Post by: Bullkllr on December 16, 2013, 06:11:47 PM
After hunting this late season in an area of western Wa open to vehicle access (first time in a loooong time), I have to ask this question:
Is driving around in a vehicle (where there are a lot of people driving around in vehicles) ever a productive method for archery hunting elk? and if so, how? Rifle hunting I get why there might be a chance, maybe even black powder. But archery? :dunno:
I can imagine a slim chance of meeting a herd on a road, hopping out quickly, nocking an arrow, and getting a shot at a straggler. Or spotting a herd at a distance and racing to where they are before someone else does, but with a crowd chances seem really poor there too. And this seems to be the most common method when roads are open. I saw a lot of hunters using tactics you hear about on the modern deer opener in Vail.
So what gives? I don't think I'm missing out on a secret tactic, but I gotta know: Does anyone ever kill an elk this way? Or are the people doing it happy with little return for next to no effort? Serious question.
Post by: snowpack on December 16, 2013, 06:17:24 PM
Post by: buckfvr on December 16, 2013, 06:24:26 PM
Post by: billythekidrock on December 16, 2013, 06:38:51 PM
Some are actually "hunting".
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hunt101.com%2Fdata%2F500%2FIMG_027511.JPG&hash=94f3dccaa710037ddbca5abf8a7929cab7408810)
Post by: 75johndeere on December 16, 2013, 06:42:14 PM
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Post by: Kain on December 16, 2013, 07:48:17 PM
Calling works so well because they come to you or answer back. You can call and hear them from a long ways away then head towards them. If it is not the rut though you are stuck guessing, hiking, glassing or driving. Where I hunt there is not a lot of visibility from one canyon to the next. Heavy timber or reprod reduces it even more.
I seriously doubt guys are jumping out and shooting elk while it just stands there and watches them. If you see them you keep driving but once they are located you can come up with a game plan to put a stalk on them or head them off. At least you know where they are and have an idea of which way they are headed.
Post by: GEARHEAD on December 16, 2013, 07:54:44 PM
Post by: buckfvr on December 16, 2013, 08:04:17 PM
Depending on the area, driving roads is very effective at locating animals. Either by directly seeing them or seeing fresh tracks. They can have large ranges without a definite pattern. They can be there one day and be miles away the next or they can camp out in one spot for days. You can burn a lot of boot time and never cross paths with an animal.
Calling works so well because they come to you or answer back. You can call and hear them from a long ways away then head towards them. If it is not the rut though you are stuck guessing, hiking, glassing or driving. Where I hunt there is not a lot of visibility from one canyon to the next. Heavy timber or reprod reduces it even more.
I seriously doubt guys are jumping out and shooting elk while it just stands there and watches them. If you see them you keep driving but once they are located you can come up with a game plan to put a stalk on them or head them off. At least you know where they are and have an idea of which way they are headed.
Yep...all that, or if you took the time to scout and be serious about your hunt, you could just walk in to your stand and spend the day waiting for them to arrive..........you can either make it happen and risk spooking the animals to hell and gone, or let it happen, I prefer calm animals.
Post by: snowpack on December 16, 2013, 08:15:52 PM
In some of the heavily roaded tree farms/DNR land, scouting ahead of time seems mostly effective in learning the lay of the land, not necessarily the location of the herds. They move around a lot, and other people are scouting or grouse/bear hunting or the timber starts getting logged with chainsaws and logging trucks making a ton of noise. You can either spend hours walking around looking for last sign on the roads or drive it in 15 minutes.Depending on the area, driving roads is very effective at locating animals. Either by directly seeing them or seeing fresh tracks. They can have large ranges without a definite pattern. They can be there one day and be miles away the next or they can camp out in one spot for days. You can burn a lot of boot time and never cross paths with an animal.
Calling works so well because they come to you or answer back. You can call and hear them from a long ways away then head towards them. If it is not the rut though you are stuck guessing, hiking, glassing or driving. Where I hunt there is not a lot of visibility from one canyon to the next. Heavy timber or reprod reduces it even more.
I seriously doubt guys are jumping out and shooting elk while it just stands there and watches them. If you see them you keep driving but once they are located you can come up with a game plan to put a stalk on them or head them off. At least you know where they are and have an idea of which way they are headed.
