I've heard lots of folks changing their plans because of gas prices this year. Will it change your hunting plans? How many miles will you be driving to get to your hunts?

I am blessed with land to hunt within ten minutes of me pretty much in any direction I point the truck, by I know lots of others aren't so fortunate.

So is the price of fuel going to put a damper on your season?

1-1.5 hours is all for me.  Nice and close to home.

I wish I could say that I was driving further(like Illinois, Montana, I could go on and on) but most of my hunting is less than 5 minutes from my house. This is really great, but I am really itching to go on a trip somewhere.

Mark

About 245 miles, or 4 hours each way. It costs me about $125 just in gas each time I go. So I'm currently wrestling with whether to go one more time. If you include the scouting trip, I've already spent about or almost $400 in gas alone for deer hunting this year. If I go once more, that figure will top $500. Boy, that's sobering.  :eek:  

I will likely put in for a tag in the same place next year, because it is a darned good spot. But it is apparent that I need to start saving extra money now to cover that cost next year.

Fuel isn't the issue for me (despite 13 mpg with the truck), it is the sleep factor.  I have a number of prospects within 1 1/2 hours within state and 3 hours to Ohio.  I consider farther only if a place to bunk is available - Ohio would be one of those.  I really don't like the wake & drive to hunt part, and try to do over-nighters.

Outside of that, I am looking at a possible drive to Tx for hogs.  Family has some options down there, and a trip may be in order.  Probably doesn't count as there is a visit involved.

BobW

I only gotta go out my back door. I'm a coupla hundred yards from a ~4000 acre SWA.   :D

well I'll go to the praries which is around 3000K from here in Ontario. Takes around 3 days with rest and 33 hours if going straight. It takes 24 hours alone to get to the Manitoba border from here. Could shave off a few hours by going through the States but what the heck!!!
It's .95 cents a litre here now. It's cheaper here than in Alberta and I'm not sure why???

I drive an average of 15 minutes to 3 different spots here at home.  But I'm leaving for Newfoundland on tuesday and driving 2400 miles each way.  At 12 mpg, let's see that's...
I try not to think about such things.  It's a small price to pay to go hunting.

0, I just walk out my back door in less than a minute I'm in the woods, then it's up to me a 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile 1-2miles were ever I want, it's beautiful, just brings a tear to my eye.

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE ON THE UP COMING SEASONS.

John

Driving from western Pennsylvania to Montana in a few weeks. My place in Ohio is about an hour away. I try not to fret over the cost of hunting, it's really the only hobby I have. I don't smoke or patronize bars or anything else like that so a few more dollars for gas won't slow my hunting down. Now time...that's another story...

-Brian
www.bowyersjournal.com

Well the gas prices really did not keep me home this year I just decided to hunt in my own state this year.  I am blessed just like Dank, I walk out the back slidder and I am hunting.  However in the middle of October a bunch of us Michigan and surrounding states Trad Gangers are holding a bow camp in the northern part of lower Michigan and that is about a 3 1/2 hour drive for me.

Mostly between 5 minutes and a half hour.  Occassionally go to a spot about 3 1/2 hours away once or twice during the season.  One six hour drive to the Adirondak Attack and one four and a half hour drive to another NY hunt this year.

40 miles each way the farthest.

Anywhere from 0 to 1,280.  The long one is first, 1,280 one way to New Mexico in 3 weeks.  Zero is when I walk out the back door and hunt whitetails behind the house, mostly before work in the mornings.  And on quite a few weekends during the fall I will head to our cabin, which is 160 miles one way.
Lots of road miles coming up real soon - I don't like buying the gas, but I sure do like where it gets me  :cool:

Five hours to my son's house.  And then another five or six hours from there to Southern IL.  The gas comes out of pocket from home to his house and back.  We split the gas costs from his house to IL and back.  It costs more per mile from his house to IL and back because he has a lead foot!  I don't share ticket costs with him!!    :eek:    

Bill

I'll be making a trip to Colorado in a couple of weeks.  That'll be around 3000 miles split 3 ways for gas.  Deer season in Michigan, my hunting place is less than 2 hours from home.  I'll do that as many weekends between 10/1 and 1/1 as I can.

Howard

As the crow flies about 55 miles, but not being a crow it's about 75 one way. When I go there I try and stay for a couple of days at a time. I may have a chance to hunt a spot a couple of miles from where I live which would make it handier and cheaper during the week.

You are fortunate despite the increasing gas prices. I have to go abroad to hunt with the bow. We are working on getting it allowed here as well, but changing the law takes time...
Anyhow - next Monday I head for Quebeq, Canada to hunt caribou :-D

Wyoming antelope was 1736 miles last week.  Labor Day will bring a trip through Creede Colorado and another 2096 miles, followed by a trip to the Bighorns 1744 miles , each of these trips pulling a loaded gooseneck horse trailer, plus several trips for whitetails to southern Iowa and Northern Missouri at 60-95 miles each way that could easily exceed another 1500 miles.  I suspect I will log over 7000 miles behind the windshield this fall.

I have 3 main spots I'm fortunate enough to hunt...A friends vacant farmland()5 minutes, my Uncles swamp/woodlot (30 minutes), and then Shrewhaven(10 hours)...the funny is, so far, the biggest deer have come from the 5 minute away spot!