Rude hunters

[az4life]

If we could only do what we would like to do to idiots like these they would not be around for long!

 

I just hope they do not have any friends to bring along next time.

 

Obviously the "education" they got from you did not help.

[25-06]

My friend was stupid enough to glass the game warden up in 24A thru his scope. He ended up in handcuffs and a $750 fine. Just a warning.

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Not to be rude but your friend got what he deserved...Two times that happened to me on my hunt this year Next time I'll probably have to give him a good old fashin country beatin

[patrick15]

My friend was stupid enough to glass the game warden up in 24A thru his scope. He ended up in handcuffs and a $750 fine. Just a warning.

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Not to be rude but your friend got what he deserved...Two times that happened to me on my hunt this year Next time I'll probably have to give him a good old fashin country beatin

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I totally agree. What he did was stupid and hopefully he learned from it.

[25-06]

Right on Patrick15, Welcome to the best site in the world about coues Sorry for being so blunt about what happened, but it kinda brought up a sore subject for me I'am glad you brought this up to remind everybody that it is not safe to GLASS through your rifle scope.

[Coach]

The same thing happened to me two years ago. I was sitting up high on a rocky outcropping watching some hunters moving up the draw below me. Decided they looked a little "green" so I put a blaze orange vest up in the dead tree above me. Watched as the kid in the group put his crosshairs on me and says "Hey, what's that???"

 

I hit the dirt, obviously, but the next time I looked that way he was being "sternly lectured" by dad. Scary stuff to be sure!

[WMK]

Two or three years ago an Elk hunter from PA shot a guide in the Gila Mtns. in NM. How'd it happen? He was watching the guide through his scope, weapon off safe and finger on the trigger. I believe ALL hunter should go though a Hunters Safety course no matter how old they are or how long they been hunting. Fourteen years ago, when I got stationed in GA, at the age of 27, I HAD to take a Hunters Safety course to be able to hunt. At the time I had been hunting for 17 years and had a thorough knowledge of hunting safety.

[bchoitz]

I believe ALL hunter should go though a Hunters Safety course no matter how old they are or how long they been hunting. Fourteen years ago, when I got stationed in GA, at the age of? 27, I HAD to take a Hunters Safety course to be able to hunt. At the time I had been hunting for 17 years and had a thorough knowledge of hunting safety.

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Good point. Hunters education is a requirement in many states, but it is up to the state to decide. Arizona has taken the stand that we will reward you for taking the course with a "bogus Point" but not making the course a requirement for getting a license, probably because they are afraid that hunters will scream bloody murder for trampling on their rights.

I have had hunters safety classes 4 times so far..

First in Colorado (Isaac Walton Leauge) at age 10?, again in Colorado at a VFW to allow participation in an NRA rifle program at age 13?, again in Colorado during Junior High School (yes we shot in the Gym!). The last time I took a course was here in Arizona a few years ago because my son was also taking the class.

 

I think it is high time that Arizona make Hunter Safety a REQUIREMENT for getting a license.

 

Bret

[kphunter]

Below is an article I wrote for a local newspaper on hunter ethics. In particular, I discuss a conflict my wife and I encountered with a father and his kids while hunting javelina that we considered unethical hunting behavior:

 

Poor hunting ethics can damage sport for others

By Ken Pizzagoni

 

Webster's dictionary defines ethics as "the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation," and "the principles of conduct governing an individual or group."

 

How does one define hunting ethics?

 

Most hunters agree hunting ethics are a personal choice to act safely and responsibly. To uphold these ethics, hunters should strive to be careful, courteous, considerate and capable. A failure to preserve ethics not only threatens the integrity of the sport, but also peoples' lives.

 

What are some violations of hunter ethics? One example is a failure to show courtesy and consideration for the rights of other hunters. When hunters converge in the field, there should be an agreement as to which party has the right to hunt the area; normally, the right goes to the hunters who arrived first. When hunters breach the agreement and invade the area occupied by other hunters, it is considered unethical behavior

 

Recently, my wife, Rena, and I had an experience that exemplified this conduct. It was early morning on the last day of our javelina hunting trip. During the first few hours of daylight, we drove to the top of a ridge and surveyed the area with binoculars. We observed no javelina, only a herd of grazing mule deer. We abandoned our glassing effort in favor of a hike into the canyon. Along the journey, we spotted a family of hunters walking toward our chosen destination. We stopped to chat, and the father discussed his plan to lead his kids over the ridge and into a neighboring canyon to hunt for javelina.

