Blog Entries for South Cox

The Mental Game

south@eastmans.com — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:00:00 +0100

I’ve gotten quite a few inquiries over the years about solo bivouac hunting and how I overcome my fears. Spending time; hours, days or a week or more alone can be challenging for anyone. Living in a society where close and frequent contact with other people are the norm year around for one’s whole life, suddenly finding yourself alone in unfamiliar surroundings with no one to depend upon but yourself can be disconcerting, to say the least. The time I get to spend out in the mountains alone often makes my most treasured memories. But, it wasn’t always like that. I struggled when I first started hunting solo. Actually, my first solo bivouac attempt was aborted. I was only 17, but had all of the ambition youth are known for. I’d backpacked into the Yolla Bolly Wilderness from a campground base camp. I didn’t know anyone at the campground, but the presence of other people was comforting and the thought that I might bail out on my mission because I’d get lonely never even crossed my mind.

As the afternoon sun began to wane, doubts began to creep in. It was a big wilderness I was in, a far different environment than the campground I’d stayed in the last few nights. I began to look around. Hmmmm…. There isn’t as much deer sign as I thought there would be. Perhaps I should be checking out a different area. At least that is how I justified reversing my course a day ahead of schedule. I made double time back up to my truck and slept soundly that night, surrounded by the comfort of a bunch of neighbors.

One could look at that first experience as a failure, but I prefer to look at it as a learning experience. The next time I went out for a solo overnight, it was some years later. I remembered the personal challenges I’d faced and added a small transistor radio to my pack for company. I also brought along a note pad to share my thoughts with friends. The radio worked wonders, even though I couldn’t tune in any music I was interested in listening to. Just the sound of another person’s voice provided enough of a connection back to civilization that I was comfortable enough to stay out on my own.

That radio accompanied me on the first half dozen or so solo trips. It was just one of several tactics that I found helped me become comfortable doing solo backcountry trips. Most importantly, for myself, I determined early on that I have a pretty vivid imagination. Little sounds in the middle of the night can be morphed into all kinds of terrible and scary things. For this reason, I won’t watch even remotely scary movies. I figure my imagination is good enough on its’ own and doesn’t need any assistance, especially on a solo bivouac hunt. As I mentioned above, I also bring along a note pad. I frequently take notes on the hunt for future stories or write my wife.

I think the most important thing to do is start off small. Don’t set yourself up for a week long solo trip your first time. Hunt from a base camp with a buddy and do bivy hunt from there. Bring along a 2 way radio if you have doubts. Checking in with your hunting partner may set your mind at ease and will provide a safety link in case of an emergency. After a few such hunts, you may have the confidence to set out on a longer, solo venture.

One of the easiest ways I’ve found to talk your way out of a hunt prematurely is to get discouraged from a lack of game sightings. Spend your time doing your homework when researching and scouting a new area. If you are going in cold, be prepared to cover a lot of ground to find yourself a honey hole. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to give yourself a timeline, before you leave the trailhead, on how long you will dedicate to that area before you pull out if you aren’t getting into game right out of the gate.

A few years ago, I was on a solo hunt in Colorado. It was an area I’d hunted a number of times and had always been able to get into good bucks. That year, I’d run into 4 other hunters who’d camped only a couple of hundred yards from me. Between them and I, we had the deer pretty well scattered after just a couple of days. I was getting pretty discouraged after four or five days of this. I checked in with my secretary back in the office and found out one of my key employees had quit with no notice, and I was the only one who knew how to do his job. I thought about how the hunt was going, deer sightings down; I couldn’t find any of the big bucks that normally inhabit the area. It had been days since I’d talked with anyone since I’d been trying to dodge my neighbors. I began to question whether my time was being used effectively. In the back of my mind, I knew my client would be understanding and could wait the 5 or 6 days until I got back. But the hunt was kicking my butt and the problems at home got that monkey on my shoulder chattering in my ear. The next day I’d packed up my gear and was headed home. To this day I cringe whenever I think about that decision. I’d quit, plain and simple and it drives me crazy to think of it. I’d left two valid tags on the table, an awesome mule deer tag and a pretty good elk tag. Hunts can end for all sorts of reasons, but the memory of that season will ensure that for me, it will only be because I’ve filled my tag or run out of time. I hope you can learn from my mistake and won’t shorten one of your precious trips prematurely.

[...]

Time Tested Bivouac Gear

south@eastmans.com — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 07:35:20 +0100

I’ve gotten a handful of requests to post my gear list. Over the last decade or so, I’ve tested a bunch of backpacking and bowhunting gear in the backcountry. Some of it has stayed, much of it has not. I continue to try out every new gadget on the market that seems like it could improve my equipment list or my experience in the outdoors. What I’ve got in my pack works well for me and I feel is some of the best stuff out there on the market.

