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How far does the average hunter travel from his truck to hunt public land?

Beentown

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
15,740
154
Sunbury, OH
Average....probably less than 350 yards. I am part of the unlucky segment that had TOO/needs too hoof it every stand.
 

MandRroofing

Junior Member
262
58
In the woods
Lol no biggie.Im gonna get the old boots out and do some scouting. Here are a couple of pics from the same area.The biggest 6 pointer ive ever seen, from 2010!
 

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Dannmann801

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,640
191
Springboro
Who says you gotta get out of the truck??lmao (j/k)

I pulled up Google earth and used the ruler to see just how far I'd been going -
Squirrel hunting - it's on when I step out of the truck, gone as far as 2000 yards.
Deer hunting- first spot I've ever sat is 300 yds from parking as the crow flies, but have gone as far as 800 yds (give or take) to set up.
I haven't run into any other hunters farther than 400 yards from the truck except once while squirrel hunting.

I honestly don't want to drag a deer 1800 yards
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
I'd say the average is 200-300 yards for most hunters. You always hear, "You gotta walk farther than everyone else to get to the big deer." There are some cases where this may be true, but I tell you what, some of my best spots on the WNF are VERY close to the road... I'm talking so close that most hunters wouldn't even think about giving it a try. That being said, I've got some other spots where it's damn near a mile one-way.
 

bthompson1004

Member
1,238
100
NWOhio!
I've killed deer all the way back towards the end of the property and I've killed deer within sight of my own truck...thats about the only good thing about hunting a state forest in an urban zone...

I don't only scout deer but I scout what other "hunters" in the area are doing as well.
 
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I'd say the average is 200-300 yards for most hunters. You always hear, "You gotta walk farther than everyone else to get to the big deer." There are some cases where this may be true, but I tell you what, some of my best spots on the WNF are VERY close to the road... I'm talking so close that most hunters wouldn't even think about giving it a try. That being said, I've got some other spots where it's damn near a mile one-way.

Along the lines of JBrown, you always hear and read stories telling you to go further...way back in...and all that. Up here in Michigan public lands are pressured more than people can imagine and a lot of the people read these same articles, to the point where those back in as far as ya can go places see the most hunting pressure. Many productive spots we found over the years were right near the road or within a couple hundred yards of the parking lot. As hunters would go deep, the deer would wrap around behind them and just sit tight. Now down in some of the rugged country there in Ohio I can see where going deep will pay off. Places where maybe a hunter might walk through only if lost.
 

Riverdude

The Happy Hunting Grounds Beyond
Supporting Member
10,254
115
Ashtabula, Ohio
This is not kidding, on one of the loactions I was working on the Rig way back off the main road these dang guys sat in their truck or on the tailgate. This was in PA. I was so pissed being from Ohio. Like 3 days after gun season I was driving out the lease road and saw a deer under a tree. Went out and was a nice 8 point dead shot in the neck. Probably was to far for a slob to track it. Kind of sad.
 

bthompson1004

Member
1,238
100
NWOhio!
In my few years of hunting public land I haven't talk to a park employee once...I'm sure they might have some helpful "tips" for me but I don't know...it has taken me a season to figure out where everyone likes to hunt...not sitting on the sidelines waiting for my turn either...each hunt was a learning curve of how the people hunted that were already hunting there...met some nice people and interacted with a few slobs too...mixed bag is correct...shotgun season is easy cuz everyone is wearing orange...A few years ago a tornado took out a lot trees in a small section of the forest right next to a metropark...and has since been clearcut...I killed a deer there last year on the bonus weekend...small 6pt. dressed out at 100#'s (meat in the freezer)...I was very proud of that deer (eventhough most could care less) cuz I wanted to hunt that clearcut and go where nobody would be...plus I had one of my stepsons with me and I wasn't about to take him into the orange forest (where deer would likely be). Yeah it might take some time and some gas to figure some of this stuff out, but once you kill a deer hunting your plan from the intelligence you gathered...well, for me, when it comes to hunting...there is no better feeling in the world...(except hunting a real deer and harvesting it of course)...hehe!! Just my experience and my opinions, not telling you how to hunt or anything...good luck

sorry that was so long...that hunt happened a couple hundred feet from the truck (to stay on topic)
 

Schu72

Well-Known Member
3,864
113
Streetsboro
Depends what season and what I'm hunting for. During turkey season I tend to get way back in. Sometimes over a mile from any road. Bow season could be anywhere from 100 to 800 yards. I'm hunting where I think the deer are, not where the hunters aren't. Gun season is a entirely different game. I have hunted close to the roads and in deep. It just depends what I'm trying to do. I do try and plan other hunters movements and how that will direct the deer's movement.