Back with 128 photos and a unfilled tag

[Family Tradition]

Left Friday morning and made the trip up over Tioga Pass reaching our trail head about 2:30.

Loaded up the packs and started up and over into D7.

I'll cut to the case early and say this weekend was a bad one for packing into the area to hunt. Waaaaaaaaay to many backpackers w/dogs to even think about finding the bucks I had hoped for.

We made an early decision if it was just to busy to bag hunting and just make a great backpacking trip out of it.

Once over into D7 we glassed and found no less than 15 tents in the basin I wanted to hunt. NICE.

Needless to say it was a busy weekend in the wilderness.

We ended up hiking ALOT and using the spotter to check all the basins I could to make the trip in the least a good scouting trip.

Numbers from the GPS show 53 miles hiked and 15,500' of elevation gain in 4 days.

Needless to say I'm dead tired but hopefull for the next trip as I found some very remote areas that look VERY good, just have to get there and back which wont be easy but it is workable.

I&#39;ll post up a bunch of pics in the next day or so but for now I&#39;ll start off with a couple of teasers http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-hitting-self.gif

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml93.jpg

The eagle has landed, 6 miles back to our first camp.

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/crest.jpg

On the left X9a on the right D7

This is as good as it gets the Sierra Crest, one foot on each side.

[Family Tradition]

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Pika, for 2 days this was the biggest wild animal we saw.

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/Coyote.jpg

On day 3 called in this Coyote at 10,500&#39; but to be honest I just wasn&#39;t in the mood to take him.

Must have been his lucky day cause I had him at 16 yards.

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml52.jpg

Taking a break looking DOWN on Mammoth Mtn.

[Family Tradition]

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Dusk in the backcountry

No need for further comment

[Family Tradition]

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Sunrise on the Sierra Crest

[Family Tradition]

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Day Hike to Lake Virginia on the John Muir Trail

[Family Tradition]

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The first of 28 switchbacks to the pass

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml64.jpg



This little lake while not on the maps was a great find.

1 it was beautiful

2 it had loads of sign dropping off into the drainage and some rim rock that without some major effort cant be glassed. I&#39;ll be back.

FT

[in2blacktail]

Excellent pics FT!
Keep up the great work. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-cool-shades-down.gif

[Family Tradition]

Thanks Brian

It sucked that I didn&#39;t get into any good bucks but there is still 2 months left in the season.

Had fun and thats all that matters.

FT

[in2blacktail]

Thanks again for the invite. We shall team up again in the near future. I will let you do the driving so we get to the trailhead. Glad you had a great trip!

[tdbob]

Beautiful pics!!! Easy to see why it&#39;s so popular with the backpacking crowd. Good luck on your future outings.

[jackrabbit]

Wow, that is beautiful country. Nice pics.

[hntnnut]

Thats some awsome country, thanks for sharing the pics.


Richard

[THE ROMAN ARCHER]

ft thanks for sharing your hunting adventure and great photos http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbs-up-ani.gif your a lucky man having your wife with you to share your passion for hunting and hiking, when me and my wife are on the trails we have the best times together! good luck on the next trip out, better off hunting during the weekdays and when its not a holiday weekend like labor day when everybody is in the woods and lakes, oh well..........tra

[soccerstudbr]

Hey FT those are some great pics man.......That&#39;s ashame about so many people.

[Orso]

Great photos... Thanks for sharing your adventure.

[Family Tradition]

Thanks guys

Had a great time and Mamma thinks I need to find a more remote spot, gotta love that.

FT

[Family Tradition]

There were LOTS of backpackers. Most were super cool to us BUT there are always those who cant just enjoy their own life.

Some of the comments are as follows.

*****
At the trail head day 1

"what do you think you are going to do with that?" From very foreign hiker.

