Rude hunters

[firstcoueswas80]

i have an honest question for ya guys about the people looking at you through their scopes. when you are hiking and you kick up a deer, you of course throw up your rifle instead of the binos right? by the time that you have identified it with you binos as a buckm gotten ur gun up, found it in ur scope its gone, so to save time and possibly squeeze a shot of at a trophy, you throw your gun up, do u think that is what these guys did or do u honestly think they didnt have binos? either way its not at all right!

[bcoover]

I would of never let that 6X6 go. I would of cut off his tag and threw it on the ground, right in front of his face. Why did you let him keep that bull?

 

Not to change the subject but what about hunters taking bad shots. I have so many stories of hunters shooting and never finding the animal because the shot was so bad. I have never lost an animal. I also don't think I ever will.

[GhostBuster]

I agree with Scott about the use of ATV's that is exactly how I hunt and for the same reasons. The hunt I recently had in Unit 22 was full of all of the bad things everyone mentioned here so far.

First morning: Another hunter pulls into my camp, unloads quad at 5:00 AM, I open the trailer door to see who it was and find out what his plans were so we wouldnt be hunting against each other. Before I could say anything he jumps on the quad and heads up the road past camp.

6:45 AM finds me on the same road, below the other hunter. He is on the road were it tops out. I start glassing and find a nice three point, start my stalk the distance is about 1.5 miles from my quad to the deer. About the time I start to get into shooting range the other hunter returns down, like he is racing in the SuperCross. He arrives at my bike and sees the canyon I had to cross to get to the deer, he then turns around and drives back up the road slowly. I have no idea what this guy was thinking, but the sound of the quad ran the deer off. Spent the rest of the day thinking that this is the reason so many other hunters hate quads.

This didnt end here we were in camp the next day on Saturday 18th at Noon, a local guide who we had seen earlier that day over by the Beeline pulls into camp, unloads his quad, the client asks him do you know these guys? He says no and they ride off. I dont get it, why not introduce yourself, or ask if you mind if we park in your camp. I dont own the land but I would like to know why they would park in this spot when there was several other places they could have choosen within a hundred yards of camp.

Next few days were spent glassing and running into other hunters, all of them wouldnt even give me the time of day. Finally on the last day of my hunt I had two hunters stop and talk with me while I was glassing from the road. A father and son from Gilbert, both asked how I was doing and if I could use some help glassing. I couldnt believe it, they helped me glass and we talked about hunting in Arizona and how much it had changed over the last 30 years. The father told me they had the same experiences with people that have been mentioned, in fact he said he was totally against quads and hoped they were outlawed. But he also said he could tell I used mine for what it was intended and wished the other quad riders would do the same and not make new roads or drive cross country while hunting.

One of things he brought up was how rude other people have been while hunting, and how in the past you would avoid another hunter and find a different spot, and if you were passing by someones camp stop in and talk with them, or ask if they had hunters in a particular spot so you dont back door them. I guess it has changed and the old ways we were used to have gone forever, the people we run into while hunting ( I will no longer call them hunters) are just rude and ignorant with no concept of what they are doing.

[Couesnut]

I also had a #22 tag this year.

Those that thought this would be a quality hunt must have been surprised.

450 tags, Plus the Bowhunters. ...I knew what I was in for.

Quads, Quads, Quads.... Everybodys got one. The Forest service had also closed some of the roads into the Willow fire, due to the weather I guess????? But that didn't stop the Quads.

I hope the G&F raises the fees so high you have to sell you're "Devil Dog" in order to afford to hunt.

Az. hunting has changed so much sense those dang things hit the ground. If you "NEWBEES" only knew.....

A quality Az. hunt is a hard thing to find these days & it's not just USO that has caused it.

Missing the not so long ago days.

DH

[Dan H]

Quads???????,.....We hunted 22 (Reno Creek Area) in Dec for 8 days and brought our polaris (jeep w/handle bars). We rode it every morning in the dark to the end of a road parked it in the brush, and did not return until dark every evening to ride it back to our parked rig.

 

And that extra 2-3 miles of road we covered on the quad every nite in the cold was sure nicer than walkin after all the terrain we covered during the day.

 

But we could see the road hunters and quads up and down the roads all day. We never saw another hunter on foot the entire time we were out there.

 

We actually spotted 1 nice size buck from a mile away watching 2 quads drive under him less than 600yds. We also saw them ride out after dark while we were wlaking back to ours after trying to get in for a shot at the one we glassed up.

 

All in all quads can be a convienence and a nuisance.

With a little distance between you,...you should,...Kinda like when helicopters and airplanes fly over.

 

There will always be assholes no matter where you go.

Stillbetter than working. Right.

 

Dan

[25-06]

Yep....

