“Ultralight hunting”

UL Hunting – bare fists and karate kicks? :)

Weight standard? Well you can pretty much carry the same stuff on a multi day hunting trip as a backpacking trip, just you also carry your rifle. So your hunting pack base weight could be the same weight as any ultralight pack, under 10lbs. The rifle would go over your shoulder or carried in your hand. I actually found it much easier to carry it by hand and not strap it to my frameless pack. As scabbard pack + your rifle is going to put like 10 more pounds on your back. After a while you forget you are carrying it.

Unless you need to pack out a kill, then you need a heavy load hauling pack. In that case I would look into Kirafu. They make great hunting packs and have somewhat of an ultralight side to much of their gear.

I would like to see a gear list for a true ultralight hunting pack. I am seeing more and more "ultralight hunting" websites appear and their mostly complete (aka incomplete) gear lists range from 18 lbs to 25 lbs. My BPW changes from hunting season to hunting season due to changing hunt requirements yet I stay near 14 lbs.

Should items like skinning knife, game bags, bone saw, game calls, etc be included in BPW for a pack hunter?

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/pak_rifle_review.html

ultralight hunting is done with a camera !

please don't kill animals for sport.
there are much better sports to pursue if you have the time.
I can give you some suggestions if you can't find one on your own.

animals only kill us to survive … not for sport.

"UL Hunting – bare fists and karate kicks? :)"

LOL. You forgot name calling.

""UL Hunting – bare fists and karate kicks? :)"

LOL. You forgot name calling."

That's hurting, not hunting. :)

Why would anyone want to kill this beautiful animal?

Let the games begin!

or field mice?

or better yet insects or spiders?

"Why would anyone want to kill this beautiful animal?"

Uh, because it tastes good? :)

"ultralight hunting is done with a camera !

please don't kill animals for sport.
there are much better sports to pursue if you have the time.
I can give you some suggestions if you can't find one on your own.

animals only kill us to survive … not for sport.

… and No, this is not a HYOH situation. don't even try and go there.
if you disagree, man up."

Really? If you can't stay on topic, please don't post. Thread derailment is not appreciated.

"Uh, because it tastes good?"

So does chocolate, but the only time I hunt it is during Easter.

Just having some fun with ya.

Nothing to see here, move along.

I have set up dead falls and used sling shots to kill squirrels, mice, etc to eat. Only extra weight was the slingshot and the knife(mora) i would guess about 9oz extra?

That sounds real challenging. Any suggestions for taking down elk? ;0)

Yeah, I can see Ure and his McHale pack — shoving away all the kids, ignoring screams from their parents… just harvesting all the Easter eggs he could find…

But OK, back to topic… UL hunting… I am not a hunter, but if I were, I think I would train myself to use this.

I'd call UL squirrel-hunt at 7 lbs. XUL squirel at 5.5 lbs. Add 1.5 for turkey, and 4.5 for bighorn.

But what about winter vs. summer, and west vs. east? Rainy, snowy, or sun? How much beer and ice do I have to pack in (I am assuming 24 per day)? And what about the axe to make the massive bonfire every night? And those huge canvas tarps?

Complicated.

LOL Ben. I also use my trekking poles in kind of a spinning motion to keep the little gaffers at bay.

Regarding eating mice, I had heard once that they carry internal parasites that can prove to be deadly. Probably wrong. But with my appetite, I suspect I would have to kill and eat at least 1/2 a dozen at a sitting.

Gear and techniques for backcountry hunting are a legit topic for discussion here.

The ethics of hunting are a legit topic for debate, but not here. Start a thread in Chaff or hold your tongue, please.

I take that on advisement, Dave.

On another note, don't eat squirrels.

Mike, I prefer to hunt for elk and deer in the backcountry here in NW Montana. Much more pleasant and safer (IMO) than being close to road with the masses.

I've not done the math, but I'd imagine my gear is easily twice as heavy for a 2-3 day backcountry hunt in late October (compared to a backpack in comparable conditions). Add 12 oz for a larger pack with burlier suspension for packing out meat, a couple pounds for knife/saw/game bags/rope, 6 pounds for my rifle and ammo, and another few pounds more clothing than usual (slow pace while still hunting).

Dave, have you used your Alpacka to ferry the meat back to civilization?

I brought the raft on my last trip this past season (along the Middle Fork of the Flathead) but only saw a moose (for which I didn't have a tag). I'll be trying again this fall, though I have to admit that I find fishing more fun.

David,

I'd agree with your first statement. Most of the non-resident hunters troll the forest roads.

In your opinion, is there such a thing as UL hunting? It would seem that the activity requires gear that would easily bump the BPW/FSO-BW well beyond the UL norm. If so, is there a differnt standard by which to measure? There are some sites that throw around the UL hunting concept but with weights that are near the traditional pack weight realm.

I think it is possible. Of course it is somewhat subjective just like "3 season" kits on BPL.

One could certainly create benchmarks comparable to the ones used for conventional backpacking. I don't think about such things very often, mainly because it's pretty rare that I just go backpacking. If I don't have skis and/or a packraft along, I have fishing, hunting, or climbing gear. So while my three season big four might be between 2 and 4 pounds, FSO is invariably a lot more.

The aforementioned hunting kit is close to as light as I'm motivated to go. My clothing is pretty light for the warmth required, as is the camping kit. My field dressing gear is a lot less than most people carry. My Remington could certainly be lighter, but between how well it shoots and the setimental value (built by a family member) I won't be using anything else.