Going on a hunt of a lifetime this November

Sir_Gawain said:
I am so torn on that...I have my beautiful trusty Remington 700 in 30/06 I am considering, but my step father has an enormous selection of quality rifles I can choose from. I am very tempted by his early Winchester Model 70 chambered in 338 (thing is gorgeous).
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I would ask the outfitter about the spot you will be hunting, then I would base the rifle on that. A 30-06 with quality loads is fine IMO out to 250-300 on an elk. A .338 is a great elk gun, that's all my hunting partner shoots on these type of trips, but I hate shooting the damn thing. It's such a trade off because you want a light rifle for humping around those hills but a light rifle in .338 kicks pretty good. The good news it's only the practice and sighting in that matters, you won't feel the shot when you have an elk in the cross hairs :)
 
bdb said:
A couple of recommendations from my experience.

1. Get a quality pack. Not a small day pack. Even if you are really only day hunting and the outfitter is hauling out meat for you on horse, a good pack is important on those hunts. You'll want to pack enough survival gear to make it a night away from camp. I have a Badlands 2800 that I love, I still use it here in the north east but its overkill for most hunts.
2. Lots of layers. Temps will most likely fluctuate a lot from early AM to mid day to dark. Plus hiking mid day is a lot warmer than sitting for the last 2 hours of light somewhere. Cotton kills is a good saying to remember.
3. Load up that pack with at least 40lbs and start hiking somewhere near by with some good elevation change. The stair master or treadmill is good but just not the same as hunting up and down those mountains with food, water, extra clothes, gear etc etc
4. Good binos are worth it! I use binos here but it's not the same as spending hours behind glass out west picking apart miles of terrain looking for animals. Spotting scope is likely a great addition, somewhat depends on the terrain in the area. I would ask the outfitter about this. The area may be thick and spotting scope not really necessary or it could be very open where its almost a must have.
5. Comfortable, already broken in boots and bring mole skin in your first aid kit, it comes in handy!
6. Repeat point 3 as much as you can because your conditioning will be key to your level of enjoyment. If you go at it hard for a couple of days but then have to rest a day because of muscle soreness, blisters etc it is a real downer.
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Thanks for the Tips bdb!

I am a Badlands guy myself, 2200 for me. I am committed to spending a ton of time on point 3 as possible. My Dog has been up my ass all winter to get out and hike so he will get his time in the woods now.
 
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boilermaker said:
What would you say was your average shot distance on these hunts?
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My longest was 210 but I know people who routinely had 300-500 yard shots, I just never had to shoot that far. It really does depend on the terrain in the place you will hunt. I also wasn't successful (in getting meat at least) on about half of the trips for elk. Almost all of my CA trips were archery hunts. Lets just say I was way better at hiking, setting up camp and looking through glass than I was killing animals ;-) In my defense we hunted public land in over the counter draw units so these weren't typically target rich environments to start with.
 
Sir_Gawain said:
Its a lot. Pushing $2500
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Honestly that's not too bad. Some places offer that up as a fully guided price. Be very leery of those places! All depends on the services they offer. Being packed in and out 9 miles means you can have some creature comforts, good meals and hunt out of a decent base camp. 2 guys hauling an elk 3-5 miles out is a PITA. I don't think I ever saw a quad in the places we have hunted. Minimum 2 full trips depending on how much gear you start out with and the packs you have. Someone to get me that far into a place that they know holds elk/deer, setup base camp (I assume they are providing outfitter tents, cots stove etc) and deal with dead critter extraction is worth that to me.
 
bdb said:
Someone to get me that far into a place that they know holds elk/deer, setup base camp (I assume they are providing outfitter tents, cots stove etc) and deal with dead critter extraction is worth that to me.
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They are - and we have a cook at camp to feed us. If I were to fill both an elk and a deer tag its an extra $500 as well.
 
30-06 or .338, good choices.

300 win mag is a good compromise between the two and kicks less that the .338
 
Sir_Gawain said:
Elk is my favorite game meat. They offer services out that way that'll ship it back for you flash frozen...we are in the process of exploring all the options now and seeing if it would be more economical to rent a uhaul and drive it back ourselves or something.

