Always wondered... How far is "far" in your book?

[squeekieslayer]

I have always wondered about what people consider "far" when referring to back country hunting for deer and elk. In my profession I end up talking hunting with many Montanans a day... and "far" seems to range anywhere from a few hundred yards from the highway... to around 15 miles (exaggerated.)

I also talk to a lot of guys that "backpack" in and stay for days only a few miles from the road. I know not everyone lives near where they hunt, but I feel like if i am only going 1-4 miles, i'd rather sleep in my house. I would probably rather pitch a tent at the road and hike out 4 miles with a light pack then pack heavy and stay within an hour or two from the road.

what do you guys think...

1) How far is "far?"
2) What is your threshold, on foot?
3) Do you have magic number that you wont do unless packing in camp?

I have some crazy/young friends that I hunt with, and leaving the truck at 230 am to hike 7 miles before dark is not unusual. Last year two of them shot an elk 8.75 miles in, and took it out boned in 1 trip.... 22 hours round trip haha.

Joe

 

[mattstanton]

My average is 2-3 miles in but have been up to six after spotting a nice buck a few drainages over.

 

[7mag.]

The last couple of years, I have been packing in between 5 and 9 miles. To me it depends more on the difficulty of the terrain, and how much of it is off trail.

 

[Jager]

Far for me is at least 15-20 miles minimum, generally off tracks, if you are serious about getting into the backblocks, but as 7mag has said can depend on the terrain.

I am not saying this is for the fun of walking that far, or that's what I will do for laughs, but if that is what it takes to get into good trophy potential areas, then it is worth looking at.

20 miles in the mountains will certainly get you into better 'untouched' country as compared to a flatter environment, either way though, it is hard work.

I hear you on the point of if your only doing a few miles you would rather sleep at home, or pack near the road, but I think many do it for more of the whole experience.

I am with you though, I only pack in if it is needed to get into a remote area to dong a big critter, otherwise hunt from a good basecamp.

Good thread.

Horses for courses hey.

 

[Coveyleader]

Agreed, terrain is the factor. If I have a cattle trail going in 3 miles, and where I want to hunt is 4, no problem, I'm there. I will not walk more than two miles to get to my hunting area from a vehicle. If I have to do that, I'm packing in and camping back there. I'm not walking 1.5 hours in the AM and another 1.5 in the PM just to hunt. To me that is wasted energy.

I've done this time and time again, and many times I will have a hunt in that morning before hunters coming in from the trail head even get there. As the hunt goes on, it's easy for those guys to sleep in 20 minutes here, 30 minutes there, and that's a positive for me. Especially with guys who sleep in hotels and their house. They NEVER will or can sustain the motivation and drive to get up each day.

How far I go in is also dependent on what i'm hunting. It's easy to pack a deer out 4 miles in vs. that elk. I've packed some elk out solo that I was seconds away from crying going up one particular hill. I don't think many would have even shot an elk in there its that bad. Some can visualize, ok, to that tree (10 yds away) and having to stop 3 times before you get there.

 

[TEmbry]

I can confidently say there wouldn't really be a limit to where I would go to kill a deer as you can pack one out in one trip.

I've never elk hunted, but because of multiple trips being needed to get it out, I'd imagine the distance for me would be a few miles max on a solo hunt.

 

[Buster]

Terrain and hunting location/style etc all affect it. In the mountains it tends to be easier to quantify distance in terms of hours to hike as opposed to miles. Again, everyones pace can be different, and you may be stopping to glass on the way, but those factors can be adjusted. We have a couple premium camp locations that we name after the how long it takes to hike to them. 8 hour camp is a particularly fun one that involves going over 2 ridges, constantly gaining, then losing, then regaining elevation. The distance on the map is only a few miles though. For myself and my hunting buddies, talking in hours is more relevant.

 

[Highcountry_Hellrazor]

For elk solo 3 to 4 miles in solo is my max during the warm bow season. Making sure it's a mostly downward trip.

