Is nothing sacred

[Dougfir]

I think the only way to beat this problem is to hunt where you could tell everyone and they still wouldn't go there...

 

[Elktaco]

My honey hole is in unit 62 just off the divide road. Another one is by Sleepycat in unit 12.

 

[ndbwhunter]

I know complaining doesn’t help I’m not saying all spots are secret it just sucks to find a good spot then see a post online and someone is naming specific canyons etc 1 google search brings it all up


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If you suddenly found a great spot, someone else already found it years ago. Just because it's good now, doesn't mean it's good all the time.

 

[RyanCmns]

If you suddenly found a great spot, someone else already found it years ago. Just because it's good now, doesn't mean it's good all the time.

I’ve got a spot where I can pin point where a guide is camped every year and the elk are in every year regardless of pressure your right my dad found it years ago that’s why I started this thread it’s secret to me my dad and one day hopefully my son!


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[Bubblehide]

This issue is not about who shows up to hunt or the number of tags. It is about sharing hunting information on an internet forum that should not be shared. Some do it "quid pro quo" but either way I think it is wrong. IMO you are giving out information that does not belong to you.

Hummmmmm, with that logic, you're hunting a "honey hole" that isn't yours

 

[RyanCmns]

Gila is spot on!


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[Researcher]

This may come as a shock to some of you. Maybe shock isn’t the right word. The West doesn’t have the market cornered on population growth. Or urban sprawl. Or hunting opportunities drying up. 25 years ago used to be able to hunt a dozen private places in PA by Pittsburgh for whitetails at any time. I’m now down to my spread of 8 acres and a friends farm an hour away of 85 acres. People leasing hunting land was unheard of here 15 years ago. Now it’s 30 or 40 bucks an acre a year or more. Public land can be ridiculously pressured. Imagine a 300 acre WMA with 20 cars at the parking lot.

I’ve no doubt the West different now than it was in 1980. Let’s just say that’s not a western phenomenon.

Agree one hundred percent. I mentioned western states because thats what I know. Its the same everywhere and with everything not just hunting.

 

[Newtosavage]

I didn’t start this to watch it turn into a huge argument. This forum is to help others and bs with others who are passionate about hunting! I get nonresidents can’t put in the same amount of work and for many it might be a once in a lifetime kind of deal I just think naming specific spots on an open forum is ridiculous! If you want to help someone that’s great but why not give them a starting point ( trail head via PM ) and let them work it out after that? If they wind up being successful after that I’d venture to say it would be even more meaningful


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You can't ask an ethics question on any internet forum, and not have it turn into an argument. We're all wired differently and there is no "right" answer, only what's right for you.

 

[pk_]

The assumption that everyone knows everything about an area because of the internet is false. They could if they knew where to look or even start looking.

The assumption that not a single person knows squat about your favorite hunting area is false. However, that doesn’t disqualify it from being an outstanding area. A few people have kept a few gems for the tribe.

So I agree with the OP. Sharing areas on the internet in the vaguest sense is a mistake. Not all of us have accepted hunting crowds as the norm. I’m not a proponent for disinformation but those units right by Denver is where I would start. You can take that to the bank all my dear internet hunting buddies.

The colfax buck still lives:
View attachment 176137

Dang. That’s a pretty good elk.

 

[npm352]

Here is a great rule for public land hunting spots. If someone else showed you the spot, you should not tell anyone else about it, without consent from the person who told you. And it should be in rare circumstances only where it is kosher to even ask: dad in from out of town, a buddy in from another state for the weekend, etc. You should never even ask about bringing a local to someone else's spot, including a girlfriend.

If you developed a spot, you are free to tell anyone, shout it from the rooftops, post it on the web, etc....but at your own peril. Developing good spots takes a lot of time, money and energy, so usually this limits that, but sometimes not.

I will share with some through PM about spots from places I have hunted, especially OIL species or draw tags, but ONLY parts of the unit I developed on my own, without anyone else's advice. It is not right for me to share what someone shared with me. All I ever ask is for pictures of the kill.

