Have you ever got into an argument elk hunting?

[Steve from GA]

Not an argument but disappointment... after we finished setting up camp one of the group realized he left his BP meds & the fifth of Fireball in the truck ... which resulted in a 5 hour hike

I'm kind of the opposite, I guess. If someone in my hunting party brought a fifth of fireball, I would make him hike 5 hours to put it back in the truck.

 

[Dos Perros]

A couple years ago I forgot my Cholula for a truck camp elk hunt. A few days into the hunt my buddy has to make the hour drive to town to get gas (lol). He was going to hit to grocery too so I asked him to get some Cholula. I reminded him several times “dude don’t forget the Cholula.” He comes back, I ask where it is, he says “oh shit I forgot it. They had a big salsa display too.” I almost had to kill him.

 

[feanor]

I’ve had nothing but good interactions with hunters in the field. Fingers crossed for more of that.

 

[Still Hunter]

Most have all been extremely friendly but I have met a couple of undesirable individuals.

 

[cnelk]

No real arguments.

I typically start the morning conversation with ‘keep up or catch up’.

Pretty much takes the arguing out of it.

 

[Ucsdryder]

I have had a few uncomfortable encounters that I now wear a body camera. Now, they only mouth off for as long as it takes them to notice the bodycam. It is rather funny how fast their demeanor changes.

Based on what I’ve read this doesn’t surprise me. Anybody that has to wear a body cam because of their encounters in the woods might need to do a little reflecting…

 

[amassi]

Shot a pretty small(nondescript)5x5 in 2015, had a guy come to the hotel and claim he knew that bull lived on private property and I was a poacher. Gave the warden all my info, gps coords where I shot the bull and pics clearly showing that it was nowhere near the private the guy claimed it was from. Pretty sure Busch lite was involved

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[Bubblehide]

Based on what I’ve read this doesn’t surprise me. Anybody that has to wear a body cam because of their encounters in the woods might need to do a little reflecting…

Your a funny guy. Actually the main reason I got a body camera was due to poachers.

 

[Bigbuck74]

I was always getting in arguments when I owned land with trespassers. Since I sold my land, no more arguments... which is hilarious, because I bought land to get away from people..☹

 

[MuleyFever]

Not an argument but once in AZ I parked next to a truck. Had all 4 doors open on my truck getting my stuff out. I came back to a note on my truck about how the people next to me couldnt get into their vehicle. They were kind enough to throw all their trash and empty beer boxes in my bed.

In the field I have had great experiences with other hunters.

 

[Bearsears]

Ive had two.

1. The first one was over the first bull I ever shot. My buddy was with me and I shot a bull broadside at a little over 100yards with my rifle. He dropped right there. While we were gathering up our stuff and slowly making our way across the ridge, this guy comes charging up the hill to the elk. My buddy says "this guy is going to try to steal your elk". I thought no way.

We get to the elk and he had already bent down and slit my bulls throat. This guy was probably late 60s but was an absolute giant Texan, probably 6'4 to 6'6. The guy says "you boys like this elk I just shot?" My buddy being a hot head immediately starts yelling at the guy. There was a lot of back and forth for several minutes. This guy kept sticking his knife in my face (I think he was more talking with his hands, not really threatening me) I asked him twice to stop putting the knife in my face and calm down. He did it a third time so I took two big steps back, racked my rifle and told him that was three times and there wouldn't be a forth.

Mind you this is my first big game animal so I have zero idea how to handle this situation and we were both in our young 20s. I was so frustrated that I was telling him that I know he didn't shoot it but I don't care and Ill go find another one. Well at this point another hunter in our group who was also in his 60s and had hunted the area from childhood had made it there. He said "we are going to do this the old fashioned way, you both are going to tell me where you shot from, where you hit him and we are going to skin him out and see who's bull he is." We both told our side and then skinned him out. There was only one shot broadside from where I was in that bull and no other wounds. Once that was clear the guy finally calmed down, changed his attitude, congratulated me, and helped us finish up. While cutting him up the guy actually cut himself on my bullet in the offside hide, karma I guess.