Tent:

For the last couple of years, when I’ve hunted out of a [[tent]], I’ve used the MSR Hubba. This year, I likely use the same tent on my early season hunts. I also have the HP, which I’ll use later in the year. The original Hubba has more netting in the doors, allowing better ventilation in warmer weather (see a test of the Hubba HP in the last issue of EBJ). A set of Fibraplex [[carbon]] poles will lighten my load by about 6 ounces over the standard issue aluminum ones. The late season; I have a hunt in [[North Dakota]] in October, will see the HP in use. A little warmer with the solid panel doors, it’ll resist the cold winds better too.

Sleeping bag:

Early season: I like the Marmot Hydrogen. Rated at 30 degrees, this 1 lb, 5oz bag is killer. I bought a smaller stuff sack than came with the bag from the factory. It now stuffs down smaller than a nerf football. If you are going into a hunt that you may run into early snow, but also will face warmer temps, bring along a pair of synthetic or wool thermals to boost the temp rating. For the later season I use a Marmot Helium. This 15 degree bag weighs only about 2 lbs.

Sleeping pad:

I’ve been using a Therma-rest Prolite 3 full length since they came out. I bought the stuff sack for the short version and with careful, tight rolling, it will fit in the smaller package. I usually have problems bulking out with my loads, so everywhere I can save a few cubic inches, I’m really happy to. I’m really happy with the pad, but there are a few things you need to know if you are going to use it. Never sleep on the bare ground with it. The material is really thin and even a pine needle can puncture it if it pokes it at the wrong angle. Carry a patch kit with you. The patch kit is hot melt glue that is heated in boiling water, so if you aren’t carrying a stove, you won’t be able to do a field repair to fix a leak. I’ve never had a valve go out on me, but I have repaired hole in the field before.

I might use the Z-rest this year, but the bulk of it usually keeps this one on the shelf at home. The great thing about this one is that you can use it for a glassing pad, or unroll it mid-day, flop it on the ground and take a nap.

Stoves:

If you are just boiling water to rehydrate meals, the Jet Boil can’t be beat. It boils water faster, using less fuel that the other stove out there. I can do an 8 day bivy hunt with one of the small fuel canisters that fits inside of the Jet Boil cup, boil water for oatmeal, hot choc and freeze dried, on one fuel canister!

If you are wanting to cook up some back strap, you could probably get a frying pan to balance on the top of the burner, but you’d probably be better off going with a MSR Pocket Rocket or a Brunton [[stove]].

Water Purification:

This depends entirely on where I am hunting. If I know I’ll be getting my water out of clear running streams the whole hunt, I’ll either pack [[iodine]] or [[bleach]] in a visine bottle. Two drops of bleach per liter out of the reclaimed visine bottle, 15 minutes and you have the least expensive way to treat water I’m aware of. I learned this one from the Pacific Crest Trail through hikers. Some of these guys are keeping their pack weights down to 12 lbs or less without food and water!

If I have to pull water out of a spring, pond or murky stream, I’ll use a filter. I always look for a [[water filter]] that can be cleaned in the field. I had a filter clog on me in [[Colorado]] with a replaceable paper filter cartridge (a Pur Hiker, now the Katadyn) after only a couple of gallons were run through it. The water was pretty murky pond water, but those were the conditions I was facing for my water source for 10 days. I didn’t have a replacement cartridge, so dealing with water for the balance of the week was a drag. More recently, I had my MSR Miniworks filter clog on me. That one has a field serviceable filter, but it had reached the end of its lifespan. I knew it was getting bad when I left on the trip, but thought I could get one more week out of it. Next time I’ll be smarter.

This year, I’ll be using the MSR Hyperflow. I just ordered it online from REI, it has been impossible to get locally. This filter can be back flushed in the field- no more dead filters! It pumps like a fire engine at 2.75 liters per minute and weighs less than a half pound. If you are unsure of how you’ll be getting your water, this is the method I’d recommend. This is probably the single new item I’m most excited about testing out this fall.

Backpack:

I plan on using the Badlands 4500 as well as the new pack from Sitka when it comes out. The Badlands worked out great for me last year, just about the right size for the gear I pack with me. I love the large side pouches for the spotting scope and tripod.

Optics:

I’m going to try out some of the glass from Nikon this year. I’ve been hearing rave reviews about their top end binos. I plan on using them for most of my stuff, with one hunt thrown in the middle using my Swarovski’s. That will give me a good opportunity to compare the two after using the Nikons for a while.

Tripod:

I’ve been using the Outdoorsman with a Jim White head. Hard to beat that combo, though I’d like to find something a little lighter. I don’t know if you can go much smaller in tripod size and still support a full size spotting scope. The obvious route would be to look at a carbon fiber tripod, but the weight savings isn’t as much as I expected when you are comparing like sizes.

Game bags:

No brainer, Alaskan Game Bags. You can’t beat these for weight, bulk and their quite durable. I carry one when I’m hunting [[mule deer]] or four when I hunting elk. I can fit a whole boned out buck into one bag.

Misc:

I’ve been using a Black Diamond [[headlamp]] for years now, but have just got a Petzl Tikka with an extra lense that is red. I expect to get a brighter light with newer technology and the red lense should work well when I’m hiking up to glassing spots before first light.

