Bigjay73
Well-known member
What percentage of western elk and deer hunters do you think sit and glass the majority of the time vs walk, road hunt, sit in blinds/tree stands?
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Glass vs walk/road hunt
- Thread starter Bigjay73
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elkantlers
Well-known member
Other than sit a tree stand, I do all the above.
I think there is a time and place for all types of hunting.
I think there is a time and place for all types of hunting.
Bigjay73
Well-known member
Okay, what percentage don't glass at all?
LuketheDog
Well-known member
I think maybe 10% really sit and glass properly throughout the day, 50% wander around aimlessly and throw the binos up occasionally at that 'elky' stump over there, the next 20% road hunts exclusively, and 20% sit in blinds.
...these are my scientific observations, don't argue with my data set
...these are my scientific observations, don't argue with my data set
fishing4sanity
Well-known member
I prefer a walk-sit-glass-repeat approach, that hopefully changes to a walk-sit-glass-stalk method. No idea on what percentage road hunts, pretty high in many areas, I just don't like it. I've done a little blind hunting, but after a couple hours of sitting and you look at your watch to see that it's actually been closer to 20 minutes, I'm just too impatient.
I think the vast majority 'glass' some, but probably more like 15 to 20 percent who strategically pick glassing points and really pick an area apart.
I think the vast majority 'glass' some, but probably more like 15 to 20 percent who strategically pick glassing points and really pick an area apart.
MonsterElk
Active member
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Glass, Glass, reglass.
Eyes feel like they are bleeding.
Hike 2 or 3 miles.
Glass, Glass, reglass.
Eyes falling out of my head.
Hike 1 or 2 miles.
Glass, Glass.
Think I see something yep I do tell your son- in-law we got to go, don't worry it's all up hill.
Have your son-in-law flip you off in his mind and think he's trying to kill me.
Hike 2 to 3 miles.
Can't tell for sure if it's a nice bull because your still 1,000 yards away and now it's to dark.
Hike back to the truck.
Lesson to son-in-law talk about how fun it was and have him ask where do we start in the morning.
Eyes feel like they are bleeding.
Hike 2 or 3 miles.
Glass, Glass, reglass.
Eyes falling out of my head.
Hike 1 or 2 miles.
Glass, Glass.
Think I see something yep I do tell your son- in-law we got to go, don't worry it's all up hill.
Have your son-in-law flip you off in his mind and think he's trying to kill me.
Hike 2 to 3 miles.
Can't tell for sure if it's a nice bull because your still 1,000 yards away and now it's to dark.
Hike back to the truck.
Lesson to son-in-law talk about how fun it was and have him ask where do we start in the morning.
The longer I have hunted the more I glass. 60 percent of the day I’m glassing if not seeing animals. That’s waking hours and some of those are in the dark. Once I see something the glassing is usually reduced while in pursuit.
MTLabrador
Well-known member
Depends on the area and what I’m hunting. If I’m looking for big herds of elk, bulls on their own, bears, mule deer, whitetails, it all changes. I might spend a whole day glassing my way down one ridge, I might cover a lot of ground stopping to glass occasionally, or I might spend the whole day creeping through the timber looking for tracks. I spend plenty of time driving and walking out to glass different spots too if that’s the most productive way to hunt.
belshawelk
Well-known member
If i am in a movement corridor then I will get in early before they move and sit. If mot I am a hike and hike until I see sign or critters. Where I hunt is all canyons. You have to be on the move unless you know where they are headed. i will hike and glass, hike come more and glass. Amazing though what you may see with just a few hundred yards different than the last spot when you have a different angle on trees.
where i deer hunted this fall in colorado - in a rather mediocre spot close to town that gets a fair amount of pressure - there were 5 other trucks when we pulled up. give the size of the location we were a bit dismayed but went in any way. glassed up a total of 6 people wandering around and were bailing and hiking out by 3 pm.
around 3:30 pm after we had been sitting and glassing the whole time we started glassing up deer 200 feet below the ridge tops they were wandering around on before those people had called it and hiked out. we hiked out 10 minutes before shooting light ended, and heard no shots while we were in there, which is roughly when i'd expect anyone else that didn't shoot anything would be hiking out and we were the only vehicle back at the parking spot when we got back. i shot a deer in there 2 days later.
