Hunting for a day vs. Packing in

[oneshotkill]

My friend and I are planning a trip for deer next year.  I am not sure if we will get a chance to scout or not.  We are not trophy hunting, all we want are legal three points.  He thinks that we should drive there the day of the opener and hunt within a mile of the road.  I think that we should bring a tent and hike a decent distance away from the road.  Will you please give me some statistics or success stories that would show that we would probably have a better chance if we hiked in.  Or if you think that his approach is better please tell me.  Thanks

[MasterTracker]

   First off where are you hunting?

[oneshotkill]

We are planning to hunt the Twisp/Winthrop area.  If anyone could even give me a general area to start in I would appreciate it.  I am not asking for anyones hotspots, just a general area that I can start in.  I live several hours away so I will get at the most one scouting trip.

[Smokepole]

If you want a decent deer over there, you need to leave a couple days before the opener and get set up.  Shoot, we get in three miles before the sun comes up.  We use headlamps to get in the back country before daylight.  Been hunting over there since 1970, and the only thing I see one mile from the road is orange vests.

Mule deer hunting takes a lot of hard work.  Head over there and do some scouting.  It might take you 2-3 years to find an area that works for you.

[oneshotkill]

Thanks for the advice.  I was thinking the same with all the orange vests.  All I have ever hunted before are blacktails so all advice is appreciated.  I do not care if it is big as long as it has atleast three legal points.  I just want to get on the board as far as mulies go.  Thanks again!

[boneaddict]

Make whatever you want out of the experience.  I have killed or have seen several of the largest bucks and MANY legal bucks among that sea of orange vests.  You can take a legal buck "fairly easily" if you put some time in.  The hike in may enhance your experience or make it miserable.  It will depend on what you want.  I see just as much orange in places 5 miles back as I do next tot he hi-way sometimes.  It really depends on the year.  Quite Frankly there isn't that much country up there for as many folks from east and West to hunt in one week.  I am at the brink of self mutilation where I go, and I still watched a guy(not in orange) poach a deer this year.  He didn't think anyone was around.  BIG mistake in the Methow.

[shanevg]

I hunt over in the Winthrop area every year.  We have a camp set up about 4.5 miles beyond the gate.  We still see many hunters on a daily basis, but we feel like we are putting in less work than them since we are already in there, and we get to hunt from daylight to dark and not have to worry about hiking out.  We haven't been super successful, mostly because no one in my group can take the time off work or school to stay there the entire season.  I am sure if we were there all season we would be getting deer every year.  As is, we always have at least one hunter with a close call on a legal buck while hunting only 4 days out of the season.  I missed a nice 3 point this year.  My uncle passed on a 3 point.  My little brother shot a doe.  The hunting can get really fun when it snows up there, which has only happened a couple of time in the last few years.  Anyways, I definitely prefer hiking in to get away from the crowd, particularly in the morning and evening.  If you are able to hunt the whole season it will definitely be worth it.  On the weekdays you probably won't see more than 5 hunters a day.

[rideorange]

twisp river valley comes and goes, both deer and number of hunters, i set up camp day before, every day in the woods with headlamp and out the same, have seen some of the biggest bucks between twisp river trail and the road, lots of guys just walking the trail, but not seeing, best for me has been to get in well before daybreak and still hunt, have always been successful, i stay a week most everybody out by tuesday, have hunted the valley for 7 years and know it pretty well now, still tired of the orange and this year going in early and deep archery

[Vek]

Hot tips here - "hiking in" means precisely squat if your hike in was easy.  All you have is a head start.  Don't think for one second that you can work any less hard than someone doing a pre-dawn assault from the road or trailhead. 

With regard to hunting technique, in the last few years I've gotten set up better glass-wise for above-treeline spot/stalk type hunting, but I find that my recent successful general season hunts end up being in the steep scrubby broken timber where in some places you can see 300 yards or so, but that's it.  This is more ambush-type hunting than spot/stalk.  My early high-hunt spot is strictly a spot/stalk affair, due to lower deer density and the need to operate at or above treeline. 

With regard to scouting, this day in age, there is little use "driving over for a look" without learning to read topo maps, learning to navigate a topo map software program or www.topozone.com , and then learning to use google earth.  Use these tools to pick drainages or large areas of interest, and then identify glassing locations and travel routes.  Confirm them on your scouting trip. 

If you are creeped out or at all tentative about travelling off-trail after dark or before dawn, well, get over it.   

If the walking is easy, there will be people.  Remember this rule.  It holds for all situations.  I'll leave it to you to figure out what "easy" means, but don't think too hard, it is really quite obvious.  Don't fool yourself into thinking you don't need a good packframe and sturdy, heavy-hiking or mountaineering type boots.  Most boots marketed to hunters are damn near worthless in the steep stuff when you have a load on your back.   

[Cougeyes]

Vek made several good points.  I have to hunt away from the roads, i'm not really for the road hunting and just enjoy getting away from people and far enough away from any town to actually enjoy myself.  I too hunt rugged, steep, rocky areas that have small and large openings.  We've killed deer at 30-400 yards.  We hunt more of a spot and shoot or spot and stalk style of hunting depending on where the deer appear. My daypack doesn't consist of a small backpack, but rather a large frame pack.  I stay out all day and if i shoot something i bone it out and pack it back to camp.  I see some people who eventually make it to where we hunt by mid-day and all they have is a small pack around their waste.  These people are crazy, they drag deer out whole through some thick brush too.  I just bought my second pair of Cabelas Teton II hikers from Mendel, I really like them, they have great tread and high ankle support, not to mention comfortable, i would recommend getting a pair of boots with high ankle support if you plan on hunting rugged country.

You can never get away from people even though you may think you are the only crazy one to hike 6-10 miles back in, someone as crazy as you seems to always be there as well, but the further you do go, the less people you see. 

[high country]

so here is my take. your pard wants to go as shallow as possible. you are heading into some nasty ground. even a shot from the road might be more work than you dreamed of. I would seriously pow wow with my pard and find out how involved he is willing to get. I would be pissd if I drove a few hours and hiked afew more just to hear "I don't wanna do this anymore".

and remember the "easy" spots are gonna be full of guys. go remote and your chances get better and better.