I always carry an extra pair of socks for each day I’m going to be away from base camp. I like to try to take care of my feet as best as I can. You certainly could just carry one extra pair and wash the dirty one, hanging them off of the back of your pack to dry. I don’t end up at water consistently enough daily to count on that option.

I carry a pair of fleece gloves and a fleece hat for windy mornings while I’m glassing. I also carry a stretchy skull cap to wear on nights when it gets cold.

For bathing, I like to use Field Bath towels. They are pre-moistened and substantially thicker than baby wipes. I figure on two per day. You can leave them out and let the moisture in them evaporate, rehydrate them when you need them if you are concerned with the extra weight. You’ll definitely appreciate them at the end of the day.

When I was at the Outdoor Retailer’s show, I came across another item that I’ve added to my pack, the Gorilla Pod. It is an ultra small [[tripod ]]that has flexible legs. It is available in different sizes to hold cameras of different weights. It is much more versitle than a standard tripod, while weighing just a few ounces. The flexible legs will wrap around a tree branch or will set up on top of a round rock. This will be a great addition if you don’t carry a tripod or want to take self timer pictures of yourself glassing while using your tripod to hold your scope

South

[...]

More from the Pacific Coast Trail (PCT)

south@eastmans.com — Wed, 28 May 2008 08:56:47 +0100

We survived another 102 miles on the PCT. A couple of the highlights; we covered about 50 miles through the desert—the other 50 through the mountains and snuck through about 30 miles of trail that was closed due to a recent fire. By the second day, Kyri had 6 blisters, 3 matching ones on each foot. I started off loading weight out of her pack, then carried the whole thing on the 4th day. The last day we started out at 8,800 feet with snow on the ground and temps in the low 40’s and descended to the desert floor north of Palm Springs, where we were greeted by 105 degree temps. My water filter gave out on us the second day. The filter needed to be replaced prior to the trip. In my infinite optimism (stupidity), I figured we could squeak one more trip out of it. That left me drinking out of the most suspect water source we encountered on the entire trip on the second day. On day 3 we detoured by a restaurant where I borrowed a couple of ounces of bleach. 2 drops per liter of water and it will render even the nastiest water safe to drink after 5 minutes. Unfortunately, I seemed to have contracted a case of giardia from that one untreated water source. I spared my wife and let her have the balance of the filtered water we had when we came on the stagnant stream I got the water out of. She cast me one of those sideways glances when I stated we were going to need to get water out of it—never mind the tad poles and slime. When you are in the desert, there aren’t a whole lot of options for water, sometimes you have to take what you can get. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the new filter from MSR to test out before we left. But it is good to know that giardia isn’t a totally disabling experience, though I certainly wouldn’t recommend you go out and contract it to see how your body responds to it.

Another thing I found interesting was how much our appetites decreased. Last year we dumped about 8-10 lbs of food halfway through the trip when I realized we had brought way more than we were eating. Remembering that from last year, we reduced the contents of our daily food bags, but still ended up with too much. It seems the heat really reduced our interest in eating and hiking for a week hadn’t quite got our bodies to recognize the increased metabolism and thus need for more calories. On the last day, we ran across another hiker that was lamenting a 3 day food shortage. He was going to have to make a 9 mile round trip detour in town to be able to re-supply to make it to his next food shipment (he was a through hiker). We dumped our large food cache off on him. It was like seeing a kid on Christmas morning, especially when he discovered the elk jerky. I was happy to be relieved of the weight and help out a fellow hiker. Later that day we ran into a European kid that he had shared some of the jerky with and he was thanking us as if we had been handing out pockets full of gold. Good stuff, that jerky is!

On this trip we used a Hubba Hubba HP, the 2 person version of the Hubba. The tent performed flawlessly, one I’d have no trouble recommending if you are hunting with a partner. The only major observation, which I don’t know that you’d encounter during hunting seasons too often, was that when we reached the higher tempatures of the desert floor, the reduction of netting on the HP model made the tent a lot warmer. There wasn’t enough ventilation to take advantage of the slight breeze, so we roasted. My wife is one of those that won’t allow the tent to remain open for more than a few seconds (spider phobia), so I couldn’t leave the tent doors open to take advantage of the evening air conditioning. Trying to sleep in 80+ degree heat in the middle of the night is not my idea of fun.

Despite the blisters, Kyri already wants to go back. There is something so simple about life on the trail—I think most backcountry bowhunters would understand that one.

{multithumb}{multithumb}

[...]

Hitting the Trail

south@eastmans.com — Tue, 13 May 2008 23:52:48 +0100

After a week of scrambling after work to organize gear and food bags, my wife and I are finally on the plane to [[San Diego]]. A year before we got married she suggested that we hike the [[Pacific Crest Trail]] for our honeymoon. For those of you who aren’t aquainted, the PCT goes from the border of [[Mexico ]] just east of San Diego, all of the way up to the Canadian border. The trail is routed to follow the major mountain ranges to provide the hiker with the some of the most spectacular scenery as it traverses the Sierras, the [[Trinity Alps]] and the [[Cascade range]]. Elevations top 13,000 ft through the [[Sierra Nevadas]]. Through hikers are able to make the 2,650 mile trek in about 5 months. Because we both have careers and 3 kids between us, we wouldn’t be able to through hike it, but would take a week a year until we had completed the whole trail. We started last year, knocking out 112 miles in 6 ½ days with our packs fully loaded. Because the southern end goes through the desert, water is of utmost concern. My pack started, with 1 ½ gallons of water, at about 70 pounds, while my wife’s was just over 40. I’ve got to hand it to her, she is one tough woman. The first day we covered 17 miles, despite getting a late start in the morning.