"bowhunt for muledeer and black bears" ME

"Is that legal?, You are going into a wilderness area, you cant hunt there"

"Yes its legal, read the sign you are standing in front of" ME

"Well I dont like it and I hope you dont get anything"

"Sorry you feel that way, You should learn the laws before you confront somebody next time, have a great trip" ME


*****

Two women hiking with 3 dogs running all over the mountain as they passed by

"well that just ruined my wilderness experience" women #1

"totally" women #2

*****

Couple with fishing poles

"What are you hunting" Man

"Mule deer and Black Bears" ME

"Will you camp with us" Woman

"Worried about bears are you (smiling)"

"Uh YEAH" Man

*****

And the best one of the weekend

"YOU SUCK" Yelled from some college kids with a camp fire at 10,500&#39;

I guess their ethics let them think I was EVIL while they were GOOD by camping and having an ILLEGAL fire right next to the outlet of a lake.

I took a pic and showed it to the ranger when I saw him, he actaully said thanks and went to talk to them about the fire and their camp.

Good times regardless

FT

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml56.jpg


After months of hunting the coastal range it is finding spots like this that make me work hard to hunt the backcountry year after year.

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml69.jpg


Big Country

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml78.jpg

Grouse @ 3 yards

['Ike' @ HM]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Family Tradition @ Sep 5 2006, 11:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=746670)</div>
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml78.jpg

Grouse @ 3 yards[/b]

Can you say dinner!?!?!? Hold one! Need to check the regs!!! http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-wnk-yellow.gif

Great POST FT, thanks for telling me about it....Especially love the shot of Mammoth..... http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbs-up-ani.gif

[hunting1]

Great pictures and story! Those tree hugg&#39;n idiots are everywhere! Ignorants is everywere, but sounds like you handled them well!

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml39.jpg

Ike, just for you


Mammoth lakes basin w/o my uggly form in the photo

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml6.jpg

I like this one

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml27.jpg

This spot was a cool find on a day hike

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml45.jpg

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml14.jpg

Its not home but she still has Granite cooktops.

That counts for something, RIGHT?

FT

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml18.jpg

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml62.jpg

The Silver Divide

[Backcountry]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (&#39;Ike&#39; @ HM @ Sep 6 2006, 12:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=746707)</div>
Can you say dinner!?!?!? Hold one! Need to check the regs!!![/b]
Perfectly legal... archery grouse season opens concurrent with archery deer. Grouse taste like chicken and are just about as smart, but not quite.

Got this one near Sonora Pass...

http://www.jesseshunting.com/photopost/data/516/medium/13239Grouse_1.jpg

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml60.jpg

[Zbearclaw]

Awesome pics, also you handled the neincompoops like you have done it before, I just end up wanting to use them as my bait pile, but of course baiting is illegal.

again congrats on the little lady that shares that stuff with you, that there is something.

[SierraFool]

Great pics http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley_10sign.gif

['Ike']

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Family Tradition @ Sep 6 2006, 09:59 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=746835)</div>
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml39.jpg

Ike, just for you


Mammoth lakes basin w/o my uggly form in the photo[/b]

http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-bowdown-purple.gif Thanks, great memories there, Class of 81! http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-hitting-self.gif

[Rookies]

speachless..... Good luck next time

[camo snob]

Damn fine pics. It looks like a lot of work. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-faces-toast-beers.gif

[bowhuntr]

Nothing better than the high country, great pics! Good luck for the rest of the year.

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml76.jpg

Can anyone guess what hard to draw big game animal I spotted up in this crag?

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml51.jpg

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml44.jpg

Lora is now wondering how I get in such good shape when all I do is sit around like this all day.

Women, BAAAA

FT

[Backcountry]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Family Tradition @ Sep 6 2006, 06:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=747083)</div>
Can anyone guess what hard to draw big game animal I spotted up in this crag?[/b]
http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sheep.gif?

I&#39;ve personally only seen them in the White Mountains. If you saw a sheep in there I&#39;m pretty sure that "herd" isn&#39;t even on the draw.

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml34.jpg

[Backcountry]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Family Tradition @ Sep 6 2006, 06:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=747085)</div>
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml51.jpg[/b]
Banner and Ritter and the Minarettes in the background... Crystal Crag below you in the foreground... very nice!