To this day Im still not sure if the guy actually thought he shot it or if he was just trying to steal an elk from some young guys. Later that day he ran into yet another guy in our party and told him "I shot a bull this morning at the same time some kid did. We flipped for it and he won." So he obviously wasn't an honest man. Worst part was I never got a picture with my first big game animal but I look at his rack everyday so.


2. Was in the same unit two years ago during 2nd rifle. Very cold day and we were hiking out near sunset. We had just come down a very steep ridge on the trail and were meeting up with the ATV trail.

We entered a large clearing and were walking across it when a shot cracked off right above our heads. I hit the deck and started screaming. I looked up and saw an ATV at the other end of the field but no person. We kept yelling and eventually stood up and started walking towards the ATV. At about the same time I realized there was somebody behind it using the seat as a rest, he shot again right over us. This time we were a lot closer and I threw my pole at him and hit the atv. He finally realized we were there and stood up.

It was a kid maybe 17 or 18. I walked up quietly and asked him to put his rifle down. The second it was on the ATV, I completely blew up. I honestly don't remember most of what I said but I remember when my friend was holding me back I was screaming that hes lucky I don't break his rifle over the ATV and drive it off leaving him there.

Apparently, he said there was a bull above us in the brush and he had no idea we were even there. Seems like he had buck fever and never even heard us yelling before the second shot. The kid looked totally shook up and really scared. Luckily for him he was apologizing up one side and down the other and saying nothing but yes sir. I'm definitely no tough guy and I try to treat everyone with grace, respect, and help if needed. This incident totally got me though and I was completely out of control because Id never had someone shooting directly at me before.

We left, halfway down we ran into his brother who stopped us, he told us his brother had called him and told him what happened crying his eyes out. He apologized profusely and said their dad was one of the county sheriffs deputy and he was in a lot of trouble. I figure that kid will probably be super careful from now on.

Other than those two, every hunter Ive dealt with has been awesome, every guide has been a bit of a d bag, and ever cattle or sheep herder hasnt spoke english.

 

[Brando]

Does arguing with dad every elk season count?

I’ve had one small altercation while hunting on a closed road system that resulted in me being the nice guy, moving my truck to another closed road, and killing an elk.
On a regular camping trip we set up our camp, sans tents. Running some guidelines, tarps, setting out chairs, and preparing the fire pit for a fire. We left to go meet some friends for dinner at the closest town bar. About 2 hrs later we get back to our camp site which is now occupied with “campers”. That conversation was a little more heated and took a little time to ”persuade” the new residents to give our stuff back to us.

 

[Zappaman]

When I shot my big bull in 1991, it was hunting with my GF's brother. I was a BLM GIS coordinator (made maps for a living IN the erea we were hunting) and he was a mechanic at a truck stop. After wasting a few days hunting with him and his father, I went off on my own- shot my elk and came back over new country I'd never been across-- in the dark-- right to the cabin where I knew it would be (because I memorized the map of the area we were in before the hunt).

Next day he was driving the truck and I told him "several times" to go right when he HAD to go left. He KNEW what I did for a living, but he just kept on chain smoking cigarettes and arguing with me about where to go. After several of these "augments" I told him WHEN he was done-- that I'd drive us to my elk. We drove around another hour when he finally said, "ok mister map guy, where do I go?" I had us there in 20 minutes. Nothing like the look on his face when we parked up top and walked RIGHT down to that 365 bull (I told them it was a spike

I chose my hunting buddies more carefully after that one. Turns out his sister was about the same... so I dumped her too

 

[Roguemountainhunter]

Yes, but I'm pretty easy going and so are those that I hunt with.
On one occasion as my buddy said, while we where packed in a few miles, and a few years ago, "there's a whole lot of bad a** in this tent, keep moving".

 

[171farm]

Reading some of these posts leads me to believe that some people will do or say some really stupid stuff over an animal. To almost want to kill someone or get into a super heated argument over an elk is just insane. Yeah I get it, I don’t like someone else telling me I’m on their property when I’m not or would be highly pisses when a once in a lifetime bull or hunt is molested but remember, one wrong fall leading to a rock to the temple from a well deserved punch you landed and now your in jail for killing someone else over a furry animal with antlers. To me life is too short and not worth it. Argue as much as you want but know when to just back down and walk away before it gets to heated

 

[MallardSX2]

Almost every elk hunter I have ever came across in the woods has been a good guy.


