Someone at your location

Joined
Nov 27, 2013
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So you hired a guy to fly you into a lake where you know there has been a camp in the past. If you’re in the air, camp at lake, next move?

Backup spot if he can land 1-2 miles away?


Draw area so you can’t predict camps.
 

Loggerdude

Lil-Rokslider
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Dec 30, 2017
Messages
126
Location
Oregon
Ya I had some jacks camp in a spot I had been using for years. They had to drive across private to get there without permission. Turned into a **##&& show. The owner chewed their tails for trespassing, but they just got drunker and bigger a holes. Since they seem to know everything we left after 4 days. Now it’s posted and not available next year.
 
Joined
Jun 3, 2020
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Eagle River, AK
I wouldnt drop in on some one or hunt the same general area if I know some one is there. But if I put in a shit load of work to get to a spot and then a few days in find a guy who's been hunting that area for years and got in on a wheeler you can bet I am not going to leave just because he has hunter there for ever (happened a couple years ago and they helped us get our moose out and we assured them they would never see us in that area again) If you are flying over a spot and see some one there I would go to plan b. Hunting the same area doesnt help anyone and you just compete for animals.

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Joined
Jul 1, 2015
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Colo Spgs
Depends on how big the lake is.

Few acres, sure move on. 50 acre+ lake. Set up on opposite side.

Assume land is Natl or state owned. Nobody owns that, enjoy freedoms granted (while respecting other camp). Maybe they are there for a reason other than yours)

- break break -

I planned to scout an area during mule deer season that was 3 hour hike away but I could glass from mtn tops. I saw a camp and decided to not get close. But… they could have been hunting archery elk (diff species than my tag), but still still decided to give them benefit of doubt


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OP
C
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I should have clarified coming in by a plane on floats, only access is by plane no boat or aTV access
 

z987k

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I would never plan on just 1 location. Always have backups, ideally nearby. If the lake is massive, then go to the other side.
 
OP
C
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Good info two small lakes I’d hate to hunt it with two camps. There are others lakes nearby plan B and C,
 
OP
C
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Why would you want to do a fly in hunt next to other guys? Plan b or c for sure.

That’s a given. My question was adding air time to a already booked flight out. And how pilots handle this. Obviously this is a conversation piece with a potential pilot.


Im not drawing s tag, paying air time to hunt the same lake as six other guys. I can stay here in CO if I wanted that kind of hunt.
 
Joined
Jun 3, 2020
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Eagle River, AK
as long as its not hours away your pilot shouldn't have any issue going another 20 or 30 minutes to another spot. Its in his or hers benefit if they drop you off in a good location. If they just dump you off on the lake with the other group chances are you will come on rokslide and share how disappointed you were.
 

Larry Bartlett

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Based on experience with this scenario, albeit rare:

Not all lakes have landable ponds or other lakes nearby so this scenario could be a show-stopper for the plan. In the past when a plane or group is already parked on a spot, a good pilot will fly around a few miles to locate a plan B. It doesn't always have a happy ending though. It's happened in places where either the other lakes weren't as good and also worked out to where no other lake was big enough to drop in. In those cases we had to find a new spot in or out of that GMU.
 

mooster

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Dec 2, 2018
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599
I would have multiple locations in mind. Unless you've been to a lake previously or recently, there could be a low water situation, could be grassed in, or some other scenario could exist to cause you to punt & consider a plan B even if someone else isn't there set up. Its easy to have several options e-scouted as emergency fall backs. Sometimes plan B's & C's are quiet winners as perhaps no one else has it as their plan A either.
 

cnelk

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Colorado
In my experience the pilot is familiar with the area lakes.
When I go, we fly over different lakes and he tells me what lakes he can land on which ones he can’t. That way we know what lake we can pack meat to.
Sometimes we’ll fly over several different lakes and he’ll ask what one I like.

I seriously doubt you’re going to hire a pilot that isn’t familiar with the area and where camps are or could be.

Hell, you could see a legal moose nearby on a landable lake and there ya go.
 

mooster

WKR
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Dec 2, 2018
Messages
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In my experience the pilot is familiar with the area lakes.
When I go, we fly over different lakes and he tells me what lakes he can land on which ones he can’t. That way we know what lake we can pack meat to.
Sometimes we’ll fly over several different lakes and he’ll ask what one I like.

I seriously doubt you’re going to hire a pilot that isn’t familiar with the area and where camps are or could be.

Hell, you could see a legal moose nearby on a landable lake and there ya go.
Glad you had that privilege, but it wasn’t our reality this past year. Perhaps not all pilots are hunting focused.

We decided to move to a different area and our pilot wasn’t familiar with the some of the lakes we found via our research & satellite imagery. While we virtually measured the target lakes for adequate take off distances, we really didn’t know what we would find until we got there. We had multiple plan B’s and C’s. Our prime target lake was shallow, had large grass mats and islands that compromised take off assuming we were flying out w/a moose.

Other constraints that limit choice besides lake size & GMU restrictions is proximity to access (hunting pressure) & native lands, native land restrictions, and permits to land in a chosen area. As a result our chosen lake(s) were well beyond the familiar haunts of our pilot.
 
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