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Mobility

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Mobility

Postby Swede » 05 30, 2018 •  [Post 1]

The elk are gone within a few days of the season opener where I hunt. I have determined there is a need to be more mobile, but moving is not quick and easy. Taking down stands and moving camp is a full day's work. For me it will take another day to set back up. When the elk leave my primary hunt area, there is no use just driving another hour in the morning and evening to find a good location. Moving stands and camp is essential.
This year I am going with a tent, as it will allow me to go into places that I would not drag a trailer. I do not plan to set up more than three tree stands. That will allow me to be as mobile as reasonably possible.
So, how mobile are you and is mobility important to you? What do you consider being mobile is?
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Re: Mobility

Postby saddlesore » 05 30, 2018 •  [Post 2]

I am going back to tent camping, but with my mules, I can do a 10 mile radius. That just about puts me to the limits of my Game Unit that I can hunt. My camp will be light weight, but it would still take me a day to break camp,move and set it back up. The last two years,I probably should have moved,but in 40+ years, I have never moved my camp during season . With these four legged long ears, it provides me all the mobility I have ever needed.

Another thing, the elk may move out ,but in ten days,there is a strong possibility that they will move back around . I have shot a lot of elk the last one-two days of the season after hunting 7-8 days and not seeing a hair.

When hunting is poor and everyone else leaves, a lot of times in a day or two the elk start showing up. That is why I never hunt these 5 day early seasons that Colorado has
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Re: Mobility

Postby Lsb » 05 30, 2018 •  [Post 3]

Knowing where the elk go when pressured is key. I'm slowly figuring it out in the area I primarily hunt.
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Re: Mobility

Postby Navesgane » 05 30, 2018 •  [Post 4]

I'm debating hauling (in pieces) my M 1950 tent and stove to the basin wear I typically find myself near when hunting near home. Hopefully my friends from the SE will draw their 1st rifle season tags and I can either leave it there or move it as the laws require for when they get here. Doing day trips and spike-camping put a hurting on me last year and thinking this way I can base out of the 1950 and spike camp from there if needed. In short, I want to be a lot more mobile this year with less exhaustion. I like being mobile, but have also learned that r&r and the ability to recover after a long day or week of hunting hard is nice.
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Re: Mobility

Postby Lefty » 05 30, 2018 •  [Post 5]

We hunt from roads where trailers don't go.
Last year we hunted near the road location Friday night. Then sleep where we planed to take off from in the morning. We had 3 day weekend hunts, where we slept quite a distance by road from the previous night.
We have dropped the pick up off at one location and atv ed 22 miles by road to our tent, hunted from the tent to the pickup. Another group does the same thing. In reality as the raven flies it's about 3 miles, and 2100 feet. Since,were in active Griz country we don't night call or get started to early and try to be out of the woods shortly after dark

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Re: Mobility

Postby Joe Schmo » 05 30, 2018 •  [Post 6]

For me being mobile means being able to hunt one place in the morning and a totally different place in the evening. Be that just driving or packing up a tent and piling stuff in the truck and setting it up 10 miles away. This is mostly for deer but it works for elk too. Also I know my limitations and would rather not have a bull down where it will be several days packing out, therefore I usually have a pile of sneaky spots that are very easy to access but tricky to get to.
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Re: Mobility

Postby elkstalker » 05 31, 2018 •  [Post 7]

I'm always ready to be mobile, I usually hunt out of my pop up camper, and can take down camp in an hour or two. I usually have 2-3 options within an hours drive, plan a,b and c :D Now that I'm back in Montana and be able to hunt weekends and after work I don't think I'll be doing as many week long hunts, but may plan one of them per season just to get the camp feel.
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Re: Mobility

Postby stringunner » 06 02, 2018 •  [Post 8]

We hunt from camp and have rv trailers. We also have several stands and cameras up. I would not consider us mobile. It usually takes a couple days to get things packed up. This is a huge downside to us when the elk in the area disappear. But, generally now, we only have 7-10 days to hunt, so we generally stick it out for the trip then go elseware on the remaining weekends if necassary.
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Re: Mobility

Postby ishy » 06 02, 2018 •  [Post 9]

Mobile as mobile gets, I sleep in the back of a trooper with a frame on top of wheel wells and mattress on top. Literally no set up take down time when I want to move. Not the most luxurious set up, but can't get more mobile. I would prefer a truck with a shell and carpet kit, but the dang trooper just won't die! And I have tried to kill it the best ways known to man.
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Re: Mobility

Postby southernelk » 06 05, 2018 •  [Post 10]

as mobile as possible. being from out of state we do not have time to hang out in one area hoping to find an elk. we have multiple spots that we bounce around in to try and find them. that usually means we set up camp in a somewhat central location of those spots and reasonably close to a decent road so we can drive to the area we have chosen for the day.
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Re: Mobility

Postby CurlyTail » 06 05, 2018 •  [Post 11]

Mobility is a good thing, just time consuming and no guarantee that the new spot will actually be better. But you have to keep trying.

I try to establish my base camp in a somewhat central location (of the local road system) if possible, rather than at the end of a hour long two track road. I find a drive of up to 30 min. to get to a potential trail head to be acceptable. Any longer and it is hard to get to the Elk when you need too. I think you should be able to pick up camp, move location, and reset camp in one day -ideally. I would be OK to give up one day to relocate, but two seems a bit much.

I also favor hunting spots no more that 3 miles or so from the vehicle. This means - parking in an non-official pull off, often off a paved road or highway, perhaps crossing a creek or river, then bush whacking up a steep slope into good Elk terrain. No established trails = No hunters in my book. 8 miles on an established trail is a way easier hike than 3 miles off trail. Once you have established some of these spots, you eventually figure out a better route into them.
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