TrailHeads--Who Hunts From Them?

[ElkNut1]

Curious as to who starts there hunts more times than not from Trailheads? Or do you park & head down gated roads or boonie through the woods heading for a pre destination spots? What's your most used style?

ElkNut1

[dotman]

I have done it all but mostly I start at a trail head. Lasy year my first spot was a trail head, second a dead end road with no trails and final spot was parked off the road and I went staight into hell itself

I'm starting to prefer no trails, i'll be back in hell this year with some unfinished business.

[elkmtngear]

Hunting Colorado we had several spots where we would dive off the Flat Tops on trailheads. With the beetle kill the last few years, every Season has been a new adventure navigating the deadfall, which sometimes makes you wonder why you bother launching at the trailhead at all. One way or another, we get down into our "honey holes"

[WapitiTalk1]

I probably start hunts at trail heads or gated roads to get back to areas away from main roads 75% of the time. Other methods include parking off a main gravel road and cutting up through the timber up to 1/2 mile or more to intersect a wilderness or pack trail (cuts many miles off what the original hike would be if I had started on the trail head), and, I also access some hunting areas by using ridge/game trails which take me to remote/roadless areas.

[westaner]

20% from trail heads. Chance of running into people is still the same unless you go more than a mile deep.

[stringunner]

boonie through the woods to pre-determined spots.

[eltaco]

I camp at a trailhead and use the trail frequently to quickly cut distance in route to some of my hunting locations. I spend most of my day off trail, but using it to cover miles before and after dark is extremely beneficial.

I've honestly never backpack hunted before and don't typically get more than 4mi from basecamp, but as long as I keep finding Elk in these areas I'll continue doing so. The downside of this is a typical day costs me 10-14mi on boot by the time I get where I'm going and all the way back to camp in the evening.

[ElkNut1]

Interesting comments! We rarely use them, they are nice to hook up with at times when it's dark for easier navigation but it rarely happens!

ElkNut1

[Swede]

Very rarely do I use any trail other than a game trail. Once in a blue moon I will walk off the end of a dead end road. If I park next to a closed road, you can almost be sure it was just to make others think I went out that way. I may even leave some tracks on it to support that theory.

[POk3s]

I have done it all but mostly I start at a trail head. Lasy year my first spot was a trail head, second a dead end road with no trails and final spot was parked off the road and I went staight into hell itself

I'm starting to prefer no trails, i'll be back in hell this year with some unfinished business.

I park at the end of the road or at a gated road more times then anything. At 6'1" and 21 years old, I can flat out fly down a logging road early morning. My usual spots seem to be no less then 2 1/2 miles from the gate or end of the road. After I get the 2 1/2 - 4 miles down the road I will dive off. Rarely do I use a trailhead. Sometimes I will connect into one but rarely start at one.

[Elksniper1]

We usually start at trail heads due to it being one of the only spots to park. And From there it just looks like another parked car. When we would use a small pullout near a herd it seems to draw attention and give less ethical people an indicator . At trailheads there's expected to be cars and no one notices

[LONEBULL]

I start out from a trailhead most of the time, hike to where I want to go then get off the beaten path.

[Broken arrow]

My plan is to hike in from the trail head to a predetermined local 4 1/2 miles. Then it's up and over the mountain through a saddle and hopefully into elk and solitude! The pack out when (positive thinking ) I get an elk down is going to be painful cause I'm gonna be solo!

[T/H]

i may start out on a trail head at times but the moment i see a well used elk trail it's game on and i'm off the beaten path taking that elk trail wherever it leads me.

[erichunter14]

Parking seems to always be an issue but with elk being the way they are I tend to use trailheads to just cover some distance until I a a mile or two away from roads then I get off them another mile at least. Can't go much further and still get an archery elk out without it going bad without horses or a few buddies helping with the pack out which I have never been able to rely on.

[timmick]

We usually always start from trailheads because it is easy and fast to get back 3 to 4+ miles in the morning dark. Once we get back into the areas we want to hunt, we leave the trails and get into the elk. We only use the trail systems to get us close, and hunt the areas that don't have trails. We usually don't see anyone more than a mile or two from the trailheads, so for us, in our area, it works great for accessing the elk in the far basins... and keeps us from breaking a leg fighting through the deadfall with a headlamp on.

[Lefty]

Off course I dont
But maybe should . Often times hunters walk right by the easy hunting.
30 years ago friends of mine "discovered" city raccoons and trophy white-tails in the Twin City metro area.

Last week wmy wife and I unloaded the ATV at the trailhead on the edge of town.. After the ride in the high country just a 150 yards from the trailhead were fresh track from the afternoon with kids playing in the water at the bottom. Heavy cover but low and close to town.
A few years back while mulie hunting I discovered a bull with his girls living very close to a highway. A couple forest service roads and trail triangulated a smal area that the elk were not even crossing . Those elk during september and October lived hassle free in earshot of the highway, everyone just drives past them to go hunting.
While rifle hunting in Utah I had parked at a trailhead ; my wife had gone back to the pickup. A dad and his son were crouched near my pickup,.. My wife realized what was going on. Put the stalk on the kid and dad. Suggested the shot they sould take and dropped a the kids first buck at the tailgate of my pickup,.. Loaded the deer up for them and hauled to their home

This year all my elk action happened within 600 yards of my pickup and camp. Infact the shot I messed up on happened 260 yards from my truck easily seen by the elk

[dreamingbig]

100% of the time from trailheads so far. I like getting into the wilderness and away from those who depend on roads. If the hunting was better near roads then I would give that a try but the roads that border the main unit I hunt don't offer a lot of parking other than trailheads.

[bearman da man]

Nevr use them. We get to a predetermined point every morning prior to light and wait there about 15 minutes to 30 minutes after light to listen. You hear something, the hunt is on...don't hear anything, then do a few calls to see if we can get a reply....nothing, move on to the next area. Last year, where we go to start our hunt, 2 days in a row, we had elk within 30 to 75 yds before light...it was exciting!

[mattstanton]

I love to hunt from trailheads but usually start hunting at least a mile in. Gets me past most of the weekend warriors. After about 2 miles I seldom see a soul. That is when chit gets fun. Hunting less pressured elk is a lot more productive.

[bonkellekter]

Really depends on where we are hunting, when hunting where I grew up (N.E. WA) we rarely ever hunt from a trailhead (which is most of the time) but will use em if convenient for the pack out. However when hunting Idaho and MT we hunt from trail heads fairly often... leaving the truck 2-3 hours before daybreak and often times attempting to locate bulls on the way in... If we do locate a bull on the way in we will sit on him til daybreak (depending on how he sounds). If nothing is located on the way in come daybreak we drop off into drainages we know to hold elk.... and just keep on truckin' til we pick one up. It allows you to cover alot of country in the dark when bulls are typically the most talkitive and be miles away from hunting pressure.

[HurricaneHuge]

This being my first year I think the Trail Head will be our main option. Though I'm planning on setting up camp 2-3 miles down the trail and hopefully putting us far enough away from a lot of pressure.

[horseshoe]

last year was our first elk hunt. ended up hunting 2 out of 3 wks from a popular trailhead. it was a successful jump off spot tho! if i recall correctly, out of the groups that cycled in and out of the place there were 4 bulls and a cow taken, and there were other blown opportunities as well ...us included!