How many camp out?

[JWP58]

I'm wondering how many camp out when hunting? I plan on doing some "back country" hunting this next season and plan on camping instead of the hotel thing.

Besides the obivous things like a tent, food, tp, coolers, ect. What gear would y'all consider "must haves"?

[coveydogs]

I camp out a lot when I solo hunt, but out of the truck.

Things to bring:
Good first aid kit
Lots of water
Good knife
Good chair
Head lamp w/ extra batteries
Something to read... it gets dark earlier every day in the fall sometimes you don't feel like going to bed at 6:30pm.
Ingredients to cook the birds
Good whiskey...

If you like buying gear this thing is nice http://www.rei.com/product/814241/byer- ... tool-combo

The rest you listed.

[JWP58]

I take it you use your truck to recharge ecollars/gps collars? Or do you have one of those nifty solar panel things?

[Max&rick]

Great pic would make a good chevy commercial

[coveydogs]

I take it you use your truck to recharge ecollars/gps collars? Or do you have one of those nifty solar panel things?

I use the truck to recharge. If you really like gear check out http://expeditionportal.com/forum/ those guys travel with fridges, hot shower systems, and dual battery setups and everything else you can think of. Gets too rich for my blood in a hurry.

Another thing I like to do is cook and freeze a lot of food before I go, chill and stews, it keeps other stuff cold in the cooler which saves space that is usually taken up by ice and you just need to heat it up for meals, very little preparation time.

Last season, blue grouse hunting early September I camped next to an alpine lake, jumped in after a long day of hunting, not a person around for miles, beats a hotel any day.

[Gertie]

Another thing I like to do is cook and freeze a lot of food before I go, chill and stews, it keeps other stuff cold in the cooler which saves space that is usually taken up by ice and you just need to heat it up for meals, very little preparation time.

That's a great idea! I like to roll light and fast too. A real nice luxury if you're going to be in a tent is a Paco Pad. They're real popular for rafting but are super nice for camping too (not great for backpacking though). Prepare for sticker shock because they're spendy (not nearly as spendy as hotels though) and your back will thank you for it and they last forever. A good down sleeping bag is also key. Mine's an 800 fill that's rated to -10. The combination of those two things will keep you snug as a bug. I also bring a lightweight white gas camp stove to heat water for coffee, etc. Fun stuff!

[JWP58]

Another thing I like to do is cook and freeze a lot of food before I go, chill and stews, it keeps other stuff cold in the cooler which saves space that is usually taken up by ice and you just need to heat it up for meals, very little preparation time.

Last season, blue grouse hunting early September I camped next to an alpine lake, jumped in after a long day of hunting, not a person around for miles, beats a hotel any day.

Thats a good idea. And sounds like my kind of hunting! I hope to find a few places like this during the summer and return for a hunt or two.

[bluestemkennels]

I camp in the Dakotas in October. A -20 bag and a cot. Sounds like over-kill, but it sure makes for a comfortable night's sleep.

Bluestem

[JWP58]

How many gallons of water per day do y'all take? I've been looking on REI and they have some nice 7gal bpa free water containers. Surely 14-21gals would be plenty for a 2-3 days right?

[Gertie]

I carry 2 5 gallon jerry cans of water in the rig. I usually pack a gallon with me with 72 oz. in a hydration pack and the rest in a couple bottles if I'm going to be hiking for a few hours in cool weather. If the weather is warm then I bring more or hike in loops back to the rig to re-supply every couple hours. I also bring a water filter (generally left in the rig) and some water treatment tablets (in the pack) just to be safe.

[coveydogs]

How many gallons of water per day do y'all take? I've been looking on REI and they have some nice 7gal bpa free water containers. Surely 14-21gals would be plenty for a 2-3 days right?

Depends on the area/climate/time of year/number of dogs. If you have a water source close to where you are hunting, you can carry less, bring a filter or Steripen. If you have extra space, extra water isn't a bad thing to bring. I think I carry around 8 gallons for 2-3 days, plus some Gatorade, but I'm never more then a day drive from a town to get more and I am also very conservative using it for cleaning etc. I always drive out with extra but that is the way I like it.

[Escopeton]

Another Blue Grouse hunter here. Here is the Grouse Camp; during Sept., I just camp it if is just me and the dog(s). The ride looks good at 9,000 feet.

[Escopeton]

This is the back view. Although, this time I was returning from a fly fishing workshop that I taught.

[topher40]

I tend to camp at trials and Training trips to save on cash. This is done in true rustic fashion. Bathing in ponds with an extra bar of soap from the house, watering dogs and horses from said pond, coffee is a luxury, staking out the horses is a must since hay takes up so much space, no tent cause you can always sleep in the trailer if it rains/snows, cooking over campfire or cookstove (you can make anything out of hamburger), and bring plenty of beer or whiskey . Needless to say my wife wont go camping with me, my son likes it but he is 7!

[JWP58]

Thanks for the info guys. I plan on camping out when i go grouse and partridge hunting next season, and i need all the advice i can get.

Of course this summer will be a bunch of trial campouts and scouting trips. I can wait.

[Ryman Gun Dog]

JWP58,
I use to sleep out in our Grouse Rig, in Grouse season, when traveling to NH, VT and WVa, its been a very long time sense I hunted in that way, especially sense I have my
back woods log cabin in Potter/Tioga, Pa. I like my creature comforts way to much, especially now that I am older. Having spent way to much time sleeping out in Viet Nam, I could careless about ever sleeping out when I Grouse hunt. I look forward to setting around my big stone fire place in the evening, having a hot shower and sleeping in my own bed. At one time however we did sleep in the Grouse hunting Rig, everyone is young or on a lean budget at one time.
RGD/Dave

The traveling rig we use to sleep in, as we Grouse hunted in different states.

