Am I in the wrong?

[isItFallYet]

If I ate tag soup, I’d definitely post on RS to get some sympathy. The only place you’re gonna find that is in the dictionary; between sh*t and syphilus. Again, my opinion. It’s public land and you should not expect someone to hunt elsewhere if that is where the elk are. That is Colorado.

 

[Dos Perros]

Tough to say without knowing more.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Did your brother get his bull?

That's for a totally different thread. We are bitchin about somebody else hunting public land right now.

 

[streetdoctor]

Where is the line drawn? If some of you are cool with shooting a bull underneath another group, what if one of those guys races you down the hill? Does it turn into a foot race then? Where's the "courteous" line at or is it just a competition?

 

[isItFallYet]

Where is the line drawn? If some of you are cool with shooting a bull underneath another group, what if one of those guys races you down the hill? Does it turn into a foot race then? Where's the "courteous" line at or is it just a competition?

So… maybe this guy has been watching these bulls for days. Then 4 guys show up and sit like their hunting whitetails. What do you do? Go kill elk or let them mess up your whole plan? I’m gonna go kill an elk. Maybe that’s not right. But it is public land.

 

[LongWayAround]

I wouldn't walk up the ridge that I saw four other guys on but... It sounds like this guy was camped at the bottom and walked up a likely route to the top. Along the way, he ran into a guy he saw earlier. Then, he stopped when he spotted some elk and eventually killed one of them.

Sometimes I change my plans on account of others and sometimes I just stick to the plan.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Where is the line drawn? If some of you are cool with shooting a bull underneath another group, what if one of those guys races you down the hill? Does it turn into a foot race then? Where's the "courteous" line at or is it just a competition?

You are working a ridge and come up on a group of of entitled people. Instead of turning around and going home you keep going.

Would you personally pass on a bull to save somebody's feelings or not?

 

[isItFallYet]

You are working a ridge and come up on a group of of entitled people. Instead of turning around and going home you keep going.

Would you personally pass on a bull to save somebody's feelings or not?

Exactly! Everyone is “entitled” to their own private land in a public area. BTW, I only feel this way because I’ve experienced it. I didn’t blame them though, I blamed myself for not getting it done. That should be the lesson here.

 

[isItFallYet]

I had to get into a foot race with some locals in naknek Alaska on a nice moose
they won because I didn’t want a hassle out there in BFE
locals think your scum anyway

Locals won.

 

[MuleyFever]

After reading this again I think the OP posting up on a ridge directly up from a known drop camp is no different, fundamentally, from a guy coming up the hill from said camp.

from the way you describe it, sounds wrong to me but I’d just let it go, no lowlife that thinks a big game animal is more important than having a bit of discretion and integrity is going to get into my head, If I see other hunters nearby where I’m hunting, I’ll turn around and leave, even if I’m there first...

So if you posted up on a ridge and noticed a drop camp down the ridge, like the OP did, you would have left right?

 

[Hunt4lyf]

Whose etiquette are you judging him by? Yours or his? It's Colorado public land hunting, a legal bull is hard to come by, what do you expect?

 

[fngTony]

That's for a totally different thread. We are bitchin about somebody else hunting public land right now.

I wouldn’t say bitching, the op is conflicted hence the title “Am I in the wrong?”

 

[Steve300xcw]

I wouldn’t say bitching, the op is conflicted hence the title “Am I in the wrong?”

1st yea he's in the wrong. Somebody else killed an elk, get over it. I don't understand why people make a thread every time they're feelings get hurt

Almost sounds like they pressed in through his camp to start.

2nd. I would be curious to know how much of a personal bubble around his group on public land is he expecting? 300yards? I just wonder...

 

[dieselchessy]

I often find folks with a plan A, and only a plan A. When they find someone in that area they just continue on with their plan.
As long as they are safe and not rude it’s hard to fault them. Yeah, often they tromp right through areas I wish they wouldn’t. And often they camp in bowls I wish they wouldn’t.

Hopefully that guy isn’t a good enough hunter that he was down in camp scheming that he would go piss you guys off by sauntering up that ridge, making small talk along the way, and then go kill an elk right under your noses.

My questions; Did you analyze his shooting position, the path the elk traveled, and if that looks like a situation likely to repeat? Are you planning to have a guy posted up in that position next time?

 

[svivian]

Colorado is so crowded anymore I just hunt regardless and stick with my plan which is probably what the dude did. You can only drive to so many trail heads packed with trucks before you just get out and hunt.

Also 4 guys set up on one ridge is crazy to me. Why are all of you hunting so close? I’ve only seen that done by guys party hunting and the canons go off all at once when a bull runs bye.

Also if the dude had a drop camp at the bottom of the hill where were you expecting him to hunt? He obviously planned to hunt that area….

 

[Rob5589]

You can be mad all you want but, I'd say that is public land hunting. Posting 4 guys across a ridge top and not wanting anyone else to hunt the area is asking a lot. Especially since he was all set up below you guys previously. It's also entirely plausible that he has a different account of what went down.

 

[Jethro]

That's for a totally different thread. We are bitchin about somebody else hunting public land right now.

All relative though. If brother has bead on bull A, and stranger shoots bull B then I was just curious why the OP is upset about anything.

 

[Tod osier]

I often find folks with a plan A, and only a plan A. When they find someone in that area they just continue on with their plan.

This right here is what causes an enormous amount of conflict. This MAY apply to both parties - the OP's party posting on a ridge above a known camp and the shooter posting himself in amongst the OP's party.

To the OP, I'd be annoyed, but I would have tried to manage the situation when he headed down the ridge towards your brother.

 

[hunterjmj]

Why didn't your brother shoot if he had a bull in his crosshairs? If I have an elk in my crosshairs that means I'm intending to kill it so I'd be pulling the trigger.

 

[Steve300xcw]

I would have tried to manage the situation when he headed down the ridge towards your brother.

What would you have done?