Overlapping hunts

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

Not by date overlapping but by actions. So how do you handle yourself on your tag? I'm sure this is very commun and it points, in my opinion to a lot of people's selfish ignorant lifestyle these days. Think like if your in a store and at least every other shopper just parks right in the way while getting what they need. They just think they are the only human on the planet or in the store and they owne the place. I can make many examples but you get the point.

So my buddy is hunting his archery tag in 5b and its followed by a rifle hunt. Most people who hunt elk basically know what hunts are going on and somewhat when. You would think at least for your area you would know. So on Wednesday morning my buddy is in a blind and 3 dudes roll right to the waters edge and blindly wonder around never even seeing my buddy. They get 5 feet from him and are shocked when he asked when they will be on their way? So after some confusion they ask why he is there? He says I'm hunting elk. They are confused I guess because they figured they were the only tag holders and theirs was the only hunt and it started in 2 days? This late hunt had very few tags and we never ran into another archery hunter in 12 days.

We did frequently run into rifle tag holders setting up blinds, tree stands, scouting, cutting firewood for camp, etc. most were ok but all were making his hunt tougher for sure. I know I walked about and scouted during the hunt while my buddy was in a blind or whatnot so I could have buggered another archery guy but I had the commun sense to glass my way into an area to be sure no one was there. Would be nice if this could be avoided more,, I know it's not possible. So how do you guys roll into your hunt with one still going on?

[knothead]

I'm sure there are many hunters that don't know what hunts are going in their unit at all times. The way G&F crams so many different hunts, weapon types and age groups into virtually every week in the fall, stuff like this is bound to happen. When you hear about guys scouting anytime after August 19th I can pretty much bet there is a hunt going on in many of these units. If they are scouting their is a good chance they are impacting the guys hunting. I have a late rifle WT hunt that just opened on the 15th and G&F this year opened it up to over the counter archery deer at the same time. Kind of sucks but what are you going to do?

[Red Sparky]

In my unit here in NM there are 50 tags for the archery elk hunt I put in for. The problem is there are 500 archery deer tags going at the same time. Elk is broken down into two archery hunts Sept. 1-14 and 15th-24th, deer is Sept. 1-30. Basically I have scouted this unit for the last 4 years and been there 4-5 times before the Sept. 1st opener. I roll in two days before my hunt starts and set up camp and get ready. Usually I will try to talk to other hunters to find out which tags they have so we can work together. About 80% of the time it is deer tags and not elk tags. The problem is with the first hunt you get Labor day thrown in there. Luckily where I hunt is not popular with the Labor Day crowd but you do get an increase in activity from some campers.

 

I have had people scouting the second hunt when I was on the first hunt. What I have learned is the further you get from the road the less people you run into. At least the scouters I have run into have been out during non prime hours. When I say that the chances of the elk bedded and not moving were greater. The joys of hunting public land.

[lancetkenyon]

I have squirrel hunted during other hunts, like rifle deer, rifle cow, rifle bull hunts.

 

Public lands, public access, every has a right to be there. While I would try and respect other hunters, I can't expect to have the unit to myself. No different than the influx of cow elk hunters coming in the last 2-3 days of late rifle bull season and start scouting. Or other bull hunters boogering up your plans during your own bull hunt.

[azpredator@work]

A few things I do differently while scouting during a hunt season are:

I start a bit later in the mornings usually hitting the woods a couple hrs after light.

I drive the roads more to figure out where guys are hunting rather than parking and hiking.

I never hit bedding spots during a hunt. Therefore, I dont check cameras until the night before my hunt starts.

 

I dont get upset about others in the woods during my hunts. Goes with the territory. Im happy seeing folks enjoying the outdoors even if they change my hunt plans for the day. Only time I was completely shocked was when I walked up to a ground blind with 3 rifle hunters in it a cpl days before my archery buffalo hunt. Their hunt was listed in a separate regs book and I never would have thought the rifle hunt would have been going on.

[goinhuntn]

Happened to me couple years ago in unit 8. I had a rifle mule deer tag & me & my dad hiked into a tank that is about 2 miles from any road, we set up & were

going to sit the tank until dark. Here come 3 guys & 2 kids scouting for elk they started cutting tree branches to set up cameras, walking around the tank making all kinds of noise.