i'd agree with an above comment, in experience so far it feels like those that actually sit and glass hover in the 10-20% range of hunters. 20% feels generous.
one of my longtime buddies who has been hunting his whole life was really uncomfortable with my hunting style when we went out together for the first time. the concept of hike in far somewhere, sit up high, and find animals was completely foreign to him.
around 3:30 pm after we had been sitting and glassing the whole time we started glassing up deer 200 feet below the ridge tops they were wandering around on before those people had called it and hiked out. we hiked out 10 minutes before shooting light ended, and heard no shots while we were in there, which is roughly when i'd expect anyone else that didn't shoot anything would be hiking out and we were the only vehicle back at the parking spot when we got back. i shot a deer in there 2 days later.
i'd agree with an above comment, in experience so far it feels like those that actually sit and glass hover in the 10-20% range of hunters. 20% feels generous.
one of my longtime buddies who has been hunting his whole life was really uncomfortable with my hunting style when we went out together for the first time. the concept of hike in far somewhere, sit up high, and find animals was completely foreign to him.
LuketheDog
Well-known member
That general area is the one I learned to glass in, lots of fun people-watching up there during the busy seasons. We would be back in way farther than the rest on a glassing point at first light, watching the orange army advance. Most folks would just hike about a mile from the lot and do a big semicircle back to their rigs. I saw one guy sitting in a patch of brush in a depression for 3-4 hours one day, there's no way he was seeing more than 50 yards around him in open country, I couldn't figure out why he chose to sit there to hunt but the best conclusion I could come up with was that maybe he was having some intestinal issues!
I’ve run into multiple people, some from drop camps, sitting in makeshift blinds. At most the could see 80 yards in one direction and about 20 yards wide. Blew my mind.That general area is the one I learned to glass in, lots of fun people-watching up there during the busy seasons. We would be back in way farther than the rest on a glassing point at first light, watching the orange army advance. Most folks would just hike about a mile from the lot and do a big semicircle back to their rigs. I saw one guy sitting in a patch of brush in a depression for 3-4 hours one day, there's no way he was seeing more than 50 yards around him in open country, I couldn't figure out why he chose to sit there to hunt but the best conclusion I could come up with was that maybe he was having some intestinal issues!
Chama Grande
Well-known member
60% of the time, it works every time
Mallardsx2
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I know a guy who sat on the same rock, 13 years in a row, in the flattops, and killed 12 bulls, during the first rifle hunt........
He never blew an elk call in his life and hunted with a straight 4X scope and Corlok ammo out of his Rem 700 30-06.
He simply let hunters push the elk to him every single year.
His furthest shot was 200 yards he said and that was, and I quote "Quite a poke" lol
He never blew an elk call in his life and hunted with a straight 4X scope and Corlok ammo out of his Rem 700 30-06.
He simply let hunters push the elk to him every single year.
His furthest shot was 200 yards he said and that was, and I quote "Quite a poke" lol
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some people find rocks like that with a ton of time and effort, some people luck out on them.
but if i found that rock i'd probably do the same thing lol
noharleyyet
Well-known member
One of the best replies I've heard was a fellow in Colorado when I asked how he could spot game so uncannily. He said dead pan, "I know what it looks like when they're not there."
Mallardsx2
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It's in such an obvious pinch point spot from an aerial photo. It's just very hard to get there. Which I assume is why the elk were skirting past there.
He killed all of these elk pre-google earth days. I never asked how he found it, and he is no longer with us.
I do know exactly where the rock is though. I have never hunted it. I just don't know if I could sit there like that for days on end like that.
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WildWill
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Send cordinates I'll handle it
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I'm familiar with some essentially 100% probability elk and bear locations, which is fun info to earn, but less fun to sit on. I would get very bored hunting the same hillsides every year. The "sure thing" mature buck mule deer hillside has been far more elusive, probably why I like hunting them the best.
I know where one of those used to be. Haven't drawn the tag and now the big bucks seem to have dwindled. mtmuley
