2+ Miles to walk to a hunting spot

So I've found a place I'd love to hunt in the mountains. There's a couple issues here. I have to do some minor climbing, and it's two + miles by foot to get two the place.

I was scouting this summer, and while walking the mountain edge right off a dirt road, I found where I could climb down. So I wandered around and stumbled on the area.

So how would I attempt to hunt this area ? Should I bring a ladder stand down there and leave it, or carry my Tree Lounge with me.

Another issue is that I don't know which direction the deer are coming from in that area, so I'd have no idea how to play the wind.

So, any suggestions ?

Find a new area.

Take a coushion and sit against a tree

I've done some hikes where its 2 miles in and out and its no fun. The good thing there is though I've seen some of the best deer out there. Just takes a few times to get everything right for the perfect kill though. Haven't had first time luck with any of my long hike ins.

Get one of the deer cart things...hauls a lot of stuff easily...

Are you hunting by yourself or with someone. I can't imagine dragging or packing one out 2+ miles without someone's help. I would get a deer cart ASAP. That way you can take the tree stand if you must. I have given similar thought to getting one so that I can go further in.

Take into consideration how far you will have to drag your deer if you don't have a cart. If you can do it then your in a whole lot better shape than I am.

I wouldn't even cart a deer that far in the mountains...quarter it up and debone in the woods and pack it out.

You must hate deer more than me.

I'd just bring a small saw and quarter it up and throw it in my bag. I've quartered enough to be efficient at it. Gut, skin, saw. I'd be by myself, unless one of you feel like hunting with me lol.

Hell, I cant hardly drag a deer over 100 yards anymore, much less walk 2+ miles to kill one. I love to hunt but that sounds like pure torture.

You are carrying unneeded weight if you use the saw. Just cut the meat off the bone. There is not reason to carry a saw or the bone out of the woods.

He deffintly more mad at them than I am.

That's what I was thinking....if you are carrying a saw you can still get more efficient.

I can't imagine there being many places up here that are 2 miles from a road of some kind. I'd look for more access options. CD.

There are a few places in Skyline that will take that long of a hike. Take for instance the Walls of Jericho ... it'll make a man outta ya!

At this point in my hunting career I am loving love this style of hunting. I have a good chest harness and a drag rope and like that method. Or just butcher it in place and pack it out like the guys above said

I'm hunting Skyline Mountain and there are plenty of places more than two miles off the road.

I want to hunt the Walls, but I don't want to go at it alone. I wouldn't mind making the hike down there killing a deer and walking out the next morning.

If you find your self wanting a partner for Walls, let me know.

Hell, I'd like to hike into Sipsey and shoot some hogs.

Kinda what I was thinking but I am not a Jackson County expert.

I hunted it for several years before it went public. You'd have to walk off the mountain from hwy 79, across the valley, then to the top of garret mtn to get 2 miles from the road. If you are the gung ho, you deserve every deer over there. Go get em. CD.

This is something I really would enjoy doing, but just don't know if I have it in me at my age. Very tempted.

I wouldn't hunt that spot without game camera evidence of a big one.

Call me lazy, but I ain't walking two miles to kill a deer

Bingo, we have a winner! Put a camera in there and leave it for several weeks, and only after evidence, hunt it with a gobbler lounger or cushion from the ground. Too far for me to walk.

if I gotta walk 2 miles to kill a deer. I just wont kill one. lol

After reading all the comments about that being too far now I really want to hunt it. Knowing that most of you won't venture far from the road.

I've got a place I have been saving for the rut that's close to a 2 mile walk into a big river bottom. However I have a back up plan for getting one out. My stand is sitting near a creek where three finger ridges come out of a bedding area. Once it levels out there is a little slough coming off of the river that's barely ankle deep. If I kill one in there I have an uncle who lives about three miles up the river on the water. I've already spoken to him about hauling me up there and picking up a deer if it comes to that. So at worst it's going to be a 40 - 50 yard drag to the river. Aint no way in hades I'm dragging one 2 miles. Like others have said, I'm not that mad at them.

this^^^^^ LOL

Hell naw!

PM me when you go, I might be up for it around the holidays.

Just remember, the further yall get away from us, the closer you are getting to someone else. CD.

Walls of Jericho Horseback Trail to bottom is 3.2 miles, Main Walls trail top to bottom is 2.2 miles

I stick to shooting does a 100 yards off the road

If you're walking in 2+ miles and have terrain to deal with, it's silly to carry anything other than a good pack with your essentials, something to glass with, and your weapon. Maybe a good set of trekking poles. If the only way to get an animal out is on foot, your nutz not clean the deer in the field and pack it out... I would also look at some maps and make dang sure that someone else doesn't have a 1 mile hike to the same spot.

I'd have atleast a good survival kit/pack that would last a few days in case I got hurt in those type terrains, especially hiking 2 miles in. And some kind of good communication or tracking for the family to find me.

I couldn't imagine pulling a hoss deer or even a small doe out 2 miles. We occasionally walk a half mile (dirt road) or so in, but noway I would head out in the terrain your talking about for 2 miles. Good luck though.

Show us on a map....or I will go hunting with you if you don't want to show everyone your spot.

