I don't enjoy it either, but I do it anyway when needed.
-If you have some miles to cover before light, I prefer to get rolling with a bar or some nuts and fuel up after the morning's glassing/chasing with something more substantial. It's whatever your body needs though really.
 
I used to use Sterno to make a quick instant oatmeal & instant coffee "breakfast", but I can't do anything without my morning coffee. If I don't feel like I got enough sleep the night before, more often than not I'll find a sunny spot and take a mid-day siesta when nothing's moving.

If at all possible I'm in position well before shooting light and stay until after dark. The first and last half hour of shooting light really are the best times to see game, especially the wiley old wall-hangers. And what mtnrunner said...good quality optics allow you to see much better than with the naked eye at dawn and dusk.
 
Get there in the dark and come back in the dark. Instant oatmeal and coffee, or if I have trouble getting the mattress off my back, I am eating some kind of breakfast bar in the dark on the way to my glassing spot. No reason to be in camp while it is still light.
 
The last 1/2 hour of light is magic time. I have seen and killed more animals in the last 20-30 mins of the day than any other timeframe. I have hunted with several guys that are afraid of the dark and hike back before they need their headlamp...none of them have been successful, that I know of. I stay out until the end of legal shooting light. Do it and you'll get used to it over time.

I like to camp as close to the area I expect to see animals as possible. There is nothing worse than hiking in pre-dawn dark and busting a bunch of animals out of your area. Unless you have a lot of ground to cover, I like to wait for light, that way you are hunting (instead of just walking) as much of time as you can.
 
I like a nice granola bar or something like that for breakfast. There are these little "Breakfast On-the-go" bags that really hit the spot.
 
I generally skip the hot breakfast and coffee and go for a ProBar and a clif shot (I like the mocha one with caffeine). That will generally get me through the morning hike and primetime glassing hours. When the sun starts getting higher, I usually have something a bit more substantial. One of the reasons I like backpack hunting is you can be very close to camp during an evening glassing session and skip the long, dark walk back to the truck. This allows you to glass for as long as there is light and not have that hike out on your mind.
 
The first couple of backpacking trips I did I had a hot breakfast and then walked back to camp just as the sun was setting. Now that I'm more comfortable with navigating in the dark I eat a granola bar on the way up in the dark and come down off the hill in the dark.

Last summer I bit the bullet on a new tent and pad to go with my nice sleeping bag so my whole sleeping system weighs in around 5lbs, now I just pack up every morning and bring camp with me so I can sleep wherever I end up when it gets dark. This was great last season as it gave me the ability to follow a buck a couple of ridges over without worrying about traversing steep scree slopes in the dark.
 
I think one of the biggest factors in being successful is the willingness to get into good hunting country before sunrise and staying until after sunset. Don't worry if that sounds daunting. It was for me, too. Just be prepared (at least one GOOD headlamp, multiple batteries, and multiple methods for navigation) and push the limits of what your comfortable with regularly.
Last year I killed my bull 5.5 miles from the trail head about 30 before dark. We got back to the truck at about 10:30. I usually leave the house for day hunt around 2:30am just to make sure I am a few miles from the trailhead when the sun peeks over the hills.
 
Sounds like I've been doing myself a disservice by leaving late/early to and from my glassing locations. I'll be heading out for a high country deer/bear hunt in CA in a few weeks and this has been very helpful! Thank you everyone for the your input, it's greatly appreciated.
 
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