This year, we’ll start out where we left off. We have a major mountain range to traverse, topping out over 9,000 feet, only to descend over 8,000 feet right at the end. A knee jarring experience. This year, our packs will be a lot lighter. I’m hoping to start out with a little less water and a pack weight of 55 pounds. I was hoping to be testing out the new pack from Sitka, but it wasn’t available when I left. Also, the new MSR water filter I was hoping to field test didn’t make it in time. But, I’ve got a new MSR Hubba Hubba HP to put through the ringer. I picked up an Osprey pack, 4,200 cubic inches and under 5 pounds dry weight. Last year I was testing a new pack and was far less than pleased with the results. I almost brought my Badlands 4,500, but wanted to get some more experience with some of the high end backpacking packs so I could better compare them to the hunting packs this fall.

In order to drop pack weight, I changed several items in our pack. I left my Canon Rebel at home and brought a smaller digital camera. I left behind the 1 pound tripod for self timer pics and brought a gorilla pod. My wife doesn’t know it yet, but I ditched the luxury model thermarest and bought her an ultra light model. We reduced our food rations substantially. Last year we dumped about 8 pounds of food halfway through the trip. We found our appetites greatly diminished in the heat. Even with that, we still had left over food at the end of the trip.

For food, we are going to be going on my typical [[bivouac]] diet; oatmeal for breakfast, energy bars, jerky, fruit leather trail mix, dried bananas for snacks, bagels, salami and cheese for lunch and the old trusty Mountain House for dinner. Because we are celebrating Mother’s Day on the Trail, I brought along a freeze dried Raspberry Crumble for dessert. We had to leave the bottle of wine at home. When needed, our energy will be boosted by some Clif Shot Bloks, Wilderness Athlete drink mixes and Energy Shots. Just before we left, I went by REI on their anniversary sales and stocked up on a wide variety of snacks. I’m hoping that the greater variety will help reduce menu burn out.

Another new one I picked up from a hiker on the trail last year is instant pudding, mixed with powdered milk. We’ll be testing that one out as well.

Distance hiking has benefited me in a number of ways. It has been a great way to spend uninterrupted time with my wife prior to hunting season, gets me well on my way to getting my “mountain legs” prior to my fall hunts and gives me a chance to thoroughly test out my gear.

I’ll give you guys some feedback when I get back to civilization in a week. {multithumb}{multithumb}April 2006, overloaded and ready to start the 20+ year honeymoon. At a week a year it would take about 25 years to complete the trail. We're going to have to dedicate some more time to it, I don't want to be subscribing to AARP and still have the state of Washington to traverse!

[...]

Hunting in Bear Country

south@eastmans.com — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:29:17 +0100

I thought I would call out one of the comments I received about the bear mauling directly on the blog. Thanks for the question, my response is below.

Comment: I guess your story summed up my wife' s main objection to my planned solo trip this fall. Can you explain ways to decrease the likelihood of becoming a playtoy for a bear?

Following the bear mauling I experienced, you'd probably expect that I'd take every precaution available to avoid a repeat. Because of the circumstances of the mauling: surprising the mother and cubs at close range, inside her comfort zone, I haven't changed the way I spend my time in bear country much. I recognize that it was really a freak accurance and that not every bear has intentions of making a snack out of me. I don't always hang my food, as reccomended, but when I'm leaving my basecamp unoccupied I do. I try not to stash food in my tent where I sleep, though I'm not as diligent about it as I should be. I carry pepper spray, though I don't have as much faith in the new stuff as the old. I give sows with cubs a WIDE berth (which is probably the most significant habit I have changed). I don't carry a side arm, too much weight and not legal in many states during the archery season. I think my encounter was one of those "struck by lightning" chance happenings. I literally don't loose any sleep over another encounter.

That being said, when there is unusually high numbers of bears, or as I encounter in Colorado a few years ago, food sources that were low for the bears, I do take extra measures that I don't loose my food to them. Hanging your food is a pain in the rear, but is a good precaution to avoid bear/human conflict. I've even spent time on the rivers of Kodiak during the salmon runs. Food is plentiful, and we spent many a night with the frying pan unwashed from a fresh salmon dinner right outside the tent. Never had a problem, but food was plentiful for them then. Come October/November and it is a whole different situation. Food sources are much more limited and the bears are more aggressive. That is when I'd really be swiveling my head around looking for problems.

South

[...]

