Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board High Country traffic next weekend..?

Hi,

I am new to this message board, but have been reading posts for some time. I was planning on leaving from Onion Valley next friday, and hicking into the highcountry. I will be deer hunting, but have heard that this is a high traffic area. And from people i have talked to that were up there in years past, none of the backpackers knew that they were in an area with MANY high powered rifles. Can anyone advise me on where in this area i could go to be away from backpackers..?

Thanks,
tidbit100

Just understand that the trail over Kearsarge Pass is quite a popular entry point into the backcountry of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and the associated wilderness areas, so there will be backpackers going in and out on the trail. Also, there are several nice lakes along the trail on the east side of the pass and I have seen backpackers camping there each time I hiked the trail.

In addition, there are two other trails, one climbing to Robinson lake to the south and one going to Kearsarge Lakes to the northwest, and I am sure backpackers use these as well.

The entire Onion Valley area is not a good area to avoid backpackers.

Hey steve,

don't these people know that this is hunting season..? When i used to BP in my college days, we always paid attention to the hunting season. I called the ranger station yesterday and asked them if they are posting hunting season at trail heads, and they said NO..? I can't imagine having my family or kids up there and being shocked by many hunters with High powerd rifles walking by. Hunters now carry rifles that shoot accurately out to 600 yds, so they should do a better job of informing the hikers.
Question.. I was thinking about going up the Taboose creek to the end, and hunting there, would that be a better place to get away from everyone.?

Thanks,

Tidbit

Many high powered rifles...Im sorry but reading that sounds just horrible to me!
You are right the forest service should post on the TH sign that it is deer hunting season..or let you know when you pick up your permit? For those hikers backpackers that would rather not chance hearing a high powered rifle shot off while enjoying the wilderness. I myself rather not be hiking while deer hunting season is going on, hearing the sound of a gun going off is a horrible sound. Im sure you know there is no hunting allowed in SEKI...you would be surprised that some people do not know this. Just to let you know I was backpacking up the Taboose Pass Trail last week..it is VERY HOT & a steep hike, there were also a ton of cars parked at the TH. I don't think some hikers and backpackers know when it is deer hunting season & they should. I myself always know because I try to avoid being out there during that time

Hey Madentahoe,

What is SEKI..? According to regulations, the entire area is open to hunting up to the Kearsage pass boarder. Can't hunt in the NP but, everywhere else is open this saturday for 2 weeks. The entire John Muir wilderness is open season. How far is the Shingle Mill Bench from the Taboose creek Th..?

Thanks,

Tidbit

SEKI = Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park

I talked with a fish and game official once who said the deer start moving down out of the high country in the fall. He also said the "take" (I guess meaning the % of people who get a kill) is low. He attributes it to many factors but one is that hunters go too high.

I was driving out of Whitney Portal after a 1-day climb two weeks ago and saw two deer along the road below the Portal. One was a young buck and the other a doe. The doe was down on the big switchback in the road above the valley floor. The buck wasn't too much higher.

I guess my long winded point is maybe you don't even need to go into the high country for your vennison.

Yes, it is true when you point out that many backpackers (and even fisherman) aren't aware there are hunters out there in the fall. It's all legal on National Forest land and backpackers should be aware of it. If they want to be sure to avoid the gun sounds going to SEKI would be a better place to go. I've seen hunters in Onion Valley and the Palisades and evidence of them in other areas too.

It's easy to understand why hikers, backpackers, and fishermen might not be aware of hunting in, say, the Inyo National Forest. You can spend a lot if time on their Web pages without seeing a word about hunting. If you go to, say, the Cleveland National Forest Web page, you find hunting listed under "Recreational Activities" with access to lots of seemingly useful information.

Why the mystery?

Not being a hunter, myself, I wonder the following:

Would a hunter not do better going to a place where people are less common? I'd think that a heavily used trail would be a lousy place to go, as the deer would be constantly spooked.

I'd think Taboose or Sawmill or one of the other less-used areas would be a lot better, in terms of finding deer.

I'm not a hunter either, but I sometimes think I could pick off enough deer from my living room window (I live in the La Crescenta part of Glendale) to keep us in venison all year long. (Of course that would be illegal.)

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the advice. I too was amazed that hunting was not more prominent in the webpages of the NFS. I just can't believe that they aren't posting signs at the entrances to the TH about hunting this weekend. I am sure when we get up there and informa the current hickers, most of them would be wise to go back down, or else go into the park where hunting is not allowed. Come to think of it, websites like THIS one shuold also be informing hickers of the upcoming season of hunting.. RIGHT..?