Yep...all that, or if you took the time to scout and be serious about your hunt, you could just walk in to your stand and spend the day waiting for them to arrive..........you can either make it happen and risk spooking the animals to hell and gone, or let it happen, I prefer calm animals.
For the overgrown, less roaded areas like USFS it is much more reliable to do the scout/stand method.
Post by: buckfvr on December 16, 2013, 08:28:22 PM
Post by: supagoose on December 16, 2013, 08:36:11 PM
Post by: buglebuster on December 16, 2013, 08:38:33 PM
Post by: ouchfoss on December 16, 2013, 11:21:06 PM
I actually do a lot of road hunting/scouting in the middle of the day during elk season to just find fresh sign. I made several changes to my hunts this year because I saw a found a fresh track or two crossing a road that wasnt there the day before.
Post by: bobcat on December 16, 2013, 11:30:09 PM
Post by: Bullkllr on December 17, 2013, 06:50:20 AM
I'd like to know how you can tell someone is road hunting just because they're driving on a road during hunting season? I mean that's the purpose of trucks and the roads that we drive them on. Just seeing a truck driving the roads doesn't mean that's all they're going to do all day. And even if they do, maybe there's a reason for it. Like a disabled person in the vehicle? Or maybe not even to that extreme, maybe it's a couple of young, healthy guys that hiked 15 miles the day before and their feet are all blistered up.I guess I made somewhat of an assumption there; based on seeing/hearing vehicle after vehicle drive every road I was near pretty much all day long. I'm sure some were traveling from spot to spot as I did at different points during the day. But when you see a landing, and vehicles pull down the spur every 15 minutes or so and do the quick-glass-turn-around-leave thing, it starts to look like a chosen hunting method.
I'm sure there are multiple reason for driving, even as a hunting tactic. I find nothing wrong with it. It just doesn't seem that it would be very effective. I'm just used to being in the back of gated areas or off the road and don't like even the appearance of a vehicle in the area.
Hey, if it works I may have a new tactic....
Post by: jackmaster on December 17, 2013, 07:01:38 AM
Post by: Elkrunner on December 17, 2013, 07:11:29 AM
Post by: Annette on December 17, 2013, 07:16:26 AM
Post by: Bullkllr on December 17, 2013, 07:53:40 AM
What cracks me up the most whenever this topic arises, is how many guys get so worked up over people road hunting. I mean seriously, each hunter should do whatever method they please. There isn't anything wrong with a person deciding to road hunt. You guys that get all irritated with the amount of people driving around, use that to your advantage and quit complaining. :twocents: I personally use both methods of hunting. It just depends on the decision that I make that day. I can hunt from a tree, do some spot and stalk or just plain road hunt. I road hunt depending on condition or mood. I'm not afraid to admit it either. :hello:
Never complained about it. Find absolutely no reason to. Personally, wanted to know if it can be EFFECTIVE. And I do appreciate the thoughtful responses answering that question.
Post by: bobcat on December 17, 2013, 08:18:44 AM
I can also tell you that in my experience you can drive roads all day long and see no fresh elk sign, but that doesn't mean the elk aren't in the area. There could be a herd 300 yards off the road in a clearcut but just out of sight of all the vehicles driving by on the road.
So anyway I think this perceived "problem" we have with too many "road hunters" is simply due to the fact that we have too many hunters in certain areas. This is when some kind of management by the WDFW could solve this problem by limiting the number of elk tags sold, in some way.
But instead, it will likely be Weyerhaeuser and other timber companies who will be doing most of the hunter "management" with their limited access permits to their tree farms. And, the public land will get more and more crowded with more road hunters.
Post by: Hawgdawg on December 17, 2013, 09:15:18 AM
Ive killed 2 cows driving around the winston unit late season with my bow. :tup:
:yeah: When I was having mobility issues I put a foam pad on the hood and laid my bow on it and drove the roads for deer. Very effective. Also, took less time to get out of the rig for spot or a shot.
