Hunting out of hotels/ motels
General Topic
I was just wondering if any of you use hotels or motels primarily while hinting? I know in some cases that may not be feasible, but I think it could work in a lot if not most cases. What are your thoughts?
I’ve done it. It’s actually pretty cool if the weather is wet. Cool when black powder huntingvas well. Makes cleaning the guns easier.
The downside is the same as anytime you are driving to hunt. You gotta drive to and from “camp”. And, you are eating out. I don’t like to do either more then once in a blue moon.
I've done it mule deer hunting in Eastern Montana and several times pronghorn hunting in Eastern Wyoming. Makes for some early rising and late nights sometimes, but otherwise ok.
Not primarily but my brother and I used to stay in a motel on occasion when we were young and single and we had a 1.5 hour ride to our hunting spot and a long walk in. It was mainly so we didn't have to wake up at 2 am.
A group of us rented a lodge last year for a week, worked out great. The advantage was cost, and we could still do our own cooking. The local restaurant had long wait times.
We got asked to leave a Hilton when we got caught carrying two limits of walleye up the stair well to our room.
I hardly ever stay in a hotel. It takes away from the experience of getting away from town and civilization! There's nothing like spending quality time camping out with the critters! If I'm "truck camping" I often stay in the back of my pickup topper. That way I'm super mobile and can move camp to where ever I end up that particular day. I'm also out of the wind, rain, snow, etc. with all my gear in a topper.
Sometimes backpack spike camps are an advantage. That way you are several miles away from crowds and aren't needlessly wasting time and boot leather each day hiking to remote spots with game. Depending upon how far your hotel is from your hunting spot it may take an additional couple hours each way to get to game? The last thing I want to do is wake up 2 hours earlier and return 2 hours later at the end of a super, long exhausting day!
My wife shreaks every time she sees how much I spend on hunting licenses and gas. A hotel plus gas driving back and forth would likely double the cost of each hunt. I can understand how warm food and a dry place to stay would be nice....especially when the weather is miserable....however, you are really missing out on a lot of cool things staying in a hotel....especially if it is a cockroach infested, noisy hotel!
Used AirBnB lodging ( private homes ) for antelope, moose and wolf hunts. Quiet, secure homesy and lower price than motels more than half usually. Shower, bed and place to make meals, works out great, even let me use freezer for moose.
Huntcell I'm doing the same thing in 2019 on a Midwestern whitetail hunt!
My brother & I did the lousy motels with crummy beds and awful local food for many years in S. Iowa. Was the #2 reason we gave up our lease and now hunting closer to home. I would never ever do it again. I’ll answer the imbedded question: the #1 reason was that was the year of the blue tongue plague and the bucks were gone. Dead. Ten days of hard hunting and didn’t see a buck bigger than a fork - that wasn’t dead and bloated in a creek. Now hunting within half a mile of home (central Iowa) and loving it. Motels are the worst. Noisy neighbors and often, full time meth heads living in the motel.
I have done it all. Works great especially in small remote communities.
Trial153...... I’ll call your walleyes, and raise you a deer!
I caped out a blacktail in the bathroom of a fleabag motel in California one year. Moved a little table in there, covered it with garbage bags and sat on the toilet while caping him out. Put the cape in a garbage bag and set it on ice in the tub till the next morning. Checked out before we got in trouble. Didn’t leave a mess at all.
I've never done it, but my buddy and I have discussed it for an early season turkey hunt. It would be pretty cold and we planned to hunt public land in NE. So the idea was to find a reasonable motel as close as possible for the better part of a week. That was put on the back burner due to circumstances this year. We did the AirB&B out in CA this past spring for our son's wedding to a SoCal girl.....worked out great.
Every year for ten years or so. I keep threatening about buying a 5th wheel, but that can be a pia as well.
I have done it for the past 12 years. It works out great. It’s not the cheapest route to go but if weather is an issue and you don’t want to camp in it. You will have a dry warm place to go at night.
