The road

[Master Chief]

Just wanting to see a random poll of what people on here do (public land only)

Do you make sure to get away from the main road/fire trails/parking lot/etc and always try to get as far away from the easy to access places? I've seen a lot of people say there success increases just by avoiding roads. Curious to see what the "beasts" think lol

**Sorry I posted this in the wrong forum.. thought I put it in the public land one

[Master Chief]

I have a motive for asking too. Just curious how my observations line up to others

[TJS]

I hunt where the signs (rubs, scrapes, beds etc.) tell me too, regardless of how close I am to the road. Last year I hunted 30 yards from the center of a highway. Saw the buck I was after, just never gave me a shot. I was sitting in a 2-3 acre CRP area that had fresh big buck tracks. I sat there 2 times, it was funny when once in a while a person in a vehicle would see me, they would have to look twice. Looking back, I think the buck would catch my wind due to the evening thermals dropping to where he was coming from.

[n.sampey]

I votes no but it depends on the location the buck I killed on the 3rd was 130 yds from major road with a lot of use

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[fishlips]

Voted no, but I have never killed anything close to a road or heavily used trail either

[ Post made via Android ]

[BassBoysLLP]

Voted yes. Roadside hot spots are the rare exception, not the norm. Every year I keep hoping I'll find more spots close to the truck, but every year I find myself walking further or through more rugged terrain.

[Chris Conroy]

Yes. The public I hunt is a dog training and pheasant hunting area along the road and parking lot. There is a ton of land away from the lot that I pretty much have to myself during the early season. Other spots I hunt usually aren't close to a road. During gun season you can count the hunters in orange as you drive by. Looks like a Gander Mountain exploded there.

[ Post made via Android ]

[MOBIGBUCKS]

I try to avoid people in general. if that means hunting a spot that looks less than ideal, I'll choose that area first. It doesn't matter how close or how far a road is per say. If it's overlooked it's overlooked.

[hunter_mike]

I said no because sometimes its more about obstacles than distance from the road. Like waist high water close to the road, you cross it and then boom you are in a good location, but would also agree it is an exception more than a norm. Long distance from access seems to be a safer bet of a good spot if it has all the other necessary ingredients.

[headgear]

[quote="TJS"]I hunt where the signs (rubs, scrapes, beds etc.) tell me too, regardless of how close I am to the road. [quote]

My answer as well, there needs to be a reason I am hunting a location close to the road or not.

[Wlog]

I voted no. One of my best public land spots is within 100 yards of the road. Most of the time I'm not near a road but I don't completely avoid them. I'll scout any place that looks like it may have the right ingredients to hold a good buck regardless if it's near the road or not.

[kurt]

No...Dan really opened my eyes to these overlooked road spots. Stay out of the normal in the box type thinking.

[ Post made via Android ]

[dan]

We shoot more and bigger bucks close to the road than remote. It really doesn't matter where the road is, it matters where people go... This year was no exception as the biggest buck we got was bedding 50 yards from a major parking and access to the public property.

[MACHINIST]

I have found several spots near roads that have buck beds in the on public land.My question is,do the bucks let the guys pass right by usually?One bed is about 80-100 yards from the main trail heading back and the other one is on the other side and only about 50 yards from the main trail.I know from past years looking at people tracks in the snow nobody hunts there because its so close to the road

[Zap]

My best spots are close to the road, within 100-150 yards. Pull off to the side out of the way and walk in.
Round here you can park on the side of the road. Parking lots are places that I avoid unless I launch the canoe. Those folks want to talk too much.

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