Newbie questions: boot mileage vs ATVs, chickens, hares, game?

I've spent a bunch of time hiking through cut blocks, timber, blow downs, lake sides this year. Even had my 7 year old boy out and he did his first 5 hour rounder (we camped in the snow down to -7 and during other weekends). He loved finding all the droppings, trails and learning how to route find back to the suv. I've hunted with him and alone. I love both. I have a great pair of boots now and don't fall every 30 steps so learning the lay of the land by hiking it is such a thrill.

I've seen some pretty great stuff. A huge bear bed, 8 foot in diameter in the wide open timber, 20 yards in from a lodgepole pine cut block. Cow vertebrae and a deer jawbone nearby. Deer and moose beds, trails full of droppings, a good sense of how they're moving from higher up down to the lakes and back through the day. Even had some luck with the young dog on a leash giving me heads up on an incoming doe/fawn. I've found beds in the wide open on top of the tallest hills or on top of blowdown saddles.

As thrilled as I am to be out there hiking around, exploring, I'm coming up dry most days on even seeing animals. I'm in the timber moving slow, in the blow downs making tonnes of noise, camped out still for hours, glassing, always aware of the wind. I'm moving real slow at times through 5-7ft tall blocks and somewhat dense though navigable live pine timber. I'm moving fast and loud at other times when I'm looking to cover ground and explore an area.

I was camped next to a group with a slew of quads. They saw lots through 100's of km but didn't get a shot on anything except 20-30 grouse between them. I didn't see one grouse despite packing two guns (rifle and broken down over under). I'm a fat *******, 340lbs but love being in the bush, though maybe not so nimble. I can't help but be jealous of the perceived success of the guys on quads. I'd prefer to keep hiking as long as I can.

How do I at least find grouse hiking around? It's supposed to be an up year and I haven't seen one bird. I would love to get my son into some bird success or hares for that matter. I am learning each time I'm out regarding big game but even still am discouraged there too.

Please give me tips what I ought to consider when I head back in November. I'm hunting lodgepole pine mostly, blocks and standing timber with some varying thicknesses of blow down and spruce groves in the wetter areas. There's a bit of douglas fir around but I didn't notice much. Also, there's not a lot of water except for a few lakes/dry marshes and there's about a 150m elevation change between the lakes and the high country about 1-2km away. I am targeting dawn/dusk +/- a few hours for peak activity on all targets but am in the field for all of daylight (12 hours+).

I started talking to the wife about getting a quad but also just bought a deer drag harness. I'd appreciate any suggestions you can lend me. I'm not in a position to buy a quad yet but is that really the way to go? I'd prefer right now to continue learning this spot where there's lots of the game I'm after.

Ok so this is such a weirdly phrased post. Being in the bush, if just for 1.5 days a weekend, it's all I look forward to through the week. That's why I'm on here and not working. Hah! I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thanks.

sounds like you are doing everything right..just need some luck...keep at it....you know that expression some people whip out about the definition of insanity....expecting a different result when you do the same thing over and over getting the same result....I always laugh when I hear that cuz I know they are not hunters or fishermen....because that is what hunting and fishing is mostly...heheheh

Don't target them, go duck hunting or bear hunting and you'll come across chickens and deer.

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Nice haul! I had 10 mallards fly into my feet 30 yards away as the dog and I took a break in the bush. They swam off when I was putting my gun together and flew off when I tried to stalk in on them.

The best grouse habitat is mixed, poplar , willow, etc. Being early in the season and first on the that logging road sure helps, as they do learn. They come out to warm or feed. I don't bother hunting grouse. The few blues I have seen make me regret that. On foot I've not seen as many, but they do surprise you when you blunder into a flock. Some years are good, some are not.

I miss hiking down old logging roads in crisp fall air. Not the greatest way to hunt but certainly the most pleasurable . Worn out knees prevent that pleasure.

Here is a guaranteed method:
Be very quiet. Think about grizzly bears as you tiptoe through the woods. At the moment you are truly lost in your thoughts one or more grouse will take flight from right under your feet and will scare the living crap out of you. Shoot those grouse. Please.

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Originally Posted by albravo2

Here is a guaranteed method:
Be very quiet. Think about grizzly bears as you tiptoe through the woods. At the moment you are truly lost in your thoughts one or more grouse will take flight from right under your feet and will scare the living crap out of you. Shoot those grouse. Please.

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Hahaha! Had a few blues do that to me this spring. Never got old even when I thought I was prepared. Not hunting them of course but in the process of a spring bear season.

Getting a quad doesn't mean you have to give up hiking, quads just let you get out farther on the roads than a lot of trucks can. Which means you can start hiking further in than a lot of guys. But you still have to boots on the ground to do this. The question you may be asking should I start road hunting on a quad rather than hike? If you love hiking, then hike! But hiking in and hunting takes a lot of skill. You will develop this skill over time. The good news is you're already developing it. You learn the land more intimately. As you do so this you will start to zero in on the spots of more likely activity and see more animals. This is a necessary part of hiking because you simply cannot cover as much ground, and you need to be able pinpoint your efforts. Road hunting is a different gamble, you are relying less on hunting skill and intimate knowledge of the area. You are essentially hedging your bets by covering lots of ground and hoping to bump into something. Both methods get you game, so it just depends on how you want to get it. See lots of ground with a vehicle or less ground more intimately on foot. Now for the record I don't road hunt, I hike. It can be so frustrating to come home empty handed, drained, defeated, soaked, and sore. It does get better and you will become a better hunter!

Quote:

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Here is a guaranteed method:
Be very quiet. Think about grizzly bears as you tiptoe through the woods. At the moment you are truly lost in your thoughts one or more grouse will take flight from right under your feet and will scare the living crap out of you. Shoot those grouse. Please.

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I cannot begin to tell you how many grouse did that to me up in the Chilliwack Valley. I remember one of them flushed so close I could almost just bop it over its head with my rifle barrel. After cleaning out my undies that is!

If u want grouse, I’d say buy a pointer, not a quad. You will definitely see more grouse on a quad, but I think you’re on the right path to becoming a “hunter”. I find the grouse tend to hang out just off of the road in the mixed evergreens/aspens and you can get pretty close to them without even knowing it, especially if you’re tiptoeing around. You’ve probably walked by plenty and didn’t even know.

It really comes down to how you want to hunt. I own a quad, but hate sitting on it all day. It’s more of a tool to get to where I’m going so I can hike around. When you’re quad hunting it mostly comes down to luck and the amount of time/gas you spend getting out there. When you learn how to hunt your targeted species on foot you’ll learn how they work and how to be productive. You sound like you want to learn about the animals and how they work, which is good, you just need to sharpen your skills and spend more time out there. Maybe try reading more blogs and watch more YouTube videos. There’s plenty of guys on here willing to lend out all kinds of tips and tricks to find whitetail, all you have to do is ask, or use the search feature.