Have you ever got into an argument elk hunting?

[dylanvb]

I just watched Elk Shapes video on YouTube that he posted about 8 days ago where he got into an altercation with a ranch hand who was kicking them off of state land in New Mexico. Thought it was appropriate for this thread. It’s a 2 part but ill just post the link for the first one.

IMO no animal is worth my life. I just got back from an AZ hunt where my buddies were stalking in on a 150”Plus 4x4 and got bumped by 2 jeeps. First buddy was 100 yards away and then the first jeep bumped them then my second buddy put a stalk on them and got within 50 and a second jeep drove up and bumped them again. We did nothing except pack our shit and eat lunch after that. The second jeep realized what they did and tried to apologize but my buddy was too pissed to say anything nice so he just said they were fine and kept walking back to the truck.

 

[Coupe de Gras]

I'm going to have to move to a different state! All these stories about Texans is making me feel sorry for you guys that had to deal with that. I apologize on behalf of us few good Texans!

 

[aeverett152]

I have been pretty lucky and have ran into nothing but nice people in state and out of state. On the other hand my ex-hunting partner and I got into it on a hunt. Long story short he was very manic, lazy and tried to shoot animals he did not have tags for and I was not having that. Now I hunt solo, with my brother, or someone I can trust. Its very hard being in the backwoods with someone who is unpredictable and a snake.

 

[Pwells10]

Eh not really. I somehow always leave the hunt before that happens

 

[Newtosavage]

I just watched Elk Shapes video on YouTube that he posted about 8 days ago where he got into an altercation with a ranch hand who was kicking them off of state land in New Mexico. Thought it was appropriate for this thread. It’s a 2 part but ill just post the link for the first one.

IMO no animal is worth my life. I just got back from an AZ hunt where my buddies were stalking in on a 150”Plus 4x4 and got bumped by 2 jeeps. First buddy was 100 yards away and then the first jeep bumped them then my second buddy put a stalk on them and got within 50 and a second jeep drove up and bumped them again. We did nothing except pack our shit and eat lunch after that. The second jeep realized what they did and tried to apologize but my buddy was too pissed to say anything nice so he just said they were fine and kept walking back to the truck.

Just another day in New Mexico. I got used to that when I lived there. Learned how to avoid it, most of the time. Some real a-holes up that way.

 

[Gerbdog]

Just another day in New Mexico. I got used to that when I lived there. Learned how to avoid it, most of the time. Some real a-holes up that way.

Also dealt with it living in NM but really never had a huge problem either, long as no one was cutting fences and no ones leaving gates open... everyone was pretty relaxed about it all... but maybe i was just lucky.

Most of the time the ranchers or ranch hands would just come see how its going and ask that we were sure to close the gates behind us.

 

[Newtosavage]

Also dealt with it living in NM but really never had a huge problem either, long as no one was cutting fences and no ones leaving gates open... everyone was pretty relaxed about it all... but maybe i was just lucky.

Most of the time the ranchers or ranch hands would just come see how its going and ask that we were sure to close the gates behind us.

Yup, most of the time. So long as you didn't challenge the cheaters on their BS posted signs and gates across county roads you were fine by them.

After the first couple years, I got to know a couple ranchers who granted me access to 8k acres of BLM and I just hunted there. But some of the things I saw. Man. Just Bold.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

A few years ago I was helping a friend on his Mule deer hunt when this toothless idiot comes out of nowhere and starts accosting me for not wearing enough orange (this is in CO and I was wearing an orange hat but no vest). We got into a pretty heated shouting match (my buddy was 1000 yards away glassing with his dad and when we met back up later that morning he asked me if I had heard all the yelling). I told the guy I wasn't hunting but he didn't believe me. I then asked him how I could be hunting without a rifle. Even after that he just wouldn't stop and that's when I got back in his face and we started shouting. If he wasn't twice my age I may have assisted him with the removal of his last few teeth. I saw him at his truck later and it had Arkansas plates.

 

[Short Track]

I was on a fully guided 1x1 hunt. No idea the guide was green & clueless. We were trespassing on some ranchers private property !! Obviously didn't go too well.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Twice! One on a elk hunt in chimney rock, colorado , we had hiked in early and where setting on the valley rim when we see a herd of orange vest making way toward us, and a nice 6x6 was being pushed up the valley, uncle and I didn’t notice a group of local people flanking us a lititle higher ( about 50 yards) one look at the bull and the group opened up blasting at the bull , directly over our heads, ringing our bells, we stood up after the shooting shopped and words were exchanged, about them shooting over our heads and sky blasting @ stuffout of range, they wanted to escalate the situation wasn’t worth it, turns out they didn’t have a tresspass permit from the Indian reservation to gain access to the hunting grounds and got a vehicle towed and a trespassing ticket

2 was in New Mexico and we were stalking a decent pronghorn on foot
when we see a truck driving on the county road , it stopped even with our parked truck and the guys jumped out belly flopped on the ground and shoot the buck, when they finally walked up to where we were waiting wordplay about didn’t you see us stalk the herd , “ yes why didn’t you shoot him sooner?” Me “ I had a great 200 meters shot when y’all started blasting “ lessons learned about locals when from being out of state, folks can complain about us Texan, but we didn’t start the fights! we have had problems with state draw guys crossing marked boundaries nearby triadad co on late season, we just let the owner and game warden know the information and avoid conflict

 

[BrandonD]

Yes, with some 4 wheeler riders that were not supposed to be off the trail ruining the hunting

 

[ILoveBusch]

Pretty sure Busch lite was involved

Don't blame God's Water

 

[JLeMieux]

No crazy encounters here, but a couple of note.

