Out West Advise Needed

[kudzu]

This fall I will be making my first hunt out west. A Colorado Elk Hunt.
I have made decisions on some things and need advice on others.
First my gun of choice will be my Rem bdl 300rum topped off with 5x15x50 Bush. 3200, shooting 180 swift scirocco.
Rangefinder Bush Elite 1500.

Now my questions are: Shooting/walking stick vs bipod
                                 What power binos do you use
                                 What I should and should not carry in daypack
                                  What daypack do you use (leaning towards a largger fanny pack with shoulder straps) do you reccomend a pack with gun scabbard?.

You see what kind of advise I'm looking for. Anything from your own bag of tricks and things that have worked for you.

Sure I will learn a lot from this trip, but any helpful tips to get me thru this first one will be greatlly appreciated.

thanks, DM

 
                                 

[crow_feather]

I hunt the Rockies in Idaho.  I prefer the shooting sticks, althopugh I just saw a new product on television that has sticks in the rifle sling and they sort of slide out and are attached to the sling when you need them.  A strong thin rope to tie elk pieces up in trees etc. unless you are using a guide or plan to hunt with horses.  Pepper spray and a small camera. Fire starter and those fire starting cubes.  I carry a roll of dental floss - ultra strong and very thin - hardly any weight. I also cary a spare light weight folding kniife and an emergency orange collored poncho. Also a roll of medical tape about 1/2 inch wide.  Also a small single AAA size flashlight.

May you have the best of luck in your hunt

C F

[james]

I've logged 15 years worth of chasing elk and I like to travel as light as possible.  A fanny pack will work but I put suspenders on mine. You need some way to tie your coat or rain suit to it. The terrain will dictate the shooting aids but in the black timber you need your rifle in your hand and may not have time for sticks or bipods.  I don't carry either.  Elk travel far and fast and you will need to also.  The farther you get from roads and people the better the hunting will be.  I am speaking of hunting on public land on foot.   Guided hunts on private ranches are different and you can take anything that doesn't overload the horse or pickup.   A compass, matches, poncho, extra ammo, nylon cord, small flashlight, and a water bottle is what I carry in my pack.   I carry a multi bladed knife so I won't have to sharpen it.  I usually  have elk calls, jerky, and trail mix in my pockets and small binocs around my neck. Toilet paper in a zip lock bags in your back pockets makes for a good  seat cushion.  When you get your elk down, you lop off a quarter, throw it over your shoulder and hike out to your vehicle.  Leave your gun and extra gear and pick up your good pack frame, meat saw and bags to retrieve the rest of the meat.  I sometimes carry a small disposable camera when I am bull hunting.   I have cow tags this year so I'll just carry pliers to pull the ivorys.  Good hunting .
james

[songdog]

.....while I agree with our other two gents on traveling light, I have also been caught with my pants down enough to carry more gear.  As far as binos, I am an archer and I only carry those during the pre-season.  Make sure you have good glass.  My choice is the Nikon Monarch 10x42's.  I went to Varmint Al's website (google Varmint Al) and made a pair of his home made shooting sticks($2).  They are light, quiet and they double as a walking stick for the steep stuff.  Don't skimp on rain gear out here.  I've had it go from sunny, to rainy, to heavy rain, even hail and snow.  This can also be an extra layer if you find yourself stuck out overnight.  This leads to my last thought.  I hunt backcountry and do not have the luxury of traveling so light.  My choice of pack is the Eberlestock Just One.  It's a stallion of a daypack (2200ci) that expands to 4500 for carrying out elk quarters.  The trips add up when packing out a monster and this thing is an absolute mule of a pack when it comes to loads.  If you can pick it up, this pack carries it. 
     So I guess the bottom line is that much of what you carry depends on where you hunt.  Feel free to contact me if you would like to know more on my approach.  There really isn't one particular way of doing things when playing in the backyard of the elk. 

[supertodd]

elk are big and you will be fra from your vehicle in most cases, so don't forget everything you need to butcher an elk and pack it out with.

