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On average how far are you hiking in - with poll?

On average how far are you hiking to your spot

  • 0 - quarter mile

  • a little over quarter mile - half mile

  • a little over half mile - one mile

  • a little over a mile - a mile and a half

  • a little over a mile and a half - two miles

  • Furt her

Results are only viewable after voting.
S

Sbrammer

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2019
Messages
383
Location
Roanoke, Va.
On average, how far are you hiking in before you feel you will be successful.

Some hunters believe they have to be ahead or above the crowds while others believe they can drag one to the truck playing the short game.

I'm a short game kind of guy. I see sign and game not terribly far from the truck, in some cases within 50-100yds. I've been 2 miles in and it's a different feeling and a different kind of hunt, a little more special really, but I look around and ask myself what would you do if you put one on the ground. I'm already exhausted and only half way back to the vehicle. I love the feeling of being so removed from the other hunting traffic but don't have the energy to complete the hunt.

My view is both compliment each other. The short game compliments the long game and vice versa. I just thought it would be interesting to see the numbers.
 
I have had successful hunts less than 100 from the road but other than shooting a deer, they werent really fun hunts, just productive. I want to be far enough in that the sound of vehicle traffic is not a distraction and I can enjoy the peace of the natural environment.

If your fitness level doesnt match your desired hunt, fix the problem and it aint the distance. Half the guys I hunt with are in their 20-30's because the guys I grew up hunting with physically cant hunt the way we grew up hunting. They made and continue to make a choice to not take care of themselves. I despise going to the gym or doing weighted hikes when it's 100 degrees but I love to hunt more than I despise the exercise and I want to be able to hunt the way I enjoy hunting for as long as possible. All sorts of things beyond my control can determine my quantity of life, I am in control of the quality. I determine my physical fitness level and I determine my happiness. Joy is a choice regardless of circumstance.
 
I’m about 50/50 on distance from the truck. I’m either 1/4 mile from the truck or I’m 2 miles out. I prefer to get out and away from the typical hunter but many times I find good deer close to the road.
 
It really depends on where I find the best sign at. I probably average 1/2-1. Early season when everyone is all fired up the deeper the better it seems, later season I've taken quite a few within 200 yards.
 
Where I hunt to get into better deer population due to the low deer density. I find the better deer 2.5 to 3.5 miles back. I’m getting to where I need to do over nights on the 3+ miles just seems better
 
I will hunt great sign anywhere I find it but my typical distance from the vehicle is at least 500 yards and farther. What few stands and hunter sign I find are all within the zone of 50 to 200 yards from a road. I have yet to find a tree stand past 200 yards. I did hunt a spot so close to the road one time that I could have tossed a ThermaCell into the back of a pickup if one had driven by. The sign was just so hot I had to hunt it. I had two does come in and unfortunately wind me at the last moment. That was an hour before dark. I've also located several heavily used bedding areas right off the road near a parking spot. I would not be the least bit reluctant to hunt those spots if conditions were right. I think the deer bed there so they can observe hunters going in, and the fact that (almost) no one realizes they are there. That said, I like to be away from people and around here, 200 yards and in seems to do the trick, in most places. I also don't worry about getting a deer out from way back. If guys out west can manage an elk 7 miles deep on public land, I should be able to get a good buck out, one way or the other.
 
It's a mix for me. On private, the hike in usually ranges from 300-1500yds, but I do have one blind down a small ridge in my back yard that is only 60yds from my deck. On public, the hike in usually ranges from 1-3 miles, with about 2 miles being pretty common. But I do have a couple spots on public that are only about 300 and 400yds. These are doe bedding areas that are pretty far from any buck bedding, so I'll hit those up if I just want to pop a doe for some meat in the late season.
 
I usually get 1/2 to 1 miles. But the number of does that I encounter on my way back to car after sitting all day and seeing nothing. Make me think that's its me.......
 
Additional data points…

Poll - Distance from parking area you hunt

This one is a little trickier. I know there's a lot of ways to ask this question, so let's go with it. I understand that distance is not what typically dictates where you hunt. I am simply trying to get an idea of what most folks do. It won't be exact, but which of the poll choices best...
saddlehunter.com
 
It's a dangerous business going out of ur door...u step into the road, and if u don't keep your feet, there's no telling where u might be swept off to
 
kyler1945 said:
Additional data points…

Poll - Distance from parking area you hunt

This one is a little trickier. I know there's a lot of ways to ask this question, so let's go with it. I understand that distance is not what typically dictates where you hunt. I am simply trying to get an idea of what most folks do. It won't be exact, but which of the poll choices best...
saddlehunter.com
Click to expand...
Sorry I didn't know you had one going, but I'll definitely compare the dat points. Thanks so much!
 
liv2hnt said:
1/2 to a full mile for me, but I really hunt the sign. Some days I go further and some days its less. Fresh sign is my guide and I don't worry about the length of the hike.
Click to expand...
Same
 
I hunt mostly public but also have about 400 acres private to hunt. If i’m on public, it’s a mile and a half or more. I use a nonelectric mountain bike set up to haul my gear for a lot of the distance unless i’m in a steep area. If i’m on private it’s about 3/4 of a mile. Less than that, the owner spends too much time beer drinking and ATV scouting. Can’t convince him that checking trail cameras every 4 days doesn’t help the hunting odds.
 
Lowg08 said:
Where I hunt to get into better deer population due to the low deer density. I find the better deer 2.5 to 3.5 miles back. I’m getting to where I need to do over nights on the 3+ miles just seems better
Click to expand...
What’s your overnight set up?
 
Sbrammer said:
Sorry I didn't know you had one going, but I'll definitely compare the dat points. Thanks so much!
Click to expand...

Don’t kill your thread. Just giving you extra info.

Also, curious if anyone changed their answer from previous poll. And why.
 
Lowg08 said:
Where I hunt to get into better deer population due to the low deer density. I find the better deer 2.5 to 3.5 miles back. I’m getting to where I need to do over nights on the 3+ miles just seems better
Click to expand...
Where r u hunting that you’re overnighting? I’m really curious in this! Thanks
 
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