Preparing for that Early Hunt

Preparing For That Early Hunt

By Freddie McKnight

For the most part, hunters are not focused on the upcoming seasons in the middle of summer. Those thoughts will come after the Labor Day weekend, much closer to the October time frame that really starts the hunting seasons for the East Coast.
That is not the case for all hunters in the East, though, as many hunting seasons in the West, as well as Alaska and Canada, are almost upon them. Dream trips, some thought-out and planned for years, are about to unfold. The big question is how to prepare for them.
Having been a veteran of many Western hunts and a couple of trips to Canada, I can tell you from personal experience that you cannot simulate the conditions you will experience. The best thing you can do is to be in good physical shape to handle the stress of such hunts. It is also important to be equally prepared mentally, as well.
Shocking is the one word that comes to mind when you first arrive at an outpost somewhere in the Rocky Mountains or the northern latitudes. I can remember a recent caribou hunt that saw us leaving temperatures in the mid-80’s here at home, only to arrive in camp and be greeted with snow blowing sideways by 60-mph winds. It takes a lot of mental toughness to overcome those conditions.
Late August found two of us bound for the Rocky Mountains for the opening day of the archery season. We left home with near three-digit temperatures only to arrive at our chosen campsite to find a fresh coating of snow on the ground. This occurred at an elevation just shy of 11,000 feet. I don’t know if you have ever experienced altitude sickness, but I would not wish it upon anyone. This is one subject that you want to study before you head out for the first time. There are many ways you can deal with it, but few think about the matter before they go on their first excursion.
Being in good physical shape should be a no-brainer when it comes to these trips. While walking is good exercise, put more into it than just walking on paths or roads. Make yourself climb steeper hillsides while trekking over fallen logs and rocks. Wear your hunting gear and the backpack you plan to use for the hunt. A simple thing like getting used to the shoulder straps takes a while. I know from personal experience that not preparing for using the packs makes sore shoulders in short order.
Since most of the hunting in these locations involves spot and stalking techniques, glassing with binoculars and/or spotting scopes becomes a key part of the trip. Make sure you have good optics and know how to use them. Practice glassing by having someone set up small objects at great distances then you pick them out. Trying to find a piece of hide or antler from hundreds of yards away is hard enough to do with an experienced eye behind the glasses, let alone an untrained one. It could make the difference between getting your game or coming home empty-handed.
Taking too much gear is a problem I still deal with. On the do-it-yourself type hunts, sit down and plan out things like meals, extra gear needed, etc. I usually find myself taking twice the amount of food that I need and end up bringing it back home. This adds an extra cost to the hunt that’s unnecessary. On some of your fly-in hunts, there are weight limits to the amount of gear you can bring. Make sure that you are within those limits as the outfitters will either not allow you to take the gear or charge you extra for the overweight amount. In some remote areas, the cost of baggage on the small planes is extremely high. If you absolutely need more gear than the weight limit, you need to make arrangements ahead of time with the outfitter to get your gear to camp. Outfitters usually run flights in and out of these areas to shuttle hunters, the animals taken, and supplies to the camps. They may be able to squeeze your gear into a scheduled flight without any last minute hassles and costs.
On these out-of-state hunts, one important item to keep in mind is that the shots that are taken are usually much longer than those typically encountered near home. Whereas we might think about a long archery shot being more than thirty yards, these hunts may see the average shot being closer to fifty yards. The same can be said for rifle hunts. A hundred-yard shot in my home woodlands is a long one, but on the open plains of the Canadian Tundra or the sloping terrain of the Rocky Mountains, a shot of three hundred or more yards is commonplace. Not many of us back home can relate to commonly shooting at that distance and it is something that needs to be practiced. Keep in mind that air or land travel and the higher elevations will have an impact on where your gun is zeroed-in. Always shoot your weapon once you are in camp to make sure you know where it is hitting.
I’ve not had the privilege yet, but in many cases outfitters will use horses to get you into the backcountry where the “big ones” live. Now if you have not ridden a horse for some time, you’ll definitely need to before your trip. Not only do you need to become familiar with all the equipment needed for such an event, but you also need to be able to work the reigns and maneuver in the saddle to avoid branches and such. Also, you need to get those all-important backside muscles ready for this sudden change of pace. An office chair and a leather saddle have a much different feel that will require some getting used to.
The most important part of any trip is being prepared for an emergency. If you are on a guided hunt, check with the outfitter to see what they recommend for possible emergencies. If you have planned the hunt yourself, talk to other hunters who have been to the area to see what types of situations you could encounter. The Internet and its hunter chatrooms are a great place for you to find that information. Also check with the local game department in the area to which you are traveling as they usually have minimum recommendations for possible emergencies.
Until you go once or twice, you may not realize just what you are getting yourself into. How to properly prepare, what to take, what you brought that you really didn’t need, etc., are all a part of the process. Keeping a list of your gear, being in good physical shape, and honing your shooting skills are among the best things you can do to be prepared. You’ll be ready for these out-of-state excursions by preparing now.