Opening day.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Opening day strategy..

As I sit here because I cannot sleep because I fear that vandals and thieves have marauded my camp during my few days that I am at home during hunting season, I am haunted by visions of what I am going to do on Saturday morning.

I hope it is not digging a hole that I can never speak of, but instead of pursuing the Elk that I love. 

Road hunters, and city folk will inundate the areas that a few short weeks ago were silent.
More camps will be set up than on any other day in the whole year, other than modern firearms elk.

I am lucky, I hunt during Archery season, and the statistics for the area I hunt is for 3.8 hunters per square mile. That means that just about everywhere I go, I have 3 other hunters within a mile.

It is a good thing they are more worried about their camp, and what is happening at my camp, or just driving around…

But what do I do?

I like hunting where others push animals to me, and that is a very productive way…

But I LOVE calling to animals…

I usually park at a gate and hike in several miles to find animals that are responsive to my calling, yet it is easier to ambush them as they run from the average hunter.
It’s like opening day on the trout pond…

Get one by being lucky, or earn it by working harder?
Do I hunt the areas that require more effort, or do I pick a good spot and wait?
With all the new people in my area, and the lack of visible trails, they mostly just drive roads, walk a few roads, yet barely get more than ¼ mile from the comfort and safety of their truck.

If it is going to cost me my gear, I am reluctant to pursue these game animals any real distance, someone might think I abandoned my truck.

But I wonder…

I have a very large portion of state land, all roads are drivable.
Lots of sign of elk, bear in area, but very few camps…
The ones that are there, have been there for as long as I have been hunting the area.
Pretty simple, limited camping, limited spots. Those that have been there, will be there, everyone else is an intruder into our secret spot.
The population of animals does not change, but the hunter numbers fluctuate.
I have spent every elk season in the same camp for the last 7 years, I see the same people every year in the neighboring camps.
I know who kills anything, and I meet their campmates and family..
Everyone else just drives on through.

The question I have is that I have been hunting gates and walking in for years, but have seen plenty of sign in areas that I find more accessible.
But know that every hunter in the area has seen the same thing…

Do I want to just get lucky and be in the right spot on opening day, and encourage my belief that most hunters take a few step off the road and wimp out?

Or do I follow the belief that I need to go further, deeper, and away from all the hunters that are out there, bugling from their trucks, riding ATV’s and vandalizing camps?
Probably bet they are using expandable broadheads, lighted nocks from crossbows, with a letter in their pocket explaining how they can shoot the animal for the guy driving the side by side behind a gate because he has a handicapped permit because he has been on welfare?
It is all Obama's fault.

[huntingbaldguy]

I'm kind of in a similar predicament, except i'm new to the area and not camping.  We scouted a spot multiple times, never saw another soul from day one we stepped foot on our chosen elk hunting area, and saw plenty of elk.  My parking spot to access this area is on state land... but it is a clear, and i mean CLEAR, ATV trail or 4x4 trail leading to private timber land that is no motorized access.  I'm having issues because i feel like i'll come back to broken windows or slashed tires if i park there.. but there's not a lot of parking options.  That said, again, i've not seen a soul even driving near there, but there are a couple camps that look as though people have worked very hard to make them like home (though i'm not sure if they are inhabited right now).  So again, am i going to get back to my truck after a long day of hunting Saturday, and find that i've been the victim of someone who didn't like where i parked.  I know once we get back to where we will hunt... i probably won't see but a couple others, and that is fine.  We will be a mile plus in and i know many won't do that.  If I see too much action, i will be hightailing it to the nearest deep dark hole, to a hidden gem of a game trail i've seen game on.

[wooltie]

I'm on national forest so you can imagine the road systems rendering every area accessible. However, next to zero clear cuts exist.  e I've found lots of fresh sign in a few areas, at a few consistent elevations. And I've seen elk at those locations. The terrain is all timbered, some thicker than others, and it all up and down...except where the roads run...

Hard to say whether you should go deep or not. Fwiw, I saw lots of fresh sign, located on an abandoned logging road running 30-40 yds parallel to the actual road...