Whitetail hunting public land for a lottery rifle hunt here in LA. Well before daylight, I got set up in a climber in the area I had scouted a couple days prior. My buddy continued on a few hundreds deeper in. An hour later (still dark) I see a couple lights coming and stop about 75 yds away. I could barely make out voices but no words. I started shining my light at them to get their attention and they both turned my direction. Well the one guy set up right there and the other continued in further. At this point I'm angry. It was obvious they saw me and decided to set up anyway. I stewed on that all morning getting myself worked up. Then at about 9:30 I had a buck come through at about 100 yds, but I couldn't get it stopped for a shot. Sure enough, the guy set up behind me shot a couple seconds later. This was the icing on the cake and really aggravated me. So I decided to climb down and go give him a piece of my mind. When I got there it was a young teen whose dad had dropped him off at the tree. I immediately felt foolish for even getting mad and congratulated him on his buck. From what I gathered during our conversation, they saw me before light but his dad and grandpa had been hunting that spot forever and they were setting up there no matter what. I knew it wasn't the kid's fault and went on about my business.

The second time was a couple years ago in CO during archery. My buddy and I were on day 7 or so of a rough trip that had included truck breakdowns, trailer bearings going out ,and a lost day moving to the plan B spot that was "just down the road a couple hours." We were hiking back to camp down a FS road after making a huge loop and caught a ride with a couple of Texas hunters. They told us they had got on elk that morning, but they were heading home. They gave us an area to go check out the next day, which was going to be our last day. We headed in on an old logging road and shortly after daylight started hearing bugles. We made a big loop to get above the bull and ended up about 5 miles in on the logging road waiting for thermals to switch. As we started getting closer we heard a 2nd bull below the first that sounded like a more immature bull. We were working into position a couple hundred yards above the bench the bull was on but hadn't heard him in a while. It sounded like the younger bull was moving up and getting close so we got set up and started calling. As we start calling we heard the mature bull way up the ridge above us. At this point, I could hear some limbs breaking and knew the younger bull was close. Just as I'm starting to get the fever, I realize it's another hunter. Long story short, the other hunter (a local) had come all the way up from the road below after the first bull with the wind at his back and must have blown him out. As we're talking, the bull bugled a thousand feet above us on the ridge. The other hunter got all excited and said if you guys aren't going after him I am and took off on a sprinting uphill with the wind still at his back. I didn't have the heart to ask him about the wind and waved as he took off. He told us he had rifle hunted for years but this was his first year archery hunting. He was in his 50's, which was pretty impressive with the ground he was covering straight uphill.

 

[landman650]

LOL yes. With my own son. Call it an "aha" moment for me. He left me on the mountain and drove home. I spent four days on the mountain by myself, just thinking about what led to that. It was kind of the same thing as your friend. I thought I was being "direct" when in fact I was just being an ass, and my son (who was almost 24 at the time) had enough.

That moment changed my life. I'm a much better man today because of it.

Other than that, no. I've gotten to the point in my life where I just walk away and go somewhere else if someone is pissing me off. I've packed up camps in the middle of the night more than once, and won't hesitate to do it again. I've turned around and headed back to the trailhead and moved locations plenty of times. These days I just see it as a chance to find a new good spot and don't waste a moment being angry about it. Life is too short for that. Ever since I started taking this approach, I have been so much happier.

Spending 4 days on a mountain alone will give you lots of time to rethink situations lol

 

[Hydropillar]

no.....im just trying to get to my 10 posts

 

[Maverick1]

Nope.

Met quite a few other hunters afield over the years. I recognize they are out there working hard for elk and they have my respect.

Have had encounters where we’ve called each other in, but is never really been more than disappointment that the “elk” was just another hunter. It happens.

Have actually met quite a few other hunters at the trailheads or out hunting that are very much like myself, with similar interests, which I don’t come across in my normal day to day job, so it seems like I get along better with them than most other adults!

Never really had a problem. I don’t like people, but I like other hunters! We get along.

 

[SEIdaho Hunter]

I've heard some terrible stories about people getting in fights in the woods. Luckily for me, the other hunters I've come across have been good dudes.

 

[Mikido]

I’ve got a good one about my dumb cousin trespassing with my dumb uncle….basically my cousin was “scoping” another hunter (watching him through the scope of his rifle)….when the hunter came racing to him screaming at him all sorts of profanities, my cousin dumbfounded responds “what, my finger was off the trigger”

Same cousin refuses to wear Orange to this day, and hunts with his teenage son, who doesn’t wear Orange.

Not defending their behavior at all…..but hunting culture in lower New York from the 70’s and 80’s is a different world from today.

 

[rideold]

Only with myself.

 

[P dog]

Anyone recall that story in Wisconsin back in 2004? A Hmong immigrant from St. Paul, MN was caught on private property and was told to leave. He left but not before he killed 6 members of the hunting party. Thats as bad as it gets.