Water Filters

south@eastmans.com — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:42:43 +0100

Sorry for the delay in getting this post up. It has been a little crazy around here. As promised I'm going to tell you about the water filters I was at the Outdoor Retailers Show. The first one is from MSR. The filter is smaller and lighter than any others that I've tried and it blows the doors off of the competition in speed. The Hyperflow Pump is what they are calling it and it weighs just 7.8 oz. It is hard to expect great performance when you are getting such a compact, lightweight unit, but the manufacturer boasts 2.75 liters per minute! That is almost 3 times the speed of most of the filters out there. I tried it at the show and was surprised at how little effort it required to use. Also, a great boon to it's design is that it is field serviceable; no disposable cartridge to plug halfway through your trip. It takes a couple of minutes to disassemble the pump to backflush the system, but the inconvenience is well worth the benefit. I've had my disposable filter pump leave me high and dry when filtering murky water.

Another new pump that I thought was worth adding to your equipment list is the Platypus Cleanstream. It is a gravity filter with using the same filter technology as the MSR Hyperflow. With this filter, simply fill the 4 liter bag, elevate it above the other and the inline filter does the work for you. It is spec'd at 4 liters in under 2 1/2 minutes! Cleaning the filter on this one is even easier, simply disconnect your "dirty" water bag and elevate the filtered bag. The filter gets back flushed, dumping the sediment back onto the ground. Unfortunately, I don't have a weight spec to provide you with, but their stuff is usually really light. I'd expect no different from this one. I'll be field testing one or the other of these filters on the next leg of the Pacific Crest Trail my wife and I are hiking next month and I'll give you feedback if either is anything less than excellent.

I got some correspondence from a reader asking about how I got over the physiological impact of the bear mauling I experienced when I was bowhunting in '92. The inquiry also got me thinking about addressing how I personally was able to become comfortable with making extended solo backcountry trips. First the bear mauling recovery (for those who haven't read about that, it is published in Cameron Hane's book Bowhunting Trophy Blacktail, still available through his website I'm sure). I was very fortunate with the extent of injuries I received. It was a couple of months before I was able to shoot my bow again. By that time archery season had come and gone, but the opener of rifle season for bear hit about the same time I recovered physically. I wasn't able to find anyone to go with me, but was very anxious to see how I would handle getting close to a bear again. Back in civilization, it was easy to talk about and I didn't worry about what might happen if and when I would encounter a bear again. I knew that all could easily change when I had one at close range though. So, I loaded up my bivy pack for a 4 day hunt and headed out. Opening morning I glassed up a bear in a berry patch on a steep hillside. With the thermals wafting gently up the hill, I was able to close the gap easily while he (I presume) was busy stripping the bushes. About 20 yards above the bear was a large rock. I climbed up on top of it, which brought me well above the level of the bushes around me. The bear sat directly below me, totally engrossed in the business at hand. I had a small opening lining up with the bear's chest, but a small branch partially screened a clear shot. My heart was beating overtime, I was shaking like a leaf as I waited for the bear to turn slightly to offer a clear shot. Anxiety coursed through my veins totally uninhibited, I just knew that bear was going to jerk me off that rock and finish the job the other one had started. After some great duration of time, the bear finally turned. As he began to move, I drew my bow. Just as I was beginning to settle in, the bear completed his turn and lifted his head. Despite their poor eyesight, the silhouette was not mistaken and he wasted no time in clearing out. I let out a sigh of relief that almost cleared my stomach as I let my bow down. I had my answer, I could do it, albeit not very gracefully, but I'm confident I could have pulled it off. Regardless, I know I was happier that he had left than I was disappointed that I didn't fill my tag. By facing my fears I learn where my limits are. I ended up leaving that trip early, my release broke and I had no back-up. I was relieved to have an excuse not to put myself in the predator/prey or prey/predator position again. I was pretty rattled from the one encounter and managed to get in another stalk where I was winded before I got a shot. The following year I was able to close the deal on opening weekend with a 300 boar. I also helped two other buddies fill their bear tags on spot and stalk hunts that season. Since then I haven't hunted them much, but it is more because they don't grow antlers than out of concern of becoming a meal. The year after I got mauled I did run into a sow with cubs in the bottom of the same canyon. The cub walked out of a thick patch of willows I was walking by in the middle of the day. A stiff wind blew in my face and it was eating up the 20 yards between us as it wandered in my direction. My pack hit the ground as soon as I saw it and I was frantically rooting through it to find my pepper spray. By the time I got my hands on it, the cub was only 15 yards away and the sow had emerged from the willows as well. When she spotted my form, she stood up and woofed at the cub. It ran by me and up a tree, leaving me in a very uncomfortable position. With the wind blowing in my face, I knew if I blasted her with the pepper spray I would be self medicated also. It was a tense moment as she dropped to all fours, I just knew I was going to see her beady eyes bearing down on me. She did a stutter step, then turned and barreled off through the willows. I turned and made record time out of the canyon. That experience was about enough to make me take up quilting for a safer hobby. I think one of the things that allows me to overcome my fears is a positive attitude (some might judge it as a bit reckless) that everything is going to be alright. I don't look at a situation and imagine or visualize the worst, instead I look at it and figure out how I can do it. My discovery of pepper spray and the research I did on it's effectiveness gave me a tremendous amount of confidence and helped me be successful in my return to bear country. When it first came out, pepper spray was 15% capsicum pepper. Now, it has been reduced to less than 2%. I'm not nearly as confident with the lower percentage and would hesitate to recommend it as your only source of back-up. I wouldn't be too worried about the blackies, but Kodiak in Oct/Nov, I think I'd be packing the heat.

