BACKCOUNTRY PREPAREDNESS

Over the last 50 years the act of hunting itself has not changed, we still kill animals, but the ways we do it, the ways we get there, and the ways we get out, have changed dramatically. 

It wasn’t long ago that a backcountry hunt was usually conducted by horseback or assisted by a pack train of animals that dropped your gear off at a spike camp.  Or if you had legs of steel and lungs to match you could hike yourself into the backcountry carrying a very large heavy pack and rifle and stay a week waiting for that perfect buck.

When you think back, and I can do that because I’m officially “old”, or at least my three grandsons think I am, a backcountry deer hunt was anything 5 miles or more into the backcountry. Then you had a different backcountry hunt called a “horseback-backcountry hunt” that meant you were going about 15 or 20 miles into the mountains. There were always variations on that, but I believe the truth be told most people who were going into what they called the “backcountry” were really only going 3 or 4 miles and camping off the trail for 2 or 3 days and coming out heavy. “Heavy” meaning they busted a buck and were packing it out on pack frames. Things were different then, less hunters, less pressure and definitely more deer. You just didn’t need to hike that far to get a buck.

The “way we get there” has changed significantly. We have better vehicles, to get us farther. This includes side-by-sides, quads, mountain bikes, electric bikes and if you have enough money, you can be helicoptered in.

Our footwear of today is undeniably better than what we wore 20 years ago and if you go back 40 years ago the changes have been unimaginable. We have gone from calf high leather boots with hard heavy logger soles or worse yet military surplus boots that weighed down our legs and turned our feet to hamburger, to super light hunting boots with synthetic waterproof and breathable Gor-Tex lining.

The clothing of today is so much more breathable, warmer, cooler, dryer and lighter than ever before. Compare that to 501 jeans, flannel shirts and a wool coats and hats that weren’t breathable and once you started getting hot and sweaty you were wet until you got home.

Do we need to talk about rifles and bows? Let’s just say, the average guy can easily and affordably outfit himself with a 1000-yard rifle and scope combo without breaking the bank.  Today’s compound bow is an 80-yard bow right out of the box, even the cheap ones. So “the way we do it” has changed significantly.

In many respects “the ways we get out” have changed similar to the ways we get there. and because we are now going farther than ever before, the return trip may change into a Rescue if you don't plan ahead.

In my Blogs I write a lot about being prepared, and what can happen, and don’t do this and don’t do that, and it's all for a reason. The reason is “So you and I don’t die”.

Many people have forgotten the “Old Ways” of our ancestors. There have been so many changes that have taken place in the outdoor industry that we have overlooked the old ways. We rely too much on gadgets and hi-tech clothing that we tend to not know when to stop hiking and just sit down and take stock of where we are.

We assume that we can go farther, stay longer, shoot the game at greater distance and no matter where the game falls, we can look at our phones and find the way back to the truck.

Sometimes the hardest decision a hunter has to make is to stop what you are doing and turn around and go back to the truck or camp.

Mountain Sickness

The old timers used to call it Mountain Sickness. It happens every year in deer and elk camps across the west. Not to be confused with altitude sickness, mountain sickness is when someone on the trip suddenly develops an illness that they didn’t have or was unnoticeable before everyone left for the hunt. It could be the heat or the cold that brought it on, the dinner was too spicy, maybe too much campfire coffee, maybe you ate too much or you’re too dehydrated from all the crown the night before. Who knows how it starts but it starts. I could almost bet that if you think back to every big game hunt on opening weekend with the group you go with, somebody got it. They either puked up, got diarrhea, suffered a horrible headache, had a hemorrhoid blow, or suddenly started pissing razor blades. It happens, and there’s nothing we can do about it. It's part of hunting; you are taking yourself out of your usual element and your mind senses changes and things happen.

It's hard to be prepared for such things. And truth be told “Mountain Sickness” is a catch all for just about anything from road sickness to the flu or maybe a kidney stone that got jarred loose on that mountain road you decided to take after breakfast burritos and coffee! You know your buddies better than anyone, so try to anticipate what may come up. Make sure there is enough water, the food is just spicy enough but not too spicy and maybe get some extra sleep. Have antacids and Pepto with you, aspirin and Tylenol, Imodium AD and anything that would cover the usual unexpected sicknesses that may arise. Mountain Sickness ruins more hunts than just about anything but it's part of the game.

Preparedness

There is a fine line to being prepared and being overloaded. When we think back to our fathers and grandfathers, they were fine with a pack of Marlboro Reds, a knife, a handful of shells, a metal canteen full of water, and a wool blanket. But they were different, they were skilled outdoorsman, who knew how to make a fire, make shelter, eat what nature provided and if they got stuck in the woods overnight so be it, they didn’t have a cellphone to call out, and if they did the stubborn old cusses wouldn’t have used it anyway, rather die than ask for help.

