"Hunter" preparedness?

[Red Rabbit]

While glassing for that elusive bruiser last weekend, I had the opportunity to observe 15 other hunters walking around the mountains. What amazed me was their equipment, or lack thereof. Out of the 15, only 2 had a daypack and 2 had a fanny pack. A couple were carrying water bottles in their hands. Only 4 had binoculars around their necks. Only two wore camouflage. Two had white cowboy hats, two others had white caps, one wore whitish grey pants and jacket, one a white t-shirt, another a faded/almost white jacket, and a few white tennis shoes. None wore any blaze orange. Three groups talked loudly enough to be heard half a mile away. None glassed with a tripod. Two had knives bordering on machetes on their hips. One had a bipod attached to the rifle.

 

Did many of you observe the same? Opinions? Explanations?

[Arizona Griz]

I guess "to each their own". I only ran across 6 hunters in the field. The first group of four had full set of camos, backpacks and all ot the optics. The second group of two really didn't have much of anything. I did glass three illegal aliens pushing bicycles right thru the middle of the Black Hills. That was a sight to see.

[m1280]

i went out w/ azpackhorse on fri and we saw probably 4 or 5 hunters all were down low and one father/son that were low also. only one was sitting w/ tripod etc. but overall saw the same thing, dont know? they were all pushin deer for us though so we appreciated the help, ha! ha! ha!

[bullwidgeon]

That is a killer ratio of lined out hunters compared to what I have witnessed for 2 years in NM now. NOBODY in New Mexico has heard of a tripod or could even begin to understand what to do with one other than take pictures after you kill a deer . Also, bright orange jackets and white stetsons are issued every morning in every camp . And finally according to game law 11507 from the New Mexico code of wildlife rules "no one should carry any water or packs ever at all unless you killed a deer and are going back to get it." You know what though, they did walk up and kill a few bucks, so what they are doing does seem to work for them. They are hunting and getting alot of great excercise but it just does not seem that efficient to me. I guess to each their own and generally old dogs don't want to hear anything about new tricks.

As funny as that sounds I have seen much the same on early hunts in the past in the units around here but every year I see more and more guys with backpacks and some sort of binos at least so things must be changing around here, albeit slowly.

 

Bret M.

[COUESAZ]

The loud talking caughing and smoking is all that bugs me because it affects my hunting if they get to close other than that I am glad to have there help in moving the game.

 

All this last weekend I only used my tripod a little bit mostly because I would get set down and have someone walk up on me while talking to there buddy about an hour and a half after sun rise.

 

My brother and I use our yucca hiking sticks to glass alot also. If we plan on setting an area we break out the tripods.

 

You got to love the guys in full cammo smoking a cigar trying to climb a hill.. I do not want to start a smoking war but to me sent sent sent.

Edited January 1, 1970 by ARIZONA GUIDE

[az4life]

It is pretty amazing what you see and what some of these "hunters" do not see.

 

Countless times I have had hunters hike up to me and be within 10 feet, but never see me. I often hear them coming for 30 minutes or more but they seem to think covering more ground is going to get them something to shoot at.

 

Last year I had one guy stand less than 15 yards from me, talking on a radio to his buddies. He was really tired the way he was breathing, and I decided as I was that close, to stand up and wait for him to notice me. Not wanting to startle him, I just though it best to stand up and not say anything. I was next to a rock outcropping and he was in the open. No brush higher than 18 inches between us. He looked around, and I thought he looked right at me for a couple times but never even saw me! He stared right at me, and I was full in the open, but he did not see me!

 

I talked to his buddies down by the road later and described him and where we were. They knew who I was talking about and said he couldn't see too well.

I don't know how he could see to shoot, but hey he was going hunting anyway!

 

Be Careful out there!

[Coach]

Interesting story about the blaze orange from last year. I was sitting on a rock outcropping and saw a Grandfather/Father/Son group heading my direction. To be safe, I took a blaze orange vest from my pack and placed it on a bush next to me so they would know I was not a deer.

 

When the group stopped below me I swung my bino's toward them just in time to see the young boy say, "Hey dad, what's that?" and proceed to "glass me up" with his riflescope. I of course hit the deck immediately, but the father quickly pushed the gun down, and gave him a stern lecture, but it scared the bejeezers out of me.

 

Back to the main subject - my hunting partner and I have been discussing this for some time now. Out of say 400 permits for a given area, one has to wonder how many are die-hards. Each year I only see a handful of guys who seem really well prepared and know what they're doing. One thing for sure is the VAST majority don't practice shooting enough.

[Couesnut]

Boy, that's not how i saw it.

20 years ago there were only a handful of guys useing big bino's on a tripod.

This last wk. end in 36c it seemed like every tit or ridge had hunters sitting on top with tripod glass, even after 2 hrs of hiking in the dark.

Only saw a couple walking & hunting old school.

Hey Bullwidgen.

. There must have been 10 guys with keys to that gate, as every truck on the road drove right on through. these old legs,& my son had to walked a heck of a lot farther.

How did the 35a hunt go??

Seth missed a 85" buck twice at 328 yds. & we missed a opp. at a toad, 105"plus

Got dark as he froze up behind a mesquite, doing that big buck thing"

Nice to see you after all the close encounters.

DH

[bullwidgeon]

Roger called me a few days ago and indicated the same thing about numbers of folks back there. I guess he moved farther South on Monday after seeing nothing good way back up in there. Congrats to you guys for getting into them anyways, I am sure Seth's shooting will straighten out a little more next go around. 35A was poor. We only hunted till 2:00 pm, I saw quite a few coues deer does and one little buck, some antelopes and a muley buck. Just so you know, there are still deer in the Mustangs just not a bunch of them. We probably would have seen alot more in the Huachuca's or Canelo's. I guess my dad went back down today to try again in one of those other spots. Good luck if you guys go next weekend.

 

Bret M.

[CHD]

I thought 'hunter preparedness' was having a $7,000 4-wheeler (or a trailer full of 'em) and a $59 binocular. Having camo saddlebags on your quad instead of hoofing it with a day pack full of a tripod and 15's. Having a camp cooler plenty full of beer. Pulling your rifle out of the closet, dusting it off, and firing 5 rounds at the range the weekend before the hunt starts. Bringing a generator, stereo, TV, and microwave to camp. Spending the off season on the couch emptying beer cans and pizza boxes instead of scouting and patterning bucks and checking out new places and learning the habits and behaviors of old bucks.

 

I'm confused???

[azcouesandelk]

My dad and I carry one tripod for his swarovskis and our spotting scope while a just rest my Leupolds on my knees since it is only an 8 power. My dad and I hike to a canyon glass for about 45 to 60 minutes then go onto the next canyon and so on. Saw alot of deer and probably push alot of them to but had a great time. We both also carry daypacks and if we get something down one will stay up there and start to quarter it out while the other will hike down to the truck and get our big pack to pack it out with. At our truck we have a water tank with a pump that carries about 40 to 50 gallons of water and sliding drawers with everything that we need for hunting or fishing with in there.

[Psychozar]

I thought 'hunter preparedness' was having a $7,000 4-wheeler (or a trailer full of 'em) and a $59 binocular. Having camo saddlebags on your quad instead of hoofing it with a day pack full of a tripod and 15's. Having a camp cooler plenty full of beer. Pulling your rifle out of the closet, dusting it off, and firing 5 rounds at the range the weekend before the hunt starts. Bringing a generator, stereo, TV, and microwave to camp. Spending the off season on the couch emptying beer cans and pizza boxes instead of scouting and patterning bucks and checking out new places and learning the habits and behaviors of old bucks.

 

I'm confused???

THATS A GOOD ONE.