 

As we engaged in conversation, I diverted my attention toward the canyon my wife and I intended to hunt. My heart began to race as I spotted two black dots moving slowly down a hillside. I peered through the binoculars to verify the existence of two javelina at a distance of 500 yards grazing on the hill.

 

I blurted over to Rena, 'Javelina, let's go!' and we swiftly descended into the canyon. To our dismay, the family of hunters followed closely behind. While the two boys covered each side of the canyon, Rena and I tracked from the dry creek bed. When we had closed to within 200 yards, my wife set up for a shot and suddenly a hail of gunfire from the boys' rifles rained down toward the javelina.

 

As the javelina ran for cover, I attempted to reverse their direction with my javelina call. However, the barrage of bullets rendered the call ineffective and the javelina scurried over the ridge out of site. The boys chased after the retreating javelina, but were unsuccessful in their pursuit. Meanwhile, for two-and-one-half hours the adults thoroughly inspected the surrounding area but found no signs of blood or injury.

 

Aside from foiling our attempt to harvest the game, the boys' careless shooting into the canyon could have caused injury to the hunters below. I discussed the situation with the boys' father, and he apologized profusely for failing to control his kids' behavior. His apology did little to console us, for no other javelina were observed during the remainder of the hunting trip.

 

Another case of unethical conduct is a hunter who fires a non-lethal shot and fails to sufficiently track the injured animal. A weapon should not be fired on an animal unless the hunter is capable and reasonably confident of a shot to a vital area. However, if an errant shot is made the hunter should make a concerted effort to locate the injured game, even when no blood is detected at the scene of the shot.

 

A third example, and one of my pet peeves, is when outdoorsmen and other visitors fail to dispose of trash. Countless times, I've driven through pristine country, desert, or forests and found beer cans, bottles, and other garbage carelessly strewn along the road. When visiting the outdoors, be considerate and pack out what you packed in. Leave the area cleaner then when you arrived. Not only does littering tarnish the image of hunters, it destroys the beauty of the land and is harmful to wildlife and the environment.

 

One other demonstration of poor ethics is a failure to request permission from the landowner before hunting private property. A letter or phone call to the landowner is sufficient to inquire into the availability of the land for hunting purposes.

 

Once permission is granted, obey all posted signs and carry a topographical map to determine public/private land boundaries. Watch out for domestic animals, equipment, and other visitors. Clearly identify your target and beyond to ensure the safety of all. If you open gates, close them before you leave. Treat their land as you would treat your own. As a sign of appreciation, offer the landowners a part of your harvest.

 

I've barely scratched the surface on the topic of hunting ethics. To further educate yourself and your children on hunting ethics, enroll in a hunter education class. The future of hunting is in the hands of sportsmen and sportswomen. We must present to the non-hunting public a set of moral and ethical principles that promote hunting as a time-honored American tradition.

 

Ken Pizzagoni is an Ahwatukee Foothills resident. For comments, story ideas or questions, e-mail Ken at kpangler@qwest.net.

[lfootmatt]

Hunter safety classes seem like a pain in the a$$, but...

 

In November I went to Colorado on a semi guided hunt. Basically I got invited to go with a group that had very successfully hunted that area for 20+ years.

 

I couldn't locate my Missouri hunter safety card from 1982 as a first year Boy Scout so I had to take the Colorado class in order to hunt. Bulk of the class and test were done online with a 1/2 day class 2 days before the season opened.

 

Good class, and was a good review of many subjects. They stressed wilderness survival in class. 1 or 2 hunters die every year up there. They get lost, panic and then make a series of bad decisions and end up dead.

 

I was glad to have taken the class. When the GPS shot craps in some really steep mts w/ tall timber my pack full of survival gear didn't seem so heavy. After 30 sec of situation evaluation, I concluded that I was not lost and that I knew exactly where the truck was.

 

Arizona's infrequent and very high time commitment hunter safety classes seem to discourage people from hunting in my opinion. While Colorado requires the class, they also offer flexible class options and very frequent class opportunities. I'll get the AZ class someday, but work generally prohibits my availability.

 

I think AZ should make the classes more available, isn?t the point to enhance everyone's safety? Not to get bonus points. A good dose of hunter ethics might help a bit also.

