Packing water/finding water

[Wiszard]

I don't typically go on pack in hunts. Most of my hunts are day hunts. I am looking at expanding and would like to do a pack in hunt. My question is on water. We all know that water sources may be flowing or they may be dry come the time you need it. Those of you that pack in, do you pre-scout a water source? If you don't, do you just hope you'll be able to find a water source? Do you pack in 6 liters of water in hopes of finding water and if you don't, you just ration what you've packed in? I am guessing most will pre-scout and verify a water source but I am interested to find out how many go in blind in hopes of finding water. Thanks!

 

[llamapacker]

I would never go in blind "hoping" to find water. That is a surefire way to make your pack trip turns into a day trip, or at best a short over-nighter.
You should at least know the location of streams, ponds, lakes, etc., from google earth. A few times like in Alaska sheep hunting, I didn't know where I would get water, but I knew I would be crossing 10-20 streams a day so I was certain to find something.

There have been a few trips when I knew water would be an issue and I made early trips to stash quantities of water, so I didn't have to deal with it during the hunt. Plan ahead, and don't ever consider rationing water as an appropriate plan.

Bill

 

[whiteantlertip]

Always make sure you don't use a creek below a beaver pond , it can get you giardia , Beaver fever . Wont be pretty . Buddy of mine drank out of a creek up towards castle peak and ended up in the hospital . He was hunting with me but I didn't know he had got a drink there.

 

[Wiszard]

I would never go in blind "hoping" to find water. That is a surefire way to make your pack trip turns into a day trip, or at best a short over-nighter.
You should at least know the location of streams, ponds, lakes, etc., from google earth. A few times like in Alaska sheep hunting, I didn't know where I would get water, but I knew I would be crossing 10-20 streams a day so I was certain to find something.

There have been a few trips when I knew water would be an issue and I made early trips to stash quantities of water, so I didn't have to deal with it during the hunt. Plan ahead, and don't ever consider rationing water as an appropriate plan.

Bill

One of the reasons I am asking here....you can find ponds/lakes on googleearth but there may not be water there come Sept/October depending on lack of rain.
I couldn't imagine packing in 4-5 days of water if one were going in blind. That would be a heavy pack along with all the other gear.

 

[Wiszard]

Always make sure you don't use a creek below a beaver pond , it can get you giardia , Beaver fever . Wont be pretty . Buddy of mine drank out of a creek up towards castle peak and ended up in the hospital . He was hunting with me but I didn't know he had got a drink there.

Did he filter it before drinking? Or use the drops? That's not good!

 

[HntHrdr]

I typically have a reason for packing into an area, ie I scouted it and know it holds what I’m looking for. That means I will know what my water sources are. Sometimes there are spots that are great for camping and hunting but water is too far/ water that isn’t mostly elk piss. In those cases I’ll pack water in a week or two prior to season.

 

[JPickett]

ive been fortunate enough to hunt country where there was water at least somewhere around. i have packed it up to ridges where i wanted to stay a few nights away from my packed in camp to chase a particular buck. unless your hunting real real arid places theirs probably some source water. after all, if theirs none theres probably no animals either since they need a drink every once in a while. i think the worst stuff i drank was about a 2' wide hole in a drain field were it was the only water deep enough to get anything out of it. it was pretty much elk piss and mosquito larva. but it did the job. drank that for about a week. killed a bull though.

 

[llamapacker]

You need to treat water you plan to consume anywhere in the lower 48, not just near beaver ponds. There simply isn't anywhere not impacted by giardia type contaminants. Sure, you can get lucky and not get sick, but you can also get sick from just a quick sip of seemingly very pure water. Very much like playing Russian roulette. No telling if it is the first sip or the next that will kill you, or at least completely ruin your trip. I lived through giardia years ago, and I can tell you there were days I truly wished I were dead!

Even in Alaska / Canada these types of water borne parasites are becoming far more common. There are truly very few places where man or wild animals have not impacted the water sources. And why would you want to go there if even the animals aren't present?

With the simple, cheap and effective ways to treat water these days, there really isn't any excuse not to treat water you take from the ground. And poor planning on your part is certainly not an excuse!

In only the most arid places will you likely have trouble with all water sources drying up by the fall. Google earth has a history tab that often shows multiple images from different times of the year. This can give a good indication of past water holes, and their size in different seasons. If truly in doubt, plan to pack lots of water.

Plan on a gallon per person a day, which really isn't adequate, but commonly about all I consume even when trying to drink more. For a longer trip where you couldn't pack in water in advance it might mean a mid week water haul. Having water at the vehicle available to making restocking easy is never a bad plan. Often after a day or two of scouting or hunting, the animals will help you identify sources where you can get water to treat.

Bill