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This is the first time I am doing this type of hunt. I can already see catching the bug to do trips like this again. Have the fun is the anticipation and in planning for it.
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I have done this with halibut and salmon from Alaska and never had a problem with it thawing. 50 pound boxes delivered right to your door. They hold your package in their freezer until you get home. You call them, tell them you're home and the packages arrive next day. One year they were a day late. The plane broke down in Anchorage. The boxes were taken off the plane and kept in a freezer over night at the airport. These are shipped Fed-Ex. Because they were a day late when they arrived, they refunded me the shipping and $5 for my troubles. Right there in my driveway they cut the check. You can't ask for more than that.

I have also brought a 65 pound salmon home frozen in 2 lb chunks in a fish box checked as luggage.


The outfitters in Newfoundland offer this and another option for moose meat. The other option is you pick up your boxes at the airport. This is much less expensive.

I use a .338 for moose and plains game in Africa. 225 grain will drop them like a rock. Like somebody said, the thing kills on both ends. But, when there's fur in the scope, you won't even feel it go off.
 
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Be prepared to never feel the same about hunting here again. I've hunted that area of Montana at least 15 times or so. The last being this past November. It never gets old. 2500 is a crazy good price for what you've described. As far as a rifle, the 270 rules the west. Everyone I know who lives and hunts elk out there carries a 270. You've gotten good advise already so I won't repeat it all again. Bdb knows of what he speaks. I will stress one thing though. You can't workout enough. Our east coast lungs are not prepared for what your about to do so do your best to get those legs and lungs ready. Good luck. Your going to have a blast.
 
Great price, and you cannot be in good enough shape if you are going to be at altitude. I went to Colorado and our base camp was at just under 9000 feet. It sucks the life right out of you. Our guide said it realistically takes about 30 days at that altitude to truly get acclimated to it. As for a rifle, I brought a Rem 700 in 30-06. Learn point of impact at all distances for whatever rifle you bring. I shot my elk at just over 300 yards, and the guide said he has had some clients take them at over 450 yards. I actually had a chart that I made and had it taped to my stock. A good range finder is a must too. Take lots of pictures and videos!
 
BigTimber said:
You can't workout enough. Our east coast lungs are not prepared for what your about to do so do your best to get those legs and lungs ready.
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dixidawg said:
you cannot be in good enough shape if you are going to be at altitude. I went to Colorado and our base camp was at just under 9000 feet. It sucks the life right out of you. Our guide said it realistically takes about 30 days at that altitude to truly get acclimated to it.
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I an thankful I am a firefighter in this case. I'll head down to the station gym and throw an SCBA on to work my lungs while I use a treadmill or something (breathing under stress with an SCBA on sucks).

71montess said:
Can I have you're guns if you don't make it back ? JK, wish I was 25 yrs younger.
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It is now documented and here is the proof - if I dont make it back it is yours [laugh]

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BigTimber said:
Be prepared to never feel the same about hunting here again.
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This has already crossed my mind.
 
Enjoy....that sounds like an outstanding price too. Gotta love the drinking conversations that turn into reality.
 
$2500/person is down right cheap for the type hunt you'll have. You been given a lot of great advice. Just one more thing.... enjoy the scenery, don't get fixated on the hunt. It's beautiful in that area.

(Pssst the elk can be massive out there)
 
BigTimber said:
Be prepared to never feel the same about hunting here again. I've hunted that area of Montana at least 15 times or so. The last being this past November. It never gets old. 2500 is a crazy good price for what you've described. As far as a rifle, the 270 rules the west. Everyone I know who lives and hunts elk out there carries a 270. You've gotten good advise already so I won't repeat it all again. Bdb knows of what he speaks. I will stress one thing though. You can't workout enough. Our east coast lungs are not prepared for what your about to do so do your best to get those legs and lungs ready. Good luck. Your going to have a blast.
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This. Most folks that have never hunted the west insist that you carry a bazooka or better but every single Montanan I've met carries a 270. You want flat shooting more than bone crushing power, and be ready to shoot at LONG distances...
 
Damn that sounds fun. I hope to see some nice pics when you get back (along with some good stories of the trip).
 
ThePreBanMan said:
Sometimes I've wondered if there would be interest in an NES hunt like this..
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I'd be interested. I have always wanted to do a hog hunt as well.

Also, could anyone recommend a good handheld GPS for a hunt like this? I have been doing a little reading and am leaning towards a Garmin 62S variant.
 
Mass-diver said:
Wow, sounds like an incredible trip. Train and prepare like crazy so that you can get the most out of it!
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Starting training now. Bought T25 workout (which is ****ing hard btw) and started that this past weekend. Jogging, challenging hikes with weight in my pack and mountain biking to start in the coming weeks.
 

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