Walleye and deer, and there I was sneaking my mountain bike into a hotel room. I did not clean it in the bathtub, just brought in in to keep it safe. You guys win.
I've done it while antelope hunting near Cody. It worked out great. Even butchered one in the bathroom. I took out all the white towels, sprayed everything down with sanitizer, butchered the antelope, and cleaned everything up. I'm sure I left the room cleaner than when I checked in.
I’ve cleaned deer in a handful of hotel back parking lots. Only had one that didn’t appreciate it, it was owned by some transplants from India. Most hotel owners across the Midwest appreciate the hunting industry business.
What animals are you guys hunting out of these hotels. I can see it easily on antelope, turkey, and deer but have a hard time thinking elk can be consistently hunted this way. This is only based off me trying that route in Meeker and feeling like I wasn't getting deep enough into the woods most days
Done it for whitetails late November in Saskatchewan. Brought a BBQ. Did a ton of cooking on it
I’ve hunted deer, pronghorn and even mountain goats from a hotel. Fun times, dry clothes and a comfy bed each night. Most hunts can’t be done this way but when they can, I like to take advantage of it.
I used to joke that i have spent more nights in a hotel/motel with my hunting partner Bob than I have with my wife! Hunted whitetails out of motel in West Central IL for several years. It was full of other hunters and the owner was great. Owner sold out and things went down hill fast. Air B&B in Iowa has worked out great and is a good option.
Did it for years when deer hunting Ontario.Do it now if winter coyote hunting outside SoDak. If a 'scent freak' you will freak.And,never ever with a guy that snores bad.
I’ve hunted geese, antelope,whitetails, coyotes and pheasants from hotels. There is a lot to be said for a hot shower and comfortable bed. I’ll do it many times again.
Every year for big woods whitetails in N. Wis. Usually 2 weeks. Tented many years but at 65 with back/neck issues, need a good nights rest.
Occasionally. And it all depends on the motel. Some are absolute dumps and I avoid them. Others are too high falutin'. Im not crazy about hauling gear in and out of a high rise. A nice clean room with its own entrance works. Best tip...take an ozone generator with you. Some places smell like cleaning products or ??? Ozone cures the problem. And always travel with ear plugs.
I have cleaned a lot of Chukars in various motel bathtubs ;)
Sitting in a hotel right now after a successful Oryx hunt. 20 minute drive to where we start hunting but not where we end everyday. Headed home 5 hours away in the morning with an Oryx in the truck. I won’t stay at a bad hotel and won’t stay at the Marriott either. Usually a Comfort Inn or Somethimg similar.
Its dark for way to many hours during the late season for me to sleep in a truck or even a tent, I need something to do or someplace to go.
I've done it for oryx, javelina, whitetail, and antelope. It can be great if the conditions are right (i.e. close enough to the hunt area to not waste a bunch of time and nice enough that I don't want to sleep in the truck).
Every year in Kansas. Discussed renting a house but a lot of guy like the hotel atmosphere where you talk to guys from all over the country about what kind of action they are having and have a beer or 2. Its not bad if you can get a motel where you can pull your truck right up to your room door.
We stayed in a house last year elk hunting. However some of the drives were an hour one way. The good news was we didn’t have to get to far away from the vehicle to get into elk.
Few times on different hunts...
Thanks guys,
I have a toy hauler and I am thinking of selling it. I can do 90% of the hunting I do from a hotel or cabin close to where I hunt. Just considering options....
Thanks Again!
I do it more and more every year now.
I only use my toy hauler once a year now (Wyoming bow Elk) and I can't remember the last time I had the 'Toy' in it.
It is paid off, so it cost me nothing to keep it other than registration and insurance once a year.
I too am thinking about selling mine, as I use my combo Camp Rooftop Trlr more, when not in a cabin.
Some states/units, I hunt right out of the cabin, some states/units, I have a quick 30 minute drive...….
Not having to worry about weather or towing out after big snow hits is so Very Relaxing!!
