reaching the alpine

[new hunter]

This may sound ridiculous and I'll admit I'm a little emberassed to ask , but how do those of you that hunt in the high alpine get there ?
I just spent the better part of the afternoon tripping through cut blocks , grinding out some nasty hills , only to end up in some pretty well impassible underbrush , or should I just say brush { very old broadleaf regrowth , taller than me and too thick to walk through } .
The whole time I could see some beautiful looking open alpine , at least two or three km above me , and at a ridiculous grade to get there .
My backroads map book doesn't show any roads that could get me closer , so how does everyone do it ?
Do you have to overnight it , grind out the crap until you make the summit , then spend the night and hunt the next day {not really an option for me } ,
or what ?
I get the feeling I just answered my own question . Something tells me I'll be hunting cut blocks and deactivated roads this year:icon_frow .

[islandhunter]

This is why hunting the alpine is so great, no one gets up there.

[Tuffcity]

grind out the crap until you make the summit

Pretty much :) Get a good topo map and look for a better route.

[Weatherby Fan]

This is why hunting the alpine is so great, no one gets up there.

LMAO-some you have to hike a few hours some you can drive part way to depends where your at,sounds like your west side of the coast mountains,go east much nicer hiking !
Get some advice on where to go also !

[Gateholio]

It's a pain in the ass if there isn't a trail or at least soem game trails. Creeks sometime offer good access, but often are choked in or you run into a waterfall.

But fighting your way through the bush to the top is often worth it. :)

[saskbooknut]

So.....you do some scouting before, find the logging roads that lead closest to the alpine and bushwhack up throught the timber to the alpine - some lovely opportunities east of Vernon for alpine hunting.
In the E. Kootenays you can often find the outfitters horse trails which make for an easier trek to the alpine. Outfitters don't usually make their trails easy to find, you have to work for them. There will be a logic to where they take off from.
If you are not up for a few thousand feet of climbing you are not up to alpine hunting though. I bushwhacked up some nasty alder slide slopes to get to the alpine in years past.
Just a hint, close the bolt of your rifle on an empty chamber when climbing. Your partner will appreciate that.

[new hunter]

A few thousand feet of climbing is fine , a few thousand feet of climbing through hedge thick alder is not . If I had days to spend in the field that would be one thing , since I usually only have a saturday , I think I'm going to have to find an easier way . I'm not the sort to give up easilly , but sometimes you have to realise when you're just beating you're head against the wall .
I'm still fairly young , so at least I have alot of time to figure out what works , and in this case what isn't working for me . In the years to come I'm sure I'll find some more accessible routes , or change territory if thats whats needed , but for now I think I'm going to have to scout what is readilly accesible to me and make due with what I've got .
Kind of a shame though the high country sounds like more of a true adventure , and sounds far more promising {than grown over cut blocks }.

[JimmyJ]

Use google earth. Find what looks to be the easiest access and check it out. If you can't find a trail you are going to have to bush whack. I have done it many times and the rewards out weigh the work. If you go to the alpine why not spend a night or two, you will not regret it.

[mijinkal]

You live in Whistler... Take the gondola!

[new hunter]

hell yes to the gondola idea . Great black bear territory up there , I could probably get a couple tourists to help me pack it to the chairlift . I can't believe no ones thought of that before .

[rifleman]

Your in the right spot. If it's extremely hard to get to, not many people will even attempt it. More game for you to hunt....

[835]

Yep keep at it. You may not find an easy route up to the patch you were at. So you may need to find another patch to try to get to.
All has been mentioned Google Earth to look for roads, Drive around to look for roads. Up creeks or trails. Or find a mountain with not as much crap to go through. But they are there.

But when yopu do find it, after all the work you need to put into it you will be in paradise.

[longstonec]

I was sure I posted something last night. meh. In the area's you have been scouting a person can wait till the beginning of November when the snow is starting to stick and push game lower. leaves more time for after hunt ceasers at Southside.

[proguide66]

Rule #1 'for me'. Wether I'm walking or riding a horse I only go where the animals go. This means following game trails...period....The moment you go off the game trail you LOOSE !! ( in bush/forest anyway).
If there's animals above you there WILL BE a trail to take you to them.Just keep looking until you find it.If theres NO animal trial leading there its probably a waste of time.

[835]

Rule #1 'for me'. Wether I'm walking or riding a horse I only go where the animals go. This means following game trails...period....The moment you go off the game trail you LOOSE !! ( in bush/forest anyway).
If there's animals above you there WILL BE a trail to take you to them.Just keep looking until you find it.If theres NO animal trial leading there its probably a waste of time.


Now doesnt that make perfect sense!!! :)

[new hunter]

I did see a couple trails , but they were only visible until you got into the real thick shit . Even before that they were segmented and patchy at best , but they were definitely encouraging .
The actual logging road I followed until I started to head up hill was littered with tracks , some were pretty big . I noticed there was one section towards the end of the road were the tracks started to get a bit thicker { even some fresh grizz tracks , which I'll take as a good sign } , I think I'll find a good vantage point on the high side of those blocks and hang out for a day .
I'm sure the deer are hanging out in the alpine above and are coming down to those blocks for some reason , maybe I can get one when it does . If not I'll go back there when the snow starts {as longstone suggested }.

[Squire]

The alpine is rarely a day hunt scenario. With a few exceptions, de-boning and packing out an animal is the norm. There are a couple of places where the alpine can be reached in a day hunt and an animal drug out whole but these easier to access places also see more hunting pressure. Alpine deer are far easier to spot at dawn and dusk; when you are 2,000' below in the timber hiking up and long after you have left in a day hike. Spending even one night in the alpine increases your odds dramatically as you can see where they come out at dusk and pick them up in the morning before they bed down for the day. You could easily write an area off as having no deer if you aren't there to see them at dawn and dusk.