[SHORTFAT]

We usually go winter camping with the Boy Scouts after the hunting season is over... Havn't had enough snow this year to make it any fun!!!

[fishvik]

I usually camp out in the early season when I go over to the western part of the state. Sometimes even for duck season when I sleep in the back of the truck.

We usually go winter camping with the Boy Scouts after the hunting season is over

I did this a couple of times. One time myself, one of the younger scouts and his dad were the only ones in the troop to make it through the night in snow caves up by McCall, ID. The older scouts build a condo and they all quit in the middle of the night and went into the dining hall to sleep. As a reward for staying out all night the three of us were awarded "Far Side" mugs that had two polar bears standing over an igloo and one bear is saying to the other, "I love these things, crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside." I sure miss "Far Side".

[JWP58]

What kind of tents are you guys using? I've been looking at "backpacking tents". From what i know, i should go one size bigger than i think i need. Like its gonig to be my fiance, dog, and me so a 3person tent minimum right?

[Gertie]

I have a Marmot Swallow 2P and it's plenty big for 2 people and 1 dog if you don't need to store a bunch of stuff in there. I'm not sure if Marmot still makes that model but I'm sure they make something similar. It's a 4 season conversion tent which basically means if you put the fly on and zip everything up inside it's a 4 season tent that's water/snow proof and really solid against the wind. If you leave the fly off and/or unzip all the screened areas inside you can use it any time (and it's got a zipper on both sides so you don't have to disturb the other person if you have to get out). I like it a lot because it works regardless of the conditions. That said, if it's reasonably warm and privacy is not an issue I usually just bring a tarp and sleep outside.

[dreamerofdreams]

What kind of tents are you guys using? I've been looking at "backpacking tents". From what i know, i should go one size bigger than i think i need. Like its gonig to be my fiance, dog, and me so a 3person tent minimum right?

Depends on the weather. We've got a few backpacking tents - REI Arete 3 and the REI half dome, I think it is. The second one is new since we moved to a warmer climate, haven't tested it out yet. Love the arete though - plenty big enough for both of us, our guns, with room for a dog.

[lvrgsp]

Can you explain your tent set up a bit or a link to it.
Thanks......

I camp out a lot when I solo hunt, but out of the truck.

Things to bring:
Good first aid kit
Lots of water
Good knife
Good chair
Head lamp w/ extra batteries
Something to read... it gets dark earlier every day in the fall sometimes you don't feel like going to bed at 6:30pm.
Ingredients to cook the birds
Good whiskey...

If you like buying gear this thing is nice http://www.rei.com/product/814241/byer- ... tool-combo

The rest you listed.

[gonehuntin']

I've camped out for 50 years, but I'm getting soft; I'd rather camp out in a motel now. I can tell you this: camping out with dog's is a pain in the butt, so keep it simple. Carry two five gallon water containers, the square type you can get at Walmart. Pumping water through a filter is a pain. The dog's don't need filtered water, only you so only pump enough for yourself. You'll be passing gas station, refill the water there.

Sleep on a cot. It keeps you off the ground, warmer, and you can put your junk under it, saving space in the tent.

Keep your meals simple. Use paper plates. I carry MRE's, freeze dried, stuff I've made at home, or something out of a can.

Take a small Weber grill for the meat, a Camp Chef Butane stove for all other heating. I use a percolator coffee pot for coffee or hot water. Bring aluminum foil and cover the grill with it; you then won't have to clean the grill. I carry an aluminum pot for cooking some canned stuff or water and a teflon pan for eggs.


Keep a sharp knife, a knife, a fork and a spoon. That's it for silver ware. Lunch's are sardines, tuna, or oysters, cheese, and crackers or sandwich thins.

I carry all of the cooking stuff in an Orvis bag, the food in another.

Keep it simple and light and you'll really enjoy it. Nothing like being isolated with the dog's and no one around to ruin it. Bring a lot of books and a coleman gas lantern. The nights are very long. That's the biggest problem. It's also one of the reason I'm now in flea bag motels.

[Ruffshooter]

Don't do it much anymore but, when I got my tent for these trips, I made sure it had a full Poly tarp bottom. they are strong and keep water from seeping up through. I got a Coleman 3 person dome tent. It was fairly cheap and I still have it some 20 years later.
Placement of tents is something to pay attention to your surroundings, no overhead widow makers, get up on the higher part of the ground so if it rains you will not be in a hole. Stuff like that. Do no use a propane heater in an enclosed area. In the past few years there have been folks up in the Moosehead area, that died because of that stupidity.

[fishvik]

My general rule when hunting/camping is what the manufacturers tent capacity plus 2. So if I and a friend are going with 2 dogs I want a 5-6 person tent. A cot, sleeping pad and good sleeping bag should keep you warm enough and off the ground. Other than that gonehuntin' sums up the rest.

[coveydogs]

Can you explain your tent set up a bit or a link to it.
Thanks......

Sure thing. It is a roof top tent. Basically it goes on top of any truck/car/suv... weight limit permitting. When closed mine has about an 8 inch height and a footprint of 63"x47". It flips open to 63"x94" and has a 3" thick foam mattress to sleep on.

Pros:
You sleep on a level platform with no pine cones and roots in your back.
If it rains you aren't sitting in a puddle.
Easy to put up and take down
It is comfy
It is fun
It cost less then a camper

Cons:
Cost way more then a tent
Way heavier then a tent
Takes up way more room then a tent.
It stays with the truck, you have to bring another tent if you want to camp where the truck cant get to.

Overall I like it, I think of it as filling the gap between a camper and a tent, in cost/weight/mobility/comfort.

My setup is similar to this one... animated pic below shows how easy it is to setup and how small it is when collapsed.