Topic: Quadless in Boise

[9Shooter]

Just curious on this.  I went out hunting for the first time this weekend.  I drove as far as I could and then went on foot into the hills.  There were probably a dozen others at the spot I left the truck and all of them had quads except for 3 guys on horses. They even had an extra horse for gear and deer.

Is there any hope for a guy on foot?  Even if I could make it to a spot to take a deer, getting it back out seems nearly impossible with some of the slopes I went up and down.  What do you use if you don't have a motor or a horse?  Bring a pack and hope you have enough room?  Drag it back?

[No-One]

I don't own a quad and seem to do fine . I do however feel your pain as several of my favorite hunting spots from when I was young now have 4 wheeler tracks running through the middle of them . Get to your spot well before daylight , hike into the spot and let the guys on their quads drive the game to you . My experience when we have used quads has not been any more favorable than road hunting or being on foot .

Up around Lucky Peak there are lots of spots that are closed to motorized vehicles and the later you go in the season the less folks will be around . The up side to most of those spots are that you can run up after work and hunt the last few hours before it gets dark when animals are getting up and watering before heading out for the night .

[9Shooter]

I camped out in the back of my truck last night so I could be there before light.  Right around 6:30am I had the first neighbor pull in with a flatbed of 6 atv's.  By the time I left my truck, there were 6 more and two turned around when they saw the crowd.  Last day of the season is Monday for 39.  I'm going to head out again in the morning and just take a guess as to where to go.

[NoviceHunter]

I had access to a quad for the first time this year.  I use it to get to the spot where I start walking, and will sometimes go back to it to help with retrieval.  (There are ATV only trails that are sometimes an easier drag than the nearest road.)

I've done without for years, and still do better on foot.  Use the other hunters to your advantage, and just be aware of the temperature/distance/steepness.  If it's cold out, damn near any drag is fine; just take your time.  There are also game carts and tow ropes and even splitting a deer in half and packing it.

There are cool places that I won't hunt without a motor for retrieval or friends, though.  Some stuff is just too steep/gnarly to not put me into the ICU.  But, there's plenty of hope for a guy on foot.  Just know your limits, which it sounds like you do.

[NWO]

I've never hunted on horse or a quad, wish more people would do the same.