Cowboy Heaven Consulting, LLC
6116 Walker Road
Bozeman, MT 59715
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If backpack hunting is so great, why don’t more people do it, you may ask. Well, it can involve some pretty serious exertion, which is probably the biggest reason, and also it is out of a lot of people’s comfort zone. You’re not going to hanging out at the bar at night, or clustered around the woodstove in a wall tent, swapping or embellishing tales of adventure. More likely, as I once heard it described you’ll be "deep in the bosom of misery", in a backpack tent somewhere up in the deadfall. Properly equipped, though, that’s not such a bad thing, and more than offset by the opportunities it provides.

It’s a safe bet that backpack hunters as a group have the highest success of any style of hunting, at least when we’re talking about hunting elk, deer, bear, or other inhabitants of rugged mountainous terrain. Backpackers can access the more remote and inaccessible areas beyond the reach of those merely out for a day hunt, and it should come as no surprise that those areas are where the wildlife tends to congregate. Also, they can reach areas inaccessible to horse hunters, and maintain a low profile in doing so. While I am still a big fan of using horses to pack in a camp, travel by packstring cannot be characterized as a stealthy activity. My horses have never grasped the value of being quiet, and are forever breaking limbs, whinnying at each other, and generally making a racket. Besides, the level of activity associated with a horse camp and its attendant firewood cutting and chopping, woodsmoke, plus talking and laughter between the humans and also amongst the horse herd, is not going to pass unnoticed by wildlife in the vicinity. Also, while horse parties can reach far more remote country than day-hunters on foot, they still need to camp somewhere accessible by trail, and with water and in most cases, horse feed available. Backpackers, on the other hand, can camp anywhere they can find some sort of at least relatively flat spot, and can be miles from the nearest horse trail. For instance, where I killed my elk in 1999 was two miles from the nearest point I could get to with horses. The country in-between was a jungle of steep deadfall, impossible to get through with a single saddlehorse, let alone a packstring. Elk can navigate through such a jackstrawed mess with apparent ease, though, and that is where they often seek refuge, with great success. They are just more agile and undoubtedly more highly motivated than any horse or mule, and it’s amazing how they can rapidly navigate through terrain that a human can barely crawl through.

Backpack hunting is a much more stealthy affair than hunting with horses, though. While you still need to be aware of wind currents and which way they are carrying your scent, and obviously don’t want to camp right in the immediate area where wildlife is hanging, a backpacker has much better odds of slipping into and camping undetected adjacent to an area where animals with big antlers are hiding out. Plus, you can be hunting those spots during the most productive hours of early morning and late evening, when it’s likely that there aren’t any other humans in the vicinity and the wildlife has their guard down.

Of course, perhaps the most attractive thing about backpack hunting is that it is available to anyone in adequate physical condition, with a comparatively modest investment in equipment. Compared to the cost of owning and maintaining a string of horses or mules with the necessary tack, trucks, trailers, and camping equipment, you can backpack hunt on a shoestring, so to speak. Opinions on just what that equipment should consist of vary widely, but I’ll tell you what works for me as well as some other very successful hunters I know.

When discussion of backpacks for hunting comes up, the style most frequently mentioned is the "freighter" style pack. These are an external frame pack, and when the pack bag in removed a shelf at the bottom of the frame can be folded down to support odd shaped loads like firewood, or hopefully, elk quarters. A lot of meat has been carried out of the mountains on these packs (and with debatable wisdom, a lot of bone also) but in recent years they are falling somewhat out of favor. Nearly all serious backpackers have gone to using internal frame packs, which allow the load to ride closer to your body improving comfort and balance, and are generally narrower so they don’t interfere with arm movement. The better internal frame packs have very sophisticated suspensions, and do a remarkable job of transferring the weight to your hips instead of hanging it off your shoulders. I usually steer clear of recommending any particular brand of equipment, but will make an exception in this case and put in a plug for Dana Design backpacks (and add that I have no connection with Dana Design, but feel they are the best-designed packs on the market). Their heavy-duty expedition packs, the ArcFlex models, which are the ones you would want for backpack hunting, have a remarkable suspension system. The pack is supported by a polyethylene framesheet, with a central aluminum stay that can be bent to fit the contour of your back precisely. Also the packs are available in a range of sizes, and can be fitted with different sizes of shoulder straps and hip belts (as well as gender specific hip belts) so that anyone can have a pack that fits them precisely. Perhaps their most remarkable feature is a pair of carbon fiber stays that run from the top to the bottom of the pack along the sides. When tensioned, a pair of straps connecting the hipbelt to the bottom of the stays bend the stays into an arc which transfers a remarkable amount of the load to your hips; a portion of your anatomy much better suited to carrying weight than your shoulders and back. Also, an internal load control strap keeps the load from sagging and pulls it up tight against your back. While the idea of a backpack that comes with (and needs) an owner’s manual to explain the myriad adjustments may seem extreme, the degree to which you can dial in the fit on these packs is remarkable. I have carried up to 75 pounds in mine, and friends have carried up to 90 pounds (consisting mostly of elk meat!). While undeniably strenuous, these kinds of loads would be murder in a lesser backpack.

