Quoted:
Looks like I'm coming home in October to join my dad on an elk/deer combo hunt up in the Uintah
(The town by Ogden? The National Forest?) area. I haven't spent any time in that area in over 15 years, and haven't hunted in at least as long
(You better start training. Speed walk for a few weeks, then switch to jogging and hiking. Your heart, lungs, and joint swill thank you in October). Consequently, my hunting gear is a little dated, and I'm gonna have to upgrade. But since I'm not so avid of a hunter these days, I'm trying to find stuff that I can use both proffesionally and recreationally. So here's my list of things I'm pondering:
Weather: I can look up all the almanac data I want, but nothing's gonna be better than asking the locals what the weather is like that time of year, especially in the areas that aren't exactly populated. Rain gear is a must, so are warm cloths, but I don't imagine it's gonna be snowshoe time just yet
(Snow is usually the norm in the country 10,000+ in Utah in October.). Anyone know of some good QUIET rain gear that might be available in the MC pattern????
Camo pattern: I've got a lot of woodland/ OD green stuff courtesy of Uncle Sam, but I'm not to fond of a lot of the gear. I'm considering some Multi-cam stuff for work, but how well would that pattern work out up there??? IIRC, don't I have to wear Orange anyway? Something like 400 square inches??
(For that specific hunt yes, 400 is the bare minimum.)
Water: I can carry as much water as I want, but damn it gets heavy. Not sure how my dad is these days, but we used to hunt for days at a time away from base camp. Is carrying my filter gonna be worth it? What kind of water is up there these days
?(Hope fully you will have scouted out your area and know where the lakes, ponds, streams, springs are located. Then you can decide on what to need to carry. I would recommend scouting out the area and carrying a good filter such as the Katadyn Hiker or Platypus Gravity System I really love mine) I carry only carry 1-2 liters with me because our area has multiple places to get safe water, some of which is straight spring and needs no filtering.) I can send you Google Earth File that you plug into GE and it shows EVERY spring in the State.
Guns: The only big bore rifle I have is my Savage 10 in .308. I built it up to be a long range rifle, but haven't had it past 200 yds so far. It does have a detatchable magazine though. Any restrictions on that???? Also, what are the coyotes like up there that time of year? Can you hunt them with a supressor???
( Yotes are good to go. If you get some with mange, please bury them. It really decrease it being spread.) Otherwise, I'm not gonna even consider that an option. Still gonna pack a pistol though. My UT CCW is still good for another year.
What other advise do you guys have?? I haven't done much more than pass through the state in the last 10 years, let alone kept up on the comings and goings of the Fish and Game. I'm sure I'm a little misguided in my focus right now, so set me on a path for success. Thanks in advance.
Train Train Train This could be the difference between having a fun successful hunt or someone getting lost in bad weather, injured, and not having a very fun time.
Tell people where you are going and what your plan is and when you want to be back. Tell them the clothes you are wearing and take pictures of your boot soles.
You have plenty of time to get Ham certified and be able to have an excellent way to stay in touch with those on the mountain and those in camp.