An etiquette question

[Bachto]

This was sparked by a Facebook debate, which I know is the healthiest and most productive platform to debate on.

It did make me wonder if I am in the minority. Here is the gist:

As an archery elk hunter would you think it is bad etiquette, disrespectful or rude for a guy to grouse hunt with a shotgun in the elk woods during a open archery elk hunt? I am not talking barging into bugling bulls or knowingly blowing up hunts. Just simply grouse hunting with a shotgun and a dog?

My personal stance is, who gives a f***. It's public land and both seasons are open at the same time and I have way more things to worry about that some guy shooting a few grouse and potentially spooking elk or making them "go quiet" with a shotgun shot.

What are your thoughts?

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

Public land, public use, now if I hear bulls bugling or run into archery guys I’ll leave.


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[180ls1]

Golden Rule, treat others the way you want to be treated. This goes for both sides.

 

[Taudisio]

Public land for public uses. Don’t like it? Make more money, buy your own land or only hunt private land.

 

[idelkslayer]

No, it is not disrespectful or rude for someone to grouse hunt during an open elk season.

I would also be willing to change my grouse hunting plans and go to a different area or different direction if I came across some elk hunters, especially if they are actively calling to a bull.

 

[Bachto]

No, it is not disrespectful or rude for someone to grouse hunt during an open elk season.

I would also be willing to change my grouse hunting plans and go to a different area or different direction if I came across some elk hunters, especially if they are actively calling to a bull.

I basically said the same thing and the response was along the lines of, you should not be grouse hunting at all during archery elk season because the shotgun shots might make the elk go silent.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

I did it and I felt weird doing it. It was actually archery/muzzleloader season. I wasn't in an area I thought was "elky" and mostly was just trying to hike and get a workout in but grouse was open so I brought the shotgun. I also desperately needed practice with cow calls so I took off to go scout for bear, practice cow calling, and hopefully find some grouse as well. I ended up calling in some elk hunters who snuck up on me over a ridge then saw my orange hat and came up to talk. They thought I was a muzzleloader hunter and wanted to coordinate. I felt terrible and told them I'm leaving, they insisted it was cool and were very relieved to see I had a shotgun instead of a muzzie. I asked which way they were going and that I'd go the opposite, they insisted I had every right to be there and I thanked them for it but left anyway. I hiked about a mile in the opposite direction they were going and then made a beeline to the truck, and then almost got killed by a ticket off bull moose when I popped out of the brush 15 yards away.

 

[AME]

If your hunting public, you can't pick and choose what other people do. Take it with good grace. Overlapping habitats and overlapping seasons are going to happen, no way around it.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I basically said the same thing and the response was along the lines of, you should not be grouse hunting at all during archery elk season because the shotgun shots might make the elk go silent.

In CO archery season is all of Sept. Grouse is Sept-Nov. I think its highly unreasonable for archery elk hunters to expect grouse hunters to skip a month of their season just to keep the woods quite. Realistically a 22lr or shotgun doesn't carry very far audibly in the woods imho either.

 

[BBob]

What are your thoughts?

Same thing happens down here with Mearns quail seasons and Coues deer hunts. It's gonna happen, it does happen, deal with it. BTW I hunt Mearns and Coues

 

[trophyhill]

Non issue. Grouse hunters are hunters too. That's like asking the same thing about muzzy hunters hunting during archery sesson. I met some cool muzzy hunters on the mountain this year when I called them in. Had a great interaction with a rifle bear hunter hunting the area I was hunting. Rather than being confrontational, I extended the olive branch to work together with him and offered up a gut pile had I killed one. It's time hunters stop bashing and fighting each other and realize we are all in this fight for our hunting privileges together......

Every grouse hunter I've ever ran across during archery was on a forest road or atv trail. Road hunting. Never have I ran into a grouse hunter off the beaten path where I hunt.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I’m going hunting. I will try to (as always) find my own ridge trailhead, and would certainly alter my course if I ran into someone who got there ahead of me.

 

[Poser]

Is archery hunting for elk somehow more important than grouse hunting?

 

[svivian]

No different than rifle bear season during archery.

 

[Geewhiz]

I think its selfish of elk hunters to be in the area when a guy is trying to bag a grouse. Kidding of course.

 

[Bachto]

Is archery hunting for elk somehow more important than grouse hunting?

No different than rifle bear season during archery.

I said these exact 2 things

 

[Hnthrdr]

I basically said the same thing and the response was along the lines of, you should not be grouse hunting at all during archery elk season because the shotgun shots might make the elk go silent.

Ehhhh I don’t buy that. I hunt busy NF where a lot of people go to shoot there AR’s and pistols. While I think it can be super annoying and frustrating at times. When someone mag dumps for 3 hours, I have heard bulls/ been into elk right after a bunch of shooting happened 300 yards away

 

[CMF]

My personal stance is, who gives a f***. It's public land and both seasons are open at the same time and I have way more things to worry about that some guy shooting a few grouse and potentially spooking elk or making them "go quiet" with a shotgun shot.

In CO archery season is all of Sept. Grouse is Sept-Nov. I think its highly unreasonable for archery elk hunters to expect grouse hunters to skip a month of their season just to keep the woods quite. Realistically a 22lr or shotgun doesn't carry very far audibly in the woods imho either.

agree

Heck, I popped one with my 9mm on our last morning of chasing elk with the muzzy. I don't think would affect the elk unless you were within a few hundred yards of them.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

Is archery hunting for elk somehow more important than grouse hunting?

In my particular case that's what the elk hunters told me, but I explained to them I thought the stakes were higher for them and was happy to vacate the area.

 

[Olympics777]

I hunt grouse during archery elk almost every year. I just pick areas where I think there’s not too many elk and if I see an archery hunter I hike the opposite direction. If it’s public then that’s just part of it. That said, my best grouse spot is near a public shooting range so I’m not usually bothering anyone if I shoot.