[mcwoodduck]

In my pack I carry:
Spare batteries for flash light, GPS, and range finder,
Rubber gloves for gutting.  Game bag Cotton to cover critter.
Toilet paper, butt wipes, and hand wipes and a wash cloth in a Zip Loc ( cottonelle makes small packs of butt wipes that are sold in Target for a buck.  Also the same with the hand wipes.  They come in handy for lots of things.  Wipe sausage greese off knife, Wipe up blood ect.
sweater.
Spare ammo, small light Ka-bar floding skinner. A small hatchet.
H20, diet coke ( I'm addicted to caffene and I get a 2PM head ache if I don't get some) both in Bottles
Some snacks ( Cheese crackers, Jerkey ect) and lunch (usually something canned we cook on the hill)  I also have a couple 1 gallon zip lock bags for trash.
Fire starter, some kindeling, matches (strike anywhere in a container) a couple birthday candles ( the kind that you can not blow out)(if you can not neither can the wind!)
A pair of space blankets, and a disposable poncho, small 1st aid kit with allieve and cold medicine and chap stick.
Decoy cord and 25' of 3/8" rope. It has come in handy in getting parts either up or out.
And a spare pair of gloves and socks in a Zip loc bag.
On my body I carry.
GPS, 10X42 Binos, range finder (being a city boy I can not tell past 100 yards) a flash light, disposable camera, and a clip on the head light( mine is tiny that clips on the bill of a baseball cap) Belt knife, and a zippo lighter.
Leather gloves work gloves, ammo, rifle (M70 in 338 WM)  Some times a handgun (in Idaho it's a 22 to shoot grouse most of the time it stays in the saddlebags  If I were to hike it would stay in camp)

[mcwoodduck]

Oh yea to get ready for the hunt.
I take everything I am going to carry and wear, dump it in a tub and weigh the tub.
I then take my spare back pack and add the same amount of weight to it in the form of old phone books and water filled 2L soda bottles.
I have a 9 pound step areobics stick to simulate a rifle and I took 4 mile walks in the AM.  Then a second walk in the evening with just the stick.  Treat the stick as you would your rifle.   

[BBF]

The thought of leaving my rifle back at the vehicle and go back to a gutted and partial dismembered elk, deer or moose u n a r m e d isn't even rolling out of the hangar

[bilmac]

I don't think grizzle bears are very common in Colorado yet, If you were in their range then hauling around meat and no gun is not smart. Somebody suggested carrying pepper spray, but who in their right mind reaches for pepper spray when he's got an elk rifle.

I usually take both a Fanny pack and a daypack in the vehicle. Sometimes you step out of the truck to walk a mile or two, other times you want to spend most of the day. It has been said that if you are hunting public land the farther away from roads you are the better the hunting will be, and that is very true. If you are young and strong go for it. Do some map work to make sure you really are going into a roadless area. ATVs screw the whole roadless equation up a bit, but the Forest Service is restricting them in lots of places now.

I also carry a sturdy pack frame in the vehicle and some canvas bags. When I get one down I bone them out. Leave everything that isn't edible in the woods. I have carried a whole bull in one trip this way but I don't recommend it. Remember that hauling an elk downhill is a whole different story than carrying one uphill, so I usually try to hunt uphill from the truck.

Get a GPS and learn how to use it. Mark your truck every time you leave it. If you get one down mark it, then when you get back to your truck you can drive around a bit to see if you can get a little closer to the elk.

[BBF]

It doesn't have to be a grizzly, you try having an arguement with a black bear or a cougar without some heat.

[bilmac]

I never carried anything when packing meat, at that time I am convinced that the heavy loads are trying to kill me. A handgun would be the way to compromise.

[BBF]

 Yes for handgun, something that is not legal for us Canadians.
Years ago while on a moose hunt I stepped out of the bush and walked to the P/U of my partner. As I was walked around the front to get the ignition key off the fron tire I happen to look back and saw a big black bear come out of the same spot I had come. 

There is no way you can convince me that the bear wasn't stalking me. Later that day he was hanging around the moose I had shot while two of us were field dressing the bull.

[rex6666]

What has been said here, and don't forget some food just in case.
I usually carry a willow switch about 3 foot long in case of bears, unless it is bear season, then i carry belt knife with about a 6 inch blade.

[Mt_Sourdough]

I dont know how much your weather in Colorado will differ from Western Montana, but I carry lots of extra clothes if I am getting in deep.  Weather changes quick and wind on ridge tops will go right through you. 

[taylorce1]

I dont know how much your weather in Colorado will differ from Western Montana, but I carry lots of extra clothes if I am getting in deep.  Weather changes quick and wind on ridge tops will go right through you. 

Weather can change real quick, I recommend a set of lightweight rain gear.  Hunted first season elk and had a slow drizzle come in mid morning that soaked through all of my clothes then the temperature dropped and it started to snow by evening.  Didn't know if I was going to make it back to camp, glad my horses see better in the snow than I do.  Felt like I was going to freeze to death before I got to camp, being wet when the temp drops just plain sucks.