Craziness at the trailhead!

[AZbywayofWI]

This past weekend a buddy and I went and scouted/hunted a OTC Unit in Colorado. It was a great weekend but holy craziness at the trailheads. Now I had heard, suspected, and guessed that OTC Units get pounded by everyone and their uncle and I was right but once we got out into the field we didn't see anyone so that was nice. However we did experience some craziness, especially around the trailheads. Have you guys ever experienced chaos at trailheads? The list of craziness we experienced is as follows:

1. Some guy blaring his music at the trailhead at about 10 PM at night. Like full on windows down, vehicle parked, and just rockin. We had camped about 100 yards from the trailhead, so maybe this was our fault; but come on...what the hell?
2. Sherriff in a SUV stopping us and asking if we had seen a specific vehicle in the area. Not sure what that was about.
3. Tons of vehicles from the Midwest. I grew up in the Midwest and talked to some of the guys who were there from my home state, I was extremely surprised that these guys had came to this unit (which is not a short drive for any Midwest guy). I guess it just shows how popular OTC Units in CO are!
4. People driving down the trail at all hours of the night. Either they were getting to the area super late, super early, or something else was going on because it happened between 1-330 in the morning.

Despite the craziness, we gained a bunch of knowledge about the area and the animal movements from not only our scout but some really nice local dudes. We will be back this Friday and are staying a week this time, but this time; away from the trailhead.

 

[Chippewa]

We made our first trip last year expecting the worst. We figured just pick a unit with bad rep for terrain. And still we saw quite a few others. The main road was only busy during morning an evening so at least I think it all was hunting traffic. Maybe some road hunting traffic. But at least No rock n roll enthusiasts...

 

[Brandon270]

I was trying my hand at my first Turkey hunt last spring and was suggested a place not too far from home by a "friend" that was his secret spot when he used to hunt turkeys on public. My wife and I check it out on a Friday afternoon, on the way there we see lots of turkeys (on private) thinking hey this might be promising. The trailhead is tucked away behind a neighborhood that leads to lots of blm, no signs about this place along the way. At the trailhead there's one truck parked there, a note is posted from blm stating all hunters and target shooters had to be 1 mile (as the crow flies) from the trailhead before we are allowed to shoot, we thought that was odd but figured it had to do with the neighborhood.

Opening day comes, we get there a couple hours before first light and there isn't a single truck at the trailhead, hey this IS a secret spot! We hike in 3 miles on the non main trail, hunt all morning without even hearing a single turkey. We call it quits by noon and work our way back down to the trail head. We cut across our original small trail and made it to the main trail. We walk passed a couple hikers that gave us really strange looks, we told them good afternoon and kept going. Needless to say the next two miles we came across at least another 100 people, kids screaming, dogs barking all giving us the same odd look or quickly walking past us most likely surprised two people carrying shotguns was not expected coming down the trail opposite of them.

When we get back to trailhead, there is quarter mile line of parked cars on both sides of the road. Needless to say we wrote that "secret spot" off of the list of potential honey holes.

 

[Lmwmihunter76]

I was trying my hand at my first Turkey hunt last spring and was suggested a place not too far from home by a "friend" that was his secret spot when he used to hunt turkeys on public. My wife and I check it out on a Friday afternoon, on the way there we see lots of turkeys (on private) thinking hey this might be promising. The trailhead is tucked away behind a neighborhood that leads to lots of blm, no signs about this place along the way. At he trailhead there's one truck parked there, a note is posted from blm stating all hunters and target shooters had to be 1 mile (as the crow flies) from the trailhead before we are allowed to shoot, we thought that was odd but figured it had to do with the neighborhood.

Opening day comes, we get there a couple hours before first light and there isn't a single truck at the trailhead, hey this IS a secret spot! We hike in 3 miles on the non main trail, hunt all morning without even hearing a single turkey. We call it quits by noon and work our way back down to the trail head. We cut across our original small trail and made it to the main trail. We walk passed a couple hikers that gave us really strange looks, we told them good afternoon and kept going. Needless to say the next two miles we came across at least another 100 people, kids screaming, dogs barking all giving us the same odd look or quickly walking past us most likely surprised two people carrying shotguns was not expected coming down the trail opposite of them.

When we get back to trailhead, there is quarter mile line of parked cars on both sides of the road. Needless to say we wrote that "secret spot" off of the list of potential honey holes.

What was at that trail head that had so many people there?

 

[Brandon270]

What was at that trail head that had so many people there?

Nothing special, a couple small water falls the main trail goes by. Apparently it's a popular local spot for hikers and families. It was a couple miles away from the highway, no signs anywhere until the small road dead ended at the trail head with a small gravel parking lot.

 

[TomTom8989]

This past weekend a buddy and I went and scouted/hunted a OTC Unit in Colorado. It was a great weekend but holy craziness at the trailheads. Now I had heard, suspected, and guessed that OTC Units get pounded by everyone and their uncle and I was right but once we got out into the field we didn't see anyone so that was nice. However we did experience some craziness, especially around the trailheads. Have you guys ever experienced chaos at trailheads? The list of craziness we experienced is as follows:

1. Some guy blaring his music at the trailhead at about 10 PM at night. Like full on windows down, vehicle parked, and just rockin. We had camped about 100 yards from the trailhead, so maybe this was our fault; but come on...what the hell?
2. Sherriff in a SUV stopping us and asking if we had seen a specific vehicle in the area. Not sure what that was about.
3. Tons of vehicles from the Midwest. I grew up in the Midwest and talked to some of the guys who were there from my home state, I was extremely surprised that these guys had came to this unit (which is not a short drive for any Midwest guy). I guess it just shows how popular OTC Units in CO are!
4. People driving down the trail at all hours of the night. Either they were getting to the area super late, super early, or something else was going on because it happened between 1-330 in the morning.

Despite the craziness, we gained a bunch of knowledge about the area and the animal movements from not only our scout but some really nice local dudes. We will be back this Friday and are staying a week this time, but this time; away from the trailhead.

I've barely hunted from trailheads, but I'm already wary having seen some of these same things...