I'll share a few my states cabins I use...……
Good luck, Robb
Base Camp for Rocky Ram unit/Baretop & Sheep Creek
Base Camp for Rocky Ram unit/Baretop & Sheep Creek
Early Rifle Az. Elk Camp
Early Rifle Az. Elk Camp
Nice. I forgot another very nice option we always bring:boot dryers.
Wyoming Late Cow Elk Camp
We do it all through october, november, and december with the dogs for upland.
Felt a little awkward walking through the hallways with this...
A few years in a row I would buy an old and cheap slide in camper for + or - $500 then put a little work into and hunt the season. The following spring I would sell them for a small profit, that worked out fairly good.
Yup. Downside no camp experience, longer morning drives, fast food, need to be PC with meat, blood, camo etc. . Upside, good quality sleep in a real bed, hot showers, laundry, and restaurant dinners.
I must be missing something. Like Jims stated above, I have practically no desire to be around all this civilization and conveniences during a hunt. When I dream and think about my hunts I guarantee you a hotel/motel/cabin is not in my thoughts. I enjoy the outdoor experience too much and that is as much a part of the hunt as the hunt itself. A friend who has a beautiful cabin less than 20 miles from where I hunt, has offered me the use of it many times and I have always turned him down. I prefer my kodiak tent.
Without sounding too holier than thou, I have stayed in motel a couple times but mostly had to do with weather. I do think people who travel from out out state may be forced to do this style, especially if they fly and rent vehicle. Good Hunting
Knothead,
This is kind of my thought process on the question. I love the outdoors, and I've been camping from either a tent, tent trailer, truck camper and or toy haulers for more than 40 years. All my stuff is paid off, so it's not a money issue on the truck or toy-hauler. I actually think I have become very spoiled! I live in the desert, and I really hate to admit this, but in the last 5 years or so, I have become a complete and total cold sissy! LOL! I have to dress in lot's of layers when it gets really cold, or I freeze my butt off. I still do it, because I love it. But I do like coming back to a warm bed and a hot shower if I want to... Having the trailers or campers isn't really camping to me. my toy hauler has two recliners, a queen size Serta mattress, a fridge, microwave, a 36" flat screen with a Blue-ray player and surround sound a 5K generator and a 25 gallon fuel cell. It's definitely NOT roughing it!
I still have my Kodiak tent and backpack tent when/ if i need to get way off the road or pack in...
On the flip side, it is a lot of work to keep a toy hauler in good condition, especially with the desert heat/ sun. It beats the hell out of everything! Tires and batteries every couple years and just general maintenance can be a little pricey if you do it right and keep it in really good condition. It sucks, because the tire and trailer covers don't last more than a year or so and sun rot is a beeeeatch.
Bulelk1... Those are very nice cabins! I know a few spots like that in the AZ mountains, and I really enjoy them. They are also very hunter friendly. Even the places in the California Sierras I have been to are hunter and fisherman friendly. I don't think I would be staying at the Hilton and dragging a deer through the lobby.
Thanks for all the replies and comments. Just wanted to get a different view point.
God Bless Gents!
I used to do a lot of hunting from hotels but it got to getting very expensive and it seems that sometimes you have to time and locate a hunt by the proximity and availability of the motel. I have had some places in Kansas were you needed to book a room a year in advance to have one for the rut ! I was able to pic up a good used travel trailer from a buddy last year and I love it. I have everything I need in and being retired if I decide I want to head down to Alabama for a spring turkey hunt I just hook up and head down. Only main trouble is getting in sometimes or getting stuck a few extra days depending on the weather or how deep back on a secondary road you go.
Like Willeboat, I cleaned some chukars in my room Sat night. Weekend hunt. I still remember some Mormon girls complaining about all the semen on the shower walls in the rooms they stayed in down in Utah.
It sounds like hunting from hotels was quite an adventure, but I can understand how it can get expensive and inconvenient.
I strongly prefer not to waste time. Even if your hotel is close you can waste a lot of time. If you hunt AM and PM and are at the hotel and night and midday and it is 30 minutes away that is 2 hours drive time each day. Time that could be spent hiking further in the dark to get more remote.
