Observations from deer season...

[Lawnboi]

I agree with you on the above. Even as a non resident, I prefer to find my own spots.

I cringe when I see a what unit or where to hunt post. Nothing replaces spending time in the woods. That said when I started, I sure did ask some pointers on where to begin.

Tell one guy a spot you maybe used to frequent, next thing you know the whole bro squad is in camped on the road. Even in the short time Iv been going to the west I notice it in places.


I can see your a little sour about pressure situation. I think it's happening everywhere. Here in my home state you will see 6 trucks.... Parked and hunting a fricken 40acre plot, this is common during gun season. Problem is too many hunters and not enough public land. Private land is getting harder and harder to come by permission wise due to the price being put on shooting a big deer, commercializations and trophy hunting. Hunting in some regards is losing what hunting really is, to me atleast. Yea I like to take a mature animal, but it's not all about the size of the headgear for me.

Of course this is all my opinion. I greatly appreciate the oppritunity I have to hunt many states. What I dread is seeing that oppritunity go down, especially being so young. When I get more years in the job, family life stabilizes, I hope to spend more time hunting as many places as I can.

 

[Broomd]

Times have changed, and so has gear, drive, intensity.
For FL, SItka, Kuiu it's about money, (and they are making some great gear!) but the practical truth is that it's all meant to make one more efficient and prepared to go more remote and harder. We all know it's more mental than anything, but these other factors: state-of-the-art gear, gps, ultralight weapons, ballistic scopes, compensating rangefinders.....they have changed the game.

I'm not sharing anything here openly for OTC tags, and I encourage others to do the same. And for gods sake, use a PM. This sin't about antlers, or score, it's about a quality experience unencumbered with the masses with their 'K' gear.

For the haters, I spoke recently with a RokSlide guy that wanted moose info for his dad and I told him all I knew. I pm'd him to call me and he did. That's a OIL tag and much less detrimental to the hunting experience overall. Some of us want to help--hunting is a fraternity and there are good guys from all states out there, but they need to pay their own dues when it comes to a limited resource with a ton of competition.

 

[juan trueno]

Between Hunting and fly fishing, I have a lot of away games annually. I employ one of two methods, and determine which will be employed based on “course of action analysis” which relies heavily on researching what has happened in the AO prior to my arrival. I will either operate entirely covertly- in which case I am entirely self supported other than fuel for the vehicle. I avoid interaction and population centers, restaurants etc, and I do what I can to insure that from the outside my vehicle doesn’t give away my intent, or purpose- no stickers, coolers, etc in plain view. If I’m the other hand research inidicates that it is possibly beneficial- I make efforts to build rapport with the locals- which includes things like
Getting a motel room the night before i start- and the night I’m done. Buying maps, and or box of ammo or tippet and flies at the local shop making sure to ask for the regs book. I eat and tip 25-50% at the local cafe. I say mam, I say sir. When I’m in the woods in that case I leave the regs on the dash so that it’s obvious what I’m doing and that I know the rules.

I’ve got free hats and hoodies from shops and cafes all over the US, and I’ve hunted and fished some AMAZING private land and water in Colorado and Wyoming on local invite (not door knocking, not on an easement, not through a program) utilizing those techniques. I’ve had people run shuttle, let me camp on their place, put in or take out at there place etc. I’ve had the owner of a mom and pop sporting goods store return a stainless steel dog bowl to me 5-6 weeks after he saw it blow off my dog box as I was leaving a property 10 miles outside of town. “I knew you’d be by sooner or later, even if it wasn’t til next year”



It’s just another part of scouting/ hunting and knowing the terrain and how to most effectively use it.



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