Where do YOU make camp?

[WoodlandCritter]

When you're living and hunting out of a tent in the mountains, do you make camp at low elevation and work your way up every morning? Or do you pitch a tent up high on the ridgeline to work your way down to likely areas?

I'm pretty new to the whole thing and am inclined to make camp low. That way the hike carrying 50-100lbs of meat will be mostly downhill. Also means not carrying 30lbs of camp gear uphill at the beginning.

 

[CarterHunt]

I’m not an expert but I prefer to camp high. Not at a peak but if I can get on a lower spot on the ridge top and work it to my glassing point first thing in the morning. I feel like it’s less intrusive and also nice to be able to glass not terribly far from camp.

 

[mad_angler]

I camped low, next to water.

This was also the easiest, closest spot to get to.

 

[AKmatt]

I’m not an expert but I prefer to camp high. Not at a peak but if I can get on a lower spot on the ridge top and work it to my glassing point first thing in the morning. I feel like it’s less intrusive and also nice to be able to glass not terribly far from camp.

Weren't you bald a month ago?

 

[mtnbound]

When you're living and hunting out of a tent in the mountains, do you make camp at low elevation and work your way up every morning? Or do you pitch a tent up high on the ridgeline to work your way down to likely areas?

I'm pretty new to the whole thing and am inclined to make camp low. That way the hike carrying 50-100lbs of meat will be mostly downhill. Also means not carrying 30lbs of camp gear uphill at the beginning.

I base camp locations on the locations I play to hunt. Not sure what your hunting pack weighs, but mine is 30lbs without camp gear.

 

[PathFinder]

It varies way too much to make a broad generalization like high or low.
- Reasonably close to the hunting area, usually a glassing point.
- Where game won't be spooked by it
- Decent camp spot. Proximity to water, shade or sun, etc.

I usually prioritize in that order. Sometimes that means a deer bed sized spot on a cliffy ridge, sometimes it's in a nice flat next to a creek.

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[Jimmy]

It's nice to have water by camp, but I usually camp up higher

 

[AKM]

Depends on animal patterns and how you anticipate pursuing the game. If the game can be anywhere on the mountain military crest (2/3 up) is a good option. If I have to visually find the first, go where I can see. I don’t like camping right where I hunt if scent is an issue (I don’t indulge in goat and sheep hunting). A lot of my hunting is either from an ATV or airplane dropoff anyways. Makes some of that movement not as big a deal.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I never give up high ground without good cause.

 

[CorbLand]

I like the Rooster Cogburn method. Where ever I get drunk and fall off the horse.

 

[Poser]

There are always exceptions, but I have found that, after some experimentation, camping lower than the animals you are hunting generally works best, Thermals are dropping at night while you are in camp. Now, you could camp well above animals you are hunting with idea of glassing from or immediately near camp. This can work, but you need a pretty good elevation offset. Water can often be problematic when doing that, too.

 

[Elkangle]

Haul water & camp on backside of ridge of the animals im hunting...i really domt want to hike far in the am

 

[Lowedown]

It depends on the hunt. If you are going to be glassing a lot then elevation is your friend. If you are archery hunting bugling bulls with no need for glassing then you may want to camp low to keep your morning scent thermals ideal as you work up.

 

[WoodlandCritter]

Thanks for the input guys, a lot of good stuff to think about. I'm thinking my intuition was pretty good for my situation. Glassing seems to be one of the strongest arguments for setting up higher. But my area is very thick, temperate rainforest. There's very little glassing to be done. I'm sure there's times where it would make the most sense to camp higher up, but I'll likely be sticking to the valleys for now.

 

[CMF]

what species, season and state?

 

[cnelk]

I’d much rather pack meat downhill than uphill

 

[WoodlandCritter]

what species, season and state?

Pretty much any animal I can get a tag for, any season I can hunt them, and MT. I'm asking with spring bear in mind at the moment, but I'm also hoping to have enough PTO saved up in the fall to spend a week focusing on elk, assuming I punch my deer tag early on.

 

[CMF]

Pretty much any animal I can get a tag for, any season I can hunt them, and MT. I'm asking with spring bear in mind at the moment, but I'm also hoping to have enough PTO saved up in the fall to spend a week focusing on elk, assuming I punch my deer tag early on.

Bear an elk, I'm usually high, because of glassing especially if backpacking. For elk, I'll usually camp over the ridge from the elk I'm hunting. If hunting areas conducive to glassing from roads, then usually down low.

 

[jayhawk]

At your mom’s house

 

[WoodlandCritter]

At your mom’s house

If you've found a good spot for elk camp in Ohio, let me know. I'll get you a spare key to her place