Western Hunting Basics For The Eastern Hunter
East of the Mississippi River, hunters dream of stalking the wild reaches of the American West. Under the backdrop of big sky and towering peaks, magnificent bull elk, mule deer, antelope, and moose roam. Marked by rough, uninhabited terrain, the lure of vast lands occupied by wild animals fuel hunters across the United States to pack up and head to the backcountry.
As a team of Western and Eastern hunters ourselves—from packing and planning to mapping, navigating, and glassing public land—we can help you tip the odds of a successful big game hunt in your favor.
And though the Eastern experience of hunting whitetail deer from a treestand is much different than that of the Western plains and mountains, your unique skill set as an Eastern whitetail hunter compliments both the knowledge base and hit rate necessary of a Western hunter.
In other words, you don’t need to be a mountain athlete who can shoot the tip-off a crayon from 100 yards to be a big game boss.
Research and Prepare
Any sportsmen worth their salt knows that learning how to be a successful hunter is a lifelong pursuit of learning and experience. Yet, with today’s suite of available tools and technology, a lack of knowledge should never again prevent you from being fully prepped and ready before going on any hunt from East to West.
For instance, as an Eastern hunter, you are likely limited to a specific area that you have permission to utilize or have leased, and public lots are much smaller. What you might not know is, in Western states such as Montana, Idaho, or Colorado:
Massive expanses of public land house species not found anywhere else in the country;
Over 70 percent of the land owned by the United States Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management in the continental U.S. is found in the West; and
60 to 80 percent of some Western states are federally owned.
This type pf research and preparation can make a Western hunting adventure a less daunting task.
Don’t Hope for Success, Plan On It
Advanced mapping overlays, species-specific hunting predictions, and detailed public and private land boundaries—all at your fingertips through apps like HuntWise—give you revolutionary new ways that weren’t available to hunters even ten years ago to prepare for and progress through successful hunts in unknown territories.
Prior to embarking on a backcountry big game hunt, using a toolset like HuntWise to e-scout, or digital-scout, enables you to not only find and view, layer by layer, the land you are about to hunt, but it also allows you to harness industry-leading data to pinpoint the best times and optimal conditions to hunt the most sought after species.
For more boots-on-the-ground tips and strategies on e-scouting your first Western hunt, click here.
Eight Backcountry Backpacking Essentials
It can be overwhelming when it comes to selecting the right gear. A general rule of thumb is higher quality gear makes your experience more enjoyable, allows you to stay out longer, and frees you up to concentrate on what’s important—your target—instead of the weather. A few especially important pieces of gear to invest in are boots, your pack, good glass, and a quality layering system.
For a Western hunt, gear weight is the most important factor to consider. Hiking deep into the backcountry with everything you need on your back provides a freedom and solitude that cannot be topped … as long as your pack is bearable.
Here are your 8 Backpacking Essentials:
Backpacking tent
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad
Backpacking stove
Lightweight pot
High-quality knife
Water purification system
Food
“Once you have successfully filled a tag out west, there is a lot of work to do. Whether you debone or quarter your meat for transport, a high-quality knife is a necessity. ”
Western hunting gear, although similar to Eastern hunting, requires a few specialty items not needed on a whitetail hunt. A high-quality backpack is an absolute necessity, whether hunting from a truck or from a spike camp. Accordingly, optics best suited for Western hunting vary slightly from those of a treestand hunter. Since Western hunters need to glass further and larger territory, bigger magnification is necessary. A spotting scope is beneficial. Also, a quality pair of 10x binoculars and a sturdy tripod could do the trick.
Once you have successfully filled a tag out west, there is a lot of work to do. Whether you debone or quarter your meat for transport, a high-quality knife is a necessity.
Another key piece of gear for hunters is a GPS. A simpler, cheaper, lighter alternative to carrying a GPS receiver is to have the HuntWise App on your smartphone. With offline maps, you’ll have the ability to access your location, save markers, and use all Layers and Tools even if you don’t have cellular service.
“HuntWise allows you to access your location, save markers, and use all mapping layers even if you don’t have cellular service.”
Train For The Terrain
Climbing over and under trees, up and down muddy slopes, and through scree fields where the only trails are made by animals is taxing, to say the least. Going one mile in the woods out West at elevation is harder than any 5-mile trail hike in more forgiving environments. There’s no doubt that hunting elk in the Rocky Mountain West is a physical activity. If you don’t live in a state like Colorado, where the average elevation is 6,800 feet above sea level, then you are already going into the season at a disadvantage
When heading West, the only way to be prepared for new terrain and high elevations is by being in the best shape possible before you start your hunt. Most likely, your body isn’t used to carrying heavy loads in a backpack. Also, if you don’t live out West, your lungs aren’t going to be acclimated to hiking at elevation. In order to have an enjoyable trip, you need to do everything you can to be prepared physically. The more in shape you are, the more likely you’ll be able to stay on the mountain longer. The best way to get better at hiking is to hike.
One of the best things you can do is hike hills or stairs with a weighted pack. Don’t go overboard and cause injury by filling your pack too heavy. Use 35 pounds or so to start and do that regularly.
In the gym, get your lungs and legs into shape. The Stairmaster is a great training tool. Do a lot of weighted step-ups, lunges, and squats. Anything that can prepare you for climbing up and down steep terrain with weight in your pack is a good exercise.
A good plan of action once you arrive out west is to sleep at elevation your first night after 2 days of heavy hydration. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water as well as stocking up on electrolytes. This will help prevent altitude sickness.
A Prepared Hunt = A Successful Hunt
From flat coastal plains to rolling plains, and from hilly lowlands to mountains, the rugged terrain of the American West is beckoning Eastern hunters to take their best shot at the bull elk, mule deer, antelope, and moose that roam free.
With the right gear, due diligence in e-scouting, physical preparation, and a robust app like HuntWise that features GPS navigation, advanced mapping overlays, hunting predictions, weather forecasting, and much, much more—you will drastically increase your chances of filling your tag on a Western hunt.