Camping out

[Eastenerwesterner]

Many times over the years I camped in the back of of a truck with a cap to hunt.

When I had to give up a truck for a car for my job, I still stayed in the car to get a jump on hunting. An Impala was perfect because the back seat folded down. I slept in the trunk being open to the car. When I took my son around the state for his sport, he stayed with the team. I always “knew someplace I could stay”. Later years I had hotel points from my job to use.

In 2020, I had to go cross country to pick up an antique book case my wife bought a couple years before. Reserved a suburban, got a Nissan. One night in Iowa in 90 degree heat, 90% humidity I opted for a motel. X country in 4 nights.

Had to go from Bay Area to Phoenix to pick some stuff for her. Picked some stuff up for me there too I spent more than she did.

Took some old windshield sun shields and altered them for back seat privacy. Pretty comfy in the back seat of my truck.

I now have a camper, but if it’s just me for a nite or two, I would probably revert to it unless I was hunting. Trailer eats the gas mileage

How do you stay on the road?

 

[KonoctisWigwam]

I will sometimes get a motel, but I typically only stay at the top hotels when someone I work for is paying for it. I have done some red liners and slept in my vehicles, as you. I've slept in my CR-V a number of nights, but I used to have a Prius I slept in more. I've done San Jose to Portland, one way...12 hours, no sleep. Drove back a few days later due to storm and Siskiyou Pass. That's an area I would like to hunt if I ever get a chance, along the Smith River, from Grant's Pass to Crescent City. Nice drive, it's one of the scenic routes. I don't know if that's public land or not.

I have never slept in the car to hunt and have very little hunting experience. 1 x deer about 175 yards, and one pig at about 225.

 

[Eastenerwesterner]

I pack up for each Every Other Week trip up between Bay Area and my destination between Crescent City and Smith River. Been caught in a snow storm pulling a Trailer through Laytonville. My first time pulling a trailer in snow, and I lived in WNY for 50 years
Planning my trips for survival. Don’t want to end up like Donner Pass people.
Hunting is a passion, and I would do anything to achieve it.

 

[alan]

Many times over the years I camped in the back of of a truck with a cap to hunt.

When I had to give up a truck for a car for my job, I still stayed in the car to get a jump on hunting. An Impala was perfect because the back seat folded down. I slept in the trunk being open to the car. When I took my son around the state for his sport, he stayed with the team. I always “knew someplace I could stay”. Later years I had hotel points from my job to use.

In 2020, I had to go cross country to pick up an antique book case my wife bought a couple years before. Reserved a suburban, got a Nissan. One night in Iowa in 90 degree heat, 90% humidity I opted for a motel. X country in 4 nights.

Had to go from Bay Area to Phoenix to pick some stuff for her. Picked some stuff up for me there too I spent more than she did.

Took some old windshield sun shields and altered them for back seat privacy. Pretty comfy in the back seat of my truck.

I now have a camper, but if it’s just me for a nite or two, I would probably revert to it unless I was hunting. Trailer eats the gas mileage

How do you stay on the road?

You've really nailed down the sleeping situation for your road trips. The back of a truck with a cap is one of the best setups for solo hunting adventures. I’ve spent my fair share of nights in vehicles too. Sometimes, it just made more sense than hunting for a place to crash for a few hours. Nowadays, if I’m on the road for more than a night or two, I usually go for a budget motel. But for quick hunting trips or range events, I still toss a sleeping bag in the truck bed and call it a night. It’s hard to beat that convenience when you want to be on stand before dawn. A camper is great if you have the time and aren’t worried about gas but for those short solo trips, the truck really can’t be beat.

Curious about what everyone else does.... are you hotel warriors, or do you still rough it in your rig?

 

[KonoctisWigwam]

I pack up for each Every Other Week trip up between Bay Area and my destination between Crescent City and Smith River. Been caught in a snow storm pulling a Trailer through Laytonville. My first time pulling a trailer in snow, and I lived in WNY for 50 years
Planning my trips for survival. Don’t want to end up like Donner Pass people.
Hunting is a passion, and I would do anything to achieve it.