Speaking of backpacking out meat (which is hopefully the end result and why you are going to all this trouble in the first place!), the idea of packing out entire quarters, bone-in, makes no sense at all to me. You can eliminate approximately 40% of the weight by leaving the bones behind. When you have an elk on the ground and are looking at packing 150-250 pounds of meat and antlers out through several miles of rough country, only a masochist would want to increase that amount by 40%. Boning out an animal is a relatively simple matter, just separate the muscle groups from the bones that support them, and leave the bones behind for the coyotes, bears, and birds. They’ll be grateful, and so will your back. 

Some folks still prefer external frame packs, and arguably maintain they better support obscenely heavy and odd-shaped loads. Dana also makes external frame packs that share the load-shifting suspension of their internal frame models, and if that’s what you want I guarantee you will find the Dana packs in a class by themselves. Of course, the downside is that they are not cheap; you can spend over $400 on a new ArcFlex. As with most things, there are ways to get bargains. I have seen used Dana packs sell on various internet backpacking bulletin boards for around half the cost of new. I called the Dana Design repair and warranty facility here in Bozeman at 406-585-9279. They gave me a list of mail-order businesses that carry their stuff, and I was able to find a ’98 model Alpine pack for about $225. Still not cheap, but well worth it.  Further contact information plus a list of retailers can be found in Dana Design's website.

Another line of backpacks and related equipment, designed specifically for hunting, is manufactured by Kifaru , http;//www.kifaru.net.   I haven’t personally tried their stuff, but those who have like it.

It’s not like you’ve got to have one of these high-end backpacks to head out into the woods, but they will certainly allow you to carry more weight with far greater comfort than lesser models. If you’re looking into buying new equipment, I’d certainly recommend spending a few extra bucks and getting the right stuff in the first place.

If opinions vary on what type of backpack is best, it’s nothing compared to the divergence of opinions on shelter. Some people carry nothing more than a tarp, some advocate one-man bivy shelters, and others carry full-size mountaineering expedition tents. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by too much time spent in wall tents with nearly all the comforts of home, but I don’t fall into the minimalist category when it comes to shelter. A tarp strung between a couple of trees certainly won’t load down your pack, and might be tolerable in nice weather during bow season, but when the snows of late November fly, I’d rather carry a few more pounds in exchange for more comfort. If you are warm, dry, and well-fed and rested you’re going to be able to hunt much more effectively.

I am currently using a North Face Lenticular tent, which incidentally I picked up via internet classifieds for $100 (a steal!). It’s a 2-man, 4-season backpack tent. We’ve used it with two people in the summer, but in my opinion it’s a little small for use in nasty weather when you’d both want to have the bulk of your gear inside. It has a vestibule of sorts, but it’s too small for two backpacks, and marginal even for one. It’s a palace for a solo hunt, though, with plenty of room to sit up and move around in. One disadvantage is that it is borderline heavy for its size at about eight pounds, but on the other side of the coin I like the fact that it is a neutral forest green color; an exceedingly rare thing in backpack tents.

I’m keeping my eye out for a deal on a tent more suited to two or even three people. The weather during late fall in Montana can get seriously nasty, and a couple of the more highly rated 4-season expedition tents are the North Face Mountain or VE-25, and the Mountain Hardware Trango. These aren’t cheap or lightweight tents, but you can split the weight with a companion, and I’m certain you’d consider the extra pounds well worthwhile if you’re camping in a howling blizzard. These tents are designed to stand up to the rigors of an Everest expedition, and you won’t have to wonder if your tent is going to collapse with the next gust of wind.