[ultramag]

its just the upbringing of other hunters no respect for others,and get to the spot before they do mentality.i dont know how to fix it .more hiking you do the better.if you drive the roads and glass the areas off the road your asking for it .that sucks but that is the way it is. hike hike hike .................and you will avoid most of the assholes.asshole have a trait and that is usauly lazyness.I mean think about it have you known an asshole that was not lazy.I never have. could be wrong though

[KGAINES]

I don't use a quad, but I can see their usefulness, its the people who are running up and down roads on the sport quads or who take them any where they will fit, I was with my brother elk hunting this year and had two lifted golf carts and a quad drive by me at about ten yards, I didn't much care about that because we were at a water hole and there was a trail, but they got to the water hole and talked for a while then took off up into the hill behind me between pine trees and where ever they could get them, then they started back down the hill, they went between me and my brother, but were within about two yards of me, I actually bugled with them right there, the driver of the first golf cart stopped and told the rest of the group to listen to the elk, that was when I cracked up, the lady that was right next to me almost fell out of the cart, then they decided to tell me were all the elk were. They never seen my brother. I am sure hunters are the ones that get blamed for the quads, but I have seen alot of people just out riding in areas where we are hunting, I don't think it is smart on their part, but they don't care, we hunt and they ride, my problem is they could be riding at the dunes or somewhere where hunters aren't.

I try to help anybody when I am hunting, we have spent hours trying to pull someone out who was stuck, or giving somebody a ride into town that had car trouble, or fixing the car myself, those are things that we don't have to do, but I think it was the right thing to do, and if I lose an hour or two that I could be hunting, hopefully if I ever need help someone will return the favor. I will also try to steer people that I talk to in the right direction, if I can help someone else get a deer, elk, etc. I will tell them where I have seen them, or get them in the general area if I am not going to be in there or if I am not hunting what they are hunting.

I seen this year that people were parking across roads kind of blocking access to certain areas, now that kind of ticked me off, these roads led into huge areas and I am sure that more than a few people could have been back there and never seen each other.

Good Hunting and God Bless

[Kevin]

I own a quad and I'm a New Mexico resident. Two strikes already!

 

I hunted in November and I'll admit, I didn't go out of my way to be friendly to anyone I ran into. Can you blame me? It was the first time that I had hunted in Arizona and I drew a tag the year the 9th Ciruit decided on USO's lawsuit. I read on this website (yeah, even this website) how non-residents should be runover roughshod just because we have different colored license plates on our trucks. I did enjoy my hunt and met a couple of folks that I enjoyed visiting with after being alone for several days. I even helped a young hunter from Tucson haul out his first deer. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I wasn't rude on purpose, but when you go into something feeling threatened just because your different than most of the other hunters around (AZ residents) you tend to be less friendly than normal. Keep that in mind when your ranting on a website.

 

I've been accused of being able to make friends with a fence post on several occasions because I don't know a stranger. I'll talk to anyone, anyplace, especially hunters, because we all have something in common. It wasn't untill reading posts on this website that I realized, some people just don't want to be bothered while they are hunting. I'm trying to learn how to respect that. I grew up at least saying hello when you ran into someone. Its getting harder and harder to know what to do these days.

 

I'll add that I obey the rules when operating my ATV and would smack a hunting partner backwards for looking at someone through a scope! That is not a matter of etiquette, its a matter of life and death! Stealing someones animal, that isn't rude, thats criminal.

 

Time to put the kids to bed, so I'll stop being philisophical. I'm not trying to make excuses for anyone here, just justifying my position if it was me that didn't say hello!

 

Kevin

[az4life]

The only Quad I have is my Quad cab truck. I am looking to buy one but would would use it as a hauler or a specialty transportation vehicle. Hunting "from" it is not my plan. I have seen too many idiots wreck my hunts on them.

My truck is 2wd so I know all about the hiking factor. I can Get my truck into places people think I am nuts for but if it saves a 1/2 mile hike at the end of a long day, It seems worth it.

During the hunting season I always try to chat with hunters I pass near to. Observing the people before you make contact is a good practice. If they are intently glassing an area, do not crowd it. Come up and quietly chat about each other's plans so you minimize future conflicts. If they point a gun at you, all bets are off! I make them know I am there by yelling or waving. I don't want to get shot "accidentally" by someone who shoots at anything that moves.

 

It has been said, "It takes all kinds" and knowing that there are other kinds out there, we all must take care of ourselves.

[azpackhorse]

I do not own a quad, I will not own a quad but if someone wants to use them to pack gear in or access a hunting area over a bad ROAD then I really have no problem with that. I am sure that there are several people on here that use them ethically and legally but you can't really blame a guy for copping an attitude against the darn things when it seems like for every 1 persons who do not hunt off of them, there are 20 that do.

For me one of the things I enjoy about hunting the most is the physical challenge of packing all my gear into an area on my back and then packing an animal out on my back. It just seems disrespectful to me to see such a majestic and regal animal such as an bull elk or coues buck flopped over the rack of a quad bouncing down a trail.

