Coconino County Elk Hunters

[coues7]

Thank goodness for government regulations......boy what would we ever do without them! More freedoms being stripped.

['Ike']

Thank goodness for government regulations......boy what would we ever do without them! More freedoms being stripped.

 

I didn't think the regulations posted were anything new...?

[Petey7215]

Im not saying because i have had a camera up before everybody else that its my spot but if i find a waterhole and there is already a camera on i dont put mine on it because thats unethical if I had a spot in mind to camp but did not take time to put my tent or trailer up and someone else did i dont go camp in the same spot. It is public ground and EVERYBODY has a right to equal access but its the common courtesousy to recognize somebody elses hard work in a particular area or spot.

My last elk tag I had cameras up from Aug 1 all the way through the hunt that ended Sept 24 and one weekend I was checking my camera and MY waterhole for sign and three guys in an old jeep drove up. The oldest of those guys asked what i was doing and i said checking my cameras, he said how long have they been up and i told him Aug1 first. he replyed and said i will go take my down then cause last weekend i did not see yours when i put mine up, by the way we have a real good bull on ours good luck. I said thank you very much i will be camped at the end of such and such road if you need anything.and we plan on hunting in this area, we looked at maps and i said i will stay clear and they said the same he said we will be camped at such and such place if you need anything. i said i will keep that in mind and we parted ways. no arguments, no spot stealing just a couple of hard working hard scouting hunters putting in due diligence and just a couple of MEN respecting each others efforts. No crying over camping spots and waterholes just respect thats all i ask for and thats what i give if you decide to work hard scout and earn it.

[az300wby]

What really gets me is that i am looking at maps making phone calls to make sure i am legal, planning where to hunt, and hiking my A## off and everyone and their mother are driving all roads and do not care about the changes.

[elkaholic]

over the years I've been told more than once that I couldn't camp in a spot or hunt in an area .

Sad when a few think they own the forest or the game animals

 

One elk season were were told to move our camp as this was where the elk usually cross to go up the mountain - i just thanked them and told them we'd be hunting the trail in the am - as we didnt have to travel far to be the first ones there in the morning!

 

Sporstmans rules- first come first serve - but as we all know some people aren't sportsman

 

 

Az far as the new camping road rules - it's something we do not want or need in OUR NF but they got the rules in place and we need to try and cooperate and see if we can change some of these ridiculious new rules!

 

camping should be a MINIMUM of 30 ft from a road for safety purposes

 

who's to say when the 72 hrs start - most hunters aren't in camp duiring shooting hrs but then agin it's not hard to tell if someone has been around a camp!!

 

like i heard - LIVE WITH IT - till we can get together and change it!

[Devil Diver Down]

What really gets me is that i am looking at maps making phone calls to make sure i am legal, planning where to hunt, and hiking my A## off and everyone and their mother are driving all roads and do not care about the changes.

 

This is what will chap my butt. I have no problem playing within the rules (and I think these TMPs are mostly good deals) but I don't want to be at a disadvantage because of it. I have a 2 mile walk down a closed (but marked with a FS road number) road just to get to the spot where I launch into the hike to my spot of choice. If some #$@#% comes driving up my back to beat me to a spot I'm using my quads (left and right - not Yamaha, folks) to get to, there'll be a new book out: Fifty Shades of Red.

[Lookin4amonster]

This is a huge problem no doubt, maybe some guys dont want to have to tow thier trailers up from the valley more than once during scouting/hunting. However then they should leave it at a storage place like most people do, just pay the 40 bucks to have a secure place to store it.

 

It is annoying to say the least that camp sites are "Claimed" by these who leave thier trailers/tents set-up and leave to go home. The same problem exist on watertanks where people place thier stands or blinds and think they "Own " that spot because thier stuff is there.

 

One year in 7west we were elk hunting, went up 2 days early to find a tent in the spot we came up early to camp at. The only thing there was the 2 man dome tent. I suspected they left it to claim the spot, so I looked inside the tent and sure enough there was a rock in the middle of the tent to hold it there. So we just left the tent and setup our camp anyway.

 

The next day the owner showed up, he began to remove his tent. I went up to him, introduced myself and told him he was welcome to camp with us.

 

Of course he did not want to do that....

 

So my advice is this, If you find a spot you like. And nobody is actually camping, then just go ahead and camp there. If they show up, welcome them to stay. If they become angry, go ahead and call the sherrif/forest service.

 

Public Land is PUBLIC LAND, we all pay our taxes to have use of the land. It is UNETHICAL to "Claim" some spot that belongs to us all, weather it be a camp spot or a watertank.

