Avoiding the crowd

Need some advice here...
I'm backpack hunting a new wilderness area this Fall with a rather extensive hiking trail system. There's not many places that are more than a mile off of the hiking trails. What do you guys look for to avoid the areas that the horse/mule hunting groups can get to? I don't want to hike in 7 miles to just see that someone has rode their horses in that far.

I typically look for the steepest thickest stuff... that's where you will find the elk as well. It doesn't matter if it's 1.5 miles in if it looks like it would be hell to get an elk out of that is probably where they will be hiding.

The one mile rule is typically from the truck, not a trail. I've shot animals from hiking trails but miles from the road.

My area may be different from yours but I don't see many horseback hunters. The majority I do see are "road hunting" from a horse.

I wouldn't worry about it that much. No one wants to see other hunters while they are out. Whether it's at the trail head or miles upon miles back in. If it's just a group together that are camped back that far, talk to them about what they have seen or noticed, vocal animals or not, and if they are hunting as a group together or individually covering as much ground as they can. Also, pack in a small bottle of whiskey with you. Always helps if you run into another camp with conversation and eases the 'it's a secret' tension of not giving away spots. I have found in my area when I do go that far in, there are basically so much area and drainage's that it can't all be covered even by multiple groups, but also need to have a map handy to refresh my memory of all the surrounding areas. If you are willing to hike in 7 miles and there is a camp, what is another 1/2 mile or mile to get away, or even head backwards a mile. Other hunters can be good to push game around as well if you know where they have been hunting or are going. Take out a map and look for escape routes pressured elk would find sanctuary.

I'm of the mindset there's a happy medium. Sometimes you do have to go to the big nasty stuff to get away from people. But then sometimes you pass up a lot of good hunting to get to that nasty stuff that nobody else is hunting.

I do like the liquor them up idea to get them to talk. It's genius!

Excellent advice. Thanks guys