Camping near hunting area

[Hamsteak]

This may be a stupid question, but I'm going to ask it anyways. How close is too close to camp near elk travel routes?
I found an area with elk sign and some trails crossing an area that would be a great spot to camp.
New to elk hunting this year and don't want to screw up my chances by camping too close, but it would be nice to wake up and be hunting straight from camp.

[bearpaw]

This may be a stupid question, but I'm going to ask it anyways. How close is too close to camp near elk travel routes?
I found an area with elk sign and some trails crossing an area that would be a great spot to camp.
New to elk hunting this year and don't want to screw up my chances by camping too close, but it would be nice to wake up and be hunting straight from camp.

How quiet can you camp, how far will you be heard? Then add a little extra distance to that.

[coachcw]

I perfer not too ...i will hike a couple miles to leave them alone.

[2MANY]

One of the best bow seasons I've ever experienced we set up our wall tent in a meadow with elk sign around.
EVERY evening and all night long a bull would come to the meadow and scream his head off about 75 yards from the tent.
I'm convinced he was in love with(after all it's Washington) or wanted to rough up my wife's blonde gelding.
How we didn't kill that bull I have no idea but we didn't.

Animals don't like humans but lots of people give them too much intelligence IMHO.

Do we really think a deer/elk hears a chainsaw running in a canyon and realizes that it's man?

[jrebel]

I can tell you first hand that people who camp to close to the elk....mess it up for everyone.  Happens every year in our area that some hunter that wants to walk out of camp, literally camps in the the cut the elk feed in at night.   The elk will not tolerate the sound, smell or activity and will go hide in the deepest darkest hole known to man and not come out for at least 3-5 days.  The only exception may be the Colockum where the elk can't hide from the number of campers so they just turn nocturnal. 

Don't be that guy!!!  LOL   

[Igor]

Not an elk hunting story, but it fits here. 

Many years ago we had a mule deer hunting area which took us around 1 1/2 hours of hiking in the dark, straight uphill, to be there at first light. Well, one year on opening morning we came out of the trees just at first light, and there on the ground were two sleeping bags with pillows and other camping gear.  This was right in the area where we would usually see deer every year.  My son was pi$$ed, and we had to dissuade him because he was ready to "drop a deuce on their pillow".  Never did run into those hunters........probably fortunately so.

Never saw any deer, either.

[buckfvr]

For a fact, if you camp where you want to hunt it will save you a ton of work.  You wont have to process or pack any meat.

[Hamsteak]

My plan is to be camping solo, its at the end of an old logging road that is mostly dense tress on 3 sides and pretty much the only camping noise I will be making would be a jetboil and maybe some slight "sawing of logs" at night.

[Igor]

My plan is to be camping solo, its at the end of an old logging road that is mostly dense tress on 3 sides and pretty much the only camping noise I will be making would be a jetboil and maybe some slight "sawing of logs" at night.

For what it's worth, they will smell you way before they see you or hear you..................

[jrebel]

My plan is to be camping solo, its at the end of an old logging road that is mostly dense tress on 3 sides and pretty much the only camping noise I will be making would be a jetboil and maybe some slight "sawing of logs" at night.

Your smell will be the problem.  Don't be lazy....camp further away.  Just my two cents. 

[ThurstonCokid]

If on a road I’d camp on it, if off a road I’d give them at least a half mile. Just my thoughts. Noise and smell can really blow them out of an area..


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[Stein]

1 mile is the bare minimum for me, 2 is even better.

[jrebel]

If on a road I’d camp on it, if off a road I’d give them at least a half mile. Just my thoughts. Noise and smell can really blow them out of an area..


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Out of curiosity....what does the road have to do with it?  To close is to close. 

Back in the 80's we use to hunt and kill elk in a meadow (in the nile unit) that was literally within site of a road.  We had tons of fun and success until a camp moved in and put up a wall tent right in the middle of it.  From that point on it turned into a caping paradise and the elk never returned.  You cannot camp where you expect to kill animals.  Sure there are some guys on here that will have the experience of walking out of their tent to get lucky and kill an elk....that is luck, period!!

[Jingles]

2 or 3 years ago, not sure which, I was the driver for a bow hunting friend, I had the Side by side and we set up at a FS campground about 5 miles from where he set up a spike camp and was hunting. Not the only folks in the campground BTW, and I saw more elk while in camp than he did out hunting in his "ISOLATED" spike camp, and he is a seriously quiet hunter. I have had deer walk through my camps when I'm hunting locally. IMO it doesn't make much difference if you are in a game rich area you'll see the game

[ThurstonCokid]

If on a road I’d camp on it, if off a road I’d give them at least a half mile. Just my thoughts. Noise and smell can really blow them out of an area..


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Out of curiosity....what does the road have to do with it?  To close is to close. 

Back in the 80's we use to hunt and kill elk in a meadow (in the nile unit) that was literally within site of a road.  We had tons of fun and success until a camp moved in and put up a wall tent right in the middle of it.  From that point on it turned into a caping paradise and the elk never returned.  You cannot camp where you expect to kill animals.  Sure there are some guys on here that will have the experience of walking out of their tent to get lucky and kill an elk....that is luck, period!!

Due to the fact that In most areas regardless East or Westside a road, driveable or not is going to attract traffic. So you can blow them off the roads or let others do so.


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