You ever get over to Iva Bell? If not, it&#39;s my favorite hot spring in CA, and you were pretty close (if you can call another 7 miles close)... very clean, very secluded, almost never anyone there, and several pools of varying temperature to soak in. After Saline Valley (which is accessible by 4wd), probably the most remote hot spring in the state (11 miles from Lake Mary or Reds Meadow... both routes are a bit of a hoof).

[Family Tradition]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Backcountry @ Sep 6 2006, 06:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=747092)</div>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Family Tradition @ Sep 6 2006, 06:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=747083)

Can anyone guess what hard to draw big game animal I spotted up in this crag?[/b]
http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sheep.gif?

I&#39;ve personally only seen them in the White Mountains. If you saw a sheep in there I&#39;m pretty sure that "herd" isn&#39;t even on the draw.
[/b][/quote]

Bingo

I called my Biologist buddy and he said they only have 40 NBS on record in that area.

Said only way I could have been any more lucky was if I was able to get a photo.

Thing busted us at over 2 miles and eased back over to an unreachable area.

That was my first CA ram, made the trip a success. He was small only about 2/3 to 3/4 curl or so but it was cool to watch him in the spotter for a few mins.

FT

[Family Tradition]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Backcountry @ Sep 6 2006, 06:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=747096)</div>
You ever get over to Iva Bell? If not, it&#39;s my favorite hot spring in CA, and you were pretty close (if you can call another 7 miles close)... very clean, very secluded, almost never anyone there, and several pools of varying temperature to soak in. After Saline Valley (which is accessible by 4wd), probably the most remote hot spring in the state (11 miles from Lake Mary or Reds Meadow... both routes are a bit of a hoof).[/b]

I have not but I&#39;m going to look into it.

We made kind of a big loop starting/ending at Lake Mary.

Our biggest day we did 27 miles, that was a bit much with all the stuff I was hauling. That being said, 7 miles is close. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-hitting-self.gif

[THE ROMAN ARCHER]

the hardcore hikeing you put in was worth the great photos you are sharing with us FT http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley_10sign.gif http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbs-up-ani.gif .............tra

[Family Tradition]

TRA

My pleasure

I always love it when people post up photos of places I either may never go or just cant for some reason.

Most of the photos are from the John Muir Wilderness and you have to know the Old Scott would have loved them himself.

Think what you will about Muir but he from all of my readings would have been one cool dude to sit at a campfire with.

Any guy who walked in deep in those days must have been a hard hard man.

FT

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml46.jpg

[tmoniz]

I used to pack up to Ritter when I was in College. Gosh I love the high country. Great pics. Made my day and amped me up for next week.

[jackrabbit]

Really nice stuff FT. I´ve looked UP at Crystal Craig many times but never had the pleasure of looking DOWN at it. Very impressive -- makes me want to keep doing a little more backpacking, even after my weekend unsuccessful attempt to go cross country backpacking to a secret spot this past weekend -- tell you about it later, but it was tough; and your photos keep me motivated to keep doing it.

[Family Tradition]

T

Thanks, I&#39;m "almost" as happy to post up photos of a trip like this as when I actually tag out, ALMOST.

Glad your pumped, your hunt is going to be fun.

Jackrabbit.

Its getting close to time to hit Hooters.....OR you guys can come over one night and we can watch DVD&#39;s, Tell lies and get ready for the rifle opener.

Just let me know

FT

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml83.jpg

Lora trekking up the JMT/PCT

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml77.jpg

Another Grouse

[Family Tradition]

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One of many cool tree&#39;s we passed

[Family Tradition]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d98/MSASSER/ml49.jpg

Cool spot well above 11,000

[jackrabbit]

Hey FT, an evening at your place going over your pics, watching a DVD, and talking D7 strategies sounds like a ton of fun to me. I&#39;m sure FresnoHunter would be up for it. I am struggling to remain 100% retired through the end of the hunting seasons this year, but I don&#39;t know what FresnoHunter&#39;s vacation options are this year for a couple multi-day hunts. But I definitely want to do some weekday, multi-day hunts -- maybe a car base camp, with an overnight backpack jaunt once I find the deer hangouts. I&#39;ll be in touch by email. These pics are just awesome, I remember how it feels to be up high!!