I had a friend ask me one time how I am able to do the solo trips. Anybody that knows me will tell you I'm no macho he-man. I startle easily, can't watch scary (even remotely) movies and I do enjoy the company of a good hunting buddy. If someone was to ask me how they might be able to mentally condition themselves to be able to confidently make solo excursions into the backcountry, I would recommend a slow immersion rather than trial by fire. My first attempt at a solo trip was when I was 17. I loaded my pack for an overnight and dropped into a deep canyon. As the sun sank lower, so did my confidence. I looked around and convinced myself this area didn't look as good once I got down into it as it did from the top. I made record time back up to the truck and was "safely" surrounded by other people back at the campground that night. One might look at that as a failure, but I look at it as a first step. My next, more successful trips, were short, solo overnight forays from a basecamp I shared with a hunting partner. Incremental steps, I feel is the best way to success. On my early, extended solo trips I carried a small radio, just to hear a voice. Now, an ipod might be more practical. Carry a note pad and take notes about your trip or a letter to your wife. Sometimes just feeling like you are carrying on a conversation is enough to overcome temporary anxiety. When I'm on top of the mountain, when cell service is possible, I'll check in with my wife or a hunting buddy. The times I've spent alone up in the mountains rank as some of the most memorable in my life. It is well worth whatever dues you need to pay to be able to make those solo trips up there.

Once again, keep the questions/feedback coming. I'd love to help wherever I can. Next entry I'll cover my gear list (another request) and talk a bit about why I chose or use the particular items.

[...]

Backpacking Stoves

south@eastmans.com — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:55:45 +0100

Adding extra weight to your pack is something we all try to avoid. If a piece of equipment can be omitted from your pack and it doesn't effect the outcome of your hunt, then it takes a pretty strong argument to carry the extra weight. For some, the stove is one of those items. Many make the argument that they'd rather just eat [[MRE]]'s and ditch the stove. While I'd agree that we're hardly out there trying to have a resort experience, keeping your body fueled is a very crucial part to your success in the field. I've written more in depth about the weight trade-off for MRE's vs. [[freeze dried]] in past issues of Eastmans', and Cam Hanes included a couple of those pieces in his book Backcountry Bowhunting. The jist of it is, you can carry heavier food (MRE's), or carry a stove and lighter freeze dried food and oatmeal. If you have ever lived off of MRE's for a week, you'll certainly feel for our troops. While some of them aren't bad at all, the diet gets old pretty quickly. A hot meal from the wide variety of freeze dried meals available, plus the bonus of coffee or hot chocolate in the morning pretty well seals the deal for most of us backcountry hunters.

Stoves can be broken down by [[fuel]] types. I've used many of them out there and in doing so have found one that works best for my uses. When looking at stoves there are several different things to consider; burn time-how long you can cook before needing to refuel, boil time-typically measured by how long it takes to boil a liter of 70 degree water, and stove efficiency-how much water can be boiled per 100 grams of fuel.

White gas and multi-fuel stoves

For the bulk of the time I have bivouac hunted, this is the fuel I have used. I started out with a MSR Whisperlite and used it until they introduced the International; basically the same stove, but capable of using a variety of different liquid fuels you might encounter when traveling in a foreign country. The versatility of this stove actually saved my butt on a trip into Wyoming a number of years ago. My partner and I were meeting the packer at a little gas station in some ghost town in western Wyoming. As we were going over my check list, I realized I hadn't purchased fuel for my stove after my plane flight out. No one sold white gas. I could feel my stomach hit the ground, then I remembered I'd upgraded my stove to a multi-fuel. "Watch this", I told my buddy as I walked towards the gas pump. As I reached for the lever, this hot looking country girl pulled up on the other side of the pump. I stared into my pint sized fuel bottle, slowly filling it. As the level neared the top, I lifted the bottle above the pump and commented "$.30 for a full tank, now that is what I'm talking about!" She laughed, and I walked away thinking I should ditch my buddy and hunt the lower country.

While I'd never have been so lucky with replacing any other type of stove fuel in a situation like that, I've since retired that stove for a couple of reasons I'll lay out. First, the upsides of the gas stoves. Fuel is cheap and it burns hot, giving relatively short boil times. The downsides are most require priming, which can be messing in a couple of ways. As the priming fuel is burned, it tends to soot up the burner. When putting the stove away, it is difficult to keep from getting the black stuff everywhere. Spilled fuel is quite an offensive odor and no matter how careful I was, I always seemed to get it on my the MSR Simmerlite which solved that problem, but the others were still enough of a negative to keep me looking for something else.

