Eastcoasters hunting out West

[TheMiz54]

So I live in VA and also hunt in Western NY for mostly whitetails. I am planning my first backpacking trip out West and trying to learn as much as I can. For all of the East coast folks that hunt out West I am curious if most of you fly out West when you do your hunts or if you drive out? I would love to make this an annual thing and try and go on a hunt out West each year but I am trying to figure out the logistical part of doing this each year. Any and all tips would be appreciated for this newbie. Thanks

 

[elkguide]

I drive. Just can't bring what I need on an airplane. Also hate the hassle and garbage that bringing firearms causes. When I last flew with archery equipment, I was lucky that SKB makes such a solid case because I think the plane landed on it.

 

[Gmark]

I have not hunted out West yet, but I am fully intent on flying. I live in South Florida and it takes me 8 hours of driving just to get out of Florida. With being limited on the time that I can be away from home, it doesn't make sense for me to drive 30 hours each direction (which is the shortest non-stop drive possible for a Western hunt for me). Having said that, if it was less than about 16 hours of driving, then I would definitely save the hassle of flying / car rental and just do the drive.

 

[Wvroach]

I drive as well, be harder to do if going solo though. We alternate every fill up who sleeps and who drives.

Flying wouldn't be to much of a hassle if you were doing a guided hunt. But by the time you get rides to and from airports, rent a car for a week that is going to sit at a trailhead etc and ship back meat it just never made sense for us to do it.

40 hour drives are pretty dreadful at night time. When you get delirious and think swift trucks are state troopers and reflectors in the median are headlights, you are well past time to switch drivers.

 

[Hall17]

PA guy here. If I didn't have a friend who lived in CO I would drive. I use his gun, pack, etc. So I bring my clothing, boots, etc. I never tried flying with a gun so not sure the hassle but a 40hr drive sounds like an absolute nightmare. I would prob still fly haha. However, those are my initial thoughts. I buy cheap small totes from ACE Hardware and freeze my meat in his chest freezer. Pack as much as I can in a few totes that meet the size requirement, show them at the airport that there isn't any dry ice and then duct tape that crap out of it. By the time I get back home the meat is still frozen. However, I do go out in 3rd rifle season which is November.

 

[robtattoo]

Tn resident.
I hunt western Wyoming most years & I drive by myself. 24hrs accrual drive time each way, so realistically 28hrs on the road with stops for food & gas. I split it into 3 days. A really long, 14 hour day 1, 10 hours on day 2 & a short hop on the 3rd day gets me to my friend's place in Pinedale for breakfast on day 3. I make the drive home in 2.
Where I hunt, it's actually cheaper for me to drive. I'd have to fly Nashville to SLC then I'd still have a 5 hour drive, plus 9 or 10 days truck rental. I like being able to set my own schedule, carry as much crap as a 3/4 ton, 8' bed can handle & I get to see some amazing country on the way out!

 

[fatlander]

Flying is actually a good litmus test for your amount of gear. For a back pack hunt, if it’s too much to bring on the plane, it’s too much for a backpack hunt.


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[Maverick1]

I drive. Gives me a lot more flexibility in terms of amount of gear to bring with, hunt start and end dates, etc. Also don’t have to be at the mercy of an unknown rental vehicle in the mountains. Come and go as I please. Have filled tags on the first day of a hunt and the last.

There’s enough logistical challenges involved with the hunt already, wouldn’t want to deal with rental cars, TSA, checking luggage, handling of meat….not a chance!

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Drive...usually split up into 2 15hr days...

 

[TheMiz54]

Wow I'm surprised at how many folks drive. It gives me some reassurance as I was leaning towards driving out. This is great guys keep them coming.

 

[Gutshotem]

Depends. Where exactly your hunt area is, how much time do you have, anyone else going with you, what you're hunting, how you're hunting, what time of year etc. Some people like to drive, some don't. I've driven 1,900 miles to WY by myself on my first western hunt. Stopped for gas and about a 2 hr nap in Chicago. Drive to MT with some other guys and take turns but usually can't sleep on the way out anyway. Flown a few times too but had my brother driving up from Texas to pick me up and haul gear. There's some good threads on here about flying home with meat, mailing gear etc.

