Walking off trail at night

[lbasilon85]

Hi Guys - completely new to Western hunting and drew a great deer tag.

I have pretty specific questions if someone has experience.

1. If I'm hunting relatively open terrain. Can I walk through new terrain at night or should I try to be at a trail head before dark? I'm just trying to figure out if people take the risk of blazing new trails in the dark or if that's too risky.

2. I have heard that deer spend the mornings on north facing slopes and the afternoon on south facing slopes. If I'm planning to spend all day in an area, does it make sense to camp north and hunt the morning southward then turn around and hunt the afternoon northward?

3. When you hunt a public unit, is it safe to set up camp right off a main road and leave it there while I hunt or do I run too great a risk that someone will drive by and steal by stuff?

4. If I'm at 7000 feet elevation and wind is normal, should I generally set up camp in between two hills at the top of a hill? Also, should I try to camp near water?

5. Any tips for spot and stalk mule deer with a bow? Are thermals always going to command wind directions or is it only for very steep slopes?

 

[homebru.trout]

These questions are a lot to unpack and no concise answer is going to be complete. Almost all of these things come down to woodsmanship.

I never hesitate to hike and navigate freely and while I'll use trails, they are frequently vehicles to get me to the next jumping off point. That being said I'm comfortable in the mtns, carry multiple means to navigate if needed, and don't get overly stressed about spending a night in the woods.

Wind is going to determine your hunting direction more than anything. Worry about the up-down and pursue animals in a stalkable location where you find them. Definitely understand the dynamics of how mountain air heats and cools, rises and falls throughout the day...and don't get upset when it does none of those things and swirls around just as you're closing the distance.

In general I've never hesitated to leave my camp but its rare I stay near a road. Depends on the state, the area of the state, and whether or not I'd been kept up all night by three other camps of rowdy partiers. Let common sense prevail. In terms of specific location I look for a flat spot to sleep, frequently near fresh water, that provides some measure of shelter from the wind and where my presence isn't going to mess up an entire valley.

YMMV. I would encourage you to watch a bunch of mtn hunting shows (SoloHntr, Randy Newberg, etc.) and read a few books, blogs, etc. on mountain hunting to get some idea of the day to day mechanics of it. If you're new to the game and not hunting with a more experienced partner, there's nothing wrong with being conservative your first time out: you could camp in a forest service campground or near a trailhead/dead end road, be back at your vehicle at night to resupply and take on water, and use the trip as a fantastic learning experience.

 

[ianpadron]

Hiking at night is always eventful, especially off-trail. I wouldn't hike through an area you plan on hunting though, you'll blow the basin out. If you're just hiking in to a spot and you're confident in your land nav skills, just send it!

With setting up camp, your goal is to find a spot that's far enough from the deer that you don't blow them out, and close enough that you don't snooze your alarm at 0 dark 30 when it's time to get up to your glassing spot. My general rule is to camp on the backside of the basin I plan on hunting. Last year we had a dude set up camp on a saddle in Idaho that every deer uses to get in/out of a burn...we saw ZERO critters until he left.

Camp by water. Total pain in the ass to have to hike everytime you need to fill up. If that's not an option, bring in a 10 or 20L gravity bag and fill it once and forget it.

I don't like leaving base camp along roads in secluded areas but have done so several times in busy areas around WA and ID with no issues.

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