 

--just my two cents--

 

Unethical? Agreed that it is indeed PUBLIC land but if i take time, energy, and considerable resources to scout, put up trail cameras and pay my hard earned money for a tag, and, in that time find a nice spot for a two week elk hunt and a great water hole or wallow or trail, and put my camera up, and take the courteousy to seriously look about for other cams and stands, or sit and watch from a distance, and determine good huntable wildlife in the area and erect a ground blind or pop-up or tree stand, i would expect others to recognize this especially if those cams and stands/blinds have been up for two weeksor better, is it ethical for some other hunter who just wondered up that weekend or morning or night before the hunt to slide in and hunt that tank or camp in that spot ?

 

I agree with your response in regards to camping. We shouldn't have to take down our camp when we're scouting if we're coming back in like 2 days anyways. If you drive up 2 weeks in advance and throw a tent down to reserve a spot, now that's ridiculous!

 

However, claiming a waterhole by placing a camera or treestand on it is outrageous! If you want to hunt that spot, get there first in the morning and claim it. Your camera or chair in a blind means shoot to me. The one thing I respect, and I've seen it multiple times, is a note in a blind that says, "My name is ____, I intend to hunt here ______, if you'd like to hunt here as well, please call ______, and we'll work something out."

[rossislider]

This is a huge problem no doubt, maybe some guys dont want to have to tow thier trailers up from the valley more than once during scouting/hunting. However then they should leave it at a storage place like most people do, just pay the 40 bucks to have a secure place to store it.

 

It is annoying to say the least that camp sites are "Claimed" by these who leave thier trailers/tents set-up and leave to go home. The same problem exist on watertanks where people place thier stands or blinds and think they "Own " that spot because thier stuff is there.

 

One year in 7west we were elk hunting, went up 2 days early to find a tent in the spot we came up early to camp at. The only thing there was the 2 man dome tent. I suspected they left it to claim the spot, so I looked inside the tent and sure enough there was a rock in the middle of the tent to hold it there. So we just left the tent and setup our camp anyway.

 

The next day the owner showed up, he began to remove his tent. I went up to him, introduced myself and told him he was welcome to camp with us.

 

Of course he did not want to do that....

 

So my advice is this, If you find a spot you like. And nobody is actually camping, then just go ahead and camp there. If they show up, welcome them to stay. If they become angry, go ahead and call the sherrif/forest service.

 

Public Land is PUBLIC LAND, we all pay our taxes to have use of the land. It is UNETHICAL to "Claim" some spot that belongs to us all, weather it be a camp spot or a watertank.

 

--just my two cents--

 

+1

[rossislider]

This is a huge problem no doubt, maybe some guys dont want to have to tow thier trailers up from the valley more than once during scouting/hunting. However then they should leave it at a storage place like most people do, just pay the 40 bucks to have a secure place to store it.

 

It is annoying to say the least that camp sites are "Claimed" by these who leave thier trailers/tents set-up and leave to go home. The same problem exist on watertanks where people place thier stands or blinds and think they "Own " that spot because thier stuff is there.

 

One year in 7west we were elk hunting, went up 2 days early to find a tent in the spot we came up early to camp at. The only thing there was the 2 man dome tent. I suspected they left it to claim the spot, so I looked inside the tent and sure enough there was a rock in the middle of the tent to hold it there. So we just left the tent and setup our camp anyway.

 

The next day the owner showed up, he began to remove his tent. I went up to him, introduced myself and told him he was welcome to camp with us.

 

Of course he did not want to do that....

 

So my advice is this, If you find a spot you like. And nobody is actually camping, then just go ahead and camp there. If they show up, welcome them to stay. If they become angry, go ahead and call the sherrif/forest service.

 

Public Land is PUBLIC LAND, we all pay our taxes to have use of the land. It is UNETHICAL to "Claim" some spot that belongs to us all, weather it be a camp spot or a watertank.

 

--just my two cents--

 

Unethical? Agreed that it is indeed PUBLIC land but if i take time, energy, and considerable resources to scout, put up trail cameras and pay my hard earned money for a tag, and, in that time find a nice spot for a two week elk hunt and a great water hole or wallow or trail, and put my camera up, and take the courteousy to seriously look about for other cams and stands, or sit and watch from a distance, and determine good huntable wildlife in the area and erect a ground blind or pop-up or tree stand, i would expect others to recognize this especially if those cams and stands/blinds have been up for two weeksor better, is it ethical for some other hunter who just wondered up that weekend or morning or night before the hunt to slide in and hunt that tank or camp in that spot ?

 

also great points...