- Introduction
- Before the shot: Optics and safety clothing
- The shot: Rifle, scope, ammo, and supports
- After the shot: Field dressing & packing out
- Download instructions: a spreadsheet or set of PDF’s
Backpack Hunt Gear List: Before the shot
With the exception of a lucky outing, finding the game often constitutes the bulk of most hunts. In fact, about 75 percent of hunting trips in Colorado end without having taken a shot or packed out meat. If it were that easy, it’d be called shooting, not hunting.
Optics and safety clothing are needed to find game. Below is my gear list, followed by more in-depth selection discussions.
- Critical: A must-have, no exceptions
- Suggested: A valuable addition, few reasons not to bring
- Optional: Not critical, but worth consideration
- Contingent: Depends on trip objectives, conditions, and/or other selections
- Unnecessary: Unlikely to need and/or can be improvised
Safety clothing
When hunting in Colorado with a rifle or muzzleloader, or with a bow during rifle season, hunters are required to wear:
- A blaze orange hat or head covering, visible from all directions; and,
- At least 500 square inches of blaze orange above the waist.
During rifle season, I would suggest that non-hunters abide by these regulations as well. Incidents of trigger-happy hunters are very rare, but always sad. During archery season I’m much less concerned — bow hunters need to be more certain about their shot placement and they need to be much closer to their target.
For my first year of hunting, I purchased an inexpensive cap and vest package, both with hook-and-loop closures, and have since upgraded both. My new cap fits better and has a more secure plastic snap closure. My vest is heavier, but it does not get tangled as easily (because it is stiffer) and it has a few convenient exterior pockets. The WFS model is overbuilt and can be lightened with scissors, a lighter, and a sewing awl.
What, no camo?
I do not own a single camouflage item, and I do not see that changing soon. Last year I was successful while wearing my normal backpacking clothing (plus my hunting cap and vest), and more than a few big game animals have been taken by hunters wearing blue jeans and flannel.
This is not to say that camouflage is not effective. For bow hunting, it can be very advantageous. But for rifle season, the benefit seems more marginal. If I identified primarily as hunter, I would buy camo clothing and equipment. But for now there are still many ways in which I can improve as a hunter without investing in a new wardrobe.
Optics
Binoculars and/or a spotting scope will help find game that are effectively invisible to the naked eye. But they are of little help without a good lookout or if there is no game around. In that sense, optics merely complement pre-trip scouting, hunt strategy, and understanding of wildlife behavior.
If money and pack weight were not a factor, I would carry binoculars as well as a spotting scope. But backpack hunting (and my budget) has limitations, and binoculars are the all around better choice. Plus, in the areas I have hunted in Colorado, binoculars have so far been sufficient. I imagine spotting scopes to prove their worth in big landscapes with lots of visible terrain, such as Alaska, the desert Southwest, and even Colorado’s eastern plains or western slope.
My Pentax binoculars are high-end compacts, and appear to be phasing out. In retrospect, I wonder if mine are “stupid light” and if I should have purchased a heavier pair with a larger eyepiece and objective like the Vortex Diamondback 12×50 that would be a relative joy to use for hours on end.
A rangefinder could be very useful, especially for longer shots when a bullet will have greater drop. But, personally, I have a 200-yard self-imposed limit until I spend more time at the range, and a .308 drops only about two inches over that distance.
Calls
The rut normally ends in Colorado before the first rifle season in early/mid-October, and so too the window during which game calls are a reliable hunting tactic. In later rifle seasons, calls can still be useful, however.
I should probably learn to use diaphragm calls, like the Primos Elk Select, because they are lighter and more versatile. But before my first season I had enough to learn, so I went with the Primos Hoochie Mama instead. I made a 4-foot sling with 3-mm cord so that I can hang it over my shoulder for easy access.
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Thanks for the list Andrew. I have the Vortex Diamondback 10×42, and they work great for extended glassing. Will be using these lists to assist me in a Montana mule deer hunt in a few weeks.
Just returned from a New Mexico elk hunt of my own. My optics were the Vortex Diamondback 10×42 and I couldn’t have been happier. Extra weight was easily worth it for my own eye comfort.
Having owned nearly that exact pair of binos, I can verify that they fall into the “stupid light” category. They seemed ok for backpack hunting until I sheep hunted beside a guy with a decent set of 10×42’s a few years ago. He made it very clear what I was missing by consistently spotting more game than me. Much of that it turned out was simply because they were more comfortable and easy to use, so he had them glued to his eyes more than I did. However, the increased resolution and magnification also came into play. Not only did he constantly locate animals more often and further away, he also was able to quickly determine legality, observe behavior, etc. It was educational to say the least.
To top it off, the Pentax fairly quickly failed when the eyepiece loosened and unscrewed. I was a little shocked to see that the lens inside appeared to be held together with goopered on hot glue. Truthfully, anything in optics that is <$500 is really considered consumer grade… high end starts well into four digit territory.
After going to several increasingly more expensive sets, I currently use a set of mid range 10×42's (Zeiss Conquest HD) and wouldn't dream of going back to a smaller pair at this point, even on extended mountain backpack hunts.
Fully agree on the camo BTW. Even though I "primarily identify as a hunter", I own little of it, and have never found it to be an issue. Fieldcraft trumps clothes color by a large measure.
Three seems like a consensus. Guess I will need to go bino shopping before next year.
I started hunting in 2012 and came from more of a backpacking background. Agree with most of the gear list the biggest exception would be the optics.
Honestly the most expensive single piece of gear you carry into the field should be your binos. Swarovski is the gold standard, good intermediate brands are Steiner, Vortex, Leupold. The main issue with keep glass is light transmission. All 10×42 binos will seem similar in the store but at dawn, dusk, and looking into shadowy areas during the day are where you will see major differences.