 

If my boys ever trampled on someone else?s hunt as in the story, they had better keep chasing those Javalina all the way to Mexico. Because the Butt whopping would begin right there!!! Not that I'll have to worry about that, the wife has gone off the deep end over me hunting this year. I better get a trophy buck fast or this might be the last year I get to hunt!!!

 

My $0.02,

 

Matt

[Guest Bert]

I don't post much.But I think it's time too.There are in fact lot of bad hunters out there.I'm not one of them.I've been hunting in AZ since 1975.Killed my fair share of game.I do use a quad to get around and to get back as far away from everyone as I can.It really pisses me off to read how bad it is to use a quad to hunt.You see I'm 56 years old, have a right ankle fussion with about 10% movement and need a right knee replaced.I can't walk very far from my quad.But you know what young hunters, I get up and get out as much as I can.I love hunting and getting away from it all.I do the best I can.So if you see me sitting next to my quad glassing the hills and canyons maybe you won't be to quick to judge me as a bad hunter or rude.I'm doing the best I can.

Bert

[CouesWhitetail]

Good point Bert. There are many older hunters who have heart problems or joint problems and can't get around.

 

Amanda

[Guest Bert]

Thanks Amanda,

You know sometimes i wish I was 25 again.Then I'd be able to walk the canyons and climb the mountains that I used to do.But after giving it some thought I'll keep what I have.

[runningbird]

here's what happened to me 2 years ago for the Jan hunt. A couple weeks before the season started a Good friend of mine who is a guide and had taught me alot called and asked some questions about the area I live. he explaned how he had an 11 y/o hunter for a deer hunt. I gave him some good info and also explaned how I would be in another area with my son who was home from college and would only have 2 days to hunt in Jan. because he had classes starting the 3rd. I told my GOOD buddy excactly where I would be at. He told me that he had no intrest in that area and would stay out especially given my situation. my area is a short walk from my home across a creek. the area I gave him is on the oppisite side of the creek. so opening morning for my sons pig hunt comes and we get up to our spot nice and early waiting for the pigs to come out. we happen to look up the hill a little farther and see a couple hunters on a ridge silloetted. Now I'll tell you I have never seen another hunter in this area, it's just over looked since it's so close to town. well I had a bad feeling that it was my buddy but I wouldn't believe it. so after about 1/2 hour one of the fella's comes walking right down the hill toward us scares the pigs over another hill and just keeps coming. well I knew it was him so I met him 1/2 way and the first thing he says is he's got his hunter at a pond up the hill and could we hunt somewhere else. well the only reason he knew about the pond was because I told him that was our mid day plan. I just couldn't believe it. I really was stumped and speachless. any way I figured it wasn't the kids fault so I went back down and got my son and walked a couple ridges over. then later in the day who do I run into again, same fella but this time with his client( guess what he's not a youngster but a middle aged guy) anyway I'm still steamed about this and my buddy wisely has not contacted me since.

[firstcoueswas80]

wow runnigbird that is bad! what an ...

 

 

Bert, you are right and i totally understand about that part. no way in my mind do i think quads are bad for hunting unless they are hunted from all day long with out the person getting off of them to look over the next ridge, or the person drives off road and cross country to look at area.

 

i am in my 20's (barely, 20 to be exact) and that is what i like to do, get out and hike. my old man has a bad hip so i usually stay with him, but sometimes i will get up and go and tell him to keep glassing and cll me on the radio if he sees anything.

 

the best part of hunting is getting out there and having solitude. there is nothing worse then sitting there glassing and seeing someone walk right over the top of the ridge you are glassing, or walk right next to you. when i am hunting i am enjoying every minute that i am out there. i like to get out there and just listen to the nothingness, it is a good way to clear the mind, it is also a humbling experience knowing how much is out there and how little you are to it and how little you actually know (not talking about you, talking about you as in the hunter whos out there)

if i shoot a buck, cool! if not well i had a good time anyways.

hunting would be a much more pure sport/hobby/lifestyle if everyone was just more considerate to the other people who hunt it and to the land itself.

[.270]

awhile back a guy i know was complain' about a guy that rode into his camp, made a samwich, drank a couple sody waters, left the tent open, shot a hole in their water can, stoled a couple jugs o' whiskey, tossed a head o' cabbage and lettuce in the air and shot em with his shotgun, peed in some empty beer bottles and put lids back on em and put em in the cooler. guess there was just a whole buncha vandalism took place. i told him i was sorry, but he was still mad at me. Lark.