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How far are you guys driving to your pieces?
- Thread starter snooze
- Start date
I shoulda reworded the question as I was more interested in if people would rather stay local to get more hunting in or travel to get closer to bigger deer.
10 miles and about 15 minutes. I usually prefer to shoot 100 pound plus does any more. I will take out smaller bucks with poor racks and if a giant comes in range I probably couldn't resist.
I definitely don't hunt the closest spots to town as they get pounded. Driving past 30 minutes to that 30-60 range eliminates a ton of the pressure and I don't live in a very big city. 60-90 minutes really puts me in the boonies but there are still a lot of camps around that keep it pretty busy in prime times and good areas.
I'll say this about hunting the big woods, hunters generally know where the pockets of decent to good deer populations are. Deer are not at all evenly distributed across the landscape and if it's total solitude you seek you can certainly find it but it's probably also a gar hole.
Would love to travel to hunt more spots 2-4 hours away and dirtbag camp in my truck but I don't really do that much any more life with kids keeps me closer to home.
In the Lapeer area now. Last year was my first year hunting the Lapeer State Game Area, and I did end up getting my first buck.
If I could walk out my backdoor and hunt or just take a short 15-20 minute drive, that would be ideal. When I was kidless it was easier to take off for a few days and hunt. I can occasionally still get away with it with one kid. But a second is due around Halloween so I won't venture too far away after that. I would like to get my KY tags because I can be on public in KY within an hour or so. But they are around $300. The season starts earlier and I think it would increase my odds of killing a nice buck.
yeah pretty much the opposite for me, tons of unpressured land near me. I actually kind of enjoy urban populated hunting, I know the deer densities are really high in those spots and I know where the hunters are because everyone baits and sets up stands so it’s not hard to find them. Also the constant sound of cars and stuff going on allows you to get away with a lot. I’ll stay close to home on Sundays and it’s a eye opener how quiet it is. The land near me is all flat, scrub oaks throughout the entire forest literally allowing the deer to bed wherever they want, barely any food and I hate climbing pine trees.
X2. I'd rather deal with hunter pressure than hunt a ghost town.
Deer population comes first. Ultimately I don't care how many hunters or what the habitat looks like, outside of the fact that sometimes those things correlate with population.
6 hours to my main spot. Just started hunting a spot about 30 minutes away at the tail end of last season.
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30 minutes to an hour for me. I used to do 2hr on a day but that was killing me. I now limit it to max an hour. 2 hour drive then 3 miles before daylight was getting old. If it’s 2+ hours I’m staying the night. Hiking in the evening before and staying over night.
Use to live on my hunting land…walk out back door… now my public land hunt is 1-1:15 hours based on where I hunt… but love it… live in beach community and can be in treestand by 5:45 and home by 1 for afternoon of beer and grilling and college football on TV!!!!
I primarily hunt close to home , within 10 miles. Lots of small pieces. Also have gotten creative with accessing pressured public.
I do actually feel I’d have much higher sighting counts if I dedicated more full days to hunting weekdays after it cools down a bit. I have a relaxed approach when off vs sprinting to the woods or a tree around family / work .
didn’t draw a permit hunt I was hoping on for a quality piece under 1/2 away so I have to step up scouting some conservation land within 20 mins.
+ 1-2 out of state hunts
I do actually feel I’d have much higher sighting counts if I dedicated more full days to hunting weekdays after it cools down a bit. I have a relaxed approach when off vs sprinting to the woods or a tree around family / work .
didn’t draw a permit hunt I was hoping on for a quality piece under 1/2 away so I have to step up scouting some conservation land within 20 mins.
+ 1-2 out of state hunts
Where I live it varies wildly depending on the day/time of day. Pre dawn generally a half hour to 50 min depending on where I'm going
An hour drive and a 30 minute walk
Then climb
Usually 2 hours door to saddle ready
it’s a lot to do more than 2 mornings in a row that’s for sure
Then climb
Usually 2 hours door to saddle ready
it’s a lot to do more than 2 mornings in a row that’s for sure
