Backpacking with longer rifles

smoothshooter said:

I should say I quit camping in hot weather years ago. Partly because of the ticks ( most mosquitos ) in some places, but mainly because I hate being hot.
Walking, sitting, and trying to sleep with sweat running down my face and other parts is misery, and not my idea of fun.

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Dang deer ticks start in mid march here and up into November, snow doesn't even bother them till it gets a couple inches or very cold.

I didn’t have time to craft anything before heading out so I just took the Hawken variant. Glad I did too. Hiking through all that brush was challenging enough with just the pack & rifle. Once I added the meat & hide, I was glad not to have even more barrel sticking up. By hiking, I mean I was also crawling on all fours with a fully loaded pack to get under logjams that block the trail. Rugged country down there. Next year, I’m thinking I’ll cut the mileage & hunt closer to the wider sections of trail where a longrifle is more user-friendly.

You mentioned thick brush and rough terrain. From my experience in W PA it's either all brush or heavy pockets of it. Up and down all day. Loose shale and tippy rocks underneath wet leaves. I would find a Hawken catching on everything so I got a 24" Deerstalker. If I had to take my 38" longrifle very far the only way I could navigate thru lots of tree branches and brushy stuff would be to free hand it. Pole in other hand. You could also put a slip on recoil pad and use the rifle as a second pole in a precarious situation. Good luck and post what you find.

Pennsylvania terrain can be challenging. I will not stalk any more in the SGL's, unless they have been logged in the last decade or so. Tough enough dealing with the terrain and don't need to add in a laurel jungle.
I do like to hunt pipeline or electricity rights of way. Clearings offer feed for animals and birds. Deep woods not so much so.

Flintlock said:

Dang deer ticks start in mid march here and up into November, snow doesn't even bother them till it gets a couple inches or very cold.

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Have seen deer ticks walking on top of snow on a very cold, but sunny, day.

All it takes here is temps in the 40’s and they come out like crazy. We have the little seed ticks this time of year. If you go for a walk above freezing you gotta check close. I hate them. Got several permanent marks from where they dug in.

Last home abutted the pine plantation surrounding a big reservoir. Lots of deer and other wildlife. And lots of ticks. Remember a neighbor short cutting through our place after hours in her tree stand. She had on blaze orange and it looked like someone had sprinkled pepper on her.

Current house high on a ridge. No woods. Lots of pasture and crop fields. We do have big fat deer. Big as mules. But ticks are rare.

A very, very good thing.

To date I just have usually just carried my gun, even in mountain country. I have one of those packs that has the rifle holder haven't used it for a long rifle though

Kifaru gun bearer is your answer.

Nuthatch said:

By hiking, I mean I was also crawling on all fours with a fully loaded pack to get under logjams that block the trail.

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Be careful where you say things like that, I said something very similar on ALR forums and got mocked for suggesting really long barrelled rifles can be a nuisance and that hunting requires crawling on all fours at times.

Bushfire said:

Be careful where you say things like that, I said something very similar on ALR forums and got mocked for suggesting really long barrelled rifles can be a nuisance and that hunting requires crawling on all fours at times.

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The black powder equivalent of calling somebody's wife ugly?

I crawl less in some areas & more in others. It's rugged country wherever I go -- these aren't corn fields and I'm not in a tree stand.