Best advice is getting a good pack, not a cheap one. I use a surplus pack issued to USMC. It is made by Arteryx or someone like that. You can find them online for less than $200. Similar type civillian pack is going to cost around $600. No problem packing out a mature deer. With a good pack, 60-80 lbs of meat will work on your back on hills, just take your time. 80 lbs of meat in a cheap pack will be unmanagable. I have probably packed out 20 or so animals(I hunt hogs as well) with it in the last 5 years. I keep garbage bags, gloves, sharpener, and an orange vest to cover the antlers on the pack out. Once I started using the pack and not fearing the drag, public land hunting got a whole lot more enjoyable. I can litterally go as far as my feet will take me. You will also get proffecient at cleaning one on the ground. I rarely hang one up now even when I am near a cleaning shed or truck. Just as quick and clean to skin them where they lay, with no carcass to deal with.

My thoughts exactly

These mtns surely are a work out to hunt in. If you walk from the top to the bottom in a straight line your talking 400 to 600 yds. It might be a mile in a back and forth pattern. It's the grade not the distance that's a killer. As said before top of Garrett mtn would be about as far away from road as you can get.

I just got broke a sweat reading this post much less walking 2 miles and bringing my kill out no matter the method of bringing it out.

Those trails don't go in a strait line.

x2

I Done my first Colorado public land hunt this year, and worked out a pretty good setup for similar hunting although at 9000 ft. We used an Eberlestock Team Elk Pack a Millennium tree seat two knives, 4 garbage bags, flashlight, survival kit, and Binos, worked out to about 22 lbs. In five days we walked 32 miles, climbed up and down 22,000 ft. all for one 4x4 bull which four of us packed out in backpacks about 1.6 miles. But I am not sure I would do that again.... and surely wouldn't 2 miles without knowing there was a good buck there already. Luckily we saw 9 bulls the day before season opened one of which was a large 350+ 6x7 or we would have all burned out sooner than five days. But if you want to do it more power to you, just be safe and make sure someone knows where you are that far back a broke leg or ankle would be rough if not prepared for.

I admire your enthusiasm! Don't listen to the naysayers, elk hunters are accustomed to much further hikes. Just don't take a hunt like this lightly, be prepared and have a couple of plans. Good luck to ya! I wish that I was thirty something again!!

Ain't no way I'm dragging a deer out two miles. Heck I ain't walking two miles for no stinking pine goat. Now a big ole gobbler is a different story. Id walk from big coon to the top of Garrett mountain to kill one.

I know a guy that walked 2+ hours into and out of Bankhead several days a week during hunting season. He had literally dozens of kills over 120" with several over 140. He stored climbers, guns , supplies and everything else on caves and had a game cart to haul deer out. He killed more mature bucks than anyone I've ever known and he did it all on public land. He would take anyone who wanted to go but he never had anyone go more than once. I love hunting and I have hunted some places that took a lot of work to get in to but I have a line drawn that I won't cross. I'm not sure where that line ends but it's probably shy of 2 miles.

Man, if you're up to it, then go for it. Having said that, there is no way, NO WAY, I would pack a stand in that far. I've killed quite a few deer while sitting in a stand but I've killed a fair number of deer sitting on the ground.

If you find a great spot to hunt, and you're bound and determined to hunt from a stand, I'd probably take one in, and leave it where I was gonna hunt. If it got stolen, then so be it.

You could just buy a ASAT leafy suit and vanish on the ground.

I hunt skyline myself and the only advice i can give u is dont assume that because u are 2 miles away that no one is hunting it i thought i had a spot that nobody would dare go hunt and i put a camera out and id be darn i got pics of other hunters they are coming off private land to hunt on the gun hunts and i know nobody is going to walk from the foot of the mountain to the top toting a treestand it takes me 2 hours walking up before daylight but only about 30-45 min walking off .... good luck hunting it and if u want someone to go with u message me id be more than happy to go with u

That is awesome. If I was in his boat I would not have a problem walking that far either.

Yep...a lot more pissed at them than I am.

To the OP

I like your idea. But, like some said I would hunt the first time and put out a trail cam while you are there and wait a few weeks go back and hunt and check the camera. I am still young and dumb so I would pack a stand in if it were me.. But I would also have med kit, knives, GPS, food, and garbage bags. If it is a mountainous area then I would try and get someone to go with me just in case. I would also give a map and a 10 digit grid to my set with a map of my planned route of travel to my wife or someone I trust along with time tables in case no cell service.

I walked a little over a mile and half to my set this morning. I moved at 11 and sat till 4:00 and climbed down and walked out a different way so that I could see if it was a short cut from the road to my last set. It took me 40 mins to walk out..

and every deer i drag up hill every year i tell myself im getting in shape before next year. one reason i tote a t3 lite. if its that hard to get to no one else has hunted it should be very good.

I aint draggin no deer any farther than I would drag my wife out of the woods if she was hurt

If there are not any roads or other people that far back camp out. Who will know? Lot could happen that far back! Fall in hole and break leg.......etc.! 140" deer wouldn't be worth to me maybe 200"! Get a couple of people together and go get a good one. Good luck!

Put out doe estrous scent ,make them come to you.

I go a 1 1/2 miles out from access alot. Iam always surprised at how many people I see that far out.

Nope they sure don't. If they dd you could crawl into a barrel and roll down in 10 seconds. Dang that would be a steep hike

Is camping on the WMA properties legal? I think a two day hunt camping in deep would be fun.

Most only allow camping in designated areas. I believe you can camp anywhere in the national forest.

I helped a friend drag a buck out of the woods a few days ago that was over 1 mile in steep terrain. I've helped him drag many out from this spot and the carts are more trouble than anything in steep uneven terrain. 45min in and a little over an hour dragging deer out. If it's hard then you probably need the exercise.