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Post by parkerbow on Mar 15, 2020 16:54:19 GMT -5
I was out for a long walk today, mostly to look for sheds. I ended up finding one nice deadhead and 2 old sheds from last year. I then found what I thought would be a really good spot to bow hunt on the HNF. Problem is there is not good easy way to get to it. I got home and pulled up the map and it would be a 1.23 mile walk through some rugged terrain. The first half mile would be on an old log road then the rest would be up a steep drainage, then up a good sized hill. Just wondering how far some of you guys are willing to walk to get to a promising spot.
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Post by swetz on Mar 15, 2020 17:03:10 GMT -5
Around a mile would probably be my limit. Getting a deer out much further than that is a bit much.
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Post by Pinoc on Mar 15, 2020 17:35:25 GMT -5
I will walk a lot farther to turkey hunt than I will for a deer. Getting a turkey out is obviously a lot easier.
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Post by medic22 on Mar 15, 2020 17:58:11 GMT -5
Ive certainly walked further, but ive never killed a deer more than 250 yards from the car.
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Mar 15, 2020 18:08:07 GMT -5
Some trips I'll do 15 miles per day, but never killed a critter more than a couple miles from where I can get a vehicle to.
Around here, there's a spot I like about 1.5 miles from the access, never killed anything there though. Longest drag in Indiana has been a couple hundred yards.
Probably 90% of my Indiana deer hunting is private land or military refuge hunts though.
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Post by swilk on Mar 15, 2020 18:32:45 GMT -5
Out west you out a lot of miles on your boots...around here, not so much.
As for how far would I walk...I guess the answer is however far it took as long as it was worth it.
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Post by treetop on Mar 15, 2020 19:32:07 GMT -5
The places i hunt here longest is a 1/2 mile out west 5 miles was about average
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2020 19:56:38 GMT -5
When I was a lot younger, I used to hut the Hoosier National Forrest and would park by the old Fire Tower on Hardin Ridge. I killed a buck back by the old cemetery, and it`s been a long tome since I`ve been there, but I would guess that to be a couple miles maybe from the parking at the Fire Tower? Maybe someone can correct me if I`m way off on the distance. I can tell you, it took me a long time to drag that buck back to the Fire Tower from that cemetery. Back then, even though that was a lot of work, I was glad to do that.
Today, I`m not physically able to work that hard to drag deer. The farms I hunt, in most cases, I can drive right up to a downed deer, but part of one farm, depending on where the deer dies, I could potentially have maybe a 300 or 400 yard drag through thickets and up pretty difficult ridges.
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Post by esshup on Mar 15, 2020 21:41:23 GMT -5
That depends on if there is cell signal. Out West you are allowed to tag the deer, cut it up in pieces to pack out. Here, unless the deer is checked in, you have to take it out whole. SO, a better question would be how far would you drag a deer to the vehicle?
We hunt 1,700 acres in Wi. in the shape of an "L:. We have to enter at the bottom right end of the "L". No motorized vehicles allowed. Deer cart or sled if there is snow on the ground. Hilly terrain. Longest it took a buddy and I to get his deer out was 5 hours after field dressing it, and that was with a sled on snow. NOT fun.
In Colorado 2 years ago I passed on a Mule deer because of where it was. About a 700 yd shot, no wind, they didn't know we were there, and it was a very doable shot. BUT, they were towards the bottom of a valley, and straight down was a hair over 600 yds by my rangefinder. Again, getting it out would have been a chore - I was perched at 9,800 ft. elevation.........
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2020 6:24:12 GMT -5
Young days I would walk and walk. 1.5 miles no issue, but today less and less. Lot less. About half mile would be max.
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Post by greypoupon on Mar 16, 2020 6:51:25 GMT -5
I have a spot on public that is probably a mile or so in. I would take one back there but havent had the opportunity yet. The drag would be terrible but I bought a cart because of that location. One of the state park hunts I was 1.5 miles in to try to get away from everyone. Missed the only deer I saw.
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Mar 16, 2020 6:55:55 GMT -5
I would not drag more than a couple hundred yards unless conditions were perfect (downhill in snow, for example).
Even if you have no cell signal, you should be able to tag your deer, go back and get signal/check in your deer, then return to the kill site and quarter it up for the pack out.
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Post by butlerj on Mar 16, 2020 10:43:00 GMT -5
My first doe was a yearling and I dragged her about a mile. Most of the hair on the ground side was gone by time I made it back to the truck. It was a short drag through the woods but once I got the fire trail paved with stones was a different story.
I bought a cart after that. I'll still go about a mile back though.
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Post by omegahunter on Mar 16, 2020 14:01:32 GMT -5
Two different times I have hunted six tenths of a mile from the vehicle (just measured both on county GIS sites). The first was my regular place that was owned by the guy I worked for until it became a coal mine. Thankfully I was able to drive my truck or his 4 wheeler very close to the downed deer every time on that place. The only other time that I have been that far from the vehicle on a deer hunt was HNF and I used a sled to get the deer out that time, but not on snow. Snow would have been easier, but I am convinced that the plastic sled slid easier than the deer over the leaves and twigs. Current "regular" place is just shy of four tenths of a mile from the truck to the stand. These days I work smarter instead of harder and use a 4 wheeler to get downed deer out. Farthest squirrel honey hole is 1.425 miles (on public ground, no motor vehicles), but they are much easier to drag back to the truck.
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Post by buckwacker on Mar 16, 2020 14:35:42 GMT -5
When I was much younger back in 84, I killed a deer not thinking about the mile plus drag out. Well, it took me over two hours and I learned to think about what happens after the kill. I was in the best shape of my life and it was still a miserable experience. These days I hunt on our farm and use a John Deere tractor loader for most removals. Old guys are known to die from short drags, so long drags should be avoided.
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Post by buckwacker on Mar 16, 2020 14:36:56 GMT -5
When I was much younger back in 84, I killed a deer not thinking about the mile plus drag out. Well, it took me over two hours and I learned to think about what happens after the kill. I was in the best shape of my life and it was still a miserable experience. These days I hunt on our farm and use a John Deere tractor loader for most removals. Old guys are known to die from short drags, so long drags should be avoided.
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Post by parkerbow on Mar 16, 2020 15:18:58 GMT -5
I have walked a long way in more than I care to mention and the funny thing is that I have never killed a deer when I have done that. Then other times I have hunted where I could see the road and killed deer. So, the older I get the less appealing those walks are. I guess I am really lucky I did not ever kill one that far back and the short walks are just if not more productive.
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Post by firstwd on Mar 16, 2020 16:34:58 GMT -5
Miles. Some days it seemed like miles upon miles. I grew rabbit hunting with beagles so walking a long way to hunt was normal.
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Post by beermaker on Mar 16, 2020 16:38:23 GMT -5
I retired from dragging deer the same year I retired from shoveling snow. Coincidentally, that's also when i bought my ATV. I do have a two-wheeled cart that I will use if needed, but not unless the ATV is not an option. I can't possibly count how many deer lived another day because I was by myself (before ATV) and did not want to drag solo. It's just not worth it.
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Post by firstwd on Mar 16, 2020 17:26:09 GMT -5
The funniest part I pull from this thread is how many of us might just fit the description I've heard of the slob hunter that doesn't go deep into the woods but just sits within view of the road and kills good deer they haven't earned.
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