Honestly, I get it now that I’m older I understand their need to be tough, show people you still have it and prove to yourself that you still have it, but nothing beats coming home alive and that’s what preparedness is all about. Think ahead as to what could happen and have a way to get back home.

Depending on where you live it may just be a cellphone call to your wife or buddy asking for a jumpstart or it could be a 15 mile walk up a hill to get out on that same cellphone.

The reason I am going through all this explanation is so we can imagine the changes that have taken place and how we rely on technology so much more than ever before but usually in a “Single-Dimensional” way.

Today, if you were hunting in the woods and for some reason, you snapped a leg, broke an arm or fell and hit your head, most of us would just rely on a cellphone to get us out. One item Single-Dimensional. In my world of over preparedness, something my hunting buddies make fun of me for, I rely on several items to get me back home, and I believe they actually rely on me to bring those items, so they don’t have to.

Tell Someone

First is the hunt plan, I always tell someone where I’m going and when I will be back. The second is my Cellphone, hopefully it works. Third is my “Panic Azimuth”, an absolute known compass direction, or known direction to a road, trail or other area where I know I can get back to the truck or at a minimum I can be found by a passing vehicle or other hunter.

A Panic Azimuth has saved countless lives of hunters, hikers, search and rescue personnel and military personnel. Many downed pilots in Vietnam knew that if they were shot down and landed in the jungles to travel to the coast, the river, to Hwy 1, or other areas where friendly forces dominated the area, this was a Panic Azimuth.

Your Panic Azimuth could be the road your truck is parked on, the trail nearest the truck, a campground you’re familiar with, anything to get you out as long as it is absolute and will not fail in getting you out. A Panic Azimuth that takes you away from your vehicle, or only worsens your situation is not a Panic Azimuth but a Death Azimuth. You need to know in your mind that it is the correct direction to go, so that your mind won’t start telling you to go a different direction when you start to panic.

My fourth is my Zoleo or you may choose to use your In-Reach or even an Apple iPhone that has a satellite option.

I also always carry a two-way radio with me. They aren’t the greatest, but they work. So, as you can tell I am over prepared. Five ways of self-rescue, that’s “Five-Dimensional” so I guess you could say I’m over prepared.

But this comes from years and years of always hunting on my own and working on my own, having little or no back up, and my military experiences of being a Scout/LRRP for the 82nd Airborne and being very far forward and having no other assets to rely on other than myself.

For these reasons I feel that preparedness should also come in the form of dual-purpose items that you carry with you while hunting anytime you are more than about a half mile from the truck or camp.

Everything in your Backpack should have Multiple Purposes

When we think of dual purpose the Leatherman Tool comes to most everyone’s mind, and I can't think of a more dual-purpose tool than a multi-tool. This item should always be with you in the field.

I also tend to be redundant, for example I always have at least two flashlights. One handheld and one headlamp. And if possible, I have two very small flashlights down in my bag that clip inside so I can reach inside in the dark and see what’s inside my bag without lighting up the entire night sky just to grab a breakfast bar.

I usually have two knives. One standard fixed blade knife that stays on my backpack belt and never comes off. And a second replaceable knife like the Outdoor Edge 3.5 inch folder that stays inside my backpack with my game processing equipment. If I’m going in for a few days I will also carry my small folding Havalon knife down in my pocket, in the event my backpack and I suddenly part ways.

I carry two lighters and matches. I keep one lighter and matches in my backpack and one lighter in my shirt pocket for the same reason I keep my Havalon knife or an additional knife in my trouser pocket. It doesn’t do you any good to have a knife and matches in your backpack if you have to watch your backpack float downstream or roll off a hill. If a pack horse starts bucking and runs back down the hill with your gear that you may never see again. If you have a vehicle breakdown and you have to start walking out, you may forget the backpack in your truck or need to hitchhike out, trust me, you will feel better with a pocketknife and lighter with you.

I carry four elk quarter bags; these usually consist of old white pillowcases or actual elk quarter bags. These are light and can actually be used as a light blanket and one time I even modified one to wear as a night shirt to help keep me warm one cold wet night. Again, everything should have a dual purpose.

Speaking of shirts, in the early season I usually just carry a light sweatshirt attached to my pack and a clean dry old soft t-shirt down inside my pack. If you ever decide to sit down and rest after a long day of hiking and sweating, it's nice to take your wet t-shirt off and dry it out and let yourself air out before you take a nap or go to bed for the night and an old well-worn t-shirt is perfect for this. An extra pair of socks is a must if you are going for more than a day. A day trip not so much but put them in there anyway.