Check out Toro for a vehicle rental. Also might want to keep an eye on fuel prices, if you're going solo, flying and shipping everything may actually save you money and get you an extra day or two in the field. Lots of variables to consider.

 

[grossklw]

Depends on how many people too. When we go a group of 2 we usually do it straight from WI. Driving anywhere from 18-20 hours straight depending on what state we're hunting. I haven't had to do solo yet, but on the way out I likely would do it straight if I were solo and I would need to stop and sleep a few hours somewhere on the way back.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Fly out there, if successful, drive back. This has worked the best for me.

 

[Jbxl20]

Last year 4 of us drove 30hrs straight from PA to CO. On the way home we split the trip in half and stayed in Iowa for a night. I highly recommend splitting the trip up. Driving tired at night is no fun.

 

[Seamaster]

I have lived in NOVA (in the sleepy little village of McLean) for more than a couple of decades and drive to Colorado and Wyoming annually to hunt. I now drive the trip in three days with no night driving involved. It is easy to drive to somewhere on the West side of Indianapolis (Bloomington, IL,, St Louis, MO, etc.) on day one, and get to either Western Nebraska or cross the Colorado border on day two. Day three was always just an easy short drive to finish the trip.
When I was a bit younger we did the drive in two days, or if there were three of us to share driving we simply drove straight through. Depending to the destination, the drive took about 24 - 27 hours on the highway (not counting stops).
Flying to Denver and renting a car is always an option, but limiting.

 

[TheMiz54]

I have lived in NOVA (in the sleepy little village of McLean) for more than a couple of decades and drive to Colorado and Wyoming annually to hunt. I now drive the trip in three days with no night driving involved. It is easy to drive to somewhere on the West side of Indianapolis (Bloomington, IL,, St Louis, MO, etc.) on day one, and get to either Western Nebraska or cross the Colorado border on day two. Day three was always just an easy short drive to finish the trip.
When I was a bit younger we did the drive in two days, or if there were three of us to share driving we simply drove straight through. Depending to the destination, the drive took about 24 - 27 hours on the highway (not counting stops).
Flying to Denver and renting a car is always an option, but limiting.

That's awesome, I am in Haymarket VA. I would love to pick your brain as I plan my trip to Colorado. I have a buddy that lives in Denver who is into fly fishing and hiking but not a Hunter yet. I am planning a solo hunt but it would be fun to try and get him to join.

 

[Charlie Brown]

Started out driving from Mich. 30 years ago. Friend moved out there so we now fly. Driving gives you room for anything you think you need but nothing better than a few hrs in a plane and hunting that afternoon.

 

[Blackstorm]

Always drive from east coast straight thru, When I do SoDak in Oct have to do in one day or it messes the dogs up if they are confined too long in dog boxes. Have done Co for last three years once with another the others alone, usually 24-26 hours. I love open road driving and do it a lot for my retriever field trials as well, about 35-40,000 miles a year

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Flying is actually a good litmus test for your amount of gear. For a back pack hunt, if it’s too much to bring on the plane, it’s too much for a backpack hunt.


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Precisely. I definitely don't drive from Alaska for my backpack hunts in the Lower-48. I fly to my destination and then rent a four-wheel-drive, and then backpack into the backcountry. Everything I need for an extended (two weeks) backpack hunt can easily be transported in two pieces of checked luggage on commercial airlines.

 

[160andup]

I drive from NY to WY, MT, ID. It’s a haul but isn’t really all that bad, even solo. Get some audio books or even podcasts and the hours click by a lot faster than you’d think. Have stayed in the bed of my truck at truck stops and gotten rooms. More efficient to sleep in the truck, saves an hour or more of messing around and easy to sleep with all of your gear with no worry of it getting stolen or having to bring it into a room. The flexibility of having your own truck and all the gear you need is worth it to me to drive. 34 hours behind the wheel solo to central Idaho isn’t that bad!!! The drive back always seems to take twice as long…