Bivy shelters are also popular. If you’re really concerned with saving weight they might be the way to go, they generally weigh in at about two to three pounds. Most are basically a sleeping bag cover, usually made of Gore-Tex, with at most a hoop or two to provide some space above your face. I originally thought they would be just the deal, but after reading numerous reviews it appears that people have quite a problem with condensation if they’re closed up (which is what you’re going to need to do if it’s stormy). Also, the comfort factor isn’t going to be nearly in the same league as a tent, at least if the weather’s bad, which is of course when the hunting is best. I think they’re probably best suited for use as an emergency shelter, to be taken along just in case during early season hunting when the weather is less of a factor.

In case you haven’t noticed by now, I value comfort highly! I have awakened plenty of mornings in a frigid tent lined with frozen condensation, and it just isn’t a fun way to start the day. Again, maybe I’ve been spoiled by time spent in wall tents, where you can lean over and light the wood stove without even getting out of your sleeping bag. In fifteen minutes or so the coffee is perking and you can step out of your bag in luxurious comfort. This past fall I found a way to approximate that sensation in a backpack tent. Coleman is now making a small catalytic heater that uses propane canisters for fuel. Prior to this, using a fuel-powered heat source in a backpack tent ranged from risky to suicidal. The catalytic heater is the only one I am aware of that doesn’t produce carbon monoxide, although it does still use oxygen and requires some ventilation. While using this heater in a nylon tent still requires caution and common sense, I’m a big fan of it. You can set it directly on the tent floor; it radiates next to no heat directly below it. It’s still necessary to keep combustibles away directly adjacent to and above it, but except for a brief moment when you first light it there’s no open flame. Coleman strongly advises against using the heater while sleeping, which I trust you’re all smart enough to not do, but it makes a world of difference in the morning. Forget this "bosom of misery" stuff, I prefer to start my day in the bosom of comfort. The heater plus a propane canister will add about five pounds to your load, so it’s not for minimalists, but if the temperature is falling below about 15 degrees F, I think it’s well worth it. Once again, though, I must advise caution, since catching your tent and sleeping bag on fire is very, very bad, possibly fatal, and at a minimum the likely third-degree burns that will result will profoundly impact the rest of your life, however long or short that might turn out to be!

The rest of my equipment consists of a Thermarest sleeping pad, a synthetic fill sleeping bag, a MSR Whisperlite stove and set of MSR stainless steel pans, water filter, two Mini-Mag flashlights (always with extra bulbs and batteries), some first aid stuff, and my usual hunting accessories like a knife, saw, and sharpener, matches, compass, altimeter, maps, camera & film, and some twine or rope. All this plus food adds up to a 55 to 60 pound load. Update:  I've now got this down to 45#.  Changes are a 3.5# Marmot Never Summer down sleeping bag, a MSR SuperFly stove (4 oz!), and a Primus lantern.  Minimalists would still consider this an excessively heavy load, but personally I don't see paring it down much more.  I may experiment with just using the tent fly and ground sheet in mild weather, though, which would eliminate another four pounds or so. 

Speaking of food, I have become a fan of using freeze-dried backpack meals. While slightly pricey at about six dollars each, their light weight and convenience more than offset the price. I’ve tried most all the different brands, and am partial to Mountain House. They seem to have more protein (meat) in them, don’t require any additional pans other than one to boil water in (no cleanup!), and are tasty. I haven’t come to grips with freeze-dried eggs for breakfast, though, and suffer the minimal extra weight of granola and fruit. Lunch consists of jerky, cheese, fruit, and a granola bar. I have lately become a fan of Balance Bars. Unlike most bars, they contain nearly equal amounts of protein and carbohydrates, and provide longer-lasting energy than any candy bar.

So, now you’ve studied the maps and located a remote basin with feed and water, far off the horse trails and beyond the reach of the day hunters. You’ve bushwhacked your way through the deadfall and have your camp set up about a half mile away in a secluded little pocket. You’ve seen a good bit of game sign on the way in, and the snow that’s falling guarantees that the tracks you’ll see in the morning are fresh. If luck is with you, maybe that bull elk of your dreams is going to standing at the end of some of those tracks. You’ve just finished a hot meal, and are perhaps enjoying an evening cocktail that you’ve judged worth the trouble to pack in. At this point, your prior exertion is seeming eminently worthwhile, and I’ll bet there’s no place else you’d rather be right now…

See you along the trail, hopefully after you’re through packing out your meat….