Thanks,

Tidbit

Hey Guys,

Wea are seriously thinking about going to taboose creek, or sawmill instead. If someone can tell me how to get to sawmill, i think we will check it out on friday.. has anyone been up behind the fish hatchery..? i heard that is much less trafficed as well..?

Thanks,

Tidbit

I agree that both the National Forest sites and Message Boards like this one should be informing hikers and other interested parties of things like hunting season!

my packpack is not "doeskin" colored and does not have horns; I weigh so much you could never mistake me for a deer(a bear maybe)and I stay fairly visible - but I will not be warned off the mountain this weekend - that being said have fun hunting - deer aplenty if you know the right places.

I'm not sure that I understand why a hiker would want to head down? Is there some particular likely danger? Would it not actually be considerably worse for another hunter, who typically is clothed in camo clothing, and things specifically designed to make them hard to spot?. Should not the wise hunter vacate the area because of the enhanced danger specifically to them?

Absolutely the best instructions to all the trailheads on the east side (as well as the entire Sierra) is located at climber.org:

http://climber.org/DrivingDirections/395Waypoints.html

Hunters usually wear bright orange for deer season to stay visible to each other, hikers might be advised to do the same during hunting season. I guess the theory is that deer don't see the color so it doesn't scare them off. Different for turkey/bird hunting, though, where full camoflauge is necessary--am I right tidbit100?

Sort of funny story (maybe only funny to me), but kinda on topic:

My wife's uncle lives in England and after seeing a U.S. hunting magazine my father-in-law mailed him from Arkansas, he laughed about seeing all of the bright orange hats, jackets, etc. He said, "We don't need all that stuff over here, hunters only shoot at animals..."

Moral of the story--Don't shoot at people!

Hey InYoFace,

You are very correct. Deer don't see color, and turkey do. So when deer hunting i and everyone else wears oragne vest. This helps becasue if you are sighting in on a deer, and you happen to see and orange vest 1000 yrds away, you will not shoot. A 30-.06 cheel has no trouble sailing out to 1000 yrds with much killing power, but if you see orange you will not take the shot.
And your point about england is kind of like apples and oranges. In england they don't use High powered 30-.06 rifle, only shot guns, like we use here for bird hunting. they loose velocity after about 150 yrds. but a 30-.06 bullet will travel a much greater distance, out to where you CAN NOT SEE... Like i said many times, i would never take my family backpacking during hunting season.

Thanks,

Tidbit

I'm with Tidbit. I lived in rural areas of New York State for 20 years. During deer season, I had a lot different attitude towards, say, running in areas in which bow or shotgun hunting was allowed than areas where rifle hunting was allowed. A bullet can travel a long way and still spoil ones entire day. A shotgun or bow hunter has a lot better grasp of everything in the path of his projectile than someone with a rifle. I know that hunters are supposed to always know what they're shooting at, and I am confident that almost all of them do. But all it takes is one mistake. And mistakes do occur.

Tidbit, I see your point about a bullet having a considerably greater range, than just what you see, and that if you are beyond that, you might be exposed.

Of course, in that case, the bright orange is of absolutely no use, as we are talking about where you cannot see.

But then, if knowing all this, a hunter chooses to go into an area in which he knows that there are typically going to be a lot of hikers, then he is choosing to assume the risk. And after all, no hiker has the ability to jump in front of his firing gun.

Hey Ken,

What i meant was, that an orange vest can be seen for 1000 yrds, much better than say a beige sirt and shorts with a brown hat.. understand..? At the very least all willderness permits issued should require the orange vest along with bear canister..do you think that would be a good idea..? and about hunters not going to areas where there are alot of hikers, hunters are given 2 weeks a year to hunt and general population is given 50 weeks to hike.. see and unfairness in that equation.? I truely fault that office that issues the backcountry permits. They are not notifiing anyone as to the seasons. I called on monday, and they told me they only tell people if they ask..?.. and no they WILl not post any signage at the TH... I just think that i might be meeting many surprised and unhappy hikers on friday morning.. what do you think..?

Thanks,

Tidbit

Ken

The deer along frequently traveled trails aren't constantly spooked, they are accustomed to the traffic going by. In Bighorn Park on the MMWT I've walked past deer 50 feet from the trail at 4am that barely looked up at our passage. Fortunately, the hunters I've seen have not figured out the headlamp hiker disguise.

AlanK

Maybe you could bow hunt in your neighborhood. It's quieter, safer, and has a longer season in your area than gun hunting.

Dale B. Dalrymple
http://dbdimages.com