Maybe it sounds sappy to alot of you but for me hunting has a spiritual side to it and I feel I owe the animal I have just harvested respect. I think that alot of people that go hunting (not hunters) have lost that sense of respect and spiritual connection.

For as long as the good lord allows me to be physically capable of hiking and packing my gear, I will not own a quad. If I ever become unable to walk and carry my gear.......................I will crawl!

 

If someone ever points a weapon at me they WILL be taught a lesson, there is absolutely no room for ignorance when it comes to handling firearms. If someone looks at me through a scope then I feel it is my obligation to EDUCATE them in what ever means I deem appropriate. I have taken a round right through the center and let me tell you it is not by any means pleasant. I have also seen a few people take rounds, some were accidents, some were not, some died, some did not. I would urge anyone who witnesses somebody looking through a scope at you to do something about it.

[stanley]

I agree with what Brian and many have said here. I don't have a problem with quads used properly. I really don't see them any differently than any other form of motorized transportation (again, as long as they're used properly...). It's sickening to be hiking off of a road and come across quad or motorcycle tracks, or any vehicle tracks for that matter!

 

Last spring while on m first turkey hunt in 23, we actually witnessed a guy road hunting turkeys on one. He would drive a few hundred yards, then stop and start to hen call. He would then move on if he didn't hear a gobbler. Now being a novice I don't know much about turkey hunting, but it didn't take too much sense to tell me that he wasn't going to get a bird that way! To each there own, I guess... At least the road hunters help to keep the back-country a little less crowded....

 

S.

 

[COUESAZ]

I had two quads on this site for sale at one time. Sold one to tucson john and pulled the other one while treestandman was looking at buying it. The reason I pulled it from the sale was I had beat two guys to a spot one morning and hunted it when they had the same plan. The only way I know this is, my brother in law and I were only about 100 yards away when they pulled up and we could hear them talking about us. When we got back to the quads mine had been pushed of the canyon and roled over once. It ended up bending the frame and bars. Good thing my brother in law had parked his in a spot unseen buy these guy's. We used his to help pull mine back up the side of the canyon. That was not rude but just plain mean. I saw there camp the day before and know the truck and camper well now. When we drove past the camp on the way to ours it was all packed up and gone. I do keep my eyes open for the truck and camper every hunt.

[coues addict]

I don`t own a quad either! I really don`t care if other guys do or not as long as they are not disrespectful to me or my hunting partners. I am a lot like Azpackhorse! I do everything the hard way! I use a wall tent! A big heavy one, and establish a base camp. I then backpack into my hunting area for however many days I can stand the crappy food. I guess I like the thought of doing everything the "Hard Way " and really working at becoming a better outdoorsman and hunter. I love planning the trip and scouting when I can to ensure that I am not going to be hunting a nominal area. I can bone out a deer size critter in usually about an hour to hour and a half and it is rewarding to me to haul out the meat. I guess I am looking for an overall experience when I go hunting, not production! heck, half of the challenge is trying to over come whatever I have managed to forget! I do think the old expression ''To each his own" applies here and respect the fact that we all hunt for different reasons or we hunt different methods out of different circumstances. I usually don`t see many hunters at all so maybe I am avoiding many of the problems that others are having. I would probably be upset if someone was pointing a rifle at me while looking through their scope. I am not sure what I would do! Probably ''DUCK". Sorry about the long post . later Coues Addict

[Brian Payne]

My in-laws hunt coues deer on quads. They are actually pretty decent people except for that. They don't even own optics. They just drive around on any half beaten path untill anything with bones on it's head pops and start unloading. To me there is no sport in this. They don't seem to understand why I always come home with better trophies or why I won't put in with them. We may have the same tags and be carrying similar rifles, but to me what we are both doing is about as similar as football and badmitten. Hopefully one of these days I will have the opportunity to teach them the beauty of a coues in it's undisturbed environment like a trophy buck raking a tree hot on the trail of some does or a fawn splashing around in a water hole that doesn't know I'm 500 yds away watching. I could never be proud of a buck I took while speeding down a two-track road no matter how big it was.

I had an Oct 33 tag this year. Each day about half an hour before light a loud and steady hum could be heard in the valley below us where most the camps were. In Alaska during the big salmon runs the banks are packed with wall to wall fisherman and they are litterally elbow to elbow on the river bank. This has come to be called the very fitting name of "combat fishing." I couldn't help but think "combat hunting" when all these guys were racing around trying to be the first ones down the road to the water hole. After the "combat hunters" started flinging led at the bucks that were too young to know that the "hum" meant get out of town, deer starting flooding through the saddles that we were glassing including several nice bucks.

I can't say I've had very many encounters peiod with other hunters as one of my main criteria in finding a place to hunt is that it is at least several miles from any road. I have used an ATV to save the truck before but I will never be near one when I shoot an animal.

 

Brian Payne