[Family Tradition]

100% retired would be nice, I&#39;m holding tight at 50% BUT now that I had to go and find a new area I may have to do some work so I can buy some new gear to keep hunting back there until the end of Oct.

Gotta go even lighter. With Lora I was hauling 65lbs with the bow, camera and binos + a few of her items lashed on.
When I had the J104 in daypack mode it was about 10lbs and that was NICE.
40 was to much for her.
Got me thinking about my D7 buck from last year and the 100+lb pack I had to haul out solo. OUCH thats 66% of my body weight!

Lighter, must go lighter........Thinking 25-30lbs for 5 days. I think I can work it down to that, may be expensive but its attainable.

Could take that long to get some good weather but I sure hope not.

I have a great backup plan in we get some hard weather I have a route mapped out that will put me WAY back and just above the migration route into that double secret honey hole I have been hiding over here on the west side.

If we dont I&#39;ll be driving over Tioga and going as remote as possible.

But first I need to work on that A zone tag and put some food on the table.

FT

PS: I have high quality originals on a disc if anyone wants a specific photo

[jackrabbit]

Believe it or not, back in the day, when I weighed 130 lbs, I carried a 150 lb buck on my pack frame down hill a couple miles for six hours cross country, one ministep at a time -- no trails, just a creek bed with a bunch of timber dead falls to roll over! I noticed in one of your pics above that in day-pack mode, your pack seems to carry your load quite a distance back from your body -- but I&#39;m not sure if that is any further back than an external frame would do. In the pic of both of your packs above, it does not seen like the load juts out too bad though. One of the problems I had at the start of this weekend&#39;s jaunt, was that when I had my 4 lb sleeping bag lashed behind my internal frame pack, it just pulled me back way too much, and my balance over obstacles was impossible. I fixed that by having Fresno Hunter carry my bag, and then it was his problem. But the weight/balance issues still stopped us before we got half way to our cross country destination because we hit some severe boulder fields on our ascent, with heavy shrubs weaved in the crevises. Then the terrain forced us over to a milder ridge (where water was also available) that we knew would dead-end us at a virtual cliff, just short of our desired destination. I was carring a 3200 CI internal pack whic did not have enough room for my gear (which included a backpack weight two-man tent). I&#39;m thinking about the J105 pack.

[Backcountry]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (jackrabbit @ Sep 6 2006, 10:57 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=747199)</div>
...I had my 4 lb sleeping bag lashed behind my internal frame pack...

...we hit some severe boulder fields on our ascent, with heavy shrubs weaved in the crevises. &#39;&#39;

I was carring a 3200 CI internal pack whic did not have enough room for my gear (which included a backpack weight two-man tent). I&#39;m thinking about the J105 pack.[/b]

Some weight trimming and other ideas...

4lb is about 2 pounds too much for a summer high elevation bag. You should look for a down bag with a water resistent shell good down to about 20F... something like this (which must be used with a quality sleep pad).

http://www.bigagnes.com/str_bags.php?id=z

With respect to the boulder fields and other footing issues, were you using hiking poles? You know, the telescoping ski pole things that only the dirty hippy hikers seem to use? If not, trust me on this, get a pair and use them, they will increase your safe load bearing capacity, increase stability, increase circulation in your arms, give better footing while crossing creeks, give better climbing ability going up, and save your knees and ankles going down, etc... do a JHO search for hiking poles and you&#39;ll see there are several recent converts that used to poo-poo them, until they tried them, and now they don&#39;t leave the house without them. There are myriad other uses too, such as a splint for your buddy who busted his leg because he didn&#39;t have hiking poles, propping up a poncho for an impromptu bivy, rattlesnake attitude adjustment device, etc...

