I am planning a budget adventure. Simply put I plan on spending the last week of August of 2011 at least 7 kilometers from the nearest road in the Alberta WMA of 527. I shall try to live off the land and what ever I can carry on my back. I will be hunting Black Bear, Mulies, Whitetail, Grouse, Rabbit and Squirrel. I am looking over maps right now and I was hoping that any fellow tradgangers who have attempted such adventures would mind sharing stories and ideas.
Oh and to boot I hope to be using a Martin Stick longbow that I will have purchased with what I call "free funds". My version of free funds are money found on the ground and bottles left as litter. So far I am up to $10.74 in only eight days! Anyhow I sahll be lloking in on this every once and a while and I look forward to hearing from anyone with advice. Thanx for reading.
How do you plan on getting all the meat out you don't eat and freezing it?
Maybe that is one of the ideas he would like to share????
The meat would not be a very difficult problem. I plan on going with the missus so there would be two pack frames for loading up any meat, and I have never killed a Black Bear or Mulie that carried too much boned out meat for two people to carry. The meat would have to be carried out quickly of course but there is a cooler that accepts wild game and is only a 15 minute drive from the road I am thinking of using as a drop off point. And of course the decision to kill big game would be dependant on that days temperature, which in Northern Alberta at that time of year often dips to 10-15 celcius (a temperature I have hung meat in without ill effect). I scouted the area I was hoping to hunt this year, and it is fairly accessable for those willing to walk with many old cutlines. It is not ATV friendly due to the amount of trees and creeks that now cross most of the cutlines. I figure any meat could be hiked out in under 7 hours which I think is an acceptable risk. Thats my plan anyway.
This made me smile :) . A friend and I used to do this when we were young men. Huntin gear, fishing gear, camping gear, cornmeal and grease is all we took with us. Had some really good meals some nights. Went to bed hungry a few nights, but had a lot of fun along the way. We would cut cane along the river and make homemade pipes and smoke prince albert around the fire at night. Not good for you but back then we didn't know any better. 7 days is the longest we ever went. When we came in off the creekat the end of the week, his aunt cooked us fried spam, mac and cheese and bisquits. Best meal I ever had :)
Good luck to you on your trip, should supply you with a lifetime of memories.
Chris
I agree, the meat would not be any problem at all for 2 people.
I wish I was a little closer as I would like to join you.
2 books that I recomend are:
"Back Country Bowhunting" by Cameron Haines and
"Public Land Mulies" by David W. Long
Both books have all of the info you could even think of needing in the back country.
Both books detail gear, glassing techniques, physical requirements, and the list goes on.
Good luck to you.
Paul
Thanks for the well wishes and book suggestions, I will definately look them up. Oh and what type of shelter did you use when you went on your trips rice? I am thinking about bringing only my surplus sleeping bag and a tarp and making a lean to, but I guess that will be temperature dependent.
A miliatry surplus poncho, or two, make a great hooch. Just keep it low to the ground and tight and you should be fine. They should be lighter than a tarp too...
Sounds awesome. Good luck.
One way to rack up a few extra bucks quickly,
I collected scrap metal and was able to buy a boat in less than one year. I had mondays off so I was able to visit the nearest scrap yard and sell the found metal. I was able to find an abandoned railroad track owned by the city, There was everything from old tracks and spikes to hot water heaters and bed springs. I was able to clean the area and make about 2500. in one year.
Charlie
Take some water only pancake mix for easy cakes and it makes a great coating for the "uplands" , let birds age a little if you can, mmmmmmmh, also hook line and split shot for the small creeks for what I call a little "skinny water surprise"
Have a Great Trip
Ted
I use Mountain House freeze dry food. It is the best tasting of the freeze dry stuff. Trout on an open fire is worth taking a fishing rig along. One of those little stick stoves with the battery powered fan for cooking on bad days is great for boiling water and doing fried food. Remember some fire starter, the gel works really good, but we use vaseline and cotton balls. When we do canoe hunts, we prefer our canvas baker tent to the nylon jobs, a small campfire heats it up quite nicely.
How in the world did you talk your wife into this, please give pointers-I'm jealous!
Take a book or two by Patrick F. McManus.
LOL George! make sure to read the one where he snagged the cow while flyfishing in the stream!
Why would you both pack out your meat? If your wife made two trips, you would gain at least another half day of hunting!
Justin: we just tied a log between 2 trees and through a canvas tarp over it. Then our pads and sleeping bags on the ground. Once we set camp, we stayed put and did day hunting and fishing excursions from there. Back then we did not have the light weight materials they have today for tarps. All we were trying to do was stay dry if it rained, it doesn't get to cold in southeast Oklahoma. I would think up where you are you would need a tent to keep the rain, snow, and wind off of you at night.
Sounds like you 2 will have lots of fun!
Chris
Thanx for all the replies everyone, especially the food ideas. Unfortunately there will be no fish in my area, just beaver sloughs. Might have to try arrowing a beaver or muskrat for munchies! The weather up here can be quite hit or miss, I actually had temperatures drop to -2C in the first week of August at my firetower this summer. First week of September it hit 25C! So any good shelter ideas are also welcome. Any recomendations on water filters? And its easy getting your wife to come hunting. Simply buy them a weapon. Once they become a better shot than you (and believe me they will. Took my wife only about 2 weeks) they will come with yah every chance just so you don't forget it. Oh well at least it keeps me humble!