Michigan UP Hunt?

[paleoman]

#6546

Any Mi. members here or otherwise have any interest in a hunt this October? Everyone I know has plans so I’ll go myself if I have to, but that’s not as much fun. I’m shooting for the last full week of October in the western UP. Let me know if any interest. Thanks!

[paleoman]

#54174

OK, this is going well:) I guess then I’m interested in any advice for a long distance solo trip. I’ve done short trips on my own (a few hrs from home), but this fall I’ll be 7-9 hrs out, in my little camper up in the wilds of the UP. I have a gps, cell, etc., and many excursions under my belt, so I’m not worried about getting around, etc. If a wolf tries to bite me I’ll bite him back! Just the “if I break my a-s” out in the bushes part. Wifey may be annoyed if I did that! Maybe I’ll get one of the SPOT things if cell service looks non-existent. What other tips can I gather from other people who have ventured solo? Thanks!!

[Charles Ek]

#54926

99.9% of my time in outdoor recreation is spent solo, most of it far enough from roads that I usually don’t hear human-generated sounds, except from aircraft. Winter is my favorite time in the woods. I was also a SAR dog handler for many years, looking for lost hunters and others. So, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about and preparing for the “What if?” stuff that can turn serious quickly if you’re alone. Here are some suggestions for bowhunting safely in the backcountry:

1. Leave a very detailed trip plan with someone who cares about your safe return. Be specific as to where you’re going, where you’re camping, where you’re hunting, and when to call for help in locating you. If you change your plans during the trip, try to get word back about the change. Make sure the person has a description of your clothing (including an image of your boot sole, if feasible), your gear and your vehicle. All of this will reduce the SAR response time to your location a great deal.

2. If you can’t use a map and compass expertly, use the time before hunting starts to acquire that knowledge and to practice using it day and night. (If you want some free, brief materials I’ve prepared on the subject, send me a PM.)

3. Hypothermia kills more people outdoors than probably any other cause except drowning. One of the indications you’re in serious trouble is mental confusion. It’s what is often noticed by others in the party as a sign that you’re really in trouble. But if you’re solo, no one else will see it happening, stop you, get you warm and look after you. So, leave the cotton at home, bring the woolens and other materials suited for wet, cold conditions, eat and drink continuously, and don’t take unsound chances crossing streams.

4. Carry a very loud whistle at all times on your body, not in your pack. Remember what happens to your voice from shouting a long time at a sporting event? If you’re laying in the woods, a whistle can summon help for hours and hours, even days, after your voice gives out. Blow three blasts and wait a while to listen for someone coming to find you. Keep doing it until help arrives.

5. Your broadheads are a threat to your life. Learn how to treat a serious wound quickly. Carry tampons or something similar to stop the bleeding in a big hurry.

6. Before you jump down an embankment or force your way through a deadfall tangle, ask, “What will happen if I screw up my knee or ankle doing this?” Then look at alternative ways to get from A to B before proceeding.

7. If you’re going far off the road, a PLB or a satellite phone is something to consider. (IMO, the sat phone is overkill for the Lower 48, but a PLB is worth serious consideration if you’re out alone a lot far from the road.) Rentals are available these days. Personally, I’m more than a little skeptical of the SPOT system. Space does not allow me to detail my reasons, but I’d share them with anyone who wants them.

8. Unless you’re going to Alaska or remote parts of Canada, don’t spend any time or money learning from self-professed “survival experts” how to identify edible plants, whittle fishhooks and snare forest creatures to gather food. You’re either going to be found long before lack of food kills you, or you’ll be dead from some other cause first. Spend the time and money learning how to stay warm in all conditions and how to construct emergency shelters.

[paleoman]

#55594

WOW!!!! Thanks so much for replying in depth. Your advice is excellent. I never thought I’d mention the word tampon in a hunting conversation, but in all the First Aid training I’ve had, for whatever reason I can’t recall those ever mentioned as a blood soaker upper. I learn’t something:) I’ve read up a bit on SPOT and the reviews are mixed, mainly around getting a signal under any type of canopy. Do you see that as the biggest drawback or is there a lot more? Lastly, I feel pretty prepared by many years in the field for a solo trip, but the big thing I’m leary about is cranking myself up a tree. My better judgement says not to, but that devil on the other shoulder you know…..

[FUBAR]

#55732

So, fellow Michigander, where abouts are you talking? The Porkies? I’ve done most of my hunting by Whitefish Point. Have backpacked in the west, but not hunted it.

[paleoman]

#55792

The Whitefish Point area has to be one of the toughest areas in the whole state. How do you do up there? Probably not the Porkies for me. Reports out of that area don’t sound so good these days. I’ve poked around some areas in Dickinson county that might be pretty entertaining?

[FUBAR]

#56446

Yeah, its a real tough area to hunt. Never got a deer, but got close a few times, lol. Beautiful area though. Saw bear, coyote, wolf, moose and yes a mountain lion once. Did pretty well on ducks, grouse, timberdoodles and fish. We would set up a cabin tent along a river only about 1/2 mile from Lake Superior. At night the only sounds were the waves hitting shore or coyotes singing. Area has been logged hard though, so we haven’t gone there in a few years

[Charles Ek]

#58055

The PLB (such as the versions sold by ACR) sends a signal to SARSAT, a satellite system operated by the federal government. SARSAT operates worldwide in conjunction with the COSPAS system operated by the (Former) Empire (Formerly) Known as Evil. You don’t pay a subscription for the PLB service; all of us taxpayers subsidize your risk-taking. When you activate the signal, help comes running at the direction of local official agencies who will receive the info on your situation from the feds’ coordination center. Local agencies practice for PLB responses; I have participated in it. Some of these local agencies will have a handheld receiver that tracks the PLB signal once the responders get near you on the ground. (I don’t recall the handheld receiver detection range very well, but I kind of remember it as under a mile.)

The SPOT uses a collection of commercial satellites, and you pay a subscription fee continuously or you don’t get help. In an emergency, the “Alert 9-1-1” message you send is directed from the satellite to a private, for-profit outfit called the GEOS International Emergency Response Center. Those folks will then contact “the appropriate emergency responders based on your location and personal information – which may include local police, highway patrol, the Coast Guard, our country’s embassy or consulate, or other emergency response or search and rescue teams – as well as notifying your emergency contact person(s) about the receipt of a distress signal.”

There have been discussions elsewhere about the technical efficacy of SPOT (signal strength through tree cover, etc.) and the message routing. Personally, I’m skeptical on both parts.

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