Road Hunters

[lumis17]

Was up in a stand once, but could still see the road. Saw a truck go back and forth down the road with a couch in the bed and two guys with nocked arrows sitting on it.

 

[nodakian]

I'm not recommending anything. Just saying some people glass from the road and are willing to hike a couple miles to stalk animals, so the typical "road hunter" stigma may not be as applicable to them as some fat slob who shoots out his window.

If it’s folks who can’t put on as many foot miles anymore, I’m more sympathetic to staying on or near roads. For them I say some hunting is better than none. We all have the potential to become unable to hike but still want to stay in the game.

 

[JG358]

I'm surprised they didn't cite you for destruction of property, if it was obvious it was a decoy and you knew it was.

Wasn't anything obvious about it, it was more less a motorized full body mount/decoy. They were freaked out trying to figure out where the shot came from while I was freaking out that the thing didn't drop when I shot. When everything settled down, one of the officers was trying to give me a demo on the remote system but my shot damaged it enough that it didn't work. Looking back at it 20 some years later it was almost comical, in the moment it was some tense shit.

 

[KurtR]

i can time the same pick ups driving the same gravel here every year and they complain they dont shoot any big deer. They are referred to as roadies or sconis in the Dakotas

 

[TheCougar]

I encourage road hunting. Everyone but me should do it! I took my son on a youth mule deer hunt in NM, in a unit known for elk. There were trucks going up and down the roads all day. My son and I never saw a single person outside of their truck for 3 days. We on the other hand, were seeing bulls all day every day by virtue of a minimum level of hiking effort. It was a great object lesson that a little effort gets rid of the chaff, which in this case was 90% of the hunters in the unit. Honestly, I was totally pumped to see all the road hunters - I knew I could go into any drainage off the road, no matter how close, and find unpressured animals.

 

[SouthernPoint]

I encourage road hunting. Everyone but me should do it! I took my son on a youth mule deer hunt in NM, in a unit known for elk. There were trucks going up and down the roads all day. My son and I never saw a single person outside of their truck for 3 days. We on the other hand, were seeing bulls all day every day by virtue of a minimum level of hiking effort. It was a great object lesson that a little effort gets rid of the chaff, which in this case was 90% of the hunters in the unit. Honestly, I was totally pumped to see all the road hunters - I knew I could go into any drainage off the road, no matter how close, and find unpressured animals.

Thanks for the insight. I’m not traveling from Florida to road hunt. I could do that here, easily. Hiking, camping and hunting in the wilderness is what I’m looking for. Killing a deer would be an added plus.


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[BH107]

We see all types in SW Colorado where I deer hunt. There are locals that just go drive around hoping to catch a glimpse of something to shoot. Then there are the guys with quads and UTVs that like to drive around right when the game should be moving, and even drive into some of the clearings and park so they don't have to walk.

Then there are those older guys here in MT that do the same thing just looking to put meat in the freezer. There are some that won't even slow down for a big buck that's more than 200 yards from the road. I've heard of other areas where the roads are lined with people waiting in their trucks for the elk herds to cross onto the public and when they do it sounds like battle.

 

[SouthernPoint]

Thanks for the clarification on the trucks vs UTV’s. The UTV’s and dirt bikes are what I’m worried about when I hear “road hunters”.


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[Tod osier]

Some of the guys you see road hunting will be bird hunting - very common.

 

[Huntindog45]

i love to get out and hike and glass and sit and hunt. but there are days I like to drive around and glass. and if the right buck happens to be right next to the road...well i will kill him in place and be happy about the short pack out. It is the guy that only drives roads that i have a problem with. even a bigger problem with the guy that only drives roads with another hunter armed with rifle or bow standing in the back of the truck. it is such a terrible optic. we see it all day long where i hunt here in northern california, especially during archery season. these are areas where there are not only a high percentage of hunters but also a high percentage of other recreational outdoor users who can see that kind of debauchery and make their own opinions about how bad it looks, and creates another black eye for hunting.

 

[TheCougar]

I think Rokslide has really put a damper on the non-Road Hunting community. There’s typically 2-3 threads at any given time complaining about the number of people packing in away from the road. It’s time to fight fire with fire and lighten the load on the backcountry! I just bought the domain “www.Roadslide.com”. It will be a sweet Backcountry Road Hunting website espousing the virtues of never leaving the road. I’ll have gear reviews on heated steering wheel covers, side mirror shooting rests, campers and toy haulers, those coffee mugs that plug in and keep your coffee warm, and maybe some lumbar pillows for your truck seat. Then there’s a pure financial aspect to be considered - you can take all the money you would spend on water filters, backpacks, boots, tripods, long range rifles, trekking poles and invest that money wisely into an F-350 and a 24 pack of Silver Bullets. Boom. Backcountry congestion problem solved, as long as you can navigate the traffic jam to your trailhead! Any volunteers to be moderators?!?

 

[Thorn]

This. And follow the empty Bud Light and Keystones...

