How far off the road?

[Danderson]

A friend and I are planning our first elk hunt for this fall. We are planning for the second OTC rifle season in CO. Doing a lot of e-scouting through onX and gohunt. Obviously we know we will be dealing with people being on public land as well as a OTC tag. Our plan is to hike in a pretty good ways to try and avoid the main crowds. Question is how far is considered a good ways? I know that question is probably open to interpretation because you go wherever you find elk. Is there a good starting point as to how far to travel in though before you are considered away from the roads and crowds?


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[big44a4]

Seen plenty of elk close to roads. A lot of people have that mentality. Need to consider terrain etc. one spot I have gotten into elk is about 1 mile from a road with half mile being on a trail. I have seen people on the trail but not off it.


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[5MilesBack]

My starting point is as soon as I leave the truck. Why go further than you have to?

 

[cnelk]

In the past 10 years we've killed 18 elk within a mile from the vehicle.

But I always encourage everyone else to 'Go Deep'

 

[Werty]

Go into areas that nobody wants to go. I killed my biggest buck this year "in a heavily hunted area", I just went higher. I was less than a mile from camp

 

[farmer14]

Man these posts crack me up. I’m not trying to be rude and I understand if you have questions but my recommendation would be to get out of the truck and start hunting. If you’re on public land within your unit, you’re hunting.

 

[5MilesBack]

A few years back two buddies and I left the truck at the TH in a heavily hunted OTC unit in CO during archery season. 10 minutes later I shot a 6x6 bull right off the trail. He came in silent, but he came.

 

[Jbehredt]

Similar experience a few years back. Two days and many miles into a COLD 1st rifle season we hadn’t even cut an elk track. Mostly out of curiosity we decided to walk the closed road across from camp. Bingo. Less than half a mile from the gate.

 

[Danderson]

Man these posts crack me up. I’m not trying to be rude and I understand if you have questions but my recommendation would be to get out of the truck and start hunting. If you’re on public land within your unit, you’re hunting.

Aren’t you the same guy that was asking about taking a shower in the woods? I’d say if we are talking about getting out and hiking in we are also talking about getting out of the truck. Thanks for your input.


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[farmer14]

Haha. Yea man, career Hotshot, former smokejumper here asking for recommendations about a shower in the woods...

 

[Danderson]

Haha. Yea man, career Hotshot, former smokejumper here asking for recommendations about a shower in the woods...

Good for you. I’m a lineman. We deal with volunteer fireman all the time. You all provide a great service to your communities.

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[farmer14]

Ohhhh you mean the family. Yep. You busted me, bro.

 

[Danderson]

Ohhhh you mean the family. Yep. You busted me, bro.

You don’t have to hide it man. We all like hot showers.


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[MuleyFever]

Good for you. I’m a lineman. We deal with volunteer fireman all the time. You all provide a great service to your communities.

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So you bring up a thread of his asking about a shower for his family? Then somehow try to insult him by calling him a volunteer firefighter for working as a Hotshot?

All this after asking how far a good ways is?

 

[Danderson]

So you bring up a thread of his asking about a shower for his family? Then somehow try to insult him by calling him a volunteer firefighter for working as a Hotshot?

All this after asking how far a good ways is?

You think being a volunteer fireman is an insult? Not Cool man. I ask a question about something I’m literally clueless about. I’m from TN. I know how I hunt whitetail, turkey, and raccoons. I’ve never hunted elk so I don’t know what I’m doing. By the way if you do cardio 3 sets at 10 minute intervals with a 1:1 work rest ratio you’re going to expend more energy due to going a farther distance(provided you try to keep a faster pace the whole ten minutes), but you’re not going to build your aerobic capacity as much as you would going a straight 30 minutes. It would depend on what you were looking to get out of your workout. We all ask questions that other people think are silly don’t we, but we ask because we want to try and find out.


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[P Carter]

Last year we camped like .8 miles from the truck on a steep ridge. At night, elk were bugling between us and the truck. There’s just no generally accurate response to your question. Could be 10 miles, could be 200 yards. Heck, it could be ON the road, plenty of times we’ve spooked elk off the road driving to a spot. They are where they are.

 

[MuleyFever]

You think being a volunteer fireman is an insult? Not Cool man. I ask a question about something I’m literally clueless about. I’m from TN. I know how I hunt whitetail, turkey, and raccoons. I’ve never hunted elk so I don’t know what I’m doing. By the way if you do cardio 3 sets at 10 minute intervals with a 1:1 work rest ratio you’re going to expend more energy due to going a farther distance(provided you try to keep a faster pace the whole ten minutes), but you’re not going to build your aerobic capacity as much as you would going a straight 30 minutes. It would depend on what you were looking to get out of your workout. We all ask questions that other people think are silly don’t we, but we ask because we want to try and find out.


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But my question has a scientific answer.

Go until you find elk or are to far from the truck to carry one back. There will likely be someone willing to go farther than you. So, a good ways can be a little ways or a long ways.

Sorry for the delayed response. I had to run and get my annual structure gear check and fit test done for my SCBA mask at the station.

 

[Danderson]

But my question has a scientific answer.

Go until you find elk or are to far from the truck to carry one back. There will likely be someone willing to go farther than you. So, a good ways can be a little ways or a long ways.

Sorry for the delayed response. I had to run and get my annual structure gear check and fit test done for my SCBA mask at the station.

I know you’re right. I even said in my question I know it was probably open to interpretation. Too far to carry one out might not end up being very far before the altitude gets us. If we are able to locate them that is. A buddy of mine used to service the tanks for the mask at several of the local stations. I went with him a time or two. It was pretty cool.


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[MuleyFever]

I know you’re right. I even said in my question I know it was probably open to interpretation. Too far to carry one out might not end up being very far before the altitude gets us. If we are able to locate them that is. A buddy of mine used to service the tanks for the mask at several of the local stations. I went with him a time or two. It was pretty cool.


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You will see a lot of pictures of whole elk in the back of trucks. Let that tell you it can be really easy at times. Just have to be in the right place at the right time. I really think all this back country craze going on may leave a lot of areas not to far from the road un-hunted. A few years ago deer hunting during elk season in CO I saw 3 bulls maybe 1/4 mile from the main campground in the area. All the elk hunters I saw were way back. Killed my first bull in AZ maybe 400 yds from the ATV trail.

 

[S.Clancy]

I would concentrate within 2 miles of the road. Lots of elk there and you're not investing a ton of time to get in.