what would you do?

[AZelkwrestler]

Okay so your set up on a water hole in your blind and have been there since 3pm its now 530 and you here a few bulls in the distance. You look to your right to see a hunter with a pop up blind has just walked in. He then begins to set up about 150 yards up wind from you and the tank. You whistle at him thinking he didn't see you, no reaction. Cow call twice....still no reaction. So my question is this. At this point do you get out and ask him to leave? Let him continue or what? (its 535pm this is really happening to me right now)

[bow.hunter8971]

first come first serve isn't it .

[Arizonahunter]

WOW, Its called Hunter Ethics... He should have respected you. If he knowingly knew you were there, he should have quielty backed out and found another place... I have done that numerous times, walked in to a spot, see that someone is there already and I back out. Its the only and right thing to do. You will probably get mixed reviews from this post, but thats just my opinion...I'd go and respectfuly confront the person.

[BML]

Same thing happened to me last year. I was sitting in a natural ground blind when two guys came into the tank. They had two blinds on the tank already, but I was there first and I wasn't leaving. Things got a little edgy and confrontational at first, but the tank was big enough and I had no issues with them sitting the other side of the tank across from me. When cooler heads prevailed, we worked it out.

 

 

If they are up wind of you, you probably have no chance at an elk coming in from that direction. If you think the elk will come in from another direction, stay put. If you do decide to confront them, simply reference page 10 of the regulations regarding hunter ethics and the "first come first serve" issue. It clearly states that even if there is another blind or treestand on a water hole, the first person there has the right to hunt it.

 

Good luck man. Let us know how it goes. I've been there and don't envy you.

[palivs2hnt]

I feel your pain! It happened to me opening day archery deer this year. I had the blind set up and in it for awhile and in walks another hunter and he sees me there and crawls into a ground blind not 10 yards from me! A few words were exchanged, I reminded him of the first come, first serve deal and his reply was that he was going to sit next to me. I heard of this happening before, but never believed I would see it! We sat for 4 hours 10 yards apart and he finally left mid-day. Just be as courteous as possible, it is not worth the fight! You'll be rewarded. Again...sorry this has happened to you. Good luck on the hunt.

[.270]

didn't one of the big time "guides" get in a buncha trouble last year for blocking the road going into a tank to keep out the competition? i don't think they ever paid a fine, so try that. apparantly it's legal, or they would have. i agree, they shoulda left, and quick. but the woods are fulla a-holes and whoever it was is their king. that's why i would spend all my time trying to get in close with a call and shoot one, this time o' year. most everbody goes home this next sunday, and you'll have a lot less competition for the last 4 days. good luck. Lark.

[tjhunt2]

WOW, Its called Hunter Ethics... He should have respected you. If he knowingly knew you were there, he should have quielty backed out and found another place... I have done that numerous times, walked in to a spot, see that someone is there already and I back out. Its the only and right thing to do. You will probably get mixed reviews from this post, but thats just my opinion...I'd go and respectfuly confront the person.

 

+1

 

TJ

 

[Str8Shot]

If he knows your there then it is just a lack of respect. However, 150 yards depending on the density of cover and trees is it possible he did not see you. Not being in a blind and just sitting still I have had hunters come in almost right on top of me from a direction they did not see me until they were right there. If he was upwind at that distance it is very possible your whistle nor cow calls even caught his attention. If you were right on the water and he was in a pinch point or overlooking a trail into the hole then he may not have seen you there. I would Sit it out and try to meet up with him when leaving the spot at dusk to ask the questions and find away that tomorrow it does not happen again. A pissing match at 5:30 6:00 pm is not going to help you or him.

[AZLance]

first come first served is only in fairy tales.... this is the real world boys, respect and responsibility are things of the past!

[bohunr]

Did you have a Blunt handy? It is about respect and I was chomping at the bit all weekend myself. I have 2 hidden waterholes that I know 2 nice bulls have been using but some other guy/guys has had a camera and a blind set up on it for the last 3 weeks or so. I did talk to one of them and they have cow tags on top of that. Obviously the guys are braver than I am because i wont leave my Double Bull blind at a water hole overnight let alone several weeks. Loosing a camera is bad enough. I have other spots and hope the best for the two brothers sitting the two tanks and have to just hope they tag a cow soon.

[Str8Shot]

Hidden water holes in our public forests. I guess if someone besides you set up a cam they are not all that hidden

[nalgi]

Not sure about AZ law but I do know that in a national forest there are no "I was here first" rules. What is courteous and ethical may have nothing to do with whats legal.

 

Last year I had a Burb load of guys park NEXT TO MY BLIND, I asked them to be careful and not shoot my direction in case they didnt know I was there. They sat there a while and then left. (I guess they were going to shoot out of the burb) .

 

Later that day they drove by our camp and saw we were out of state. The next day a warden came in and said someone had reported we were poaching. I wonder who reported that?

 

Losers

[tjhunt2]

first come first served is only in fairy tales.... this is the real world boys, respect and responsibility are things of the past!

 

I have to totally disagree with you respectfully. There is some trueth to what you are saying but it certainly isn't in the past. I'm seeing a whole lot of pictures and hearing stories here on cwt that tells me otherwise. Fathers, Mothers, Uncles, Aunts, Grandfathers, ect helping pave the way for our next generation of boys & girls in our great outdoors. I believe they are teaching them to respect and take responsability for their actions. It is up to each and everyone of us to not let this be a thing of the past. There are always going to be a bad apple in every bunch just like here on cwt. I try and be respectful of all members here since everyone has their own opinion respectfully so but there have been those who have been disrespectful and I believe they are part of a small group of the overall great outdoor world that is made up of decent, respectful, and responsible people in general. Just my humble opinion.

 

TJ

 

AZLance..... I hear your statement all the time and hope you don't think I was grouping you in with the other bad apples. It wasn't meant that way at all. Just my deference of opinion.

[ghost hunter]

I'd like to think that there is still respect amoungst us hunters but if my experiences are an indication, then we'd better start to realize that it is fading fast, or we'd better find a way to bring it back to the fore front.

 

In 45 years of hunting, I'd not had a bad encounter until 10 years ago. In the past 3 years, its been at least 1 each season. And it didn't matter what you were hunting.

 

Just lucky? A sign of the times? Or did I finally get a string of bad apples?

[antlers]

I agree with Arizonahunter 100%. People have no respect anymore!