 

[idelkslayer]

Last year, foggy conditions. My son and I hike in the dark 2 miles on a closed and gated road. This is his first day of hunting ever, he just got his hunting license. We get set up on a knob with good 270 degree field of view. A spike buck walks out about 100 yards away. The fog makes it difficult for him to see the deer so it takes a while to get him on the deer. While getting him set up for the shot I hear an engine. Then here comes a full sized pickup. The guy drove around the gate on an illegal trail made by 4-wheelers, I can't believe he got his truck through it. Anyway the deer runs off before we could get a shot. The slob that gets out of the vehicle looks to be about mid twenties and in good shape. He stops his truck and gets out with a rifle. He walks 20 feet past the front of his truck and starts blowing on a grunt tube. I'm now standing above him on the hill about 200 feet away with an orange vest on. He continues to occasionally blow on the grunt tube for about 15 minutes. He never sees me and then he gets in his truck and continues up the road. An hour later he's coming back and stops again but maybe 100 yards further down the road and blows on the grunt tube for 10-15 minutes. That is a road hunter.

 

[Oregon]

I’ve been known to road hunt. Conditions have to be perfect though.
Here on the Oregon coast, the ideal conditions are raining horizontally like a cow pissing on a flat rock in 30mph winds.
Other states, and eastern Oregon the ideal conditions are: After a few days of climbing 800’ vertical feet, then coming down hill my knees (after 4 surgeries) scream “hey asshole, how bout you take 800mg of ibuprofen and relax tomorrow.
I always listen to my knees.

 

[jasons932]

I’ve been known to road hunt. Conditions have to be perfect though.
Here on the Oregon coast, the ideal conditions are raining horizontally like a cow pissing on a flat rock in 30mph winds.
Other states, and eastern Oregon the ideal conditions are: After a few days of climbing 800’ vertical feet, then coming down hill my knees (after 4 surgeries) scream “hey asshole, how bout you take 800mg of ibuprofen and relax tomorrow.
I always listen to my knees.

I agree with Oregon. I’m also an Oregon Coast resident and the most Blacktail deer I see each year are right at the beginning of a good storm from the drivers seat of my pickup. I’m not trying to advocate for this method for all, I’m just saying that it does consistently turn up a lot of deer which are mostly of a younger age class. For those who have mobility issues or are taking out very young hunters, not straying too far from the truck can be productive in stormy conditions if you just want to punch a tag.

 

[Pepe55]

I bowhunted colorado this year and what I could tel a road hunter is someone from Texas with an atv, suv, utv, or rcatv. They were camped everywhere but we hunted 4 to 5 miles in and never saw a soul actually hunting.

 

[SouthernPoint]

I agree with Oregon. I’m also an Oregon Coast resident and the most Blacktail deer I see each year are right at the beginning of a good storm from the drivers seat of my pickup. I’m not trying to advocate for this method for all, I’m just saying that it does consistently turn up a lot of deer which are mostly of a younger age class. For those who have mobility issues or are taking out very young hunters, not straying too far from the truck can be productive in stormy conditions if you just want to punch a tag.

Doesn’t seem much of a challenge, sport or effort to me.


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[Oregon]

I agree with Oregon. I’m also an Oregon Coast resident and the most Blacktail deer I see each year are right at the beginning of a good storm from the drivers seat of my pickup. I’m not trying to advocate for this method for all, I’m just saying that it does consistently turn up a lot of deer which are mostly of a younger age class. For those who have mobility issues or are taking out very young hunters, not straying too far from the truck can be productive in stormy conditions if you just want to punch a tag.

yes, great way to see animals. I prefer it more for the fact it’s a great way to stay dry and warm! Living here(as you know) it’s OK to try and dry out once in awhile.

 

[Oregon]

Doesn’t seem much of a challenge, sport or effort to me.


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Here’s the way I see it. I’ll bust my ass for a good portion of our 35 day season. If I take a lay day, and want to stay dry and warm and a critter presents an opportunity, damn straight I’m going to legally tip it over. I’ll persevere and overcome the elements long enough to get out the truck and step off the right away of road. Arduous I tell you.
Another thing about the coast, it’s not very common you get to a spot and stop where you can just get out and go hunting. Vertical hills, jungle thick blackberries, visibility in mere feet.
I’d bet money that %80 of all coastal blacktail bucks are killed within 200 yds of a truck. Usually you park, get out, glass glass glass, get in truck, drive to new glass spot.
Or walk in behind gate, find glassing spots, glass, walk up road to new glassing spot.
It is said that there isn’t a spot on the coast further than a mile from a logging road.

 

[SouthernPoint]

Here’s the way I see it. I’ll bust my ass for a good portion of our 35 day season. If I take a lay day, and want to stay dry and warm and a critter presents an opportunity, damn straight I’m going to legally tip it over. I’ll persevere and overcome the elements long enough to get out the truck and step off the right away of road. Arduous I tell you.
Another thing about the coast, it’s not very common you get to a spot and stop where you can just get out and go hunting. Vertical hills, jungle thick blackberries, visibility in mere feet.
I’d bet money that %80 of all coastal blacktail bucks are killed within 200 yds of a truck. Usually you park, get out, glass glass glass, get in truck, drive to new glass spot.
Or walk in behind gate, find glassing spots, glass, walk up road to new glassing spot.
It is said that there isn’t a spot on the coast further than a mile from a logging road.

If you need the meat, do what you have to do, as long as it’s legal. In Florida, it’s illegal to take game from a vehicle or on the right of way. Furthermore, there isn’t much public land to attempt to do this.

We have private timber leases and national forests that we do run dogs to kill deer and we do use vehicles, but it’s contained in those boundaries.


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