[[Butane]]/[[Porpane]]/and [[Isobutane]]

My first backpacking stove was actually a canister fuel. I'd have probably stuck with that one, but it was old school and once the canister was punctured, it couldn't be resealed. Also, boil times were long with that stove as the design left a lot to be desired. When MSR introduced the Pocket Rocket, I picked one up and was glad to be rid of my white gas. Burn times for the PR were almost identical to the Whisperlite at about 4 minutes to boil a liter. The resealable fuel bottle was convenient and compact. The stove itself was smaller than a pack of cigarettes. I used this one for several years, until Jet Boil introduced their line. The Jet Boil is actually a cooking system as the stove threads onto an insulated cup. Their "Fluxring" directs the heat from the burner into the bottom of the cup, minimizing heat loss around the sides. This gives improved boil times while cutting fuel consumption in half. I used this stove with one small fuel bottle for an 8 day bivouac trip. Each night it boiled water for a freeze dried and in the morning, water for oatmeal and hot chocolate. At only 15 ounces without fuel, the stove more than made up for its weight when comparing it to MRE's. The Jet Boil is dedicated to boiling water, the provided cup is not really suitable for cooking. It has just a 2 cup capacity (just what is required for a freeze dried meal), so if you are cooking for a group, you'll want to upgrade to their Group Cooking System stove. The smaller will boil your 2 cups of water in under 3 minutes, while the Group System boil time is stretched out to over 7 minutes.

Alcohol stoves

For the ultra, ultra light freaks, it is tough to beat the alcohol stoves. My personal experience with these are limited, but they are light. Several are only just over an ounce without fuel. The reason I haven't played with these much is long boil times. Most are over 10 minutes. When I roll into camp, I'm usually half starved and you know what they say about watched pots....

Until they come out with a new and better mouse trap, the Jet Boil will be my companion. If you are going to be cooking something besides just boiling water, look at the Pocket Rocket.

If you are getting ready to buy a water filter, WAIT! I saw a couple of new ones at the Outdoor Retailers Show that will be released soon and you'll want to them add to your pack. I'll cover those in the next blog in a couple of weeks. Until then, keep the input coming. If you have any specific questions I didn't cover, fire away. I'll do my best to get them answered.

Also, look in the current issue of EBJ for my Nevada Double. Two tags, two great bucks!

South

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Sleeping Pads

south@eastmans.com — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:49:53 +0100

Besides providing a more comfortable nights' sleep, sleeping pads provide another important function; insulation. I vividly recall one bivouac trip I made. In an effort to shave a couple of pounds or so off of my packs weight I decided to leave my pad at home. Several hours into the night, with chattering teeth I realized what that second function was. Since that time, technology and innovation has reduced the weight and bulk, now providing several options at around and just under a pound.

The closed cell foam pads offer the lightest option at just under a pound, but doesn't provide quite as much cushion or insulation as the self inflating models. For cold weather camping the insulation factor becomes more important. Cost is about $20-$40 depending on if you buy one of the blue foamies at Wal-Mart or a fancier one at a backpacking store. If you are short on space in your pack, keep in mind that you may save a little weight, but you pay for it in bulk.

For the past couple of years I've been using the Therm-a-rest Prolite 3, a full length ultra light inflatable pad. I've been really happy with it, but recommend carrying a patch kit if you are hunting in rocky terrain. I really wouldn't recommend sleeping straight on the ground with this pad, use a tarp or ground cloth if you are not using a bivy or a tent. It weighs in at 1 pound 4 ounces and sells for about $80 bucks. You can save 7 ounces and go with the shorter version, but I've found I don't sleep well when my heels are resting on the ground. This phenomena, when I shared with my hunting partner, I was later soundly cursed for. The following year his pack weighed 7 ounces more after I'd pointed out my problem, he suddenly became acutely aware of his sore heels as well.

A company I just became aquainted with at the Outdoor Retailers Show last month is Pacific Outdoor Equipment. They make a plethora of sleeping pads-- foam, inflatable and hybrids. They have some pretty slick designs, check them out @ pacoutdoor.com

Another option for an inflatable is the Thermo Lite by Insul Mat. It weighs about an ounce less than the full length Prolite and will save you about $15 bucks.

The next blog I'll cover stoves. Give me a shout and let me know if there are some specifics that you'd like to see covered, I'd be happy to cover it...just post a comment to this blog entry with what you are interested in.

-South

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Lightweight Sleeping Bags

south@eastmans.com — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:00:08 +0100

One of the bulkiest items on your gear list for a [[bivy]] hunt is probably your sleeping bag. If it has not been replaced in the last couple of years, chances are you can not only shave off some weight, but also significantly reduce the bulk. Almost all of the major sleeping bag manufacturers are offering sub 2 pound 3 season down bags now. Some have reduced the weight down to as little as a single pound and can be stuffed into a sack half the size of a nerf football. For my early season hunts in August and the first week of September I like a bag rated at about 30-35 degrees. Any later in the high country and you are increasingly flirting with the chances of sub-freezing temperatures. For those hunts I drop down to a 20 degree rating. Some of my favorite bags are from Western Mountaineering, Marmot, Mountain Hardware and Feathered Friends.