I hate to call you a dog, but you dog! I didn't realize you're right by the Smith along 199, that would be one of the most beautiful places to hunt in California, IMO. The fact that 199 is a scenic route says something.

Maybe, if I learn Lake County, we could exchange hunting with each other. My hunting partners (Both are contractors that have done work for me) know Lake County well. One of them is becoming a good friend, the other has done wiring for me and will do a tad more possibly, the other one built my shop and is doing the driveway from roadway to shop. He has 2 horses and a mule that they hunt with, and I know he's taken them to Idaho, and has plans to take them more. They may use 2 horse trailers, cause they only hold 2 animals each. They're not that heavy, actually, although heavier than a human, the trailers aren't that heavy to tow I've heard. I think I could tow one each with my Tundra.

His dad also uses horses and mules, and was telling me he shoots snakes with his pistol when riding horseback. However, he said you legally need to climb down off the horse when you shoot. That makes sense, like shooting from a boat. That is also illegal.

The real kicker is that it's almost impossible to hit anything when you're mounted, so he said, you need to get down in order to get a decent shot. He uses 410 wad cutters to shoot snakes. Otherwise, he said with a bullet, it makes it too hard to hit the snake. He also explained that what you see in the movies was never what happened, it's only John Wayne or others shooting a lever action from a horse and hitting their target at 500 yards. :/

Tell me, do you guys have any pigs that far up? Or is it too cold for them? We have an agreement that I get the pigs. I suspect that is gonna change as I start giving him some of my kill. Also, do you guys have pretty big bears up there? Down here is about 200 lbs on average, but that area heads up into the Cascade range, and you may have larger bear there. We seems to have infrequent sightings of about 450-500 lbers on black bear. As you probably know, the bear tag is easy/peazy, the Elk/sheep/antelope tags are a different story.

I really do keep hoping we can turn this state around, in all respects...hunting, the 2A, taxes...this is one to fight for before throwing in the towel, IMO.

 

[Saudade]

A CAP?? You guys must be from the East Coast (I'm from NYC originally). I had a Nissan D21 P/U with a cap and carpet kit. Whenever I called it a Cap I got weird looks and chuckles. Seems folk here call them "Shells".

Did an MA to CA (SoCal) in 2018 (spent a few days in Sedona) and a CA (SoCal) to VT in '23. I have over 1M Hilton Points (traveled a lot when I was working) so I always stayed overnight in some HH property.

Had a Saab 900T hatchback for a while. I did sleep in it a few night when I camped out at Crater Lake.

 

[KonoctisWigwam]

A CAP?? You guys must be from the East Coast (I'm from NYC originally). I had a Nissan D21 P/U with a cap and carpet kit. Whenever I called it a Cap I got weird looks and chuckles. Seems folk here call them "Shells".

Did an MA to CA (SoCal) in 2018 (spent a few days in Sedona) and a CA (SoCal) to VT in '23. I have over 1M Hilton Points (traveled a lot when I was working) so I always stayed overnight in some HH property.

Had a Saab 900T hatchback for a while. I did sleep in it a few night when I camped out at Crater Lake.

My first car that I learned to drive in was a '73 Datsun 1600 with a CAP/Shell on it, it had a 5 speed and an 8 track player! It was originally bought for the infamous Carter oil embargo in '73, I didn't get it until a year later.

Got my next truck a couple years later, a new Scout Traveler (6.5' bed with SUV style cover). I slept in the Traveler at Crater lake, and a bunch of other places on that trip...we saw snow in August that year out past Klamath Falls. Nowadays I'm more willing to get a room, if I need to.

 

[Eastenerwesterner]

I hate to call you a dog, but you dog! I didn't realize you're right by the Smith along 199, that would be one of the most beautiful places to hunt in California, IMO. The fact that 199 is a scenic route says something.

