When to Upgrade
- Thread starter Zachappa
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This year I lugged 9’s on chest, 15’s and 20-60x85 spotter in my pack and would go in 4+ miles Or so depending on the elevation gain. Pretty much the spotter was only used to take close up photos or seeing if a buck was legal at well over a mile away. 15’s are killer at finding animals up to a mile away. I would use all three on the tripod.
A whole new meaning of spot and stalk when the deer are a mile away.
When back packing in I would offset the weight of the optics by hiking water into my spots ahead of time.
A whole new meaning of spot and stalk when the deer are a mile away.
When back packing in I would offset the weight of the optics by hiking water into my spots ahead of time.
Yeah... I have to hike in water ahead of time too. Matter of fact, glad you said that, so I can remind myself to hike some in this next trip. Down to just one gallon stashed out there. I do NOT play around when it comes to my water, man.
OMG... During the first year I began this hunting adventure in 2014, I ran out of water...at the bottom of Mt Wilson... with my car at the top of it. 3.5miles with I think 2500ft of ascent. That was scary, damn scary! My entire tongue, all the way down into my throat... was bone-freaking-dry. I was getting heart palpitations since my body was stealing water from my blood stream, thus I'm sure my blood pressure was dropping a bit, hence the heart needs to race faster to keep things up to speed. And just ENDLESS switchbacks. I just kept repeating to myself "Daddy's coming Papa... Daddy's coming." (I've called my boy "Papa" as a term of endearment since he was a baby). HAd to take micro-rest after every switchback to let my heart calm back down. It was like 3:30p when I realized I was out of water. Had a big Apple and a Big Orange. Sat and ate them, then started the trip up. it was like 9p by the time I made it up. And I used to pack a bunch of unneeded stuff in the beginning too.
It's GLORIOUS to have an extra Gallon to crack open when you're successful with a take and need to rinse your hands a little, and be able to splurge with water consumption during the pack-out! Especially if the take happened in the morning and it's already like 90+ F, so it's like Mega hot on your pack out, but you wanna hoof thru it so you can hit your cooler ASAP!
I do NOT MIND carrying extra weight in water. I just look at it like it's prepping me for the pack-out.
I'll tell ya man... having a scary experience with running out of water... it changes your whole outlook on life! Like I don't even trust that the water I stash will be out there either. So I often end up taking enough I don't need to dip into the stash anyway. Depending on the month, your water demand can get seriously high! This one time coming back outta there on a scouting trip in July. I kept thinking "Boy, I don't know what's wrong with me... I'm really out of it today." Get back to the damn car... it's freaking 116 F! Which you know means it's like around 10 degrees more on the trail with the way the brush holds the heat in next to the ground and all.
And that brings up another issue. How the heat of the day can make long range optics kinda pointless during that time with all the mirage waves in the image.
OMG... During the first year I began this hunting adventure in 2014, I ran out of water...at the bottom of Mt Wilson... with my car at the top of it. 3.5miles with I think 2500ft of ascent. That was scary, damn scary! My entire tongue, all the way down into my throat... was bone-freaking-dry. I was getting heart palpitations since my body was stealing water from my blood stream, thus I'm sure my blood pressure was dropping a bit, hence the heart needs to race faster to keep things up to speed. And just ENDLESS switchbacks. I just kept repeating to myself "Daddy's coming Papa... Daddy's coming." (I've called my boy "Papa" as a term of endearment since he was a baby). HAd to take micro-rest after every switchback to let my heart calm back down. It was like 3:30p when I realized I was out of water. Had a big Apple and a Big Orange. Sat and ate them, then started the trip up. it was like 9p by the time I made it up. And I used to pack a bunch of unneeded stuff in the beginning too.
It's GLORIOUS to have an extra Gallon to crack open when you're successful with a take and need to rinse your hands a little, and be able to splurge with water consumption during the pack-out! Especially if the take happened in the morning and it's already like 90+ F, so it's like Mega hot on your pack out, but you wanna hoof thru it so you can hit your cooler ASAP!
I do NOT MIND carrying extra weight in water. I just look at it like it's prepping me for the pack-out.
I'll tell ya man... having a scary experience with running out of water... it changes your whole outlook on life! Like I don't even trust that the water I stash will be out there either. So I often end up taking enough I don't need to dip into the stash anyway. Depending on the month, your water demand can get seriously high! This one time coming back outta there on a scouting trip in July. I kept thinking "Boy, I don't know what's wrong with me... I'm really out of it today." Get back to the damn car... it's freaking 116 F! Which you know means it's like around 10 degrees more on the trail with the way the brush holds the heat in next to the ground and all.
And that brings up another issue. How the heat of the day can make long range optics kinda pointless during that time with all the mirage waves in the image.
I added 15x binos this week. Next year will be all about looking at greater ranges and then moving in.
Nothing like a great January to get excited for all of 2019!
Nothing like a great January to get excited for all of 2019!
Larry,
how long can an unopened gallon of water last without going bad? I keep thinking about your and other's advise about stashing water out there, but I can't figure that out, also doesn't the plastic gallon deteriorate with time? or you put it underground or covered with rocks?
Me and my wife went for a hike in the Dove Mountains near Tucson last summer. We started our walk around 6 am, we took with us a lot of water ( or so we thought...) we took a wrong turn and ended up gaining maybe between 600 and 800 ft in elevation, the hike extended by two extra hours, we drank our last drop right before we made the last turn up in the mountain were we could see our starting point. The experience was terrifying, with over 100F at 10 am. I felt bad for my wife too.
Fabian,
I stash water in a few of my remote spots... one of my deer spots I had a gallon out there for almost 4 years that I keep under a boulder outcropping. This past season I decided to use it for cooking and coffee... worked out just fine.
