My own hunting tricks, besides all the usual things about camo and stealth and moving into the wind, include backpack hunting up to the high ridges.
After first scouting an area to assess where the bachelor herds are currently located, I will then drive to a conveniently hidden parking spot off the road and set up my base camp, my big tent, and sleep there the first night, Thursday before opening day.
Then on the next day, Friday before opening day, I will backpack up to my high camp, and set up the backpack tent there, and sleep the night up there, to be in position for opening day, Saturday morning.
This way, the road hunters and still hunters stalking will usually drive the bucks up to my position early on the first day.
Then I will leave my gear in the backpack tent while I drag the gutted carcass down to the base camp by my vehicle, put the carcass into a mortuary body bag, ice it with frozen jugs of water from the ice chest, lock it up, then go back up and retrieve my gear from the high backpack camp, if there is still daylight. If not then I will retrieve it the next day, break camp, and head out.
The frozen jugs and body bag keep the carcass nice and chilled until I can get it home and into a refridgerator to age for a total of 7 to 10 days, before I butcher and freeze it.
After first scouting an area to assess where the bachelor herds are currently located, I will then drive to a conveniently hidden parking spot off the road and set up my base camp, my big tent, and sleep there the first night, Thursday before opening day.
Then on the next day, Friday before opening day, I will backpack up to my high camp, and set up the backpack tent there, and sleep the night up there, to be in position for opening day, Saturday morning.
This way, the road hunters and still hunters stalking will usually drive the bucks up to my position early on the first day.
Then I will leave my gear in the backpack tent while I drag the gutted carcass down to the base camp by my vehicle, put the carcass into a mortuary body bag, ice it with frozen jugs of water from the ice chest, lock it up, then go back up and retrieve my gear from the high backpack camp, if there is still daylight. If not then I will retrieve it the next day, break camp, and head out.
The frozen jugs and body bag keep the carcass nice and chilled until I can get it home and into a refridgerator to age for a total of 7 to 10 days, before I butcher and freeze it.