Maybe, if I learn Lake County, we could exchange hunting with each other. My hunting partners (Both are contractors that have done work for me) know Lake County well. One of them is becoming a good friend, the other has done wiring for me and will do a tad more possibly, the other one built my shop and is doing the driveway from roadway to shop. He has 2 horses and a mule that they hunt with, and I know he's taken them to Idaho, and has plans to take them more. They may use 2 horse trailers, cause they only hold 2 animals each. They're not that heavy, actually, although heavier than a human, the trailers aren't that heavy to tow I've heard. I think I could tow one each with my Tundra.

His dad also uses horses and mules, and was telling me he shoots snakes with his pistol when riding horseback. However, he said you legally need to climb down off the horse when you shoot. That makes sense, like shooting from a boat. That is also illegal.

The real kicker is that it's almost impossible to hit anything when you're mounted, so he said, you need to get down in order to get a decent shot. He uses 410 wad cutters to shoot snakes. Otherwise, he said with a bullet, it makes it too hard to hit the snake. He also explained that what you see in the movies was never what happened, it's only John Wayne or others shooting a lever action from a horse and hitting their target at 500 yards. :/

Tell me, do you guys have any pigs that far up? Or is it too cold for them? We have an agreement that I get the pigs. I suspect that is gonna change as I start giving him some of my kill. Also, do you guys have pretty big bears up there? Down here is about 200 lbs on average, but that area heads up into the Cascade range, and you may have larger bear there. We seems to have infrequent sightings of about 450-500 lbers on black bear. As you probably know, the bear tag is easy/peazy, the Elk/sheep/antelope tags are a different story.

I really do keep hoping we can turn this state around, in all respects...hunting, the 2A, taxes...this is one to fight for before throwing in the towel, IMO.

Not as far inland as you think. Mile to the beach, a mile to the redwoods.
My hope is to make enough on the ranch to have a little extra for some hunting land around where you are thinking.
Seen Turkey, seen Elk, seen Deer. Pigs no. But weather doesn’t affect Pig, they are a problem in NY. Weather there is usually same at my ranch. (Except for the high temps swings 0ver 85. )
My garage rafters were filled with buck racks before previous owner moved. But her husband was Native, so he had some additional lands.

 

[KonoctisWigwam]

Not as far inland as you think. Mile to the beach, a mile to the redwoods.
My hope is to make enough on the ranch to have a little extra for some hunting land around where you are thinking.
Seen Turkey, seen Elk, seen Deer. Pigs no. But weather doesn’t affect Pig, they are a problem in NY. Weather there is usually same at my ranch. (Except for the high temps swings 0ver 85. )
My garage rafters were filled with buck racks before previous owner moved. But her husband was Native, so he had some additional lands.

You're in choice country. Don't feel bad about the 85 degree swings, we get swings over 100 degrees! I have seen it at 114 degrees, in the shade. I would hunt in 85, but not 114.

You're on the cooler side, closer to the coast. I didn't think you were that close to the coast, that's prime cool land at the coast...and all up 199 along the Smith is just lush...

Pigs have gotten into NY? Certainly the city and the Bronx, those are EFFin' big fat boars, like Schumer and Cortez...I would have thought the rest of the state would be pretty much pig free.

 

[Eastenerwesterner]

Pigs are an issue upstate. Syracuse in particular and Syracuse typically gets more snow than Buffalo.

One time driving through the park to my ranch, the temp was 115 under the trees in the park. Tree was down on the road and elderly neighbors were stuck also. A neighbor threw a chain on his saw, so I had him take up to get my tractor

Never found out what the real temp up here was that day, but not in the shade it would have been much higher.

I am going to like things better up north weather, water, and fire wise.

 

[KonoctisWigwam]

Pigs are an issue upstate.

So, I think it's safe to say that pigs are scattered over the entire country.

Are they becoming a problem in NY yet?