Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Place to leave Auto

I will be doing alot of camping in remot areas. In some areas you have to camp 100 yards off the road. Does anyone now of a safe place to leave your vehicle when visiting a national forest. I am thinkig that leaving it near a ranger station would be best, but I'm not sure.

Thanks

Could you have someone drop you off then pick you up when you are done? Just a thought.

where are you, what state?NF rangers can tell you about suspect trailheads

I have left my truck or Tahoe all over New Mexico and especially Colorado without a problem! Course I don't leave much inside to attract anyone either!

I buy good insurance, park in a low traffic area. Then I forget about it.

I endorse Huntr's comments. I've hiked, camped, backpacked, hunted and climbed all over the west, for over fifty years, on average ten to twelve trips each year, and never had a problem with anyone bothering my vehicle.

The end of the road at the trailhead is usually a good place to park.

Other than what has been suggested above, I can't add anything else. I usually park at the trailhead and hopefully, my car, a late model station wagon, is near other vehicles. Of course, I leave nothing is sight and cover anything in the back with a dark tarp.

Your always taking a risk as there are unsavory individuals who target these areas because they know people are away from their cars for a long time. Up here in Missoula, MT it is generally not a problem, although if you leave something valuable in plain sight your asking for it.

I live in Chitina during the summer. Put a set condibear trap in a plastic garbage bag and leave it in the front seat.

Show a picture of a mashed beaver preferrably drawn by a young child make sure the blood flows and the xs are where the eyes are.

They won't mess with it and if they do you can track the blood trail.

Sincerely,

Thomas

We have meth problems in Oregon and there are places on MT Hood that if your hiking your going to have a problem sad state of affairs but is the truth. There are places in Central Oregon that have problems too. Best bet is just don't leave any thing in sight that might tempt some one if you can help. These idiots go trail to trail head looking for cars and no people.

Park it and place a trail cam nearby facing the vehicle. Get one without flash (IR flash preferred). I know it won't keep your vehicle from getting damaged; but, you are one step closer to getting the guys when the picture is given to the cops and even posted in the newspaper.

Some years ago I went on a sheep hunt with Scott Haugen and his father on a "take a bot across a river and walk-in" situation. We were going to public land from a public road on a trail with legal historic precedent.

A local AK Native hired by the local Native Corporation questioned us. He was packing a revolver and seemed interested in bluffing us to leave. He suggested he would not dare leave his vehicle there as it might not be safe.

I happened to be wearing an FBI hat. After allowing him to talk until he ran out of things to say while I just stared him in the eye. I slowly started in on him.

Lowering my head so the FBI logo was staring right at him I said "Now you know better than that... If I find a damaged truck when I return a Full-Blown-Investigation will happen and it will start with you! A Full-Blown-Investigation after you threatened my truck would reveal not only the current case but a whole bunch of others you have been part of. A Full-Blown-Investigation would be your worst nightmare. In fact you would be a fool to allow a Full-Blown-Investigation because you would be the first and last person I would look for in my Full-Blown-Investigation and I can promise you I would find everything!" And so on to that effect for quite a while and repeating the Full-Blown-Investigation line over and over.

Several days later we came out to find the truck undamaged and the "guard" parked across the pull-out watching it!
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