How far off the trail?

[mmartiniii]

I’m curious if you would weigh in on how far back you would hike off a minimal/med used hiking trail to set up camp? I did 7 miles in fr the parking area last year and didn’t seem like enough.

 

[Jaden Bales]

I’m curious if you would weigh in on how far back you would hike off a minimal/med used hiking trail to set up camp? I did 7 miles in fr the parking area last year and didn’t seem like enough.

I'm assuming you're just talking about getting away from hunting pressure, right? Becuase, man that seems like a highly used trail if 7 miles didn't do the trick.

Something you might have done is gone to like the center of the roadless map... which is like a magnet for people who want to go in deep. You might not need to be going as far, you just need to get off the beaten path and use a terrain feature to separate you and the crowds. Wading across a river or taking a hard right off the trail straight up a scree slope that leads to a drainage tucked away behind some private are two ways I've gotten separation from folks and into animals in the last year. Neither of them more than 2-3 miles from the truck.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

7 miles should at least weed out the day hunters hiking from their vehicles. If you search threads you'll see that distance doesn't always equal separation on public land anymore.

 

[rfertig]

I think 7 miles is pushing the limit of what you could actually pack out if you were in really good shape or had some buddies that wanted to stop hunting for a few days. I agree with Bales--I don't know what to say if 7 miles doesn't do the trick. I don't have much time due to job constraints, so 7 miles in is a no-go for me. I typically hunt in a crowded national forest with a general tag for at most three days. However, I seem to keep connecting on elk even though I've never killed them further than 2 miles from some sort of vehicle access. (So, apparently if you go 3 miles in or more, you won't see me )

 

[elkguide]

I shot a decent bull last year that we had to pack about a 1/4 mile to where we could drive our trucks. Watched quite a few hunters walk right past where we hunted and were even watching a herd of 22 elk while 2 hunters went through our area to get as they told us, "back where the elk were."

 

[cnelk]

7 miles.

You probably hiked into an area where people came in from the other way

 

[trophyhill]

No more than 3 for me. 14 miles round trip packing one out may result in lost meat....

 

[Bowhuntone]

The question isn't the distance but where are the elk most likely to be at? Quoting Randy Newberg elk need 4 things food, water, sanctuary, and breeding these vary in priority during the year figure out the priority of the elk and find the area that has it and you should find elk. Sanctuary could include distance, topography and hunting pressure.

 

[Backyard]

No more than 3 for me. 14 miles round trip packing one out may result in lost meat....

And thats just the first load!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Catahoula]

I’d say average 2-4 miles one direction from a given used trail would be what I hike.

 

[Newtosavage]

I'm wanting to know where you guys are getting 7 miles off a road and aren't within 7 miles of another road. Seriously.

Every year I chase elk I care less and less about roads and more about where people don't go, and they aren't always the same place.

There are a lot of places where people don't go (and elk know this) that are right next to roads.

 

[Ratbeetle]

7 miles.

You probably hiked into an area where people came in from the other way

This was my thinking if you're in CO especially. 7 miles from one trailhead might be 3 from another.

 

[Wrench]

DON'T USE TRAILHEADS! Everyone, every hiker, FS maintenance worker, hunter, horseman, outfitter....etc enters via trailhead.

Back up 5 miles, stop your truck and hump that ridge.

 

[GregB]

I usually don’t go further than 4 miles from the truck. Any further and I might loose some meat by the time it was all packed out. If I was with a group I would probably go further since we could get it out faster. By the time I get a half mile in that usually eliminates most other hunters. Like others have said there is nothing saying you have to use trailheads.

 

[cnelk]

Ive mentioned this before, but 10 years ago when the 'Go Deep' fad started, I switched up my tactics.

Since then we have killed 18 elk no more than 1.5 miles from a vehicle.

Go Deep boys, Go deep.

 

[87TT]

Try 14. Seriously it's not a contest to see who goes farther. I drove my rig right up to my last elk and loaded it up.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

I see no advantage of getting that far back. When you are in the 7+ mile range, you just start bumping into horse camps. As others have said, get off the trail sooner. Hike A mile or two in, turn and go straight up a ridge that has no trail. Or start a few miles before the trail head.

 

[Swede]

If you are trying to avoid other hunters; find an area hard and useless to hunt. If you want to kill elk, go where the elk are. I killed mine last season 700 feet from an open gravel road. Go by the evidence on the ground. The elk leave sign of there movement. Trust your eyes.

 

[Newtosavage]

I can imagine how frustrating it might be for someone to hump their camp in 7 miles only to walk up on an outfitter camp or drop camp.

I think the point of people paying or those services, is to get further in than most folks are willing or able to hike.

If you are trying to avoid other hunters; find an area hard and useless to hunt. If you want to kill elk, go where the elk are. I killed mine last season 700 feet from an open gravel road. Go by the evidence on the ground. The elk leave sign of there movement. Trust your eyes.

And your nose.

If they are in the area, you'll smell them.

 

[Bughalli]

2-5 miles....usually closer to 2 with a big obstacle that keeps 90% of the people away. I rarely see another hunter.