I would bank on people staying close to roads

[tgomez]

Remember they have a right to be their to. Maybe you should just hunt, and not get grey hair over it? I doubt if every hunter is just driving around, there's got to be a descent hunter besides yourself that hunts where you do. I dislike the fact people road hunt to, but then again I am not disabled so I really can't pass any judgement. Just keep hunting the right way and fill that Elk tag. Sucks your camps get vandalized, thieves should have there hands cut off! Good luck either way, aim small miss small.

[CP]

Wow!  That’s quite an essay.

I am just going to go hunting. 

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

If I was to abandon my truck at a gate as you intend to I'd hike in steep and deep and just figure my rig will be gone if were to return. This would make a great excuse to never return from the elk woods we love so much! Just make sure the ice isn't melted in the beer cooler back at camp! 

[skeeter 20i]

Why come back to camp at all?  Your stuff will probably just be thrown in the bushes anyway.   

[westsidehntr]

I'm going to have to go find some cheap hunting rigs, tents, and gear so when I abandon it to go hunting I don't lose too much money.

[7mmfan]

I have never even considered my camp being vandalized, truck being vandalized, or people being mad because I parked somewhere? I go hunting. I hike or bike miles in to get away from people. I don't mind road hunters, in fact I encourage it! Fewer people in the woods messing with me. If anything, over the last few years I've noticed a substantial increase in the number of guys willing to get after it and hike miles in in the dark. Didn't use to see anyone where I go, last year I saw half a dozen guys.

My truck has never been vandalized, my camp has never been vandalized. But I don't leave stuff laying around to tempt people either. We keep a clean tidy camp with stuff out of view, and I don't leave anything valuable in my truck.

Go hunt where you want to hunt and enjoy it!

[westsidehntr]

I have never even considered my camp being vandalized, truck being vandalized, or people being mad because I parked somewhere? I go hunting. I hike or bike miles in to get away from people. I don't mind road hunters, in fact I encourage it! Fewer people in the woods messing with me. If anything, over the last few years I've noticed a substantial increase in the number of guys willing to get after it and hike miles in in the dark. Didn't use to see anyone where I go, last year I saw half a dozen guys.

My truck has never been vandalized, my camp has never been vandalized. But I don't leave stuff laying around to tempt people either. We keep a clean tidy camp with stuff out of view, and I don't leave anything valuable in my truck.

Go hunt where you want to hunt and enjoy it!

Me neither, I'm being sarcastic about the other thread.

Get out there and hunt! It's what we all love to do!

[skeeter 20i]

Why come back to camp at all?  Your stuff will probably just be thrown in the bushes anyway.   

Yeah mine was sarcasm too.   

[TikkaT3-270Shortmag]

I would just go hunt! Isn't that what we are here for?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[fishingnut71]

why not just stay home and write a book about pre-hunting? sounds like that's where your mind is.

[Stein]

If someone broke into my rig, it would be because they felt bad and wanted to leave me some decent gear.

Go and hunt. 

[AKBowman]

Not sure why you care you never kill anything anyhow!

Ha.


Good luck hope you get brown down.

[Turner89]

I have never even considered my camp being vandalized, truck being vandalized, or people being mad because I parked somewhere? I go hunting. I hike or bike miles in to get away from people. I don't mind road hunters, in fact I encourage it! Fewer people in the woods messing with me. If anything, over the last few years I've noticed a substantial increase in the number of guys willing to get after it and hike miles in in the dark. Didn't use to see anyone where I go, last year I saw half a dozen guys.

My truck has never been vandalized, my camp has never been vandalized. But I don't leave stuff laying around to tempt people either. We keep a clean tidy camp with stuff out of view, and I don't leave anything valuable in my truck.
  I've noticed an increase of guys willing to go farther out also. I don't mind that or guys road hunting. The more guys hunting the better for all of us.
 I have had my truck broke into once. That sucked.

Go hunt where you want to hunt and enjoy it!