Backpack hunting in Nevada's Jarbidge Wilderness Area

BTW… I’ll be using my hiking poles and carrying my rifle upright, butt down in a Hypalon pocket on my pack’s waist belt and barrel held by a QR Velcro strap on the pack shoulder strap. This is called a “Rifle Bearer” by Kifaru. Works very well.

My rifle is a Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor with an SWFA 5 – 15 scope. Very flat shooting cartridge which I also use in another, much heavier Ruger rifle for long range (up to 1,000 yds.) competition.

All told the riffle, scope, rings and sling weigh 8.5 lbs. Light but not the lightest B/C the Predator has a heavier than normal barrel.

Eric B.

Hey Eric,

Sounds like a great hunt. I’ve been elk hunting in Colorado for about 15 years and backpack/bivy elk hunting for the past 5 years. Your list looks great, and let me suggest the Havalon Piranta knife as a very light and extremely efficient replacement for your buthering setup. Absolutely no need for a bone saw, knife sharpener, or 4″ blade for deer or elk.

For game bags you want your meat to “breathe” so let me suggest something other than ziplocks: T.A.G. Bomb bags are very small in your pack, very light, and they are reusable. A little pricey up front, but I’ve had mine for several years and they get used every year. I packed a bull out of the San Juan Mountains last year and laundered the bags when I was done. They are ready to go on my muzzleloader hunt in September (West Elk Wilderness in Colorado).

On rare occasions I have used contractor trash bags, but only after hanging/drying meat in clean game bags overnight, for the sole purpose of storing meat in ice cold headwater streams. This has allowed me to hunt solo and pack an elk 2-5 miles out of the backcountry over a period of a couple days with no meat spoilage whatsoever.

Good luck on your hunt this year – hope to see some pictures.

Eric

+1 on the Havalon Piranha knife.  It’s really nice to just swap blades and keep going.  Also, yeah, watching Manfred skin out a bear and preserve the hide convinced me that if you go to the wrist/ankle joint, you can just cut the tendons and be done with it.  Even more quickly when you’re not trying to save the hide.

Might as well throw a traditional meat pack in the car in case you get a cow.  UL is nice and all, but a traditional frame pack carries 50-60-70-80 pounds better than any UL option.