Somebody explain Vail to me

[Antlershed]

I have hunted it twice this year. I hunted it opening morning and I hunted it this past saturday evening. I don't hike around a lot. I drive around to the different clearcuts that I know hold deer, and glass for a long time. Sure I see deer while I'm driving from clearcut to clearcut, but its usually just does, and driving around isn't one of my hunting tactics. The landings I glass from, I can see well over 1000 yards. This last weekend I spotted two different does that I ranged at 650 yards away. Trucks were driving by on the road about 100 yards above them and they never looked up (and those trucks never spotted them cause its too steep and they never got out of their truck). Opening morning I only spent 3 hours up there and I saw 11 does. This saturday I was up there for another 3 hours in the evening and I saw 12 does. The closest deer to me was around 200 yards. Most people don't glass clearcuts, they just drive around and hope one crosses the road in front of them.

[Ihuntelk2]

Yah they do sell bino's for a reason.!

[gasman]

Its a circus thats for sure, but if you learna rareas over teh years ypu can go amd hunt be succesfull. I have a few aras that I know of that produce bucks regularly for those of thus that get out and hunt it. Huntlakewood and family have taken some decent bucks amd does from teh area over theyears but last time any of was up there they cosed off teh area and you can't get to with in 5 miles of teh area 

Lots of deer, and lots of people. If you a meat hunter, then its the place to hunt 


I don't hunt it much any more, have not been there in 3 or more years but Grumpymerien took a nice buck the first time i took him out there. They keep closing areas and condensing the hunters in to smaller and smaller hunting areas. I sure do miss the days you could camp out there, thats for sure.

[Antlershed]

Its a circus thats for sure, but if you learna rareas over teh years ypu can go amd hunt be succesfull. I have a few aras that I know of that produce bucks regularly for those of thus that get out and hunt it. Huntlakewood and family have taken some decent bucks amd does from teh area over theyears but last time any of was up there they cosed off teh area and you can't get to with in 5 miles of teh area 

5 miles isn't all that far to hike..... 

[GooNiEs]

yea good luck finding a map of that place... i was told sunbirds had it ...also online... but i dont plan on going back ... to the circus...

[1buckdown]

too many road hunters for me

[bobcat]

Yeah too many road hunters. I hate getting caught in those traffic jams when I am trying to road hunt. 

[Antlershed]

yea good luck finding a map of that place... i was told sunbirds had it ...also online... but i dont plan on going back ... to the circus...

They were selling maps up there on opening morning.

[toothfangclaw]

yea good luck finding a map of that place... i was told sunbirds had it ...also online... but i dont plan on going back ... to the circus...

They were selling maps up there on opening morning.

Complaint fail!  jus playin  Sun birds, ace hardware just south of Vail loop road,also rainer's local hardware store gets them typically. And there is a map store close by that could have it.

[bankwalker]

all you have to do in vail is hunt creek bottoms, or 3-5 year old clear cuts and let the people push deer to you. ive seen at least 1 spike everyday there. usually its really easy to see a few branched bucks a day if you get out of the car and actually hunt

the deer harvest is way down in vail though, 20+/- a day is horrible. even 5 years ago use to bring 60/100 a day

[toothfangclaw]

How is it during late buck?

[PolarBear]

Better

[Jellymon]

One day in late buck there, me and my dad both got decent deer in there. They were rutting and it seemed like there were bucks everywhere. We saw two other bucks that morning and my brother almost got a shot at a really good 3pt. Almost had a 3 deer day! Go a decent ways back, hunt the woods and creek bottoms and vail is actually a great place to hunt. I hear a vehicle once in a while but I actually dont see any people. The deer are thick in there in the right spots, I think the harvest is going down because the deer are in the trees, and the hunters are in their cars. Ive seen groups of deer just stand there and watch as cars drive by, they dont even run, so the traffic dont bother me. I say go for it!