| Author |
Message |
tp
| | Posted on Monday, March 01, 2004 - 10:55 pm: | |
My 11-year old has talked me into taking him on a 3-4 day combo hunt/fishing/backpacking trip along a river in my area. The plan is to hunt thew ridges along the river gorge in early morning, then trout fish later in the day. Not sure I'm in shape for this trip. What I really dread is climbing the steep ridges in the morning to get up from the river gorge to be able to hear.
Anyways, wondering what necessities we should pack on such a trip? What sort of lanterns do backpackers carry? etc. LOL (you can tell I'm in for a long trip). Ideas on light weight gear appreciated (food being a major concern of mine). |
gn
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 02, 2004 - 8:51 am: | |
The real problem of course will be on the return trip home carrying out those two twenty pound birds along with the gear . The backpacker food choics are pretty incredible right now..those mix in the foil-packs freeze dried things sold at any backpacking store are really very very tasty. To tell you the truth, eevn tho Ido a lot of trout fishing and a lot of turkey hunting I havenever tried to combine the two. I sort of put turkey hunting in a priority position and do nto trout fish til lthe turkey season is over. |
nripepi
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 02, 2004 - 11:57 am: | |
Most backpack stores will have small candle lanterns that work really well, they probably weigh in at half a pound.
The best advice for cutting weight is, if you don't think you need it, don't bring it.
Freeze dried mountain house meals will work fine for your dinners, the cheapest i've found them are at wal-mart, but often times backpacking stores will have a better choice. I like the beef stroganoff and turkey tetrazinni the best. |
Limbhanger
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 02, 2004 - 10:38 pm: | |
Word of caution on the freeze dried food...I went on an elk hunt this past fall and took a lot of freeze dried dinners. First of all they are convenient, easy, and taste pretty darn good...however they are salty as sin and bind you up more than imodium!!! It was awful!! I never felt so bad in my life...I'll hunt for food before I eat those meals for an extended period again. By the way I only ate them for about 3 days (twice per day) and then quit. I couldn't take it anymore...I was constantly thirsty and will not go into detail regarding the other problem.
I would suggest things like pop tarts, the infamous spam, canned foods like canned chicken or soups, both of which can be heated over an open fire, and buns (for the spam). Yes, its sounds like a lot and it will add some weight but it is worth the extra effort to be comfortable and happy. And don't forget those trout and turkey breasts...nothing better than either one fried in the outdoors.
Another tip is go to Wal-Mart and buy a fleece liner for a sleeping bag...it is lightweight and will give you an extra 15-20 degrees protection if the nights happen to get cold. If its warm the liner itself is good enough to keep the chill off.
Finally, if you decide to buy something like a water purifier bottle buy a pump rather than a water bottle. It is torture to get the water through the filtration system when you're thirsty. With a pump you can quickly fill a standard plastic bottle and the water is quickly purified as you pump it into the bottle. Carry some drink mixes with you like Kool-aid or Lemon aid, etc and add one of these to these bottles for a quick and tasty drink.
Have fun...there is nothing like camping in the spring woods! I do it almost every spring.
-Eric |
nripepi
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 02, 2004 - 11:50 pm: | |
Limbhanger, Good point on the high sodium content, if someone has high blood pressure this is very important. Some of the meals have higher sodium contents then others and depending what else you eat,more than one meal per day could put you over the recommended sodium intake. On backpacking trips, I eat one per day at night for dinner and never had a problem and enjoy the taste and the weight can't be beat.
For breakfast, try instant oatmeal or granola with powdered milk (both light).
Trout and turkey do sound like your best bet though!
Nino |
tp
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 03, 2004 - 12:58 pm: | |
Wow: Thanks for all the info guys. We're only planning to take one gun. My son has a single shot H&R 20 gauge that is small and will take em out just fine at 30-35 yards.
GN: I'm like you. I have always prioritized the gobblers first, but an 11-year old had a strong vote on this one (loves to wade and fish).
Luckily, there are 2 different areas where you can access by vehicle and walk about an hour to reach the river at different points along our journey. I think I'll hike in to those and hide some supplies (canned goods, etc.) ahead of time, while I'm scouting and hopefully locating some birds.
Limbhanger, I'll also be sure to pack the ziplock bag full of Metamucil (hehe).
Do you think a gobbler would keep ok placed in a game bag (cheesecloth?) and submersed in the river? What would you guys wrap him in? Not likely to have that problem, but worth the planning. |
gn
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 03, 2004 - 1:31 pm: | |
I believe I would walk out with my turkey(s) to the truck and a few bags of ice in a cooler if you want to save the meat...bird will spoil in water unless it is very very cold(mountain trout streams will be over 50 degrees by april) and if you do decide to put it in the river, put in a plastic waterproof bag, asthe bacteria in the stream will contaminate the meat in a long perios of submersion. I would be afraid of traditional mountain methods of meat storage(under a spring drip, under wet moss, etc.). 2 cents ...send me an email to gobblenow@vaturkey.com for anothr idea. |
Chums
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 16, 2004 - 7:04 am: | |
tp, that's great that your 11 year old likes to wade and fish as well as hunt. I'm not sure if the two of you would be interested, but I used to live in the Chicago area and used to drive to Maumee, Ohio, just outside of Toldeo in late March, early April for the annual walleye run in the Maumee river. Most of the fishing is done by wading into the river. I'm going to try to go again in a few weeks. My suggestion would be to check out this website: (maumeetackle.net) and see what you think. It would probably be about an 8 hour drive though from the Northern VA area. It's right off of I-80. A 3-day license is only $19. Can't beat it. Write me back at jchumbley@usss.treas.gov if you want more info. I think your son would have a blast catching a 10 pound walleye in the river. |
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