What would you do? (hunting etiquette)

[trophyhunter]

I usually just shoot at em from really far away. JK

[bchoitz]

this is my second post. it's an interesting topic. i grew up in the white mountains, and back then we could find places to hunt where we wouldn't really see other hunters. a few weeks ago i was out checking cameras in unit 32 and saw about 30 trucks on deer creek road. i left because i didn't want to disturb others hunts. i'm just curious how most of you feel, when i see hunters, or fisherman if it's that sport, my first inclination is one of frustration, and i wish them no luck and cuss my way along away from them. but then if i see were to see them at sportsman's or somewhere, i'd feel immense camaraderie. so it's an interesting dynamic of both communion and competition. and a shame the game and fish is creating this situation. less access, more hunters in the field, worse opportunity.

 

anyone else feel the same way?

 

Yep, That about sums it up.

I'm not happy when I find someone in "MY" spot, but really its "PUBLIC" land and NOT my spot, or yours for that matter.

IF you are sitting on a road, don't get PO'd if someone comes along driving on that road. You are setting yourself up to have a miserable experience if you do.

 

When I see you in sportsman's or Cabela's or where ever and we talk of hunting I'll feel camaraderie with you, and hopefully if I find you in the field I'll treat you the same way. If I see where you are I'll avoid you and try not to compromise your hunt, but if I see your truck parked where I was intending to park, It's a big world out there and I'll probably head into the area anyway. How am I to know where you went from the truck?

 

Lets get real.

 

AND, don't push quads off the road because you are PO'd, and don't flatten other hunter's tires. What kind of sportsmen are we anyway?

 

 

Bret C.

[ghost hunter]

Had the same thing happen in 32 a couple of years ago. Tried to us them to my advantage. Tried to use the next truck load that came up a few minutes behind the first truck load (not part of the first group). Finally decided I couldn't beat'm so next year changed units.

 

What was really sad was I had my son with me, (13), the first group had 2 or 3 kids, (dad or ?? was a great role model), the second group were all adults. Why would they try and cut in on a kids hunt?

 

Hunting etiquette or Hunting ethics? Not sure but it didn't sit well with me.

[hunterdude]

I try to not even go out into an area if there is a hunt going on. If I am hunting and I come across a vehical in the place I wanted to park I will go down the road a couple of hundred yards. I try not to cross paths with anyone hunting but it isn't always easy! Just be respectful when you are out there! I'm out there to have fun, not fight with anyone!

[TwoGuns]

The number one priority each year when planning our hunt is where can we go to avoid all the other hunters. It is possible but sure getting more tough. But, it is nice living up in the verde valley so that after work I can drive 30 min and be hunting everyday of the week.

[COOSEFAN]

Anymore, I keep the mindset that I'm going to run into hunters, there's going to be hunters in my spot, and there are a bunch of "numbskulls" out there in the hills these days! You just have to accept it if you hunt the "high volume" hunts like the early Coues hunts. The trick is to use these hunters to your advantage! Let them blast out areas and push all the bigger, smarter deer into their hiding spots which in turn just narrowed down where you need to look! All them other yahoos runnin' the roads and the "easy" hills have just narrowed down your search for your buck! Just expect it, don't be surprised at anything you see, and most of all..... be friendly to everyone.......that minimizes problems and is generally just a good way to be JIM>

[Redbeard]

I just keep talking to them real friendly like until they get a creepy feeling about me and leave.

[COUESAZ]

That probably does not take to long does it Chris.

[hookedoncoues]

You showed great restraint, I think that I would have let all of the air out of their tires!!!!! Not really. I cant believe that there are people in the work like that!!

[Non-Typical Solutions]

Anymore, planning for the crowds is part of planning the hunt. I have a 3a3c late bull tag coming up, and I have about 5 different areas that we have been scouting just to make sure the bulls are in there. But come opening morning, those bulls will probably not be where they were the day before, so we just have to have plan B, C, D and E. Not exactly the way we want it...but that is the way it is.

People can be considerate of others by treating the situation the way they would like it if they were in the same situation...

[blaserman]

I hate when people do this , Yes you could use this to your advantage , that would be good.

But let's say they would walk home for sure.

[BowNut]

Had the same thing this year. On the last day I was able to hunt with my son and dad this year in 34a we were sitting on a hill glassing some flats and some thick trees we had seen deer in opening morning. We (my son and myself) spotted a guy working his way across the flats through the trees. A few min. later 2 guys come around the hill in front of my dad about 20 yards to our left.I could not see them but I could here them talking. My dad stood up so they could see him and shuffled his feet so they would hear him. They turned around and looked at him. One guy asked the other what they were going to do then called the buddy walking through the tree on the radio and then plopped there butts down 40yards in front of my dad! Thats when it got good! There was only about 45 min. of light left. My dad stands up puts on his pack and grabbed his gun. I started to gather my stuff thinking the hunt was over. My dad tosses me his butt pad and said I am going hunting down there. He walks down the hill into the flats and wonders around in circles in front of them looking around with his binos like a birdwatcher looking back at them once in a while. Then once shooting light was almost gone he came back up the hill and gave them an butt chewing and then sat in front of them till they left. By then it was to dark to shoot. The bad part is this was Sunday and we had taken it easy all weekend because my dad had an appointment with the Doc on Tues. for a stress test because of pressure in his chest the week before! I just kept thinking don't have a heart attack stomping through the trees down there. I'm glad he did it our hunt was over for the night and so was there's. Looks like no more Oct. or Nov. hunts for me two years ago two guys shot at a spike deer 5 to 10 yards behind us while glassing on the same hill!

[bowcrazy]

I had the same thing happen to me this year in unit 32, we arrived to the area we were palnning to hunt on the first day, we noticed a couple of guys standing in a camp we passed down the road a ways, we parked and grabbed our gear and headded out up the canyon we were going to hunt and when we reached about mid-point of top of ridge we noticed a couple of guys standing above us,well after we decided that our gameplan had just gone sour we headed up the backside of the canyon to give space to the guys we saw already ahead of us, that evening we were headed back down to the truck we heard a shot from down the ridge to our left and saw them packing out a deer, we decided to go and check out the kill, it turns out that these guys were the guys we had seen in the morning, but the bad thing was they told us that they had seen these guys park their vehicle and they ran up the canyon in the dark to get ahead of them, thats about the time that i started to lose it and decided to let them know that we were the guys that they had ran past, of course they didn't find it funny after I told them. where did all the hunter ethics go? seems like the more I run into these kind of people the more i get angry, come on guys we are are all out there doing the same thing, have a little hunter courtesy to the next guy, you might find some day you might need help and don't be surprised if the person you ask might just look the other way, thats what just seems to be happening more often these days.

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

 

That happens on every hunt now days.... and the guys that do it always think they are funny. Now days guys consider every spot, their spot, weather they are hunting it for the first time or the 31st time...... Welcome to modern Opportunity hunting....

 

Stranding guys in the woods (flat tires) would be bad karma, though......

[bcoover]

I would like to hear the guys who walked passed you and waved story. It seems we only get one side of the story when this happens. I wonder if they were thinking the same thing as you. ''He is in our spot''. I think they should of backed off, but that is just me. There is a lot of land out there and we need to learn to share. This also isn't the first time we have talked about this on this site. All I can say is have more than one spot. when you do your shouting have back up plans. That would stop this from happening. I scout or have 4-5 areas I will hunt. Come hunting season most of the time three are taken. But I am ready for it. I just got done with My October hunt and didn't see one hunter in my unit..... hunting. I saw pleanty driving the roads. And there were hunters hunting 2 of my 5 spots, I just went to the next one.