Down is graded by measuring how many [[cubic inches]] it takes to weigh one ounce. A 600 fill is 600 cubic inches per ounce. Several things to keep in mind as you shop for a featherweight bag is the higher quality the [[down]], the lighter the weight and the better the insulation it provides. You should be looking for a minimum of 700-fill-power, with 800-900 being preferred. The difference between a 600 and a 800-fill-power bag of the same temperature rating can be over half a pound. The higher the number, the greater the loft and compatibility for the same fill weight.

For a 30-40 degree bag I'd recommend saving a few ounces and go with a half length zipper. Chances are you are not going to get too hot with the higher rating. If your budget will only allow the acquisition of one new bag, but your hunts cover the early August to late September time frame, I'd recommend going with a 20 bag with a full length zipper. You'll be a little warm in the earlier part of the season, but will be able to unzip to help regulate body heat. I made the mistake of sleeping in a 20 degree bag in Nevada with a half length zipper and roasted every night. Marmot has a bag that is rated at 40 degrees and only weighs a featherweight 1 pound. This would be a great bag for warmer climates in the early season. You can pack a long a set of silk or polypropelene thermals and buy a few extra degrees of comfort.

While you might be tempted to find a really roomy bag for greater comfort, keep in mind dead spots mean cold spots. The more contoured the bag the warmer it is going to be. Draft tubes, like baffled collars, help keep heat from escaping on lower temperature bags. Many of the bags are made in a couple or more different lengths so you won't have to be carrying any more weight than necessary. The shell of the bags are made from many different materials. Some are designed to save maximum weight, some for durability and others for maximum [[waterproofing]].

The first thing I do when I buy a new bag is get another stuff sack one size smaller than the one provided. I've found I can reduce the bulk by at least 25% or more. Don't leave your bag in the stuff sack for extended periods as the down will eventually loose its loft and thus its insulating ability after extended periods of compression.

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Introduction to Bivouac and Backcountry Bow Hunting

south@eastmans.com — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:38:30 +0100

My goal in this blog is to help you learn the ropes of [[backcountry]] hunting. Whether you are a seasoned veteran or have never spent the night out in the wilderness, I think there will be something for everyone. I invite your questions, comments and critiques. The first several entries I plan on covering gear choices in greater detail than I was able to cover on the podcast. After that I’ll go into some specifics about mule deer hunting in the [[alpine]]. As I get input and feedback, the [[blogs]] will likely take off on other tangents of the readers’ interests.

Through the years I’ve spent in the mountains, I’ve had more than one fellow bowhunter comment that I put in way more effort trying to fill my tags than I need to. I the west can be hunted without the burden of a backpack, but that is one of the things that appeals to me. My first [[bivouac]] trip was a solo venture when I was 17 years old. Since that time I’ve spent the majority of my hunting seasons well off the beaten path. I love getting to hang around a campfire in the evenings with a couple of buddies, swapping old stories, but even more anticipated is throwing a pack load of gear on my back and leaving base camp for a few days. Maybe I was born a couple of centuries too late, but I love the feeling of being the first person to glass a big canyon or distant ridge (even if it is just for that season). Often times I leave base camp with a specific destination in mind, only to get lured further and further. Having a [[bivy]] camp on my back gives me the freedom of wandering further and longer without having to worry about what I’m going to eat or where I am going to sleep. It gets me further into the backcountry, farther away from other hunter pressure, provides me the flexibility to be able to move if I encounter hunter pressure and allows me to hunt undisturbed animals. The “work” part of carrying my pack all day has become just another part of the hunt; I don’t think of it as an anchor, rather a liberating piece of equipment. It gives me great satisfaction knowing I’m carrying all I need to survive for up to a week at a time.

While I’ve used bivouac hunting mostly in my pursuit of [[mule deer]], there is hardly an animal better suited for it than [[elk]]. For starters, most of the time you don’t need a [[spotting scope]] for elk. That’ll shave off 3-8 pounds off of your pack weight when you add in the tripod. Because elk are gregarious and wander over large areas, it is often necessary to cover large tracts of country in order to get into elk. Enter the bivy hunter. If you locate a herd of elk at last light, far from your base camp, you’ll be in good position for a morning hunt without the commute. Sleeping on the mountain will save you a lot of energy from commuting to and from base camp. Longer nights in the sleeping bag translate into a fresher, sharper hunter.

Start thinking about how bivouac hunting could fit into your hunts this fall. Like Aneal pointed out during the bivy podcast, it isn’t just a tactic for western animals. For me, it goes beyond just being a more effective way to hunt. It is a closer connection to the past; less reliance on the civilized world. Distractions from nature, the very reason we spend our time outdoors, are minimized. No radios drowning out the sounds of the night or campers insulating us from the unknown. It adds another element to the hunt, another part to plan, execute and perfect. Now when I go on a hunt where I am not living out of my sleeping bag, I feel like I there is something missing.

The subject for my next blog will cover sleeping bags and pads. What to look for and some of different options out on the market. I hope you’ll check back in a couple of weeks for the next entry.

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south@eastmans.com

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