General seasons

[Muley bound]

This is kind of a dumb generic question. With the control hunt app period starting and applying for the tags we will never draw!!!! I try to hunt the same or adjoining units to learn them the best I can especially being from out of state. I’ve always leaned towards the archery side so there’s less pressure. So my dumb question is: for the general rifle seasons, are these units really that crowded with people?? I know some will have more than others. Things might also change this year with limiting the non resident tags. Also do you find more pressure from elk or deer hunting, or about the same. Thanks

 

[kidoggy]

of coarse it varys by the units but anymore it seems the archery is as crowded as the rifle seasons.

I still find you can get away from most without to much effort. many times all one must do is climb a ridge untill you are no longer in sight of the road. just by doing this one can leave behind the majority of todays hunters.

go where most won't and stay till dark and you will find success in most any unit. most people are afraid of the dark and their prey knows this.

 

[Muley bound]

I completely agree with you on putting a little effort to get away from people. I’ve always done that and have never seemed to run into many people. I think limiting tags and making them unit specific will help too. I’m used to overcrowded here in WI rifle being there a guy in orange in every direction. It’s almost comical!

 

[Hilltop]

Different state but in the general area I hunted this year I saw significantly more people during archery than I did rifle. I feel the archery crowd is a bit more ambitious in getting in far from roads. During rifle I saw 3 people in a week more than a mile from a road. Want bad at all in my opinion.

 

[tim]

Lots more residents than normal, and more out of staters, means more hunters in the field. pretty simple, but with that said, you just have to go where they are not. It is not always deeper, but sometimes shallower. If you go to popular trail heads you will see people. if you put in an average amount of effort you will see people. if you put in way more effort than most and go where others don't think about, you won't see as many people.

 

[Muley bound]

Thanks for the input guys. Like I stated, it’s kind of a dumb generic question. I started at a new company and I’m finally allowed to actually take time off for hunting! I’ve been a slave for too long and missed out on a lot of hunting opportunities. I was always limited to late season hunts (which are good too and I feel efficient at), but really want to try some other general seasons now.

 

[kidoggy]

reminds me of a hunt I was on many years ago by lowman idaho.

when driving there the highway follows the river , with the river being the unit boundary . bull elk was open in both units
(33 and 34 if my muddled memory is correct )I had a tag for 33.
anyhow while driving there I spotted a bull elk bedded down across the river on this little bench. he was only in view from the highway for a split second and the you couldn't see him any more. we turned around and glassed him for a moment . chuckling about all the hunters driving right by him, before continuing on to our own hunt .

A few days later when heading home , we stopped again and he was still there . he had found a nice little hidey hole in plain site. most never saw him and those few who did , didn't know how or weren't willing to put forth the effort to get across to him.

it would have been some effort to cross that river as it was raging pretty good but not impossible.

I think this happens a lot .the animals that grow old simply bed down were no hunters think they would ever be.
seek and you will find .but there are many places , no one thinks to seek.

I also have many times been glassing from afar and watched hunters following down a tree lined ridge, follow down one side of the trees ,while a buck went up past them on the other side, with the hunter never even realizing he was within 30 feet of a buck . lol.
I doubt most hunters realize how often such things have happened to them without them ever knowing it.
I think I enjoy watching those little things play out more then I enjoy killing the game.


one last thought it also pays to get to know a unit and the games escape routes . by doing so . hunting pressure becomes an ally instead of an enemy.

I have a unit where I hunt cow elk where all I have to do is hike 200 yards from the highway, sit down and wait for the herd to be pushed right to me . IT won't work every day but it will work every season.

when younger I was into hunt harder , now with age my body is showing it's limits from my bad choices , so these days I choose to hunt smarter .
funny thing is I kill more now ,with less effort .