how far you drive too deer hunt

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backstraphunter
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how far you drive too deer hunt

Unread postby backstraphunter » Wed Mar 18, 2015 3:56 am

intersted too know how far most of you drive too too where you do most of your deer hunting. i drive 375 miles one way too michigans U.P from southern michigan


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Re: how far you drive too deer hunt

Unread postby briar » Wed Mar 18, 2015 4:00 am

Maximum........and I mean its rare, 50 miles one way. Most trips are on my way home from work or 10 minutes from the house.
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Re: how far you drive too deer hunt

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Wed Mar 18, 2015 4:08 am

About 200 miles is the limit for a one day hunt. Anything farther is too hard. I cover a lot more miles when it comes to daily scouting missions. Last Saturday was a big one at 440 miles round trip, but I hit a lot of smaller properties.

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Re: how far you drive too deer hunt

Unread postby dan » Wed Mar 18, 2015 4:17 am

I do most of my hunting near home, but there are other better areas I would rather travel too... Like Bass said, I Nhave run all the way to Iowa for one afternoons hunt on occasion. But, a guy needs to find places to hunt near home after work, or on non-get Away weekends. Sure, might be smaller bucks, or less big ones, but that builds experience, character, and eventually pays off...

I can go 20 sits on the crowded public by my house without seeing a shooter, and see 3 shooters per sit in Iowa, but I sure ain't depending on the 10 or 15 days I go on a road trip.
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Re: how far you drive too deer hunt

Unread postby Uncle Lou » Wed Mar 18, 2015 4:29 am

I drove 17 hours once to southwestern Nebraska to hunt deer. Sometime I don't drive at all, I just jump in the canoe and go across the lake.

Sometimes I drive to the the UP (about 5.5 hours) and sometimes I go to northeast lower Michigan about 3 hours away. And sometimes I drive 5 to 15 minutes down the road.

Sometimes I get a wild hair and go somewhere I have never been.
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Re: how far you drive too deer hunt

Unread postby cbigbear » Wed Mar 18, 2015 4:36 am

My drive ranges from 2-3hrs depending on the area of public I hunt in MS. I do have some public within 10 minutes of the house, however to hunt the better areas of it - it's a ten minute drive, then 30min to hr boat ride/paddle/push, then another 15-30mins of wading/walking so in the long run it's almost a wash. The density & quality of deer in MS is much better than SE LA as well. Not sure if it's worth the $430 for non-resident lic, but I still pay it!!!!!
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Re: how far you drive too deer hunt

Unread postby Hawthorne » Wed Mar 18, 2015 5:08 am

I have some over crowded public 25 minutes from my house. I hardly hunt there. My better hunting is on private 2hrs from my house. I have drove there many times just for an evening hunt. I've been looking into a piece of public 45 minutes away just for evening hunts during the week to save on some driving.

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Re: how far you drive too deer hunt

Unread postby Dewey » Wed Mar 18, 2015 5:11 am

A bulk of my hunting is within a 1/2 hour of home but occasionaly will head north 3-4 hours one way for a long weekend. Lack of deer to the north has kept me closer to home the last 5 years.

In my younger days I would head 4 hrs north after work Friday (midnight) arriving just before daylight Saturday, hunt and scout for two days with very little sleep and then come home late Sunday night. Those were some great times but not sure I could do that anymore.
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Re: how far you drive too deer hunt

Unread postby Racks&Beards » Wed Mar 18, 2015 5:24 am

Pretty much the same as Dewey. Anywhere from 10 - 45 minutes from my house most of the season. Sometimes the occasional 2-4 hour trip for deer camp, or a weekend thing.
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Re: how far you drive too deer hunt

Unread postby Philski » Wed Mar 18, 2015 5:27 am

Whatever my schedule will allow. In my younger days I would drive from from southern mi. to Alpena, Mi.(41/2hrs.). I would leave Friday after work and drive home Sunday night. I did it every w/e from Oct. to Jan. I'll drive 2hrs to do a day hunt on my Michigan land. That's about my max now. I hunt ohio(4hrs). But I stay there about 20 days in November. Our camp is a 1/2 hour from property.

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Re: how far you drive too deer hunt

Unread postby whitetailassasin » Wed Mar 18, 2015 5:37 am

Both public areas I hunt are about 1 hr or so away from my residence. Headed to Ohio and also kentucky this year so myy ranges are expanding. I'm starting to agree with Stanley more and more. Leave the excuses behind and hunt where your odds are improved. Hunting areas that will give me a better opportunity at the quality of animal I'm after is where I'm at now. I'll hunt less this year but my areas will increase my odds. Iowa and Canada (my significant other is Canadian)is next on my bucket list.

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headgear
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Re: how far you drive too deer hunt

Unread postby headgear » Wed Mar 18, 2015 5:59 am

45 minutes one way is common but about the furthest I would go hunting around home, 3 hours when I head up north but as mentioned that is usually more for the company than the deer because the northern deer population have been down for a while now.
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Re: how far you drive too deer hunt

Unread postby 9pt » Wed Mar 18, 2015 6:26 am

- 30 minutes to public spots.
- 5 minutes to 10 acres of private I have permission on.
- 3 hours to NW lower peninsula of Michigan to land my family owns.

My focus this fall will be the public where I did a lot of scouting this winter. I have also developed some new strategies for the private land spots to get closer to beds.

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Re: how far you drive too deer hunt

Unread postby hunter_mike » Wed Mar 18, 2015 6:29 am

I am blessed enough to be surrounded by an abundance of good quality public land. Tons of it within an hour of home. Its still not easy hunting but the slobs are out there to be taken and I have it better than most. Just like any other better than average hunting area, you still have to work hard to get a kill, your odds are just better. I do travel north a few hours sometimes to hunt with family and to hunt different landscapes.
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Re: how far you drive too deer hunt

Unread postby backstraphunter » Wed Mar 18, 2015 6:38 am

i just love big woods deer hunting i have a place and 40 acres near curtis mi where i go hunt and like some of you here i would leave on a friday drive all night 375 miles onr way hunt or fish sat be on road noon too 3 pm on sunday did that many many years been hunting south eastern ohio since 2010 for big deer it,s one way 275 from my house flat 4 hrs, i spend a lot more time hunting there with my kids and do the 7 to 10 day in the u.p with my oldest sone he loves it there hates the south deer hunting


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