For deer my max is 8 to 10 miles solo..

I think the main issue is during the bow season the weather is warm, and the most important thing is getting the meat out. The is a very subjective question, because not all terrain is created equal.

 

[Jager]

Some good answers for sure, all relative isn't it.

I guess after the first extreme carry out, we probably all consider these factors when an animal is in the crosshairs.

 

[Buster]

Some good answers for sure, all relative isn't it.

I guess after the first extreme carry out, we probably all consider these factors when an animal is in the crosshairs.

You hit the nail on the head. Nothing like a crazy pack out to sober up the adventurous spirit.

 

[BowElkStalker]

I am going in about 2-3 miles solo, i dont mind coming out in the dark.

 

[Ross]

As noted the answer for me is all relative to the type of terrain time of year and How far cross country you bill be going with no trail. I personally prefer to hunt out of a base camp with my wood stove and cot, but at times the extra walkin and walk out at this age just starts to where on the body so staying on the hillside has its advantages for sure early in the season when snow and added warmth is not so much of an issue.

 

[Elkfitness]

I hunt solo and time wise, 1/2 day's hike is far after this past year. My camp was several hours back off of where I parked and I shot my bull another 1 1/2 hrs back from there. I shot the bull at daylight on a Saturday and got the last load to the truck at 3pm on Sunday. Found out that that was my limit I was off the trail a bit so that made the pack out harder this year. Truck was at the far end of this valley and my bull was shot another 1000 ft up the mountain.

 

[tipsntails7]

Anything over 5 I'm normally packing in a camp, but that's not to say I wouldn't chase a bull or buck farther If I happen to be on a day hunt. One way or the other it's coming out. Weather and temp play a big factor to me. If it's gonna be in the 30's I'm not worried about taking a day plus to get an animal out, but when it's 90 degrees in the shade that animal needs to come out now.

 

[fulldraw1972]

Last September my partner and I hiked in 6 miles to set up camp and hunted another mile in from there. This year we plan on hiking in the 7 miles and camping there. This is on our elk hunt.

 

[In God We Trust]

I pack in roughly 4 miles to my first camp every year and then go from there. Weather is what I let drive my decision on how far in I go. If it is early bow season and the weather is upper 70's to mid 80's than I am careful about how far in I go. Going in 5+ miles and shooting an animal solo then having the meat spoil before you can get it all out is horse sh!t. I am on the side of I would rather pack in the 2 to 3 miles and be rested every day then spend over 2 hours in the dark every morning and night just so I can sleep at home.

 

[crumy]

This year I went in with another guy and we ended very similar to Fulldraw's We had been scouting 4-5 miles but once season started found the elk deeper. Shot my elk 7 miles in. We packed it all to a staging point and got most out that night and walked back in the next morning and got the rest and camp. I think that is pretty close to what I would consider the limit. But of course this was my first real back country hunt and had way too much gear. Damn GIF.

Later in the year taking my wife hunting... slept at home, drove an hour and walked in about 2.5 miles. She shot a nice elk. This was realistically a solo hunt for me.... meaning... all the packing was on me. I will definitely say that packing an elk out 2.5 miles when you are packing the cape and everything is it... One thing it taught me is that I need to learn to cape out the skull....packing out a cape, skull, with hide attached is the most stupid thing I have ever done...

 

[tipsntails7]

2 years ago put solo trips into perspective for me , I shot a bull 3 miles from my truck, it took me 3 trips to get everything out. That's 9 miles with 100+ pounds on your back and another 6 empty, that's 15 miles total. I about died, and my legs were toast for a week. The miles can quickly add up when your buy yourself.

 

[Travis1984]

Last year we biked 13 miles and hiked about six to get to our camp...

 

[Elkfitness]

Last year we biked 13 miles and hiked about six to get to our camp...

That's awesome! I raced bikes at the elite level for about 15 years (took a break from racing when kid #2 came along). I'd love to use the mountain bike to get deeper! Mike

PM me if you are doing this in Colorado.