 

[Beendare]

I worked on the District where Larry D Jones killed his big bull shown on the film Elk Fever. I have heard several people talk about the area I also heard Larry gave up on the unit and started hunting along the coast of Oregon due to over crowding where he had been.
......

How did Larry hear about it?

I know the Oregon bowshop owner that told Larry...and he heard from a certain doctor.

Point is...most of these 'secret spots' were from someone.

_______

 

[Swede]

I know a fellow the went salmon fishing on the Sandy River. It is the most, or one of the most popular fishing streams within Oregon. His friend got mad and would never fish with him again because it was his River. Never mind this supposed intruder had taken his upset friend to several different streams earlier.
I think I know where Larry killed that big bull. It was on the District adjacent to where I worked. I have been in that area at different times. I saw no honey hole there. Even though Larry got one, I did not think it that great. I have found Larry to be a fair minded sport.
I think I know who the bow shop owner is, and if I am right; Larry killed that bull long before he had the shop, and even before the previous owner did. I do not want to publicly discuss the bow shop owner, but will say I have a lot more respect for Mr. Larry D. Jones.

 

[Marble]

I think the only way to beat this problem is to hunt where you could tell everyone and they still wouldn't go there...

This is so true... it's why 10% of the hunters kill 90% of the animals.

 

[MuleyFever]

I have had people help me and those are not my spots and I will never tell anyone what I was told about those areas. However, if I am out and find areas then that is info I earned and I have the right to tell anyone about them in any way I wish.

 

[Dos Perros]

All the folks that are sharing proponents, well lucky you I am welcome to receiving help! Please PM me your places to find big bulls and bucks. I promise to keep them to myself and my friends and post about my hunt here later and pretend I did everything myself DIY public land yolo.

 

[Newtosavage]

How do you "develop" spots? I'm learning a lot here.

All anyone who thinks they have a "honey hole" is doing, is setting themselves up for eventual disappointment. What's funny is how they think nobody hunted that area in any of the other seasons when they weren't there.

With all the public land there is out there, how boring would it be to hunt the same places year after year. Life is short. Finding new places to hunt is what's "hunting" is all about.

 

[Poser]

How do you "develop" spots? I'm learning a lot here.

All anyone who thinks they have a "honey hole" is doing, is setting themselves up for eventual disappointment. What's funny is how they think nobody hunted that area in any of the other seasons when they weren't there.

With all the public land there is out there, how boring would it be to hunt the same places year after year. Life is short. Finding new places to hunt is what's "hunting" is all about.

I don’t disagree with having backup plans, however, if you scout thoroughly during archery season and note that a location receives 0 pressure and you hunt the same specific area consistently during 1st and 2nd rifle with no sign of anyone else and it’s high enough that it’s reliably snowed out for 3rd and 4th rifle, I’d say you have “developed” a spot.

 

[sndmn11]

I have put an X on spots for a good dozen or two folks on here. I think it is worth while to step out of the box and think about any time you have had a hunt disturbed by an if ignorant hunter. There may be times when you benefit by helping another hunter so that they take more care rather than blowing through and out an area.
If you fly fish you probably see this on the river all the time: someone doesn't know any better and they ignore all the water except what they perceive to be A water. They end up causing a chain reaction of bumped fish because they are realize they are making a mistake, and then "there's no fish here" is their take away from the run.

....think about that one.

 

[Life_Feeds_On_Life]

How do you "develop" spots? I'm learning a lot here.

All anyone who thinks they have a "honey hole" is doing, is setting themselves up for eventual disappointment. What's funny is how they think nobody hunted that area in any of the other seasons when they weren't there.

With all the public land there is out there, how boring would it be to hunt the same places year after year. Life is short. Finding new places to hunt is what's "hunting" is all about.

I don't think most people think that their spot will never have another hunter come along. I do think that's its reasonable to expect people to not blast those spots all over open forums. If you really want to help someone then send a pm if you must but I really don't think anyone gains from an area being openly posted.

 

[Newtosavage]

You guys are making me afraid to step out of the truck.

And surrounded by tens of thousands (or more) acres of public land, I would find it positively boring to hunt the same area for archery, and 1st and 2nd rifle. But maybe that's just me.