I carry water with me usually in a standard plastic bottle of whatever brand I happen to buy at the store, usually two or three bottles sometimes even four or five bottles. I also carry a “Stream-Straw” or a version of it anyway with a plastic bladder that I can fill up with as I go. These are worth every penny and work really well. They are excellent for getting water out of very small streams, sometimes only a half inch deep. Boiling water in the back country is time consuming, and it's a real hassle, I would personally rather use a filter, it's faster and you can bounce from water source to water source as long as you know there is actually water where you are going.  

Boiling water truly is a hassle, and often people will still take a quick sip of the water before they boil it because it looks so inviting and clean.

I take my Stream Straw and wrap it with orange 550 cord (actual Parachute cord), I also take several strands of 550 cord with me and have it in the various pockets of my bag. Cordage for tiedowns, extra shoestrings, snares for game (yes, they work great for small animals)

I usually have some bug spray or bug lotion, along with some other small odds and ends like dental picks, dental floss, toothbrush and toothpaste, spare reading glasses, and an old set of regular glasses for back-up some fishing line and small hooks.

I take the pen I use to fill out my tags and I wrap duct tape around the pen several times for emergency tape. I also carry black electrical tape about a half a roll and red flagging tape. I also have about 20 feet of fishing line and some very small fishhooks; remember you can catch big fish with small hooks, but you can't catch small fish with big hooks and up in the mountains a 4-inch or 6-inch brook trout is about all you’re going to get. I will also carry a small tube of superglue, and a small pair of nail clippers, along with a needle and thread for popping blisters and sewing up clothes.

My first aid kit is minimal but useful. Everyone should have a first aid kit!!! I can't stress this enough! If not for you, have one for your buddy or even a stranger. I use my first aid kit every year.

Don’t waste your money on a first aid kit from Rite Aid or Walmart. Those things are junk and consist of some Band-Aids of ridiculous sizes and a couple aspirin. Make your own, it will be cheaper and better, just make a list and go to the store and get the stuff. Better yet, if you have a wife or girlfriend or know anyone who is in the medical field or who sees a doctor often ask them to bring you home some “extra stuff”. I don’t know of one RN who leaves work without extra stuff in her pockets. scissors, wraps, medical tape, saline syringes, take anything they will give you. Make two first aid kits, one for your backpack and one for your truck, someday someone will thank you.

Don’t forget Benadryl for you and your dog, mole skin, Imodium AD, Triple antibiotic ointment, and if you have some pain killers you can tolerate maybe something the doctor gave you that you have leftover (hint, hint), throw it in the kit too, you may need it, to get you back to the truck, make sure it hasn’t expired!

Although embarrassing when they fall out of the kit in front of your friends, a women feminine napkin makes a great bandage for a larger open wound and tampons are great for plugging bullet holes!  After all they are just a different type of bandage.

I little tip when it comes to packing a good first aid kit, if you’re a veteran and you have allergies to bees, nuts, fish, things that cause severe allergic reactions and you get your meds through the VA you can ask your doctor for an EpiPen or (Epinephrine autoinjector). You can get these for free or for a very small co-pay through the VA. Your regular insurance may also cover the costs. These are absolutely invaluable in the backcountry and save lives every day.

Preparedness isn’t just about what’s in your backpack, it's also about good health. If you can get in to see your doctor before hunting season begins, ask him or her what they think, ask them about what they think you should have with you for your particular health. It wouldn’t hurt for them to do an EKG or an ECG of your heart and give you a pass or fail! Before you decide to walk straight up a mountain and push your aging soft body to its limits.

You don’t need to be a decathlon athlete to deer and elk hunt, but it helps!

Just take it easy, be prepared, and remember that you are there to enjoy the hunt. If it starts feeling like work or maybe you begin to start not feeling well, call it a hunt and go home. Return to fight another day, when things are in your favor.

Enjoy or go home

If hunting becomes work, or if it's just not fun anymore, maybe it's time to regroup and call it day. Go back to camp and drink some iced tea or a beer, take a nap and have a sandwich. Part of being prepared is to have the mindset that you’re going to enjoy the hunt and not allow others to push you to a point where it's no longer enjoyable.

In closing, something to remember is that the pastime of hunting is an inherently dangerous hobby. We use knifes, firearms and broadheads, we walk up through, over and under mountain peaks and through flooded creeks, we ride horses through areas that we shouldn’t, we eat wild foods and drink from forbidden mountain streams and if all that doesn’t kill you, the traffic and highways from your house to camp are even more dangerous.

Anytime you go hunting, be thankful that you are still able to do it and that you made it home no matter how successful you are.

Ken