EXTREME

[huntinsonovagun]

I want to hear some stories of extreme measures you guys have done to hunt or kill deer. Some of you guys are crazy- but that's what it takes to kill the big ones, right? I've done some mile-long walk hunts and I drug a buck a mile back to the truck once, but a lot of y'all are much more extreme. I'm intrigued by the guys that hike 3 miles into a marsh because I know what a one mile walk on flat ground with a stand is like...

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[mauser06]

That's the thing..what some of us do seems extreme to most guys...to us..it's just hunting lol.

I've waded through near chest high marsh to hunt a bed..

Your back and shoulders and legs kinda go numb if you hike long enough and keep goin lol...


I've hunted on a day so cold my firing pin froze...im glad it was a doe not a big buck...


Just hunting to me...

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[BowHusker]

I crossed a chest deep river in December once to reach a remote island on public. It wasn't that bad except for the huge chunks of ice that seemed like they were coming at me going 60 mph lol. The worst part was crossing back in the dark, probably won't do that again when there is so much ice! Oh, and I didn't see a single deer!

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[Rutnstrut]

I've quit jobs that were going to require me to work overtime during opening weekend of gun season or the first week of Nov. That was a long time ago though.

[Lockdown]

In 2013 I self filmed a public land kill (desperation little buck kill for meat would have rather shot a doe) by standing on a limb in -15 actual temps. Didn't plan on hunting that day and ended up going with my steel toes on. "It's only for an hour" I said. Got frost bite on my finger tips they hurt for 3 days after that and the skin peeled. It was brutal, but I ate good in the fish house.

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[Dewey]

Long distances in deep water, cattails and muck is a regular occurrence so I don't really even think much about it. Just last Friday I pushed out to an island thru armpit deep water and never seen a deer but I knew good bucks bed there so it's always worth the effort.

A few years back I was doing the same thing and lost my footing falling face first with my stand/sticks on my back. Ended up ingesting a good amount of stagnant nasty marsh water which resulted in getting a nasty stomach virus the next day. It was so bad I missed a few days hunting during peak rut but finally forced myself to go out and killed a good buck and in the process had the best hunt of my life.

I could go on and on with stories like this but honestly I don't think any of this is really too extreme and look at it as a typical day in the marsh. It's really all I knew since being young. After getting a taste of hunting high and dry in the hills I really look back and think I may need have my head examined hunting in all that stuff. Granted the hills have their own challenges but to me it's almost a bit of a welcome break from muck, water and especially that nasty thick marsh grass that will test anyone's stamina and physical abilities. A few miles in tall marsh grass while loaded up with gear will give you a workout more than any hills will believe me.

[Jackson Marsh]

I don't have any 3 mile hikes into my spots, usually they are 0.5 to 2.0 miles and sometimes a large part of that distance is an easy/fast walk. My worst hikes usually correspond with my best hunting...

If a guy is just hunting weekends the tough walk in is not a huge deal because you have days to recover. The grind of the rut, long walks, all day sits day after day will really test your resolve if you don't embrace/love the process.

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[Hawthorne]

I hiked in three quarters of a mile last night thru parts of a public swamp. It was kinda crazy getting out in the dark had to use my compass a few times to keep my bearings. I hav'nt even hit my rough spots yet. Wind wasn't right for me yesterday my first public hunt. No service on the cell

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[whitetailassasin]

I've swam rivers/creeks/cuts in my underwear...in October and December. I've crawled through the swamp on hands and knees just to sneak up on a bedded buck. I've countless times hiked in miles over 2.0. My preparation to many is extreme. I like to be organized and timely. I've hung out of my stand with my safety harness at full length and only my toes touching stand. I've braved cold conditions and storms just because of good hunts. I will do whatever I feel it takes just to wrap my tag and hands on a mature buck. And I love every second of the misery and work, because to me it's just what hunting is all about.

I've also sat in December and made a small fire to dry out my clothes while I sat in my underwear. Like PK says by any means necessary.

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[MOBIGBUCKS]

Shot one of my biggest grossing bucks right at dark mid November in 2010. Had a 7 hour haul out with the buck which was in the 230 pound field dressed range. Mud was so bad, I was sinking pretty much all the way back to my truck...Tires on the cart caked with mud, etc. Got back to the truck at 2:30 am and was home at Sunrise the next day

In retrospect, I should have skinned, quartered and caped him in the woods. He died in the middle of a cornfield though so it would have been a chore doing it that way too.

[iowa whitetail]

In an ice storm for a few hours, good him though. 2 inches of ice barely got back home.

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[Dewey]

If a guy is just hunting weekends the tough walk in is not a huge deal because you have days to recover. The grind of the rut, long walks, all day sits day after day will really test your resolve if you don't embrace/love the process.

[ Post made via Android ]

This is so true. I have learned to enjoy the process as much as the hunt itself. If my body doesn't feel beat up at the end of the day I feel like I didn't put in nearly enough effort. You have to really love the grind and as bad as it can be I'm always ready to do it again tomorrow. I also realize as I approach 50 that this will not be sustainable too much longer so I am trying to be a bit smarter about how I approach things. So far I feel fortunate that I can still reach spots that I could in my 20's so I really don't feel limited at all yet. Instead of bulldogging thru stuff like I did in my younger days I now use the slow methodical approach. In the end this is much more productive with less spooked deer.

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[Bucky]

Swam a river during WI gun season... that was cold and kinda stupid. I was doing a "push" for my brother... I jumped about 15-20 off an island. They all ran right past em and he decided NOT to shoot

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[Jackson Marsh]

Swam a river during WI gun season... that was cold and kinda stupid. I was doing a "push" for my brother... I jumped about 15-20 off an island. They all ran right past em and he decided NOT to shoot

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I'd strangle him

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[James]

One thing I find interesting are distances some guy's claim to hike. Not to switch topics on this thread but you have to be hunting a tremendously sized chunk of property to hike 3+ miles to a spot. Even rarer is a parcel that requires a "extreme" 3 mile hike. Horicon Marsh in WI comes to mind as one such area, something like 22k acres, but even there it has established trails and a hike across the entire width of the parcel E to W is only a little over 3-4 miles. But I digress...

I hunt a slightly larger parcel than that (30k acres) that certainly has it's nasty areas. While I do have spots that are 3 miles or more from my parking spot, there are typically trails and easy walking portions as Jackson said. To me the extreme portion is always the drag out once you kill a mature buck.

I wish I would have weighed my marsh buck this year. My drag was only 350-400 yards as the crow flies from my tree to the road but it was one of the worst I have ever endured. It consisted of crotch deep water at times, thick flooded dogwoods and insane mosquitos. That was extreme to do by myself.

Here is Greg and I crossing a beaver pond to get to a remote spot about 10 years ago. Fun hunt. First sit and we caught a glimpse of a wide buck that night.