EDITORS NOTE: This is the second of a two-part series on Hunting the West. This week's story features the topics: Equipment for a Western Hunt and Doing It Yourself on a Shoestring Budget.

The allure of hunting the West is one that calls out loudly to many hunters who live in the Northeast. As a native of Palmerton, now living for the past six years in Colorado, I too had that desire. The call was incredibly strong, but the lack of knowledge, fear of the unknown, perceived costs, and just general misconceptions kept me from venturing West on a hunt for many years. Those years are forever lost and I want to help you to never have to lose one more year in your pursuit of Western Game.Equipment fora Western HuntOf course you need all of your normal hunting equipment that you would take into the woods on any given hunt no matter where you are hunting. In addition to your normal gear there are some pieces of equipment that are more necessary for a Western Hunt than what you would need in the woods of Pennsylvania.A GPS is a must piece of equipment. I suggest a good Garmin GPS that allows you to download current maps showing you private/public land, ownership of each piece of property, Game Management Units, and much more. You can find these downloads at

www.huntinggpsmaps.com . A GPS will also keep you safe since you are in a foreign set of woods and in some incredible large tracts of land. You can track your movement and find your way back to your car. Remember that you have to know how to use your GPS for it to be helpful.Another great device to have would be a personal location device like SPOT. These new devices allow you to send out an SOS if you find yourself in any trouble at all. If you are back in the woods 8 miles, a simple blown out knee or broken ankle can become life threatening. These type of personal location devices can be absolute life savers.I suggest always having a shooting stick with you if you are hunting with a gun. Go and look at some of the different models. Some of you will like a monopod, a bipod, and others, a tripod. I am not so concerned about which one you have, but rather just that you have one. A hunt out here is not like a hunt in Promised Land Camp Area in which you can only see 100 yards in the hardwoods. You will be in places where you can see 5, 10, 15, or even more miles. You will also increase your chances of a harvest if you have a very good rangefinder and have practiced shooting at extended distnaces. I suggest that you set up your gun to be dead on at 200 yards and that you know where you are at 100 yards and every range out to 500 yards. By practicing you will become a better shot and you will be more likely to make a good shot even when your adrenaline is rushing.A good backpack with a water bladder is a must. Because of the mileage you may have to hunt and because of the altitude and lack of humidity you may be hunting in, you will need a backpack that enables you to take everything you need with you and the water that will help you keep from getting Altitude Sickness. When you accompany drinking a lot of water with avoiding caffeine you will find yourself in a good position. Because of the lack of humidity you often won't even realize how much you are sweating. Drink regularly whether you are thirsty or not.There is much more great equipment that you would benefit from having. However, one last piece of equipment that I would highly suggest would be a good first aid kit. You never know if you find yourself with an injury or caught in a bad scenario in the Rocky Mountains. A good first aid kit with everything from bandaids for your blister to blot clotting powder in case of a more serious injury will bring you safety in many situations. Again you need to know what you have and how to use it in order to be in a better position.DIY on aShoestring BudgetOne of the most common reasons that Easterners don't believe that they can hunt the west is because they think they will have to spend 5-10 thousand dollars to do so. The truth of the matter is that with proper preparation and by studying the animals, the states, the options, and everything else mentioned in this article that you can hunt the West on a very reasonable budget.If you do your homework you will find that there are excessive amounts of public land to hunt out here in the West. The difference from public land where you live and public land in the West is the amount of land and the amount of hunters. The last time I hunted public land in Pennsylvania 6 years ago I had climbed into a treestand in the dark and by the time it was light I could see 6 guys in orange within bow range. In Colorado I have hunted entire days covering 5 or more miles all on public land without seeing another person. The combination of the amount of acres available to public use and the number of hunters in comparison leads to great hunts.You can go on a Do It Yourself Mule Deer or Elk hunt in Colorado and many other Western States with a very reasonable budget. You can study the animal you will hunt, study the geography and public land in the zone you will hunt in, buy your over the counter tag, camp or stay in an inexpensive hotel, eat simple food, and in an inexpensive manner have a very good opportunity to harvest an animal of your dreams.If you plan on going West to experience your hunt of lifetime, know that you can indeed do so. You don't have to be an expert hunter and you don't have to be wealthy. You simply need to do your homework and plan ahead. You can implement the suggestions in this article and you can experience the West and all the great pleasure that come with hunting in such a beautiful part of our country. Remember it is not IF you can Go West To Hunt but whether you WILL Go West To Hunt.Matt Guedes is a follower of Christ who has been blessed to hunt all over the world that resides in Colorado with his wife and three children. Matt is Prostaff hunter for Mathews Archery, Ripcord Rests, TruFire Releases and Broadheads, Brock Ray's World of Outdoors, and also Norway Industries. He is also sponsored with product from Spot Hogg, Keen Footwear, BloodSport Arrows, and Pelican Cases and Lights. You can book Matt for your Game Dinner or contact him with any questions or comments at

matt@mesaairnet.com