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When water gets questionable.
Chlorine tabs do the trick.
Best option is to boil.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Chlorine...cation-Tablets-By-Potable-Aqua-30-Ea/22280801
Chlorine tabs do the trick.
Best option is to boil.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Chlorine...cation-Tablets-By-Potable-Aqua-30-Ea/22280801
I also bought the Compass on .308
I experienced the same concern about the rough function of the action but it is getting better with time, Mine does what it was said it would do which is to place 3 bullet within an MOA, ( as long a I use good ammo, Russian ammo hits all over the place and in some cases the used case jams in the barrel and it is hard to extract) so I am happy with it.
Like others said, I cannot wait to kill something with it, I bought it for Deer hunting and so far they have been smarter than me. So I am not eager to buy another rifle to replace it. Am I planning on buying more rifles? absolutely, a Marlin is in my cross-hairs, in the mean time I still need to invest in other type of equipment, rain gear, backpack, warm clothes, and the most important of all my investments is on travel to scout.
thats amazing...
Thank you for sharing.
DawnandDusk, you were lucky... you ran out of water when you were UP the mountain... try having it happen when you're at the BOTTOM of the Mountain, and your vehicle is at the top!
If I'm doing an over-nighter, I carry 6-to-8 Liters of water. Yeah... it can be heavy.. but I mean... it's gonna be heavier when you get lucky, right? So might as well get some conditioning in each time you go out.
If it's a single-day hunt, I'll bring 4L +1 bottle of Gatorade, and I generally have a generous amount leftover, but after having experienced the terror of running out of water with a long long climb back to the truck. I am totally fine with that. I never ever ever want to experience that again in my entire life... EVER! My whole entire tongue... as far down your throat as your tongue goes... was completely bone-dry and devoid of water to the touch. Inside my clothes was sopping-wet drenched with sweat. I was having heart palpitations too since my body was frantically grabbing for moisture from my bloodstream. And I purposefully tried to press-on during that initial feeling of needing to pee... because I knew my body would eventually try to recoup some of that water too once it realized what was going on.
And I started that climb back out at around 3:30p-4p, got to top about 9p. And thank goodness it was night time and cool, like 45 F. It was 3.5 miles and 2300ft ascent... with no water. NEVER to be repeated again, if I can help it. That trail is just like ENDLESS switchbacks! Towards the end I was taking micro-rests at each switchback to let my heartbeat calm back down. I figured if I didn't, I'd EFF around and give myself a heart attack.
In terms of stashing the water, I wrapped mine in a cheap Walmart camo fleece throw blanket and stuff it in between some rocks. Mostly just make sure you're stashing somewhere where it will always be in the shade, is all I'd say. As long as that vacuum seal hasn't been cracked, they can sit out there a long ol' time.
If I'm doing an over-nighter, I carry 6-to-8 Liters of water. Yeah... it can be heavy.. but I mean... it's gonna be heavier when you get lucky, right? So might as well get some conditioning in each time you go out.
If it's a single-day hunt, I'll bring 4L +1 bottle of Gatorade, and I generally have a generous amount leftover, but after having experienced the terror of running out of water with a long long climb back to the truck. I am totally fine with that. I never ever ever want to experience that again in my entire life... EVER! My whole entire tongue... as far down your throat as your tongue goes... was completely bone-dry and devoid of water to the touch. Inside my clothes was sopping-wet drenched with sweat. I was having heart palpitations too since my body was frantically grabbing for moisture from my bloodstream. And I purposefully tried to press-on during that initial feeling of needing to pee... because I knew my body would eventually try to recoup some of that water too once it realized what was going on.
And I started that climb back out at around 3:30p-4p, got to top about 9p. And thank goodness it was night time and cool, like 45 F. It was 3.5 miles and 2300ft ascent... with no water. NEVER to be repeated again, if I can help it. That trail is just like ENDLESS switchbacks! Towards the end I was taking micro-rests at each switchback to let my heartbeat calm back down. I figured if I didn't, I'd EFF around and give myself a heart attack.
In terms of stashing the water, I wrapped mine in a cheap Walmart camo fleece throw blanket and stuff it in between some rocks. Mostly just make sure you're stashing somewhere where it will always be in the shade, is all I'd say. As long as that vacuum seal hasn't been cracked, they can sit out there a long ol' time.
Got it.
And yes, I cannot imagine what you went through but my experience was scary enough...
No doubt, No doubt! And 100 F on the thermometer is more like 115 F on the trail the way the brush holds in the heat.
One time exiting my spot... I'm all thinking "Boy, man I'm really out of it today! I gotta get better about remembering to do my activity during the week." Was all having to stop a lot on the hike out and everything.
Get to my truck, start her up... Thermometer says 116 F, so then I didn't feel so bad anymore. Realized that, um yeah, you should be feeling like this today!
One time exiting my spot... I'm all thinking "Boy, man I'm really out of it today! I gotta get better about remembering to do my activity during the week." Was all having to stop a lot on the hike out and everything.
Get to my truck, start her up... Thermometer says 116 F, so then I didn't feel so bad anymore. Realized that, um yeah, you should be feeling like this today!
We were supposed to do the “lower jabalina trail”...
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OH wow.. yeah... anything above like... about 95 F... and it just gets inescapably brutal if there's no shade to be had, and if not wearing clothing that covers everything from direct sunlight.
Ugh... can't imagine being with a significant other in that kind of scenario either. Either you picked well, or you have much greater patience than I, HaHA!
Ugh... can't imagine being with a significant other in that kind of scenario either. Either you picked well, or you have much greater patience than I, HaHA!
LOL!!! I want to think that I picked well....
We knew that we had to be covered, so that we got, but the water shortage we disn’t expected...
beautiful scenery though....