It can be intimidating. The idea of leaving civilization behind, carrying everything you need to survive in the mountains alone. Then pursuing a wild animal on their terms, to bring home high-quality protein for you and your family.
Backpack hunting is an activity and pursuit unlike any other. While demanding, it is also very doable.
Recently, our friend, Josh Kirchner (@dialedinhunter), published a video on How To Do Your First Backpack Hunt. In the video, he covered the basics of how to plan for success if you are new to backpack hunting.
As a follow-up to that video, we invited Josh to join us on The Hunt Backcountry Podcast, so that we could discuss tips for new backpack hunters in even more depth…
WHERE TO BACKPACK HUNT
If you are new to backpack hunting, you may not know where you can go. Not just in terms of “hunting”, but also in terms of “backpacking”?
Can you just walk into the forest and set up a camp wherever you’d like?
To begin to answer these questions, it is important to understand that not all public land is the same.
Use the onX Hunt app to pre-plan your trip, and also as a valuable tool to navigate while on your hunt.
Begin by looking at National Forest and understanding the rules for “dispersed camping” — which is what you would typically be doing while backpack hunting.
Another specific “type” of public land that is relevant to backpack hunters is Wilderness areas (with a capital “W”). These Wilderness areas are federal lands with specific designations and regulations, established by the Wilderness Act of 1964.
Wilderness areas are, “An area of wilderness is further defined to mean in this Act an area of undeveloped Federal land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions.”
In addition to National Forest and Wilderness, there are other types of federally owned lands (such as BLM), as well as state-owned lands that may offer opportunities for backpack-style hunting.
When looking at areas to backpack and hunt, understand what type of public land you are looking at, then research the specific regulations for that area, or contact the local land manager, such as the National Forest office for that region.
Our favorite tool for finding public lands and understanding who manages any specific area of public land is the onX Hunt app. (Side note: Members of onX Elite also qualify for an exclusive discount on Exo Mtn Gear pack systems.
PHYSICAL CAPABILITY
You don’t need to be an ultra-athlete to backpack hunt. However, since you are covering ground on foot, often in difficult terrain, you do need to realize that the more physically capable you are, the more effective and enjoyable your hunt can be.
Your physical “capability” will either be your limiting “cap” or your enabling “ability”.
You need to not only ask yourself, “Can I hike up this mountain?”. You also need to realize that a backpack hunt is a multi-day pursuit. So can you keep hiking, mile after mile, day after day?
Hiking in rough terrain, with a heavy pack that is loaded with gear, meat, and antlers
And if you are successful on a hunt, will you be able to carry out heavy loads of meat and get your hard-earned protein back to your vehicle safely and relatively quickly?
If you don’t know where to start, we have a free training plan that requires minimal equipment, can be performed at home, and also scales to fit your current level of fitness (or lack thereof).
Josh & Mark discuss more about training in the podcast (above), and there are many episodes of the Hunt Backcountry Podcast specifically on the topic of fitness for hunting.
FOOD IS FUEL
If you haven’t yet lived out of a backpack for days at a time, you don’t realize just how critical food is.
Of course, you know that food is required. But what new backpack hunters don’t know is how much food is needed. Or what types of food should be packed.
Making dinner at camp, on day 5 of a backpack hunt
If you bring too much food, you are carrying a lot of unnecessary weight in your pack. If you bring too little food, you will find your personal “gas tank” on empty and won’t be able to hike or hunt effectively. And if you bring the right amount of the wrong food, you will also struggle.
Having the right food, in the right amounts, is part preference and part science.
For preference, you will figure out what you like with experience. What you eat at home on a day-to-day basis won’t work on a backpack hunt. And what sounds appetizing to you on Day 1 of a hunt may not be tolerable on Day 5. Some food lessons are only gained by experience and experimentation, according to your personal preferences and needs.
When it comes to the “science” aspect of food, it is helpful to understand how nutrition works, the unique physiological demands the body faces on a multiday backpack hunt, and how to use “food as fuel” effectively for backpack hunting. In these areas, we rely heavily on our friend, fellow hunter, and registered dietician, Kyle Kamp of Valley to Peak Nutrition. Check out Kyle’s website, as well as the Free Backcountry Food Guide & Meal Plan that he put together for us.
GEAR TO GET STARTED
We all love gear. It is fun to research, buy, and try. But we all have a limited budget and it is easy to be overwhelmed with the cost of it all.
When it comes to gear for backpack hunting, you can separate “backpacking” and “hunting”.
You may be an experienced hunter who is new to backpack-style hunting. If so, you may already have enough hunting gear and would need to focus on the backpacking side of the gear equation.
Conversely, you may have prior backpacking and camping experience, along with that type of gear, but you need to get equipped as a new hunter.
Getting geared-up starts with evaluating what you already own, and what may already work “good enough” for your first backpack hunt.
Weapon, boots, and pack — the most critical pieces of gear to get right when you leave the truck for a backpack hunt
Once you know what you need to buy, set priorities of what matters most. Every experienced backpack hunter will tell you that, aside from your weapon, your boots and backpack are the two most critical pieces of gear for this type of hunting. So if you don’t already have those items perfected, start there.
Here are two great resources on what to look for with hunting footwear and a hunting pack.
We have several examples of a complete gear list for backpack hunting; use these lists as a template and packing checklist to ensure you don’t forget any critical items for your hunt.
DO THE THING (BEFORE THE HUNT)
Remember what we said about separating backpack hunting into “backpacking” and “hunting” when discussing gear? Well, that separation also applies to the activities themselves.
Don’t wait for hunting season to start testing gear, gaining experience, and building confidence.
If you have never filtered water, set up and slept in a backpacking tent, or hiked a mountain with a loaded pack, you can — no, you should! — do all of those things before you ever go on a backpack hunt.
Think of the aspects of backpack hunting that you don’t have experience with or confidence in. Now, go do those things before your next backpack hunt.
Start small. In the backyard. At the local campground. Pack in a mile and set up camp. Whatever you need to do to build experience and confidence before your next backpack hunt.
RECAP OF RESOURCES
Backpack hunting is an amazing experience. It is worth the effort and investment. In addition to the podcast and article above, here are some great resources to help you get started…