Montana Region 7

CHAD PEZZLE

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 22, 2012
Messages
212
Location
Sebastopol, CA
Going to be headed to region 7 this year to chase mule deer with some friends. We’ll be hunting the Custer outside of Ashland.

For you guys that hunt this area, is there a big advantage to having a quad to get around. Sounds like the roads can get pretty bad in the winter. Or would we be better off getting around in a truck.

Are we likely to find ourselves not able to access some of the forest service roads due to weather conditions in our truck that we’d be able to if we brought a quad or two.

Thanks for any insight you guys might be able to offer.

-Chad
 

ewade07

WKR
Joined
Dec 26, 2017
Messages
1,485
Location
MONTANA
Was just down there this last hunting season. If the weather is nice alot of the roads are accessible by a pickup. If the weather turns sloppy you may even have difficulty with a quad honestly. Last year the roads were absolutely atrocious, worst i had see in the area. Thankfully the weather got cold and froze em all up so we were able to get out. I have never used a quad, never will, but you see alot of them down there. i suppose they would be easier than driving a truck everywhere.

So to answer your question, quads would be helpful as the road conditions are HIGHLY weather dependent.
 
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CHAD PEZZLE

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 22, 2012
Messages
212
Location
Sebastopol, CA
So to answer your question, quads would be helpful as the road conditions are HIGHLY weather dependent.

Not needed. If roads are bad it's because they're gumbo and a quad won't help you.

Haha. Agree to disagree it looks like with some folks.

I've got family that lives near Ashland, and been in the area before, just not during the winter time.

I guess my question was a bit too ambiguous and it sounds like it could be helpful depending on conditions. My line of thinking was that if the roads are too sloppy for a truck, rather than being stuck in the cabin we could use a quad to access some of the forest service roads in order to get a little further from other hunters. Then park the quad and hike into different areas from there.

I don't own a quad either, but do have friends that I could borrow one for a trip like this.

Thanks for offering a bit in site, I appreciate it.
-Chad
 

ewade07

WKR
Joined
Dec 26, 2017
Messages
1,485
Location
MONTANA
if the roads are shit just park and walk. theres lots of country out there. most people dont like to walk in shitty conditions. if you dont mind it you will find some luck. most hunters stay close to roads and off trails anyways.
 

Pilgs

FNG
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Messages
25
I hunted that area last fall. I used a quad for the first time in 5 years of hunting down there. The roads were frozen so it wasn't an issue of not being able to access an area, but it allowed me to cover ground faster. I don't road hunt, just travel to where I want to walk in. In my experience, you can travel a lot faster on a quad than in a truck.
 
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CHAD PEZZLE

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 22, 2012
Messages
212
Location
Sebastopol, CA
I hunted that area last fall. I used a quad for the first time in 5 years of hunting down there. The roads were frozen so it wasn't an issue of not being able to access an area, but it allowed me to cover ground faster. I don't road hunt, just travel to where I want to walk in. In my experience, you can travel a lot faster on a quad than in a truck.

Thanks, I appreciate the feed back.

I don't own a quad, and often hunt wilderness/road less areas here in California. Just trying to get a feel for what we could see in November as far as road conditions and if there could be a benefit to borrowing a quad for this trip.

I'm not much for road hunting, so I'm not planning to rip up and down the roads, but if a quad can get us around easier, or there are trails open to ATV's rather than trucks it may be a way to get away from the crowds I read about.
 

MT257

WKR
Joined
Sep 25, 2016
Messages
1,221
Thanks, I appreciate the feed back.

I don't own a quad, and often hunt wilderness/road less areas here in California. Just trying to get a feel for what we could see in November as far as road conditions and if there could be a benefit to borrowing a quad for this trip.

I'm not much for road hunting, so I'm not planning to rip up and down the roads, but if a quad can get us around easier, or there are trails open to ATV's rather than trucks it may be a way to get away from the crowds I read about.

If the roads are shit and impassable with a pickup you might be able to get a couple hundred yards further with a four wheeler, some of these roads don’t have a built up base to them. If the roads are that shitty I would suggest using neither as they can do the same amount of damage. In region 7 you won’t get away from crowds get used to seeing people.
 
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Bear7771

FNG
Joined
Nov 11, 2019
Messages
26
no real advantage to having a quad. If it’s really muddy, walking can even be hard. 3” mud platform boots that are 10” wide get really heavy. An extra couple pounds on each foot can really wear you out! Hope for cold weather or you’re gonna be more limited on where you can go
 
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