The only exception was when I set up camp 150 yards away on the edge of a lake from a bunch of mouthy "hunters" from Illinois in the flattops a few years back. I shut them up when I walked a bull past their camp 2 hours after setting up my tent.. lol The "Calvary", as they called me as I was walking away, apparently did in fact arrive.

Jerkwads left their trash lying everywhere when they left the next day (I cleaned it all up). Honestly, if they are going to chew tobacco at least dont be a little bitches and chew Camel Snus....lol Hopefully they never came back. They left those little snus cans lying all over....

 

[bsnedeker]

The only person I've had an argument with is my dad in the last few years. He's at the point where he can't really get around too well anymore (hip replacements and all) and I think he gets frustrated and takes that out on me from time to time. Whenever I talk about hiking around to find elk he seems to take it as a personal attack. The last time it happened my Father in Law was with us and after my dad stormed off my FIL was like "What the hell was that about?" We had just been talking about our plans for the day and I had expressed an interest in having them drop me off while they road hunted for deer and he just lost it on me.

I had one other kind of funny encounter with a dude on a FS road on our way to the hunting area. I had been hunting this area every day for a week and we had just gotten my buddy a cow the day before. I was driving in again early in the morning and there was another truck on the FS road in front of me. This was the first truck I had seen on that road the entire week but this was near the beginning of the road and I had like 10 miles to go to get back to my area so I figured there was very little chance this guy and I were going to the same spot....no such luck! It became very obvious after a while that we were both heading to the same spot. When we were about 2 miles from the end of the road the sun had just come up and the guy stops his truck and gets out and comes walking back to my truck and says "If you're gonna follow me can you at least turn your headlights off????" in a not-friendly tone. I was like "sure, sorry about that!" and shut off my lights...he sulks back to his truck and we continue on our way.

When we get to the end of the road to the parking area we both get out and I go over and try to talk to him to figure out plans. At first he's kind of surly but when I ask him what his plans were and he tells me he wants to go downhill I'm like "Perfect, I was planning on going the opposite way" he perked right up and we start chatting about elk and whatnot and I told him about the cow we had gotten just the day before and that we had been seeing a lot of them over the last few days.

Every other hunter I've ever run into has been a really good experience (even though I'm always initially bummed to run into other hunters, it's bound to happen). Met some great guys and friends over the years that way.

 

[Dos Perros]

^^ That's a great point. I've met no less than 4 dudes in the field over the years with whom I've exchanged phone numbers. I'm Facebook/Insta friends with 3 of them.

Last year I came across a guy taking a nap next to his 4 wheeler. He was in a spot I wanted to hunt so I chatted him up -- he had beat me to it that morning. Turns out his battery was dead and he was waiting on help. I gave him a jump and we chatted a bit and went on my way. Ended up killing the bull in my avatar in a different spot that evening. I'm not old enough to be wise but karma is a real thing.

 

[WRO]

The vast majority of guys I've met in the field have been great.

That being said, this year I had my first real altercation in the elk woods. (OTC western Washington deer I had a few)

Me and a friend were sitting on a glassing knob and a guy came in after we got there and parked below us and took off down the hill. We kept hearing crashing which my partner was sure was the guy, I was sure it was elk. After about 30 minutes a bull stepped out at 200 yards and I smoked him off my BTX after running to my truck to get my gun. We found the bull quickly and moved the truck down the hill next to the guys truck for the arduous 100 yard pack out . The guy showed up and started screaming at us for cutting him off, my partner was taking off his gear and we were getting ready to go rounds. I was able to get the situation calmed down and the guy ended up gutting my elk for me in exchange for the liver and it turned out well..

 

[Jaker_cc]

A couple years ago I forgot my Cholula for a truck camp elk hunt. A few days into the hunt my buddy has to make the hour drive to town to get gas (lol). He was going to hit to grocery too so I asked him to get some Cholula. I reminded him several times “dude don’t forget the Cholula.” He comes back, I ask where it is, he says “oh shit I forgot it. They had a big salsa display too.” I almost had to kill him.

Sounds like you need to up your hunting company!! I’ll bring a backpack full of cholula… staring at my inbox waiting for the invite haha