Home › Forums › Campfire Forum › limited mobility
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I was just curious, as part of my attempting to get my “service” underway, I received a couple of responses from hunters with limited mobility.
A good friend had undergone some surgery that prevented him from “going further than other hunters” and I attempted to scout out stand locations for him, I also received an inquiry from another with difficulties of his own, preventing him from hunting too far from trailheads , roads, etc..
A good friend of mine has just received news that he also has to undergo surgery for a back problem, that will result in him missing this season, as he will be in a wheelchair for a large percentage of his recovery period.
I dream about being good enough to bring elk to me, but usually I have to “split the difference”, as in I go towards the elk, until I am as close as possible, then try to make the elk cover the remaining distance.
But other than selecting a good stand location, how do you help those that cannot walk miles in search of elk?
I can call with the best of them, but I cannot make an elk come out of his (or her) comfort range to my calls, let alone bring them to an easily accessable spot (usually have to be a few miles behind the gate)
In my experience, mineral licks (natural and manufactured) are low percentage, trails are usually night time trail, feed mixtures are unreliable, at best…
Wallows that are close to trails are predominately nighttime use…
Am I best served by using a food/mineral attractant and making a hunter sit on stand, or would it be better to pick a recently used trail, and hope for activity before the guy falls asleep waiting for something to come down the trail , or a combination of setting food/mineral blocks.
Any reccomendations on attractants for this purpose ?
I do not feel comfortable hunting over them myself, but imagine if you could not.. what would you do ?
I am used to laughing about “lazy” hunters, but what about those that wish they could walk ?
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Amoose,
I am going to make the assumption that you are on your own 1,000 acre piece of land and that you have unlimited funds. I am fully aware that neither is accurate, but maybe something here will lead to an idea by more seasoned hunters and help out. I am looking from the point of problem-solving, not as a professional hunter, so please keep that in mind.
First, water. If you are able, there are many ways to make a small stream, or even a run-off area into a pond. The most obvious is to dam it up, but you can also use a small children’s pool or pond lining. Obviously mosquitoes are always an issue. If this can be done close enough to a road/trail, those with limited mobility might have a better chance of game coming close to them.
Second, mobility. One option is an ATV. (Dave, before you PM me some 4-letter words, please hear me out. 😆 ) There are options (this is where the unlimited funds come in) of all-electric ATVs that have a pretty decent range, are almost silent and have no emissions. These are generally not used to tear up the countryside, but to access areas that are harder to reach, and for persons with limited mobility, they can really be a big help. Again, this is not advocating the use of ATV/UTVs, but keeping them as an open option for those who truly require added assistance. Horses are, of course and alternative, but for people with limitations, mounting/dismounting will be difficult and not everyone can keep horses in the off-season.
Third, considerations. I have seen/dealt with people who have limited mobility, and depending on how “limited”, you really have to make sure you are prepared for the amount of work required. There is a difference between someone who has an unsteady gait and someone who is a paraplegic. You may be called upon to provide care that goes far beyond that of guiding and also may effect the actual guiding process. (I don’t want to get too specific, but I read in Dave’s book how he spooked an elk by relieving himself in the wrong place. Imagine someone who has limited places to go, or no control, which sometimes goes hand-in-hand with the limited mobility.)
Well, this is probably going well too far beyond what you were looking for and not even on the right track. Again, this was just to get the mental juices flowing and maybe lead to some other idea, from someone with more experience, that will actually be of use. Hope any little bit helped.
Alex
🙂
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Well, to begin with, I hunt public land, no motorized vehicles.
The two guys I am concerned about can only walk short distances, and in Coastal Washington, the terrain is pretty abrupt, as in you will only gain 1500 feet elevation, but my average “total” is closer to 10,000 in a day, as you are either going up, or down.
One friend might be in a wheelchair, so getting him to and from a stand location would be to get him there, and hope for an elk to show up.
The reasonn for my question was that I have experimented with attractants, and none seem to work , apples are the most reliable, but still, (in my opinion) a waste of time and energy, and was wondering if anyone had any experience with one that actually had results.
I have access to private land, but you can wait a week , or more before the elk are there.. I can find Elk every day by looking for them, but again, that is because I can cover ground.
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