Spotting scopes are very helpful in all western hunting although not absolutely necessary where they really come into play are units with antler restrictions, they allow you to determine if a deer or elk is legal before you cover 2 miles to get closer.
Another piece of gear I would deem absolutely essential is a bino harness, you should be pulling your binos out constantly and a strap around your neck works for about 15min before you neck starts to get sore and you put your binos back in your pack. Look at FHF, Alaska guide creations, marsupial, and kuiu.
I would also add that while a range finder is not absolutely necessary in wide open areas, like CO high country it’s very difficult to estimate ranges. It’s quite possible that while you have decided that you only want to take 200 yard or shorter shots that you end up taking a 360 yard shot because the terrain is deceptive. This comes into play even more if you are shooting at a steep angle. Last year I killed an elk that was a couple hundred feet below me cross canyon. The LOS distance between us was 300 yards but because bullet drop is dependent only on the horizontal distance, the bullet drop was more like 215. You can certainly just always hold low when shooting at angles but it’s nice to know how much.
Good comment, thanks.
My hunting partner and I recognized these weaknesses and have taken steps to shore them up as funds and desire have allowed. Before last year’s hunt he bought a range finder, and we both had bino harnesses. Before this year’s hunt I will definitely be upgrading my binos.
Andrew,
I know this is a late comment, but might I suggest trying 10 power over 12 power. I bought 12 power early on and they were just too hard to hold still over the long term and promoted eye fatigue. You might have better luck but I haven’t found many that use 12 power in a mobile hunting situations unless they are supported.
10’s work for me, 8 power gave a wider field of view, which help to pick up animals faster in the lens but 8’s left me wanting more power. I bought the best 10×50’s I could possibly afford 15 years ago. Yes the 50’s are heavier than 42’s , but they were worth the weight to me and I don’t cover as many of miles per day as you do when I hunt..
The more expensive binos, were better glass, but I could not afford a $2,000 pair. I looked at everything I could on-line and in catalogs and over 30 different pair in person, dragging every sporting goods store salesperson I could find to the parking lot with as many pair I could talk them into, to look through them at distance. Turns out a private label Cabela’s brand at the time at almost $500.00 was the best possible glass I could find close to my budget and with a lifetime warranty. There may be better glass now in the $200-$300 range, but I found a significant improvement when I jumped to the $400-$500 range.
Glad I went to all the trouble, it has been 15+ hard years of bangs and bumps and over 300 days in the field and they are still great. I have looked through more expensive glasses since then, that are better and many more that are worse, but none in my old price range up to a grand have I found better.
Good glass really helps when details count, more detail the better at crunch time for me. Especially for point and spread restrictions in poor light, low light and fog situations early and late. When I see game I want all the detail I can get. For me 10×50’s are the best balance of detail and weight. Yours may be different. Good luck!
BTW I appreciate you sharing your great experience in all things back country and moving. Having hunted since I was big enough to walk with my Dad and Grandfather, I have just started “purposely hiking” as an off season endeavor to enjoy the scenery and to keep improving my hunting endurance.
In that vein, I look forward to improving my hiking knowledge base and experience in the high country with you and or your team in the next year or so when I can work it into my off season summer schedule.
Thanks!
Matt
Looks very much like my own list. Thanks for posting this.
My hunting binoculars are:
Bushnell ARC 1 Mile laser rangefinder with built-in trajectory library for most cartridges.
->Range in Yards or Meters
->Holdover displayed in MOA or mils (I use mils B/C it’s what I use for PRS competition)
I add a “butchering kit” with lockblade knife & mini sharpening tool, long nitrile gloves, meat bags, hand sanitizer and paper towels for cleanup.
Eric B.,
How close are you finding the built-in trajectory library in your Bushnell ARC 1 Mile?
Have you had a chance to validate it’s accuracy with your PRS competition?
Andrew,
The somewhat limited Bushnell ballistics library in my 10 x 42 ARC 1 Mile ragefinder binoculars give me the same category for a 143 gr. 6.5 CM ELD-X cartridge (factory) as a 180 gr. .300 Winchester magnum round. There are only 7 ballistic categories (A thru G). Upon trueing my binocular holdover readout on the range I find that with a 200 yard zero my ELD-X round flies a bit higher, by 1 to 2 inches from 100 yards (1 inch) out to 400 yards in the real world.
Knowing this means I have to compensate a bit but with the ft. lbs. of energy in that 143 gr. 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge I have to limit myself to 400 yards for cow elk and mule deer.
So, yeah, I’m “minute of deer” good to 400 yards.
Since my house is paid for this month I’ll have a lot more “discretionary income” and I’ll likely sell my Bushnell binocs get the far more capable Leica HD-B 2200 range finding binoculars.
The price is eye watering but I will use them for occasional birding as well. They have a built-in Micro SD card that can be inserted in your computer with an SD card adaptor to download your EXACT ballistics for your exact cartridge, rifle barrel length, muzzle velocity, bullet weight, bullet BC, CD, etc, depending on how precise you want to get.
OR you can use Leica’s excellent internal ballistics library and skip the detailed download about your rifle and still get a fairly accurate ballistics trajectory. This will include spin drift windage hold info. for shots over 500 yards.
Read up on this binocular with its many sensors and realize you are getting 1. excellent low light glass and 2.THE most sophisticated LRF binoculars on the planet, complete with automatic angle sensor for high angle hold-UNDER info for shots at more extreme up or down angles. The binoculars will not however, wipe your runny nose. They are truly a lifetime purchase and, IMHO, better by a lot than the even pricier Swarovski LRF binoculars.
BTW, IF I get a Nevada bull elk tag I have a Browning A-Bolt in .300 Win. mag. I may require a gun bearer by then so I’m likely buying a guided elk hunt in Montana for 2020.