With respect to the J105, that pack also has limited "backpacking" load carrying capacity when in it&#39;s unexpanded configuration. It may be a great meat hauler if you get a buck, but like all packs it has comprimises. Keep in mind that a backpack for backpack hunting is going to be used 95% of the time for backpacking, and only about 5% of the time for hauling meat (if you&#39;re lucky). If you want more than 3,200 c.u. of load carrying capacity (e.g., if you want your bear can to fit inside the pack), you are forced to use the J105 in it&#39;s expanded configuration. I will grant that it is a comfortable pack. If you are thinking about dropping serious dime on a nice pack, I&#39;d recommend you get your hands on several before deciding on what&#39;s best for you. Badlands, Eberlstock, and Kifaru all make quality hunting packs, and all have compromises. Don&#39;t discount regular backpacking packs from companies such as Mountainsmith (started by the same guy that owns Kifaru), Dana Designs, Jansport, Kelty, Osprey, Lowe, REI, etc... some of those packs are near identical to a Badlands or Kifaru, but without the hunting-specific features (which I think many are gimics to sell packs).

Anyway, sorry for the thread hijack, but it seemed topical with respect to backpacking...

http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/archer.gif Backcountry

[Family Tradition]

Packs..............

Ohhhhh Baby http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-chainsaw-left.gif thats a loaded topic

My J104 when fully packed in the first photo was "OK" to haul. IF I had shot anything and had to expand it to 7000ci it would have been miserable under the circumstances of this trip.

One of the downfalls to hauling this pack is one of the upsides for hunting with it and thats the location of the water bladder and the scabbard.

This pushes the bulk of the load out about 4-5"

Now that said while using the spike camp duffle I was able to pack nearly my entire camp into that bag and once we reached a spot to camp I would just slide it out and zip the pack back up into mini mode. That was AWESOME.

Things I would do differently packing wise.

#1 take my other bag that is smaller and lighter (I was worried about it being to cold and in the end I was ever even close with my Mtn Hardware 15* bag, actually ended up unzipped most mornings)........BUT then again Lora has the same bag and we did the ole Adam/Eve Zip together deal and well Ya Know http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-wnk-yellow.gif

#2 take a smaller lighter 2 person tent. Looking into a Sierra Designs Lightning......4lbs packed compared to our big Kelty that is 8lbs. The Kelty is SUPER nice for room and shelter but it was a bit much for this trip.

#3 take fewer clothes. I always pack far to many clothes and heavy ones at that.

#4 leave the big stove at home and use the Jetboil for all meals ( just boil water http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-hitting-self.gif )

#5 Look at what Mamma packed in the Bear Canister, it came home half full.

Thats about it.

My J104 worked great but her Dana would have felt much better on my back by trips end, unless I tagged out then of course things swing the other way.

Go figure

FT

[Backcountry]

I think the water bladder and scabbard areas of the J104/J105 are two of the biggest downfalls of this pack... hauling geometry and body mechanics are optimized when the center of gravity of the load is as close to a person&#39;s body as possibly... these features are good ideas, but in practice the amount of fabric used to create the water bladder and gun scabbard areas of this pack is excessive and I think a poor design.

Moreover, I&#39;m of the strong opinion that putting a gun or bow on/in a pack is a liability... things will get bumped and/or torn up... I&#39;ve posted this opinion of mine numerous times over the years... for example, read about YORT40&#39;s recent horsepacking trip where his bow was ruined.

http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/index....howtopic=119444 (http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=119444)

If you want your bow/rifle to work, keep it in your hands... if you want to risk the string being abraded, peep torn, pins bent, scope bumped, barrel jammed with debris, then put it on/in your pack.

As both an avid backpacker and avid hunter, I&#39;m well aware that no pack is perfect, and all packs are compromises... the pivot point is obviously before-after game is down... before game is down, a dedicated backpacking pack is probably the best choice for most folks... after game is down, a dedicated hunting pack, designed to haul meat and well-ventilated, is probably the best choice for most folks... if you&#39;re the type of person that bags a buck or bear on every backpacking trip, then go with a hunting pack... more realistically, if you&#39;re the type that gets game on only every 4th, 5th, or 10th backpacking trip, then a backpacking backpack is probably less of a comprimise than a hunting backpack.

