Covert Hunting and Scouting

[mt100gr.]

That's definitely "sneaking in". I like it.

I agree that pics can really give it away. One of the most secretive guys I know showed me a pic of a whopper muley he killed last year. The saddle behind him in the picture and the peak next to it are places I know well. I was already figuring him out though. One time, standing in his driveway talking about hunting, he would stare up at the same general area every time he mentioned "his spot". I went home and put the Google earth "eye" where we were standing and pointed it the direction he kept looking...bigger than Shit! Just as I suspected. He works really hard to consistently pull big deer outta there though, so I would not try to horn in on it. It made me think though, gotta keep the body language under wraps, too. If you really wanna keep secrets.

Some people, it seems, will follow your tracks in if they think you have a secret spot. Kind of like the guy that comes and casts right over your line after watching you reel in a fish.

 

[Buglebrush]

I know of a couple guys like that. They kill monster bucks every year, and only close friends see them. They even have their wives drop them off at the trailhead, so nobody sees their truck.

Yup

 

[charvey9]

I live just outside Portland, and my only resonable locations for quick hunts on Public land are within 1.5-2 hours of the city. These are not my favorite spots, but that is about as far as I can go if I only have a morning or evening to get a hunting fix. In Oregon, we have our fair share of tree huggers that range out to the woods for hiking and flower sniffing so you are never going to avoid them completely, but I have found is that very few hike or camp off the trail or road. Game trails, abandoned logging roads, etc are good ways to get around the general public if you can find them.Of course, that isn't alwasy possible.

I'm almost always in my hunting clothes while hiking/scouting, just because it is my best gear. I also always open carry a .44 mag revolver. I occasionally get some odd looks when hiking the well traveled trail, but not many people want approach the guy wearing camo and carrying a large bore revolver. Those that do, are usually hunters and we may have a short chat about hunting.

As far as hiding from other hunters, that can be tough. Where I go, are some well hunted areas...but again most hunters stick to the road, and most people hunt with a rifle. I have never run into another hunter once I got out of view of the road or trail, and I only hunt these spots with a bow. I am guilty of doing a little road scouting myself looking for new placed to hunt, and might have even cut down a rub or two visible from the road to keep others from knowing there is a good deer/elk in the area.

Good luck whatever you do. I just wouldn't let fear of persecution or discovery keep you from hunting the area.

 

[airlocksniffer]

I'm not going to hide what I'm in the woods for. And I think before we get too hasty about lumping the "flower sniffers" into one big anti-hunting group, we need to see that we probably have a lot more in common. Habitat conservation? Check. Prefers to be outside? Check. Sustainable living via the harvest of game animals? Maybe not for all but I think if you explained to a flower-sniffer that way, they would agree. I personally think large-scale commercial agriculture and industrial meat farming are really big problems that some people don't think about. I try not to judge a group of people outright and make my own conclusions based on the individual that would hopefully be upfront enough to have an intelligent conversation. If anybody wants to form an opinion about me based on my appearance or other snap judgements then I really don't have time for them anyway.

 

[PA 5-0]

They even have their wives drop them off at the trailhead, so nobody sees their truck.

Its amazing what a woman will do for ya if you ask nicely. My Mother, all of my Ex's and my wife could tell a lot of stories about 5am drops offs and after dark pick ups. In and out covertly and no one gets hurt. I swear some dudes I have hunted with have GPS'd my truck.

 

[mt100gr.]

Fundamentally you may disagree with farming (commercial again.) But realistically you probably know where the world would be without it. I won't derail my own thread, but the technological advances to increase yields and efficiency are absolutely vital to feed the world...Unless we can get em to stop breeding.

 

[airlocksniffer]

Fundamentally you may disagree with farming (commercial again.) But realistically you probably know where the world would be without it. I won't derail my own thread, but the technological advances to increase yields and efficiency are absolutely vital to feed the world...Unless we can get em to stop breeding.

Not at all. I find that some people who are anti-hunting fail to consider that large-scale industrial agriculture and meat production has a huge environmental impact, no to mention all of the animals that converting land into useable farmland kills or displaces, not to mention water pollution, etc. Personally, I believe that large scale food production is unfortunately a necessary evil. I do my best to grow vegetables and hunt to slightly mitigate my own impact.

 

[rodney.black]

When I go to the national forest near my home that is full of tree hugging hippies I try to avoid other people and be as covert as possible. I try to park in random spots away from other people and follow game trails / bushwack as much as possible. It can be a pain in the ass but it makes for a much more enjoyable hunt as far as I am concerned.