Post by: yakimanoob on September 05, 2018, 11:35:15 AM
I'm finalizing my plan for the High Buck, and as it stands I will have opening weekend to hunt, then Thursday-Saturday towards the end of the season. I'm wavering back and forth between, let's call it Area 1, in the GPW and Area 2 in ALW. Last year I extensively scouted Area 1 and saw very few others, only to arrive at a trailhead with no parking and tons of other hunters on opening weekend (obviously not a shocker, exactly, but I didn't have an adequate backup plan and wavered for too long and wasted a bunch of time). I've identified two backup plans this year, but business has prevented me from doing any boots-on-the-ground scouting at all this year and so far I've only been e-scouting.
So my question is, how much pressure does ALW get accessed from the eastern side? Is it as bad as SE GPW?
By the way, I'm happy to talk specifics over pm, so send me a message if you like. I just don't want to leave specific spots where google searches can find them :).
Post by: yakimanoob on September 05, 2018, 11:43:26 AM
There's an Area 3 already decided upon in case 1 and 2 suck. Mostly I'm trying to get my strategy in place so I don't spend hours sitting in my truck trying to make decisions about where to go - I can just bounce from place to place and spend time behind glass.
Post by: CGDucksandDeer on September 06, 2018, 10:11:45 PM
12 trucks and 3 subarus at my trailhead last year the day before opener. I'd expect similar this year, hopefully slightly less with fewer fire restrictions. Manage expectations, and go where there aren't trails. Good luck out there.
Post by: jackelope on September 07, 2018, 09:00:45 AM
There were trucks, jeeps, quads all on the jeep trail headed to the trailhead.
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on September 07, 2018, 09:39:44 AM
Post by: Bushcraft on September 07, 2018, 10:34:16 AM
It's a bit of a zoo with the usual mix of folks. There's a distinct minority that works their butts off and have grown to know "their" preferred area(s) intimately after years of scouting and hunting them. They can harvest bucks seemingly at will year in and year out. There's a group that are good hunters that want to give it a shot, but don't quite yet know how to hunt high-country mule deer. Some of them will luck out and they will become addicted to doing High Buck every year. And then there are the idiots that don't have a friggin' clue, don't really want to learn, are unethical, don't give a crap about whether or not they ruin other people's hunts and valuable vacation time (and sometimes do so intentionally)...and generally screw things up for everyone.
Your best hope is to get away from the idiots, or figure out how to use them to your advantage.
Loads of people have learned the hard way that mileage and elevation gain/loss won't necessarily help you get away from them. Every year I observe idiots that can hike a long, long ways.
Anyway, good luck! I hope to not see you or anyone else up in "my" spot(s)! Haha! :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: ;)
Post by: yakimanoob on September 07, 2018, 10:59:49 AM
Anyway, thanks for the tips everybody. I think I'm going to bail on Area 2 in favor of the Area 3 I mentioned. We'll see how my plan works out...
Good luck to all next weekend!!
Post by: jackelope on September 07, 2018, 11:12:16 AM
Post by: Bushcraft on September 07, 2018, 11:36:04 AM
You may have left out the group I'm often afraid I fall into: well-meaning but new to the game. I try to be very conscious of other hunters, but I'm always afraid I've blown someone's hunt by accident... At least I don't target shoot in obvious hunt areas. This is only my third season and I ran into that issue twice just last year.
Anyway, thanks for the tips everybody. I think I'm going to bail on Area 2 in favor of the Area 3 I mentioned. We'll see how my plan works out...
Good luck to all next weekend!!
From your posts I suspect you fall into the middle group I mentioned. Again...good luck, have fun, and be safe out there!
Post by: huntandjeep on September 08, 2018, 03:48:08 PM
Post by: HoofsandWings on September 08, 2018, 04:30:24 PM
Post by: jackelope on September 08, 2018, 07:05:43 PM
Can't you just drop in via helicopter? Four or so split the fee.
Pretty sure you’d have to rappel from the helicopter as it’s illegal to land in a wilderness area.
Post by: Knocker of rocks on September 08, 2018, 08:03:04 PM
Can't you just drop in via helicopter? Four or so split the fee.
Pretty sure you’d have to rappel from the helicopter as it’s illegal to land in a wilderness area.
Air drops are illegal too.
Post by: HoofsandWings on September 09, 2018, 07:36:34 AM
Post by: Knocker of rocks on September 09, 2018, 08:16:42 AM
What about 100 yards from boundary?
Perfectly legal. In Death Valley almost all the roads are 50' from designated wilderness for hundreds of miles.
Whose land will the helicopter land on? Landing on USFS land of any sort requires a special use permit (decidely not OTC)
Post by: jackelope on September 09, 2018, 09:35:49 AM
What about 100 yards from boundary?
The boundaries are not that far from roads or trailheads in a lot of the areas. And it’s still a significant hike. I’ve tried the whole hike a couple miles to the wilderness boundary and then hunt. Tons of people. No deer.
Post by: ian_padron on September 09, 2018, 12:10:06 PM
Take the first day off and drive the areas you're considering, check out the trailheads. Yeah you lose a day of hunting but you're investing in your long term success. I'm telling you right now, the second you find a basin with no other hunters, that's when you will find the deer.
I too am relatively new to the backcountry scene, having moved here from Wisconsin in 2015...but my first season up high in 2016 I blew a chance at a 175" toad and passed up a legal buck in 2017 that wasnt quite what I was there for....
Here's a case study to illustrate the importance of understanding the human traffic in your high hunt spot:
My first season (2016) I had located 6 bucks that were crusing together all summer, the smallest one probably went 140". I was pumped to finally get to the trailhead for the opener...only to find about 10 rigs and a horse trailer. After a few choice 4 letter words I hiked up anyway. No deer and an outfitter tent on the exact hillside those bucks liked to feed, 9 miles back.
I sucked it up and went over the top of a ridge, down a scree field that could likely kill a man, and into a basin without a trail, and what do you know...about 15 deer, including 7 bucks, and a herd of elk led by a giant 6x6. Had the whole place to myself about 2 miles off trail. 13 miles total from the truck....
As mentioned above, there are very few places that are a secret. Find one (like I have) and you're not going to send a pic to your damn girlfriend for crying out loud lol.
My best hunting buddies don't even know where my high hunt spot is. GPW, ALW, Pasayten??? Who knows ;)
The high hunt is like anything else in life, if you do things differently than the vast majority of people you will be way more successful.
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Post by: Colville on September 09, 2018, 11:20:52 PM
Post by: Skyvalhunter on September 10, 2018, 05:19:10 AM
Post by: ian_padron on September 10, 2018, 09:18:03 AM
It has elk. So either you are dis-informing, or your wilderness is pretty clear. Theres a reason the others have "any elk" seasons. There aren't any, ;)
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Post by: Bushcraft on September 10, 2018, 09:28:39 AM
2 words Little Giant
Are you talking about the spot a few miles up the Chiwawa with about 80 rigs parked where there's really only room for 5-6? :chuckle:
Post by: swisski on September 10, 2018, 09:33:34 AM
Post by: ian_padron on September 10, 2018, 10:48:05 AM
I wouldn't trust a word from this guy :chuckle:
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