How Far is your Hike

R

Reflex_Shooter

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How far do you hike in to hunt mule deer? I hike in about 3 to 4 miles before i start to hunt.

Reflex
 
This year is going to be 3+ miles and 3000-4000 vert.

Actually, I'll be looking with my bow while I'm after elk, and that will be 13 miles and 3-4000 vert. Yuck.
 
We hiked in 6+ miles last year to our base camp and another mile or so to hunt. Our base camp was about 6500 feet and hunted around 9500.

huntertj
 
i hiked about 5 in dark to get to my spot on opening mornig then maby 5-6 durring hunt
Muley Man!
 
Is this one of those fish kind of stories or are you guys realy that bad. I get out and hike too when I go hunting but I can tell you that it is no were near fives miles to my hunting hole. Heck, when I plan a 4-5 day backpacking trip we will only go back in 6-10 miles. Thats when I plan on staying there for a day or two. There is no way I could walk that far befor the crack of light spend the day hunting, hike back out and get up the next morning to do it all over again. If you guys are realy hiking that far, all that I can say is you guys are some bad a$$ hunters.

400bull
 
You guys should read an article in the Sept. 2004 Petersen's Bowhunting called Dawns and Sunsets (pg. 162).

Personally, I start hunting the minute my feet hit the ground and I have my backpack on. I plan on setting my base camp about 1.5 miles off the road, but I will hunt on my way in. I will stay two nights then hike back out and hunt the entire time. I am especially looking forward to hearing the night sounds of the wilderness! How I ever fall asleep is beyond me, but it may have something to do with all the work throughout the day.
 
Our national forest and BLM land is scattered with roads. Last year we hiked in about 1.5 miles on opening morning, only to have some cornhole on his 4 wheeler drive right up the ravine we were scoping. It's frustrating.
 
I agree with you. There is nothing more frustrating than to hike all morning only to find trucks/ATV's at the top of far mountain you just hiked to. A few years ago, in Eastern Idaho, things got really bad. We had hunted the area for years and had a good idea where all the road and trails were. We hiked for about two hours early one morning to get on top of the continental divide. As we crested the ridge, we noticed a guy in a truck driving along the divide in front of us. He wasn't on a road, just out driving wherever the hell he pleased. We mentioned this and several other instances of this to the fish and game and I am happy to see this year they finally made a law requiring trucks and ATV's to stay on roads. Hopefully they will enforce this and we can be sure nobody will drive to the top of our hunting spots no longer.

To answer your question about the hike, we usually hike about 1 - 1 1/2 miles in during the dark and then hike about 1 mile hunting. We go in a big circle so the total hike is usually less than 3 miles all together.
 
This is one of those "it depends" questions. If I'm hunting the high country on public lands, I go in at least a couple of miles to camp and hunt from there on in. Other areas of scattered publi/private lands, I walk circles and hunt from the time I leave the vehicle. This often is 10 miles a day or so in open country.

If I'm on a private ranch, we even do some "road" hunting from the pickup. The deer are used to the noise of a pickup, and you can often see them real well. So staying in the pickup can be one of the least disruptive ways to get after them. (Start hollering now).

Anyhow, I adjust my hiking and walking to the situation. It varies depending upon the hunt.
 
I got a question, what all do you take w/ you to "BASE CAMP"? Do you take a pop up tent, or what? How do you supply water/food for 2 or 3 days? I would love to do that, but I'm afraid, I wouldn't be able to carry all my gear.

Michael~All Gods creatures welcome... right next to the mashed potatoes and gravy.
 
Totally dependant on the terrain, your setup and quarry. Heck guys on horses could go back in 5-6 miles a morning real easy. Me, I'd say a 2 mile hike in the morning would be about max, with a shorter hike for the afternoon hunt.

I don't mind a good hike and hard work, but this year I might have to hold back a bit due to some minor surgery next week. I'd say this year I'll likely be stayin probably 1-2 miles from my truck. Like one friend told me, the hinderance from not bein as strong as I want to be when it opens might teach me to glass for detail a lot better........
 
Same question as MichaelJ, what and how are you guys hiking (no horses) in +5 miles with enough supplies on your back for multiple days, plus how do you keep your game from spoiling? Obviously your making a few trips if your succesful?

I pulled a NE Muzzleloader tag and was out this past weekend scouting around the Center Creek area for deer. Last bunch of years have pulled Southern tags, so this is new area for me. Didn't see much at all for deer or sign. Pretty weak and we hiked around a bunch. Was doing the same thing for that area...seeing where the largest track of land without roads going through it in every direction. Don't have to go too far before you see another road.

Breaking out the maps to try and find few more spots before the season. There has to be some better areas...
 
If you hike all morning and then discover a 4 wheeler trail then you didnt know the area! We always hunt as soon as we leave the truck.... as far as how far you go depends on what you found scouting....and what terrain... some people claim they walk in 5 to 8 miles and then out again but I doubt they really go this far maybe 2 to 4 miles. It always seems farther than it is.
 
We go in 5 miles or more, but we also pack enough on our backs to stay for a good duration.
 
LAST EDITED ON Aug-02-04 AT 04:18PM (MST)[p]35lbs is all a guy needs to pack to last 7 days solo in the backcountry. Don't want to try much more than that with a deboned deer on your back. If you are going in with more than one guy, you can afford to carry a little more because you can share the weight around.
There are many ways to cut weight. Bivy Sack instead of tent. Heck, even just a fly tarp if the weather is decent. I just did a coyote camp this weekend where I only brought my sleeping bag. It all depends on the weather conditions on where you are going. A guy can cover a lot of ground if you make a lot of sacrifices on weight.
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Don't know how far back in but it a couple of hard hours climbing to the top of the "hill" we hunt.
 
So, what do you bring as far as food and water?

Michael~All Gods creatures welcome... right next to the mashed potatoes and gravy.
 

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