High Buck Hunt Turnout/Strategy

[SamSampson]

First post here, even though I have been a lurker for at least a few months. It's nice to meet everyone

At any rate, I have spent some days/nights out scouting in the a few of the High Buck Hunt areas and I think I have my areas narrowed down to a few locations. With that being said, I was just kind of wondering what I should expect as far as turnout. Obviously the places that I hadn't seen a soul for miles might be crawling with orange on the 15th as with the "normal" firearm season where it seemed like every dirt path had at least a few trucks parked at it last year. If I find that my planned spots are taken, or that I am "elbow to elbow" with other people, does it make sense to pack up and move further in or am I likely to still find an abundance of people 3, 4 or even 5 days' pack in? Do most people seem to just hunt the weekends and then bail whether they get something or not, leaving the closer spots 5-10 miles in "unmanned" on weekdays?

At any rate, thanks for all the insight you folks have given me already. If this post doesn't get traction, I will try to report back on the 25th with what I find for any folks in the future in a position similar to mine.

[savagehunter]

Find a spot with a nice view and glass Glass and then glass some more first light to last light. 14 hunters in our basin last year they were out beating the brush first thing. We sat 50 ft from the trail and let them push the deer. My son killed his at 7am. Went back in the last day of season by myself not another hunter in there killed my buck at 1130 am. If you spend all your time trying to be somewhere else your lowering your chance of success.

[Bill W]

Find a spot with a nice view and glass Glass and then glass some more first light to last light. 14 hunters in our basin last year they were out beating the brush first thing. We sat 50 ft from the trail and let them push the deer. My son killed his at 7am. Went back in the last day of season by myself not another hunter in there killed my buck at 1130 am. If you spend all your time trying to be somewhere else your lowering your chance of success.

I like this method also.  It worked a number of years for me.

[Bushcraft]

... does it make sense to pack up and move further in or am I likely to still find an abundance of people 3, 4 or even 5 days' pack in? ...

Out of curiousity, where in this state would you consider a High Buck spot to be a 3-5 day pack in?

[SamSampson]

Find a spot with a nice view and glass Glass and then glass some more first light to last light. 14 hunters in our basin last year they were out beating the brush first thing. We sat 50 ft from the trail and let them push the deer. My son killed his at 7am. Went back in the last day of season by myself not another hunter in there killed my buck at 1130 am. If you spend all your time trying to be somewhere else your lowering your chance of success.

I like this method also.  It worked a number of years for me.

OK, that sounds pretty much what I found when I was scouting; that I didn't see a single deer while walking, and that glassing out there is the real deal. Also I could absolutely see whittling down the entire hunt by being on the move every day of it.

... does it make sense to pack up and move further in or am I likely to still find an abundance of people 3, 4 or even 5 days' pack in? ...

Out of curiousity, where in this state would you consider a High Buck spot to be a 3-5 day pack in?

I could see taking at least 3 days to reach parts of Pasayten for sure. Probably parts of Glacier Peak too. Maybe not up to 5 days, but there's a varying amount of ground individuals can cover per day anyway.

[CAMPMEAT]

If they can't drive for hours on logging roads, the turnout will be low. 

[Bushcraft]

Sam,

Getting in a long ways isn't necessarily hard, particularly if you have the luxury of time.  Nor is it necessary to find deer.  Nor is it necessary to get away from other hunters.  In my experience, I actually believe the converse is true...meaning, I believe you are more likely to see other hunters the farther in you go.  They are either die-hards that have been going back there for years and know every inch of the ground and where the bucks are usually found like the back of their hands, or they are people that simply looked at maps or Google Earth and assumed it was far enough, steep enough, and deep enough that no one else would be dumb enough to go back that far (only  to get there and see other hunters).  That right there is probably the biggest disappointment and source of genuine anger people have with High Buck.

Anyway...that very real aspect of disappointment and bitterness aside, remember that if you are one of the 3% that punch your tag, you've got to get all the meat out (and cape if you want it) without anything spoiling.

I would advise you to figure on it taking up to twice as long to come out heavy, as it took you to hike in.  Perhaps longer if the weather gets bad and you need to sit out a nasty storm.

I takes me a full day to cover 20+ish miles and get set up on one of my favorite spots in the world to sit and glass, glass, glass.  Sometimes there are a few other hunters in the area and we generally give each other room to work different parts of it out of courtesy and respect.  Other times it has been a <bleeping> zoo with moron dads using radios to call their moron boy(s) in on dink bucks.  I've done the heavy boned-out outbound trip in one brutal day and my knees and the neuroma in my left foot hated me for a long time after that, but now I figure on 2 days for exfill...and sometimes 3, weather depending now that my bones are older, own my own firm and control my own schedule for the most part.

Good luck.

[ian_padron]

First post here, even though I have been a lurker for at least a few months. It's nice to meet everyone

At any rate, I have spent some days/nights out scouting in the a few of the High Buck Hunt areas and I think I have my areas narrowed down to a few locations. With that being said, I was just kind of wondering what I should expect as far as turnout. Obviously the places that I hadn't seen a soul for miles might be crawling with orange on the 15th as with the "normal" firearm season where it seemed like every dirt path had at least a few trucks parked at it last year. If I find that my planned spots are taken, or that I am "elbow to elbow" with other people, does it make sense to pack up and move further in or am I likely to still find an abundance of people 3, 4 or even 5 days' pack in? Do most people seem to just hunt the weekends and then bail whether they get something or not, leaving the closer spots 5-10 miles in "unmanned" on weekdays?

At any rate, thanks for all the insight you folks have given me already. If this post doesn't get traction, I will try to report back on the 25th with what I find for any folks in the future in a position similar to mine.

3-5 days' worth of hiking in? I can't think of a single place in this state that requires that kind of trek, without their being a shorter alternative route to the same spot.

That's a long way even if you're hiking at a 2mph clip. You could be in Canada starting in the Southern Pasayten in 3 days, or circumnavigate Glacier Peak in the same time haha.

Take 3 hours to dick around off trail instead of 3 days to pound dirt on the trail. That's my recommendation.





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[muleracks]

If you want solitude along with your Wilderness hunt, pick up a bow and hunt on September 1st.
There are pockets where the MF hunter can get away from other hunters but the popular spots will provide friendly neighbors.

[yakimanoob]

Attitude is everything.  If seeing orange makes you miserable, you're likely to have a bad time.  But if you can stay upbeat and consider the orange army as just another variable like the weather, you'll have a much better chance of tagging out. 

My  , anyway.  Good luck!