For elk solo when not packed in I rent an SUV and sleep in it. ZERO driving unless you want to. Park truck hunt evening. Sleep in truck listening for elk at night, wake up hunt elk you heard or move. This has worked awesome for me in the right places.
It saves a lot of time and I have often heard elk at night that I found in the AM.
With the possible exception of a good night's sleep there no other advantages staying at a motel, only drawbacks.
I have also traded info with hunters I meet while staying in my vehicle. We have helped each other.
I like warm beds and hot showers. I’ve slept in damp tents for 10 days in NWT and Ak. I’ll take a hotel over that.
We’ve stayed in hotels multiple times hunting deer in Kansas. Ten minute drive to the hunting land. Also rented a cabin a couple of times right in the middle of a Western hunting unit.
I used to do it at Mom and Pop hotels in West Virginia years ago. The owners would let us hang deer behind the hotel and would always give us an end room.
I'm trying to figure out why these bots like Jeremy and Vicctory bring up old threads with some little pointless comment. Anyone know why? Sometimes the bots that bring up old threads include malicious links so the reason for those is obvious. But others like these don't have a link so what is the point? Maybe to generate a PM? Its certainly a scam of some kind.
Use to. Got tired of the driving back and forth and loud noisy neighbors.
Now I camp in my truck setup with a memory foam mattress and a zodi hot shower for cleaning up. Just find a dead end or pull off to shower. I also just sleep where I plan to hunt the next day.
It totally depends on where I’m hunting, distances, access, competition, prices, etc. I sleep a lot better with a hot shower each night, and dry clothes in the morning. But whatever I have to do to get into mature critters always takes priority. Sometimes a cheap hotel is very little more than the camping fees at the state properties. Heart failure may have ended my backpack days. We’ll see this year. Got a NM tag in a wilderness area. Definitely no hotel for that one. But may camp at trailhead and take shower tent.
We always rent cheap motels when big game hunting the West or bird hunting SD, OK, or KS. Tried the nice hotels and found it to be a pain hauling gear through lobbies and elevators filled with yuppies. The best ones allow you to back the tailgate up to the door so you can be close to your dogs or gear.
I hunted pronghorns on National Grasslands out of a motel on a vacation/hunt with wife at the time in western South Dakota near the Badlands... Worked out great, except we divorced shortly after we returned home...8^)
What about KOA campground cabins?
Thornton, Good point!!! If I use a motel for any sort of outdoor activity it must have exterior doors and be on bottom level
Thing about motels, hoes is you can't control who the neighbor is. Unless it's really cold I tend to avoid them and camp instead. Sometimes in a portable fish house.
A few years back on hunting and fishing trip while camping we would show up at a local hotel during cleaning and ask if we could just use it for showers, get fresh towels, etc. Cost was pretty reasonable if they would allow it. If they had a restaurant and we ate there were usually a little most acceptable to the idea. Also demonstrated to them how polite fisherman and bowhunters could be..
I have done it a lot when I was close to hunting grounds. Lately I lean more towards AirBnB. At my age a comfortable bed is worth any other inconvenience. I don't need the camping experience when on a hunt. I get that at other times.
I've done it a great deal in one way or the other on out of state hunts. Some hunts lend itself to staying in a motel more than others.
Generally, I'm looking for a single ground level motel in a small town that has a safe reputation. I try to pick the best local lodging which often will be the 'best of the worst.' I then back my truck right back to the room window so I can hear if anyone messes with my gear in the truck.
All I'm looking for is a bed without bedbugs; a hot shower, and a working toilet:) My own particular wrinkle to this arrangement is that I try to find a local game processor that I can drop the carcass, or quartered meat to for processing, with the understanding I will need it back within 24 hours. Sometimes they will cape and bleach the skulls for you to meet the CWD requirements when you head back home if your out of state.
Its not the outdoor camping experience of my youth, but it can make a hunt very doable and enjoyable as I age.
Only in North Dakota duck hunting.. no place to camp. Close to hunting spots. And heat :)
