How many trucks?

[northms]

Last year I traveled out of the heart of Dixie and went north to Missouri for an out of state hunt. I drove overnight basically so I could tend to church matters with my family on Sunday to arrive in the early hours of Monday. I went straight to a moderate to small sized state conservation area and parked to sleep for a few hours.

The first truck who pulled up in basically the only parking lot to access the entire southern end of this place did so at 3:30am so I rolled out of bed to go ahead and get moving. Me and this young man walked into woods at 4am when the CA opened officially and no other trucks were there.

I went to the back end of the place as to hopefully not be walked in on. As soon as I got to the listening spot I immediately see green head lamps approaching from the private land. I flashed them off and they happily turned back and went another way.

As it got closer to daylight I could see other head lamps way off from my vantage and assumed quite a few other were in the valley below. Long story short it was very windy and I heard a few way off but didn't make a move as I knew others would be closer like the young guy I walked in with.

After several hours of slow playing things I decided to head back to the truck and could see a guy or two way in the distance in valley below. I met the young guy on the way out by chance and we made it back to the parking lot to only see one other truck. After 5 minutes a guy walks up the trail with a nice gobbler. We chatted and congratulated him. Come to find out he says he was the last person to the parking lot that morning and was the ELEVENTH truck in the lot. I busted out laughing as I couldn't believe that many hunters were in the woods with us.

He had roosted the bird the night before and got to the parking at basically day light. High tailed it in there and weaves his way around other hunters to the bird. Killed it late morning.

I moved to a more rural area of MO that afternoon a few hours away and killed a nice bird myself the next day. Only saw one other truck there the whole time.

What is the most trucks you've seen at one parking lot/gate/property?

I can't imagine what the 9th, 10th, and 11th guy pulling up were thinking. Just blows my mind. Glad I moved areas and found birds quickly afterward. I'm convinced there likely wasn't a bird on that medium/small CA that didn't get killed last year due to the pressure I saw opening morning. Didn't stand a chance.

[Wigsplitter]

There is a lot of public land out there- you did the right thing by moving on to find something else! If there is a vehicle there I'm moving on myself - only exception would be if I were able to talk to the guy and we agreed on which way we would hunt to stay off each other- so I don't t see many trucks in lots I move on down the line!! Good luck out there!!

[Tom007]

Only 2 times in my life I saw one truck in a spot of public I hunted. Both times I went to plan B.

[Cowboy]

Only 2 times in my life I saw one truck in a spot of public I hunted. Both times I went to plan B.

I use plan B alot. And C,D,E...Honestly,  I very seldom deal with other hunters.  If I see anyone else I will go to another area.

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[deathfoot]

Honestly, just one unless it's in a camping area. Like the others, if someone is there I move on. I've been in unfamiliar territory and I still go to the next parking area until it's just me. But that's me. I'm a firm believer if one one beats me it's their spot. 11 trucks in one spot. That's just crazy.

I do remember when I was younger I rolled up to a spot about mid morning with 3 trucks there and everyone was just standing around looking at a gobbler and they were talking how they were competing for his attention, all in good friendly conversation. But I couldn't do that. Heck, if I hear another hunter calling, I'll bolt. I have no interest in competing. But people say I'm a loner so there's that. 

[Mossberg90MN]

For deer firearm season in MN? Endless vehicles... being #12 would not be alarming.

For the Turks? Somewhere around 3-5.

Like most I drive off 99% of the time. Every now and then if it's just 1 truck ands it's the only access to a large amount of acreage, I'll trek in.


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[ScottTaulbee]

Last year on one of my favorite pieces of public, there were anywhere from 4 to 10 trucks in every pull off for about the first 6 days of season. 95% of them were Ohio, Indiana, or Mississippi plates. They put a hurting on them there last season, typically the harvest amount for that wma is about 30 per spring on 8,500 acres. Last year it was 66 or 67 taken off from it. I moved off in the mountains on National forest that was a lot less crowded.


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[2eagles]

If I'm hunting with someone, often times, we'll both drive. Two trucks in the lot might convince others to go to their plan B.

[GobbleNut]

This whole concept of "parking areas" and "gates" and such is totally foreign to me. I guess I have just been fortunate enough to have never hunted anywhere where that situation exists.

Interesting dilemma that some folks have, I suppose.  I have hunted lots of places around the country and have never hunted a place or in a situation where I had to park in a particular location to hunt an area.  My first thought on this thread was wondering how many folks across the country hunt places where they are forced to park in a specific location, without the choice to just drive on down the road and find another spot to hunt? 

Bottom line for me is that if there is a single vehicle parked in a location that I was planning on hunting, I am moving on.  Those that do not have the choice to do that have my sympathy. 

[deerhunt1988]

There's a central TN WMA that was exploited quite heavily on the TNdeer forum and YouTube. Honest to truth, now days there will be a few hundred people hunting it on opening day. It was always pressured, but after all the spotlight shined on it, it became unreal and unsafe. Someone did finally get shot there last spring while fanning. I've submitted comments multiple times asking TWRA to make it a draw hunt but they sell too many NR licenses to people hunting there to make it draw. I had a bird roosted the eve before the opener a few years back. Got to the gate about 2AM. Was sitting within ~100 yards of the bird and was having to shine people off in the dark. Of course that turkey didn't work out, so went to another that was flirting with the public/private boundary. He started committing and then someone on the public takes about a 80 yard shot at him while he was still on the private. Ran into a couple more guys the next couple hours in this small block. Drove around afterwards and quit counting at around 40 trucks. Decided I'd never be back. Wouldn't mind dying in the turkey woods, but don't want it to be from someone's TSS!

[northms]

Gobblenut, for this conservation area it had the unusual arrangement of needing to park on that specific area to access due to private surrounding it. I agree in most instances I'm not parking at a parking lot when I hunt public in MS. It's either off the road pulled over or occasionally at a gate with a trail to walk down then bail off right or left at some point.

If I had any idea 10 others would come in after I had already parked there I would never have considered the property. 

[CALLM2U]

Unless I know where the fella is hunting (a regular in that area) then I will move on to the next place with just one truck parked.   

That being said, in TN at least, others don't give me that same courtesy.  The last 3 years in a row on opening day I was first to the gate and had people come in behind me and blow the turkey out.

[Kylongspur88]

Depends on the management area but I've seen as many as 12+ to access a few hundred acres. I tend to go where other people don't want to. Really cuts down on crowds.

[Crghss]

I'd never be able to hunt if I passed on spots with more than 2 trucks.

I'm usually one of the first to where I hunt. I know there will be 4 - 5 trucks parked while I'm hunting. Most come and go while I'm in the woods.

[AndyH]

Last spring in the Black Hills we had a guy come in after us hunting the same area. We never knew he was there until we went after a gobbling bird late morning. I very rarely see others hunting the areas I hunt. If I do see someone pulled in a spot I go elsewhere. I try to stay off public the first couple weeks to let the crowds die down.


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