A secondary concern for backpack hunters is having a day pack to use once they are back at their basecamp area... some hunting packs have this option, either by reducing the size of the pack by folding in on itself or removing panels, or by spawning a smaller pack off of the top lid or a front-mounted compartment/pack. Some packs do this better than others. Personally, I use a Mountainsmith Spectre (up to 5,000 c.u.) as my backpacking pack, and a small Camelback Striker as my daypack. I&#39;ve considered buying a Badlands 4500, but I&#39;m of the opinion that my combination does what I need it to do nearly equally well as the Badlands pack, and my combination is approximately 2 lbs lighter than the Badlands, and in a game of ounces, 2 pounds is a game winner.

Here&#39;s a great thread from 2004 on packs... still holds true today...

http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/index....showtopic=66820 (http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=66820)

http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/archer.gif Backcountry

[CAhntr]

FT, Great photos! You are a lucky guy to have a wife that will go hunting with you. Thats awesome. I can barely get my wife to look at my hunting pictures. Good luck the rest of the season.

Eric

[jackrabbit]

BC and FT, great tips, thanx. My 4 lb bag is a current military bag with the heavy inner bag included, which is supposed to be good down to 10*. I could have saved more than half the weight by leaving the inner bag at home, and as it turned out, I was sweating even with the bag unzipped. My 3200 CI bag is a Jansport Peregine 52 which is quite narrow, but the straps seemed very strong. My complaint is that it has no handy side pockets like my old external frame pack had for quick access to various frequent essentials. So: it appears that maybe for my small frame and old tired legs, that a hunting pack may not be the thing for me if they offset the load away from my back. Maybe I can rig up some handi-sacks of some sort to tie-off on the sides of my pack for the little frequent essentials. I&#39;ll keep monitoring this backpacking site for more tips. thanx again.

[SDHNTR]

hey FT, you sure that sheep was a Nelson? There are still a very few CA bighorns left in the upper reaches of Yosemite and parts of Lee Vining canyon. That is certainly more their kind of habitat.

[Family Tradition]

SDHNTR

Well is was a long way off but it wasn&#39;t domestic IE 3/4 curl and brown coat.

There from my source are more than a very few in the area but not many by any means.

You also have to see what it looks like on the other side of that ridge to understand why he was in the area. Within a few miles from that photo is a Bighorn restriction area with Major restrictions on the who what when of what goes on in there.

I&#39;d bank on my assesment in this case. I&#39;ve been putting in and daydreaming enough about pulling a NBS tag to think I am correct.

FT

[jerkee]

Mark-
Sorry your hunt didn&#39;t turn out as expected but it sounds like you had a good time with Mamma + got to see some great new country. I had similar run ins with backpackers on my trip there but fortunately it was on my way out. Winter storms and high winds tends to keep them out of the hills.

Shoot me an email or call my cell....

b

[Family Tradition]

Jerkee

Cant tell you how much fun we had. The further back we went the more we wanted to keep going.

FT

[Family Tradition]

B

E-mail sent

MS

[canadagoose]

FT, great pics! I&#39;m chomping at the bit for the D3-5 rifle opener.

BC, another Saline Valley fan? We try to make it there twice a year. Awesome place. Beat the hell out of my skid plate last time.

[SacFireJT]

Great pictures Mark!

[Jake]

Wow, great pics!!

[kingwouldbe]

Smoken pic&#39;s thanks for sharing

[easymoney]

FT, great photos and thanks for taking your wife, as she will now spread the word amongst her friends... Just sorry you did not score. I had one of my best trips last year packing into an OR wilderness area, where we saw loads of bulls and bucks but could not score either. I&#39;m going back in two weeks to give it another go.
Great points made by all in regards to packing and what to take... Lighter is always better and it always seems we take too much stuff.
Good luck in the remaining months left on your tag...

[snoopdogg]

FT Great looking pics, wifey companion, sheep, comebacks to idiots on the trail, etc, etc. Keep posting... Thanks again.