Road Huntin...why not enjoy!

[hntr]

I think everyone does some road hunting--even the hunters that hike in miles keep an eye open when driving to the trailhead.    I road hunt and also hunt on foot.  I prefer to get out of the truck and hunt on foot, but on the west side it is challenging to hike through thick forest with all the debri left over from logging.   it is also hard to find places to hike to get away from all the other hunters on the wet side on public land.

I have hiked into remote areas, but this is a very physically challenging method, especially when faced with hauling out the meat.  It is definitely not for everyone.


I hunt only public land, and have not figured out where and how to find special places to go to get away from all the other hunters.  This is still the unsolved problem .Some people I know have access to private land to hunt.  This to me is the best and easiest way to hunt-no hunter pressure and availability to set up stands, etc..

Road hunting is not my preferred method but it does have its place.

[ICEMAN]

Sounds like you got a few miles under your belt Iceman    Hip surgery? well then you're justified! Go tear up them loggin roads.

Yeah, I am hating it this year for sure... I was unable to hike into most all of my favorite trails, peaks and ridges this year during the muley hunt. This year sucked. (accept when I got my daughter mid week and saw her shoot her first deer...that saved the whole season for me! )

[PA BEN]

I think road hunting leads to illegal activities. Most deer don't stand there and let you shoot them. How many road hunters shoot from the road or vehicle?

[teanawayslayer]

To each there own.  I have a buddy who won't get out of the truck unless it is to shoot something.  He holds me back from the hunting that I like to do.  I usually can't wait for him to head home.  Like I tell him.  You are never going to shoot a big buck from the road.  He doesn't care.  He will shoot the first small three point he see's.  That's fine with me.  I enjoy his company so I will road hunt with him until he gets his buck.  It is a very affective way to kill an animal and cover a lot of ground.  When he heads home I hit the hills.

[boneaddict]

I have no problem with road hunting as long as people are courteous and safe and as PA mentioned Legal.   As with anything else there are selfish idiots out there. I have road hunted myself, when I just couldn't drag my butt out there in the weather, or it was the middle of the afternoon and I wanted to enjoy a drive and check out new country, or I wanted to spend some time with someone that couldn't do my  normal mountain climb, or I have kids I just wanted to take out.  OBVIOUSLY its a successful tactic.  There have been many whole elk hanging on the meatpole, long before the invention of the wheeler.

[boneaddict]

I will add that the only deer that I have killed road hunting was the most anticlimatic hunt I have ever had, and if it wasn't a flier/fluke or the absolute abnormal, probably would be the least remembered.

[teanawayslayer]

I think road hunting leads to illegal activities. Most deer don't stand there and let you shoot them. How many road hunters shoot from the road or vehicle?

I disagree with this statement.  Most of the deer I have seen road hunting just stand there until you shoot them.  probably a true statement in modern firearm. Illegal activities happen when you have an unethical hunter and that happens with road hunters and foot hunters.  Just don't single out the road hunters.  Scum bags just happen to be apart of every sport unfortunetly.

[boneaddict]

Scum bags just happen to be apart of every sport unfortunetly.

Isn't that the frickin truth.

[funkster]

To each there own.  I have a buddy who won't get out of the truck unless it is to shoot something.  He holds me back from the hunting that I like to do.  I usually can't wait for him to head home.  Like I tell him.  You are never going to shoot a big buck from the road.  He doesn't care.  He will shoot the first small three point he see's.  That's fine with me.  I enjoy his company so I will road hunt with him until he gets his buck.  It is a very affective way to kill an animal and cover a lot of ground.  When he heads home I hit the hills.

Who has had more success,him or you?

[nw_bowhunter]

My hunting partner prefers to rd hunt. Bums me out and I get disappointed if I spend to much time in the truck. I have him drop me off so I can do some hiking. He is a good guy just sorta lazy when it comes to hiking.

[Pathfinder101]

Interesting thread.  Here's a little fuel to stir the pot...

I killed my first buck when I was 14.  My stepdad and I had driven up the nearest mountain to town after school.  We hiked up a ridge, found a couple of good trails to sit on, split up and walked back to the car.  I got turned around and wound up coming out in a location that required me to hike back up the road to where we parked.  I got razzed a bit for "getting lost", and we loaded in the car to drive to another location with the last hour of daylight. 
As we bounced down the logging road I glanced out the passenger side window and saw antlers sticking up out of a brush pile in the ditch right next to the road.  I started sputtering and gesturing and fumbling with rifle, shells, etc...

Luckily, my stepdad spoke "buck fever" fluently and stopped the car.  The deer was about 15 feet from my window when he did.  Naturally, the buck jumped out of his bed and ran off.
I jumped out of the car, dropping shells, shaking so badly that I couldn't get one in the chamber, and watched as the deer weaved through a stand of timber. 
We got on the track and followed him, losing it as soon as we came to a small clearcut about 400 yards from the car.  We walked around the clearcut for 10 minutes, trying to pick up the trail again, but couldn't.  At the edge of the meadow was an old slash pile.  I decided to climb up on it and try to get a better view.  As I walked up to it, the buck exploded out of the slash pile.  I aimed at a brown blur and shot him behind the ear at about 10 yards.  He piled up on the far side of the log he was jumping over.  I wish I could say that is where I was aiming, but it wsn't...

So...here's my point....

...did I kill my first buck road hunting...?

[Huntbear]

do you slip back to that 28" 5th wheeler for a comfortable night's rest and a hot meal...

Kind of small 5th wheel.. only 28" ??   

bet the bathroom is a tight squeeze   

[rose673]

I guess it depends on what you are out there for if you are there to b.s. with old buddies in the comfort of your truck with your bag of goodies, and a hot cup of coffee more power to you.  Hunting for me is about the pursuit I enjoy the challenges that nature provides I believe I honor the animals I harvest by hunting them on their terms.  I always wondered what story you have to tell people when you get back after a successful day in the truck "man I came around the corner, and there he was biggest 2pt I have ever seen I almost spilled my coffee, I threw the parking break on hopped out threw my gun across the hood bang dead deer best part is I could back right up to him so I could take him out whole wouldnt wanna get blood on me might get that stuff all over my truck".  I am glad those of you who are road hunters still buy tags, and get out every year I just dont believe shooting an animal that you spotted driving around in the comfort of your truck would really meet my definition of hunting.

Just remember not all of us have ample amount of time and opportunity like everybody else.  Yes, I love to get behind gates and get into back country, and hike countless miles of wilderness in Idaho.  But some of us have a thing called a job, so when I get off at 4:00 pm, I do not have the luxary of having time to get behind gates.  Therefore I bust my but and hit roads until dark because I thats all I have time for.  Furthermore some people can't get off the road due to a disability to their condition so I really do not see a reason to bash the only way of hunting that they can do.