Sitting Water

[LifeFeedsOnLife]

Had an interesting situation come up on my elk hunt last week.  Sat a tank a couple of days in a row, first day about 3 or so a truck with a couple guys drives up and I wave they leave and proceed to park about 75 yards from the tank in the wide open and leave to hunt. Sat a little longer then decide to leave and see if i can turn anything up.  Day 2 same situation so I get up and go ask if they would at least go park up in the trees out of sight and then things start to go south.  Guy has two bad knees and a crossbow says he can't walk around like the rest of us.  Continues to say that since he put in the time scouting this summer and built a blind he has the right to the tank.  I tell him that I put in a lot of time scouting built a blind and was there hours before him so he doesn't have the right to squat.   As far as the handicaps I feel for him but he knew his limitation before he decided to put in and it's not everyone else's responsibility to cater.  He basically told me such and such tank down the way had several guys sitting at once and if I was there the next day he'd do the same.  I wanted to go check out some other areas anyway so I ended up leaving the next day but I told him that was a bs way to act and questioned why he'd want to hunt like that anyway.  All this is to ask is this really a thing?  Multiple people sitting a tank and what, playing quick draw to see who shoots first? It really chapped my hide and I really don't understand anyone would want to do it.

[Swivelhead]

Sitting water is the one sure way to have negative interaction with fellow hunters & the general public.  Expect it.  

[jdown]

Hate to be a total dick but the crossbow and now airbow thing is getting out of hand. It's one thing if you sustain an injury after a draw but putting in for archery knowing you can't shoot a bow.... I guess any advantage right? End justifies the means etc.  40 year old guys who can pack out an elk but can't draw a bow? Whatever  

[Delw]

Always remember that the elk and deer have to get to water somehow, they dont magically repel from helo's.

look for there travel paths and go 200 yards out or so., there last destination is the water hole cut them off before.

[LifeFeedsOnLife]

7 minutes ago, Swivelhead said:

Sitting water is the one sure way to have negative interaction with fellow hunters & the general public.  Expect it.  

I don't disagree but hot dry and slow rut make it more appealing. 

[Heat]

14 minutes ago, jdown said:

Hate to be a total dick but the crossbow and now airbow thing is getting out of hand. It's one thing if you sustain an injury after a draw but putting in for archery knowing you can't shoot a bow.... I guess any advantage right? End justifies the means etc.  40 year old guys who can pack out an elk but can't draw a bow? Whatever  

Bingo! Thanks for taking one for the team. I'm usually the one being the dick about this. Sounds like the dude is an asswipe with an entitlement attitude who has no clue what hunting is about.

[PRDATR]

1 hour ago, Heat said:

Bingo! Thanks for taking one for the team. I'm usually the one being the dick about this. Sounds like the dude is an asswipe with an entitlement attitude who has no clue what hunting is about.

For too many people it is all about filling the tag and braggin on the internet.

[LifeFeedsOnLife]

I really just don't understand why anyone would wait to get an elk tag then sit around water with someone they don't know to see who can shoot first. It literally never crossed my mind until this incident. 

[dcshorthairs]

I had a knucklehead on day 2 of the archery bull hunt try to tell me I couldn’t drive down a road they were walking in on. He parked at a gate and they started to walk in when we drove up. He stopped in the middle of the road forcing me to go around him and began to give me the 3rd degree about me having to turn around and why I would drive past 3 guys walking into a spot with headlights. It’s public land ya’ll. These areas have many animals and plenty to hunt is what I told him. He didn’t like that either and I told him I was going on as planned. He told me that they were chasing a bull in that area and that it was ridiculous I was going on. I finally told him that talking to me the way he was with his kid next to him was not a good idea. He quickly stopped talking and I drove off. 
NO one owns national forest land where I hunt and we all have a right to hunt it. What happened to respecting each other in the woods? It’s the one spoiled apple that ruins the rest. All the other guys I came across were awesome and great to work with. 

[Swivelhead]

3 hours ago, LifeFeedsOnLife said:

I don't disagree but hot dry and slow rut make it more appealing. 

Sitting water (especially this year) is very effective.  Generally, if a target animal shows up, the shot opportunity is very good.  Unfortunately, there always seems to be serious competition for a seat at a water source.  Personally, I don't need the drama and don't care to compete with fellow hunters.  

[Swivelhead]

40 minutes ago, dcshorthairs said:

I had a knucklehead on day 2 of the archery bull hunt try to tell me I couldn’t drive down a road they were walking in on. He parked at a gate and they started to walk in when we drove up. He stopped in the middle of the road forcing me to go around him and began to give me the 3rd degree about me having to turn around and why I would drive past 3 guys walking into a spot with headlights. It’s public land ya’ll. These areas have many animals and plenty to hunt is what I told him. He didn’t like that either and I told him I was going on as planned. He told me that they were chasing a bull in that area and that it was ridiculous I was going on. I finally told him that talking to me the way he was with his kid next to him was not a good idea. He quickly stopped talking and I drove off. 
NO one owns national forest land where I hunt and we all have a right to hunt it. What happened to respecting each other in the woods? It’s the one spoiled apple that ruins the rest. All the other guys I came across were awesome and great to work with. 

Were you on a road that continued on a substantial distance? If the road you were accosted on dead ended within a reasonable distance, say a 1/4 mile or less, I could see the guys point. In that case, park and go for it.  A civil conversation could have avoided negative contact with a fellow hunter.  If the guy was trying to stop access an ongoing road system for his own benefit, I know what I would have told him.

[HyNoon]

Another down side to sitting water is all the hunters with the next hunt walking or driving into to scout and check water, all while interrupting your sit.

 

[coueswt]

Hunting water holes will quickly show you how unsportsmanlike hunters and guides are.  There was probably more competition this year on water then ever.  

[Flatlander]

I would probably just avoid sitting water holes that guys can drive their truck to.

[Flatlander]

1 hour ago, dcshorthairs said:

I had a knucklehead on day 2 of the archery bull hunt try to tell me I couldn’t drive down a road they were walking in on. He parked at a gate and they started to walk in when we drove up. He stopped in the middle of the road forcing me to go around him and began to give me the 3rd degree about me having to turn around and why I would drive past 3 guys walking into a spot with headlights. It’s public land ya’ll. These areas have many animals and plenty to hunt is what I told him. He didn’t like that either and I told him I was going on as planned. He told me that they were chasing a bull in that area and that it was ridiculous I was going on. I finally told him that talking to me the way he was with his kid next to him was not a good idea. He quickly stopped talking and I drove off. 
NO one owns national forest land where I hunt and we all have a right to hunt it. What happened to respecting each other in the woods? It’s the one spoiled apple that ruins the rest. All the other guys I came across were awesome and great to work with. 

Honestly, you kind of sound like the knucklehead here.