Mountain hunters

[Slingpredator06]

Who here hunts in a mountainous area or constantly faces challenging terrain? I do and I'm interested to hear how the terrain and animal patterns affect your hunting techniques.

 

[ImThere]

I'm not sure about mountains but we hunt hills and hollers here in TN, I love to find a saddle that no one is willing to walk to and when they get there they cannot find a tree for there climber == heaven!

 

[flinginairos]

I hunt some very steep areas here in WV. Makes for a challenge accessing spots sometimes but I love it! My saddle setup helps tremendously.


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[marko_mrko]

My brother is Alberta, and next year we are gonna hit the Rockies for elk.

Our plan is a 5-day backcountry hunt on public land, 5-10 miles from the closest road in an area closed to ATVs. Even have a scouting trip planned for July.

We'll be doing spot-and-stalk, but I wonder if it's worth bringing the saddle in case we come across a big wallow, or if we pattern a herd's daily routine...

Anyone use a saddle for elk in the mountains?

 

[GodsCountry]

I hunt topography.

I think it really helps to be a person who enjoys exercise, the challenge, backpacking, etc. With that said, long, sweaty, walks with heavy stuff is a grind.

Your willingness to go places people are too lazy to walk to is huge. BUT, just because a place is really difficult to get to does not mean it is good hunting. Lack of pressure is only one Piece of the puzzle.

 

[Slingpredator06]

I hunt some very steep areas here in WV. Makes for a challenge accessing spots sometimes but I love it! My saddle setup helps tremendously.


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I like to set up 1/2 - 3/4 of the way up a ridge line over looking the draws and thick stuff at the bottom where the travel routes are. And yes saddle hunting reall

I hunt topography.

I think it really helps to be a person who enjoys exercise, the challenge, backpacking, etc. With that said, long, sweaty, walks with heavy stuff is a grind.

Your willingness to go places people are too lazy to walk to is huge. BUT, just because a place is really difficult to get to does not mean it is good hunting. Lack of pressure is only one Piece of the puzzle.

Agreed.

 

[IkemanTX]

My brother is Alberta, and next year we are gonna hit the Rockies for elk.

Our plan is a 5-day backcountry hunt on public land, 5-10 miles from the closest road in an area closed to ATVs. Even have a scouting trip planned for July.

We'll be doing spot-and-stalk, but I wonder if it's worth bringing the saddle in case we come across a big wallow, or if we pattern a herd's daily routine...

Anyone use a saddle for elk in the mountains?

@Scoutman has been hunting Elk out of a saddle for years


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[Stinger-Hunter]

My first deer was an eight point 2 1/2 year-old buck in the George Washington national forest on the border of Virginia and West Virginia.

I won’t tell you the whole story because it’s about four pages long but suffice it to say that there was a deer walking right behind me in the crunching leaves were so close I started to get scared I was hunting on the ground in a nice little spot on a rock and then I thought oh man I think that’s a bear.

Across the mountain and hill I see a doe and the eight point buck behind her and every time she took a step about 100 yards away I heard it... from behind me. The sound was echoing off the mountain.

You’ll never experience that on a farm land or a swamp.

And it took three guys to get the buck out of the ravine and he only weighed 176 dressed

 

[Slingpredator06]

My first deer was an eight point 2 1/2 year-old buck in the George Washington national forest on the border of Virginia and West Virginia.

I won’t tell you the whole story because it’s about four pages long but suffice it to say that there was a deer walking right behind me in the crunching leaves were so close I started to get scared I was hunting on the ground in a nice little spot on a rock and then I thought oh man I think that’s a bear.

Across the mountain and hill I see a doe and the eight point buck behind her and every time she took a step about 100 yards away I heard it... from behind me. The sound was echoing off the mountain.

You’ll never experience that on a farm land or a swamp.

And it took three guys to get the buck out of the ravine and he only weighed 176 dressed

I know exactly what you mean with the terrible deer dragging. I love hunting and killing deer but I know after I do I just signed up for 3-5 hours of torture. lol

 

[weekender21]

I hunt steep mountains on my property in western NC and out west. Chasing Whitetail in the mountains is definitely a different ball game. Way more fun than hunting flat ground though!


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[Slingpredator06]

My first deer was an eight point 2 1/2 year-old buck in the George Washington national forest on the border of Virginia and West Virginia.

I won’t tell you the whole story because it’s about four pages long but suffice it to say that there was a deer walking right behind me in the crunching leaves were so close I started to get scared I was hunting on the ground in a nice little spot on a rock and then I thought oh man I think that’s a bear.

Across the mountain and hill I see a doe and the eight point buck behind her and every time she took a step about 100 yards away I heard it... from behind me. The sound was echoing off the mountain.

You’ll never experience that on a farm land or a swamp.

And it took three guys to get the buck out of the ravine and he only weighed 176 dressed

I know exactly what you mean with the terrible deer dragging. I love hunting and killing deer but I know after I do I just signed up for 3-5 hours of torture. lol

I hunt steep mountains on my property in western NC and out west. Chasing Whitetail in the mountains is definitely a different ball game. Way more fun than hunting flat ground though!


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Mountains in Western NC are no joke. I was out by Cherokee last week thinking that makes where I hunt look like nothing lol

 

[flinginairos]

I know how those drags can be. This was last year when my buddy killed a buck that died in an absolute hell hole! We tried to get him to quarter it but he wanted it out whole....

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[weekender21]

Forget that! Boning where legal and quartering everywhere else! That looks like a miserable drag.


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[Slingpredator06]

That looks exactly like where I hunt. Nice deer

 

[Vtbow]

I know how those drags can be. This was last year when my buddy killed a buck that died in an absolute hell hole! We tried to get him to quarter it but he wanted it out whole....

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that looks like pretty much everywhere I hunt, unless I"m on the family farm. I had to navigate around a 10" vertical foot cliff band when I shot my bear this year....took me an hour and a half to go 500ft!

 

[Bigterp]

Yeah you know what a sick drag it’s gonna be when you have to get s quick burst & then tie them off or tuck them on the high side of a tree base as you work up to high ground.

 

[Wirrex]

I hunt out west every year and bring my saddle gear but have never touched it. We usually go for 10 days and it doesnt leave you enough time to really figure things out enough to climb a tree. I am not going to bring a saddle anymore. I go out there to have the opportunity to spot and stalk hunt and be free to roam.

 

[flinginairos]

Forget that! Boning where legal and quartering everywhere else! That looks like a miserable drag.


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Trust me we tried lol. That boy was 16 and his first mature buck. There was no talking him out of taking it out whole I would have quartered it no doubt!


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[N1ChBryant]

Forget that! Boning where legal and quartering everywhere else! That looks like a miserable drag.


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I've drug my last deer out of the woods....clean em all with the gutless method now and pack em out on my back. Saddle hunting with less than 10 lbs of gear makes this possible and Soooooo much easier!

 

[Wirrex]

Trust me we tried lol. That boy was 16 and his first mature buck. There was no talking him out of taking it out whole I would have quartered it no doubt!


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He should have dragged it then! If your hunting deep and dragging deer you’re wrong. I should know. We have done 3-4 mile drags... never again.