They didn't even know we were sitting there within 50 feet of them watching them. They walked away about 100 yards, since they blew are afternoon hunt we hiked out & were

about 200 yards away when we heard one of them say there is some guys hunting. I turned & waved & said thanks for making all the noise have a great day!! Public land is

just that & everyone is entitled to use it. We moved on to another area, never did get a deer that year, but hunting public is better than not hunting anyday!!!

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

Ya I understand the whole public land deal I have no issues getting away from people or having other people around. I was more thinking of fellow hunters in different hunts and basically being really oblivious to others. On our cow hunt we ran into a lot of other guys on water but we parked down the road and creeped in glassing and as soon as we saw someone we bailed out. When you drive your ranger crew to the waters edge during a hunt just seems wrong, for you and everyone else. The guys we talked to were all super cool and we worked together no issues.

This was just something new to me that I hadn't run into yet so thought I would get some other horror stories and shoot it around a bit.

[PRDATR]

I'm sure there are many hunters that don't know what hunts are going in their unit at all times. The way G&F crams so many different hunts, weapon types and age groups into virtually every week in the fall, stuff like this is bound to happen. When you hear about guys scouting anytime after August 19th I can pretty much bet there is a hunt going on in many of these units. If they are scouting their is a good chance they are impacting the guys hunting. I have a late rifle WT hunt that just opened on the 15th and G&F this year opened it up to over the counter archery deer at the same time. Kind of sucks but what are you going to do?

 

It has been that way since I started hunting in the 80's and you could get two tags in 29.

[PRDATR]

Happened to me couple years ago in unit 8. I had a rifle mule deer tag & me & my dad hiked into a tank that is about 2 miles from any road, we set up & were

going to sit the tank until dark. Here come 3 guys & 2 kids scouting for elk they started cutting tree branches to set up cameras, walking around the tank making all kinds of noise.

They didn't even know we were sitting there within 50 feet of them watching them. They walked away about 100 yards, since they blew are afternoon hunt we hiked out & were

about 200 yards away when we heard one of them say there is some guys hunting. I turned & waved & said thanks for making all the noise have a great day!! Public land is

just that & everyone is entitled to use it. We moved on to another area, never did get a deer that year, but hunting public is better than not hunting anyday!!!

 

You should have stayed put. The animals are used to activity.

[208muley]

I hunt my hunt. I try to not mess someone up but it happens sometimes. It sucks but with the way azgfd schedules the hunts it's unavoidable sometimes. Of course if I want to assure I won't mess anyone up or no one messes me up I put a backpack on and walk till human sign disappears....... Then go a bit farther.....

[elkaholic]

hunts don't actually over lap much but during an active hunt - others are out scouting for their upcoming hunt which usually begins the day after a hunt ends

 

we'd actually put out a sign HUNTERS at tank or in area . Nobody cares -- they drive right up and do whatever they set out to do!

 

NOTHING NEW here in AZ. Sorry to say but get use to it - it isn't gonna get any better

[muledeerarea33?]

hunts don't actually over lap much but during an active hunt - others are out scouting for their upcoming hunt which usually begins the day after a hunt ends

 

we'd actually put out a sign HUNTERS at tank or in area . Nobody cares -- they drive right up and do whatever they set out to do!

 

NOTHING NEW here in AZ. Sorry to say but get use to it - it isn't gonna get any better

Ive seen signs put out before and no ones actually hunting, they just dont want anyone else there.

[ThomC]

There are clueless people everywhere and they multiply faster and vote. Better birth control anyone?

[Red Sparky]

 

hunts don't actually over lap much but during an active hunt - others are out scouting for their upcoming hunt which usually begins the day after a hunt ends

 

we'd actually put out a sign HUNTERS at tank or in area . Nobody cares -- they drive right up and do whatever they set out to do!

 

NOTHING NEW here in AZ. Sorry to say but get use to it - it isn't gonna get any better

Ive seen signs put out before and no ones actually hunting, they just dont want anyone else there.

 

That or they go back to camp for lunch and want to keep their spot. The best one I put up was elk hunting close to a road, about 400 yards away down a steep slope. The sign said "Hunters bugling down hill to see how many people we can pull in" Sure enough two guys come sneaking down the hill and my buddy shouts out " Well we got the first two!" That was priceless to see their faces.