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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[Hamsteak]

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!!

For what it's worth I would never camp in an open meadow where I am seeing game. That is a for sure good way to spook game from that habitat.


Thanks everyone for the responses I appreciate it!

[birddogdad]

i have shot over half a dozen elk within sight camp, 500yds or so. Camp had trailers, trucks, tents, wood stove going. was a natural route they were using over several years.. never seemed to bother them. Deer same but not as often.

[Tribal Elder]

I've packed my camp in a mile off the road, and now about 500 yards off the road. Hike 2 minutes from camp and you're hunting. We don't bother anybody, and our camp is not easily spotted by other hunters. We have had elk in the camp, even bugling at us at night.

[ghosthunter]

Yeah I am not buying it.

Most years I run a big to large camp. mostly tents, but and RV now and than. Elk would pass our camp with in 100 yards or less on a regular basis. We use to camp around the corner form a spring. And they were there all the time during the day. We killed 3-4 500 yards or less from camp just going and coming.

But we have some rules. No constant generator use. Charge mid day and shut it off.
No sighting in your gun in camp. Do it before you come.
Quiet after 10 pm.
Prefer no dogs.

This year muzzy season is just my grandson and I. So no big camp. We are going nomad so you might come across us. Any where along 410. We got two tent cots and a tarp. Jet stoves. And our plan is to hunt move hunt move. If we get on animals we are sleeping with them .

[ghosthunter]

You are never going to get agreement on how close. Because there is always going to be someone who says you are in their bedroom. Go hunt ,enjoy, be safe. 

[ghosthunter]

You are never going to get agreement on how close. Because there is always going to be someone who says you are in their bedroom. Go hunt ,enjoy, be safe. 

Side note

We have a deer hunting spot where we have killed a dozen bucks 50 yards off the road. They would drop in to the dark timber and bed down watching the tops of hunters trucks go by. I got out of my truck one day and almost stepped on a bedded 2 point.

[DOUBLELUNG]

I like to have a ridgeline between where I hunt and where I camp, more so than a set distance. 

However, I have been in an archery elk camp with two other hunters, each with our own tent, and had a bull screaming between all three tents at night 3 nights in a row.  And anytime I've stayed in a camp instead of heading out, it seems I see game from camp. 

It certainly seemed in my 17 years checking hunters that the old/fat/lame guy who stays in camp all day is at least as successful as the other hunters.

[jstone]

So you hike into your hunting area in the dark? Do you miss much on the way? I am in this issue. Don’t know if I should sneak in the dark or hunt my way in

[Taco280AI]

I've gotten into hunting areas only to find tents and campfires, but no game where there is usually great hunting.

[buckfvr]

If you know there are deer/elk there, hunt your way in.

[cbond3318]

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.

Please baby Jesus, let no one defecate on my pillow when they realize I beat them in.

[Bushcraft]

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.

Please baby Jesus, let no one defecate on my pillow when they realize I beat them in.

 

[mburrows]

Treat your camp spot and your hunting spot as two different entities if at all possible. We’ve had to camp in places where you have to drop 1000 feet to get water but that’s also where the elk were. Don’t poop where ya eat. If you bugger the elk out then your just camping