Hunting up high/Backpack hunting

[Pemby_mess]

One thing conspicuously absent from the excellent advice so far; get in shape. Hoofing your body, gear and meat up, down and around the mountains will possibly test your physical and emotional endurance in ways no other physical activity will. Even a couch potato under 40 yrs of age can make it into the alpine without epic problems, but whether they'll be effective or have a good time doing it once there is an other matter.

Like others have said, start relatively small within your known capabilities and ramp up from there. Mtn camp craft is something that seems to take a lot out of people while they're learning to be comfortable in the mountains over multiple days.

wRT google Earth; while an excellent tool for finding good habitat, I find you have to be careful making too many judgements about alpine terrain from it alone. It seems to smooth over quite aggressive, sometimes impassable features. Learning to read a Topo map competently is probably the best thing you can do to ensure the safety of yourself and others in the backcountry. It'll certainly make you a more effective hunter as well. Use a map with a 1:50k ratio or less to plan and ultimately execute your trip.

Good luck! Nothing like being above the tree line from sunset to sunrise.

[Ron.C]

My advice is look at non hunting websites and gear as well. Lots of tips on trails and such on sites like club tread. I actually found a very detailed trip report with gps coordinates, and pics on an area I want to goat hunt this fall. Gear reviews are also pleantiful. And like others have said, some of the best gear out there is made by companies that don't sell hunting kit. And you can often find it at competitive prices

[Linksman313]

Scouting trips will also test your body and gear when less is on the line.

SSS

All good advice given, this being one of the most important, test yourself the most, try to simulate real hunting situations as much as possible.(hike up a steep rise and immediately get on the scope and see what it feels like to be out of breath, heart pumping and trying to find the vitals in the crosshairs) Good luck on your ventures and be safe.

[Highlander Hunting]

Hi Wolf, me and my hunting partner have started recording a podcast series on this very subject. We are the first/only Alberta hunting podcast and we are focusing on what we love, DIY public land backpack style hunting for deer, elk, and big horn sheep in the foothills and mountain units of Alberta.

Episode four- What's in your day pack. some good info for you in there. We'll be doing another one on our overnight packs too.
Future subjects:
Optics- with a local Vortex pro staff,
Choosing your hunting rifle,
Sheep hunting- tactics, scouting, fitness,
Interview with Rob Furlong- Canadian sniper who held the world record for longest kill shot- 2600+yards from 2003-09

highlanderhunting.podbean.com
Highlander Hunting Podcast searchable on Itunes and Google Play.

[Highlander Hunting]

Hey all,

I would like to begin hunting deeper into the woods and preferably higher up in the mountains, but have limited experience with this approach and the totally off trail/self directed bushwacking involved. The fellows who introduced me to hunting 6 or 7 years ago would drive down an FSR, park -- then walk deactivated roads and eventually get into cut blocks and start glassing. This works good, but I am rapidly becoming more drawn to the idea of hunting the thick, getting up high and spending a few days camping out of my bag while looking for deer.

I was hoping for some tips and insight into where people typically go and how they access the higher up parts of hills/mountains. Do you just find a mountain or area of interest ( either from driving or google earth ect.. ) drive the FSR to a reasonable spot to park and then start heading straight up and bushwalk your way through? Are you taking advantages of existing trails? Is this even a realistic approach in the lower mainland area?

Also, when you finally do get higher up -- is it just endless timber or are there generally some bowls or open area's to glass for deer?

My backpack is packed with the essentials and ready to start hiking to scout these areas for animals, just hoping for some pointers!

Cheers,
Wolf

Check out our new podcast called Highlander hunting it can be found on iTunes and Google play music. One of our episodes completely deals with what you should have in your back country pack .

[Ferenc]

Find a good area... have a plan..and stick to it...and let someone know if your doing it alone.

[dino]

Not all alpine is the same And hunt the opener. Animals timber up real quick up top. Also, tcams are a good tool for you if your a beginner.
Knowing that good animals are around from tcams pics keeps you positive.