Dealing with disrespectful hunters...

steiney42

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Sep 25, 2023
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13
First off, I want to state that I hate to be writing this post right now, but after much thought I wanted to see how other people would have handled this situation.

This summer I scouted a bachelor group of 3 very nice blacktail deep in the California backcountry. Come opening day of archery, I spotted my target buck with the group and waited for them to bed to get a stock. Once I bedded the bucks I took off all the way around the canyon, about halfway around I came across another hunter (who had not seen the bucks). I told him I was on a stock and that I had to go. He quickly asked if I needed another set of eyes while on my stock since I was alone. After some thought I figured that another set of eyes would be great incase I made a bad shot or something went sideways. We quickly came up with a game plan where he was going to sit about 400 yards up the ridge and watch the stock.

After I left him at his glassing point I made my final stock on the bucks. Everything was perfect. I was within 65 yards and was planning on getting to 55 yards when I heard the first shot buzz by me. The guy I just talked to dropped off the back side of the ridge and was trying to shoot at the deer at over 100 yards!!! the deer busted out of their beds and I never found them again...

Once I realized what had happened, instead of confronting the guy, which I knew would turn confrontational, I decided to just back out of their without saying anything.

Has anything like this happened to anyone out there? It definitely would have been my biggest blacktail and possibly made Boone and Crockett.
 

Hnthrdr

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Woah! That’s wild. TBH if I don’t know you and you aren’t part of my immediate family or hunting party… I am not going to tell a stranger on the wood Jack sh!t about what I’m doing. Especially if he doesn’t know those animals exist. I might nod and tell him good luck and go on about my business. Way too many ass clowns out there
 

Trogon

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Feb 17, 2015
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CO
I ran across some guys once that had driven an ATV into a wilderness area, then shot a nice bull. At the kill site they took minimum amount of meat and left used nitrile gloves, rags, and trash everywhere.

Some people are just pieces of shit, some of those people are also hunters. I just try to not be one myself.
 

FairWeatherFisher

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 1, 2023
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115
Location
Eugene, OR
That sucks. Especially because that spot is probably burned for good now that that jerk knows about it.

I probably would have at least tried to get their name, an photo, and their license plate number if I could, to then put them on blast so others know this is a dangerous person to be hunting near.
 

Hnthrdr

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That sucks. Especially because that spot is probably burned for good now that that jerk knows about it.

I probably would have at least tried to get their name, an photo, and their license plate number if I could, to then put them on blast so others know this is a dangerous person to be hunting near.
Naw man I wouldn’t even do that. Sounds like you learned a lesson, be way more careful what info you spill in the woods. Often at trail heads or in the field if I get asked about bugling or whatever, I’m giving an utterly BS answer and I expect the same from others. I am polite enough, but often very curt and get on with my business. I’m out there to kill something, not make friends.
 

Cornhusker

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 19, 2017
Messages
131
Location
Nebraska
That's a bad deal. I wouldn't have let the guy that I didn't know involve himself by spotting for me. After he screwed you over I probably would have just done the same as you otherwise it's just a fight with knives and bows involved.
 

WCB

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Joined
Jun 12, 2019
Messages
3,631
I #1 wouldn't have said a word about being on a stalk and even more so showed him what I was stalking.

Now I have met guys out hunting before and ended up basically joing their group or them joining ours. I have helped multiple people stalk in and kill animals before. 2 falls ago let a teenage kid from down south shoot a doe antelope with my rifle as his uncle went back to the truck to drive around to meet us.

But the situation you experienced is almost beyond belief. I can see guys seeing a hunter moving in on animals they also spotted and racing them to it (right or wrong I can kind of understand). But having a conversation, agreeing to help out, then F'n a guys stalk?
 

GSPHUNTER

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Jun 30, 2020
Messages
4,531
Very same thing. Replace the deer with a turkey. Two hours of getting him to come to my calls. Shotgun and he missed. Bleeping no go bleeping son of a bleep.
 

Jimmy

WKR
Joined
Apr 18, 2016
Messages
401
Location
California
That sucks man! Some people are so desperate to shoot something that they'll do almost anything.

Makes me feel bad sometimes but I don't tell people anything in the woods. No, I haven't seen anything. No, I've never got anything here. Good luck to you blah blah blah

Sometimes if I think the guy is cool I'll suggest we exchange numbers and we can talk later. Made a couple friends that way. We don't hunt together but we'll share notes and observations sometimes.
 

manitou1

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Mar 29, 2017
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1,932
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Wyoming
First off, I want to state that I hate to be writing this post right now, but after much thought I wanted to see how other people would have handled this situation.

This summer I scouted a bachelor group of 3 very nice blacktail deep in the California backcountry. Come opening day of archery, I spotted my target buck with the group and waited for them to bed to get a stock. Once I bedded the bucks I took off all the way around the canyon, about halfway around I came across another hunter (who had not seen the bucks). I told him I was on a stock and that I had to go. He quickly asked if I needed another set of eyes while on my stock since I was alone. After some thought I figured that another set of eyes would be great incase I made a bad shot or something went sideways. We quickly came up with a game plan where he was going to sit about 400 yards up the ridge and watch the stock.

After I left him at his glassing point I made my final stock on the bucks. Everything was perfect. I was within 65 yards and was planning on getting to 55 yards when I heard the first shot buzz by me. The guy I just talked to dropped off the back side of the ridge and was trying to shoot at the deer at over 100 yards!!! the deer busted out of their beds and I never found them again...

Once I realized what had happened, instead of confronting the guy, which I knew would turn confrontational, I decided to just back out of their without saying anything.

Has anything like this happened to anyone out there? It definitely would have been my biggest blacktail and possibly made Boone and Crockett.
Must have been from Wisconson. It's in their DNA.
 
Last edited:

GSPHUNTER

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Mist have beeen from Wisconson. It's in their DNA.
Man oh man, you are so wrong. I have been hunting Wis. since I was a child. Up to recently I went back with friends to visit family and go deer, pheasant and grouse hunting. My friends four of them all agreed Wis. hunters are the most respectful they had ever had the pleasure of coming across while in the field. Always willing to talk and offer advice on hunting areas, to an extent. Very safety conscious, and will to help if you were in a not so fortunate situation. If you are talking from personal experience, it must have been an isolated situation. Not to say there aren't Aholes but in my vast experiences, they are few and far between.
 

Pdzoller

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Joined
Feb 27, 2021
Messages
376
Location
Oregon
Sucks. If it were me, I would have filmed your stalk and hopefully your successful shot. Some people are dirt bags. We hiked into a fairly remote area about a week before elk season one year. On opening morning there were a group of five guys who walked right into our ambush spot. They seemed nice enough and left the way they came in. Not ten minutes after we last saw them, we hear them empty a couple pistol mags. We headed towards where they were and we could hear them talking shit on their way down the ridge.
 
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