Post by: Elkrunner on December 17, 2013, 09:36:22 AM
Sorry Bullkllr, wasn't really directing it towards you. In the past 5 years, I have seen this topic discussed on several occasions...What cracks me up the most whenever this topic arises, is how many guys get so worked up over people road hunting. I mean seriously, each hunter should do whatever method they please. There isn't anything wrong with a person deciding to road hunt. You guys that get all irritated with the amount of people driving around, use that to your advantage and quit complaining. :twocents: I personally use both methods of hunting. It just depends on the decision that I make that day. I can hunt from a tree, do some spot and stalk or just plain road hunt. I road hunt depending on condition or mood. I'm not afraid to admit it either. :hello:
Never complained about it. Find absolutely no reason to. Personally, wanted to know if it can be EFFECTIVE. And I do appreciate the thoughtful responses answering that question.
Post by: YellowDog on December 17, 2013, 01:15:37 PM
One year my brother's and I almost had a head on collision with a truck hauling butt up a main logging road that had 2 guys in the cab and one guy, I kid you not, standing in the back (bed) of the truck, holding his bow with one hand, and holding on to a light bar or headache rack with the other as the driver flew up the snow and ice covered road. Temp. was probably in the low 20s and there was plenty of snow and ice on the ground. I glanced in my rear view mirror as we passed after both of us moved to the outside of our respective sides of the road and that guy in the back was barely able to hang on and stay in the bed of the truck with all of the swerving the driver was doing. I don't care if people road hunt but that had to be the stupidest group of road hunters I have seen. Mostly, I don't want to hit some idiot who comes flying out of the bed of a truck or have to stop and help scrape them off the road.
Post by: deltaops on December 17, 2013, 01:37:57 PM
I will do what it takes to fill a tag as long as it is legal.
With that being said, I have not yet bought an elk tag nor have I hunted for elk. I have scouted for them but not yet hunted them.
Post by: NoBark on December 17, 2013, 01:40:35 PM
Post by: Elkrunner on December 17, 2013, 02:10:18 PM
Post by: jackmaster on December 17, 2013, 02:14:27 PM
Post by: jason stevens on December 17, 2013, 02:31:43 PM
Post by: Elkrunner on December 17, 2013, 02:52:58 PM
Post by: ELKBURGER on December 17, 2013, 06:38:12 PM
Post by: coachcw on December 17, 2013, 09:20:54 PM
Post by: fastdam on December 17, 2013, 10:06:11 PM
Its an effective method but, only one method. A tool in the toolbox.
Post by: Come Get Some on December 18, 2013, 07:31:04 AM
When I started elk hunting in the early 70's, you could actually shoot alot of elk from the road. They just stood around. Not many hunters, alot of animals and alot of access. Now I like to hunt wilderness , up to 20 miles a day is fine with me. Animals are relaxed, You do not have every moron who has a bugle driving up the road blowing it.
What they do not understand is ,when an elk comes to the bugle, he is not looking for you. He knows exactly where you are standing. The bang of a truck door and driving down the road does nothing but educate the animals. I do not like the guy who during pre season scouting feels he needs to bugle early to see if he can get an answer. The problem is our state finds it more lucrative to manage the hunters not the resource. Too many places closed down to access, too much vandalism. Basically not enough people with a clue or respect for the property or resource.
Mobility plays a large part for road hunting for a few. I have no problem with them ,just respect other hunters.
This year I took a yung hunter on his first muzzy elk hunt. I stopped at the end of an old grassy road. We sat for about a half an hour. Quietly got out and I blew my bugle into the dark stand of timber. We got an answer right away. As we were making our plan a pickup came down the road. We stood quietly waiting for him to leave. As he started to leave the bull had come a lot closer and bugled. The guy put on his brakes and started to back up. I ran down the road 100 yds or so and asked him to keep going and said we ahve a bull we are going to work. He grabbed his muzzel loader and asked "where is he".
I told him to keep going and he started to get out of his truck. I was very direct in my next statement. In fact I cannot repeat it on this forum. He laughed ,went down the road a couple of hundred yds ,got out and started bugling. We slipped into the timber. The bull immediately left. He was out of the game, he could not bugle at all and had no idea what to do next. We went aboput 4-500 yds quietly and I called the bull into 10 yds and we killed it. A classic example of no respect.
Post by: jackmaster on December 18, 2013, 07:37:10 AM
Post by: Bullkllr on December 18, 2013, 07:39:07 AM