I think gatehouse and Johnny y are right...... but to a certain extent......
One km is not a far walk...... and all of that truck movement and four wheeling has to disturb game patterns......
I don't criticize anyone for the way they hunt, dontvget me wrong....... but if I am going to put in as much work and research as I do, inorefer to have the place to myself..... but go each their own, and as long as we are all hunting legally, it's all good....
A km isn't a far walk on easy terrain, but it can be pretty damn far in the steep coastal rainforest that surrounds much of the LML. Absolutely, the truck and 4 wheel traffic disturbs game- in that the big bucks generally get off the road and up the mountain or down the drainage away from the roads. All that driving will push animals away from the road hunters and right into the guys that get off the road and do the hard work.
Not saying that nobody ever bags a deer on the side of a logging road, happens all the time, but rarely the big ones.
When you say that the hunting around the LML is poor and you need the place to yourself to effectively hunt and that truck traffic on the road is detrimental to your success, it tells me that you didn't know how to hunt around there, you are out of your element and unable to adapt to a completely new type of hunting.
The main big game species hunted in this area are blacktail/ mule deer and black bear.
Black bear hunting around the LML can be as good or better than anywhere else in Canada, especially as the population of bears are high, you can hunt them about 6 months of the year, there are plenty of big ones and you are allowed 2 a year. Where else in Canada than southern BC can you get out and stretch your legs or drive around (as you choose) and see multiple bears every day, without having to do all the work of baiting and endure sitting on stand? Heck, a couple of years ago due to work and other commitments I had 1 (one) day to hunt bear. My buddy and I went out that afternoon and glassed across a valley, didn't see much at first until finally I say "check out that black spot there with your spotter" Cionfirmed bear, looks good. An hour later I dropped the 6'8" bear...It doesnt' always happen that way, but anyone that spends 3-4 days in the LML region can kill a bear. Anyone that spends 4-7 days can kill a big bear. If you hunt reasonably smart, of course.
Blacktail hunting around the LML can be very good hunting, but for it to be good, it's
not easy. Every year, trophy class blacktails are killed within an hour of the LML, usually by guys that get off the road, do the research and do the work. Mature Blacktails are by far the toughest deer to hunt, they are smart, cagey, virtually impossible to pattern, and live in tough terrain. However, many of these big bucks are killed in areas that have lots of pressure along the road systems, by hunters that left the road. They may still be able to hear the trucks and quads, and the deer can too, but the deer don't care because they know they have 500m of cover between them and the road hunters.
I'm not sure what sort of tactics you employed to come to the conclusion that hunting was poor because of road hunters, but I tell you one thing- I'm fine hearing trucks and quads go by when I am off the road. It's when they park and start climbing up the same ridge I am on (very rare) that can be an issue. And even then, if you know which direction they are headed, you can use them to your advantage.
BC has very little private land compared to public land. Those used to 'controlling' all hunting in an area may find it challenging to hunt with others in the area, I suppose.
And to stay on topic- yeah, some of those road hunters are sipping a beer while they road hunt, too.
