Exo Journal — Hunt Planning

As much as we love new gear, our budgets are limited. If you are a hunter that is looking to get into backcountry, backpack-style hunting, we wanted to discuss how we would shop for backpacking gear and make budget-minded decisions. In this episode, Mark and Steve discuss how they would spend $700-$800 to purchase a shelter, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, backpacking stove, water filtration system, a reliable light source, and footwear for western-style hunting.

You have yourself an out-of-state elk tag and you cannot put boots on the ground until the hunt starts. What do you do? Here is the process I use to scout for out-of-state elk hunts...

I drew for a New Mexico archery elk tag in March 2015. It was my first elk tag. I worked my tail off in the gym, at the range, and in my garage bow shop, determined to hike into the mountains a predator. It took over 5 months of preparation and a full workweek of high-country hiking, with several tough lessons learned on the job to accomplish the goal...

I have spent six years hunting elk on public land. I have learned new lessons on every trip, brought home new experiences each time, and thankfully, I also tagged-out 4 of those years. I am far from an expert, but as a regular do-it-yourself guy, I’d like to share some of what I’ve learned that could benefit other folks, like you, that are learning to hunt elk on public land.