Hello all. Long time lurker, first time poster.
With the archery opener almost upon us, I'm hoping for some advice from those who have hunted D16 a bunch. Specifically about crowds.
As an intro, I previously lived in Humboldt County, so all of my deer hunting experience is in the B zones. Up there the deer were thick and the crowds thin.
I've put in the time/miles scouting here, (Side note: If any of you have a greyish haired dude with a blue backpack hopping around in front of your cam with two forked sticks as "antlers", DM me.. I may be hunting adjacent to you).
Ive got plenty of shooters on camera in different areas, but Im curious as to how thick the crowds will be for the archery opener. Up north, to hunt, I quite literally walked out my back door, past one neighbor's house, and onto a logging road that dropped me into national forest 100 yards later. In the rare occasion I saw another hunter, it was just one of my neighbors.
Which brings me to my question for the experienced D16/A22 hunters: I know the (human) population is way higher here, and read that the general opener is downright terrifying with the number of people, but is the archery opener also as crowded? I've got deer on cams anywhere from 400 yards from a road to 4 miles from a road. Would I be wasting my time on the archery opener hunting close to the roads because there will be so many people the deer simply won't be there? Im not scared of packing a deer out 4 miles, but as the hair turned grey, I've come to the conclusion that it's silly to carry a deer 4 miles when you can carry one 400 yards. I also know it's silly to do a sit 50 yards from another hunter because I was too lazy to hike in a bit further, so Im hoping to hear how successful D16ers balance the 2.
Ill be saddle hunting, so Im mobile.
Thoughts? Anyone?
With the archery opener almost upon us, I'm hoping for some advice from those who have hunted D16 a bunch. Specifically about crowds.
As an intro, I previously lived in Humboldt County, so all of my deer hunting experience is in the B zones. Up there the deer were thick and the crowds thin.
I've put in the time/miles scouting here, (Side note: If any of you have a greyish haired dude with a blue backpack hopping around in front of your cam with two forked sticks as "antlers", DM me.. I may be hunting adjacent to you).
Ive got plenty of shooters on camera in different areas, but Im curious as to how thick the crowds will be for the archery opener. Up north, to hunt, I quite literally walked out my back door, past one neighbor's house, and onto a logging road that dropped me into national forest 100 yards later. In the rare occasion I saw another hunter, it was just one of my neighbors.
Which brings me to my question for the experienced D16/A22 hunters: I know the (human) population is way higher here, and read that the general opener is downright terrifying with the number of people, but is the archery opener also as crowded? I've got deer on cams anywhere from 400 yards from a road to 4 miles from a road. Would I be wasting my time on the archery opener hunting close to the roads because there will be so many people the deer simply won't be there? Im not scared of packing a deer out 4 miles, but as the hair turned grey, I've come to the conclusion that it's silly to carry a deer 4 miles when you can carry one 400 yards. I also know it's silly to do a sit 50 yards from another hunter because I was too lazy to hike in a bit further, so Im hoping to hear how successful D16ers balance the 2.
Ill be saddle hunting, so Im mobile.
Thoughts? Anyone?
