"Let me just help you hunt somewhere else." Post your favorite excuse.

[Pacific_Fork]

Haha I’m going to use that one

 

[PhotoHunter]

There's not as many deer around here because all the mountain lions have taken them out. Now the lions are starving.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

There’s no more elk here since the wolves ran them out.... says the guy hunting the same area I am... or the wolves were really getting after it yesterday, blew all the elk out of the unit....
In all seriousness though, I’ve gotten more useful information than misleading from other hunters... BUT I never believe a guy leaning out the window of a truck, someone on an ATV in prime habitat, a guy with a flat bill hat (ears tucked of course) or anyone in Colorado.

 

[Marble]

"Did ya'll do any good?"
*Nah didn't see anything...(covered in blood)*

I cant tell you how many times that has happened. I've got a full pack and bloody pants and I tell them I've seen nothing. They're like, yeah, dang wolves!

 

[Rich M]

A recent post reminded me of one of the more amusing, if not frustrating aspects of elk hunting when running into fellow hunters afield. The guy who offers "advice," which always ends up in a recommendation you hunt somewhere else. It's especially rampant when a resident finds out you're a non resident.

My favorite, and the "go to" for people where I hunt are bears. I can't count the number of times my dad and I have been "warned" about all the bears. It's national forest in the Rocky Mountains, we get there are bears.

Please post the best "advice" you've ever been given by another hunter who was trying to convince you to hunt somewhere else.

I did a second "out west" hunt last year and traded some info with local fellow and whitetail hunters. We got a 159+1 and passed on a big half rack WT buck. Those guys were legit.

I have met non legit folks but they were kinda obvious.

Guy who put me on 7 deer told me about large muley buck and we got to area as a truck was leaving. Didn't see reported buck or does but covered miles. Was it real? I think so, guys were "real". Hope to meet them again some day. Good folks.

Not all are. We had a great hunt, 3 tags, 1 deer. 2 missed. Gonna do it again.

 

[cnelk]

Back in ‘03 me and 2 buds were archery hunting elk one morning about 4 miles from the truck. We ended up killing 3 elk that morning. By the time we made our way out to the trailhead early afternoon, we met a couple other guys we knew.
They were headed in for the evening hunt.

Stopped and chatted and they asked if we seen anything.

I held up my bloody hand with 3 fingers up and said “Killed 3. Good luck”.

No sense lying.

 

[Bubblehide]

I had 2 guys try to tell me I was trespassing on private land several decades back. I was actually in the middle of a very large parcel of BLM land, with no private around for literally miles.

 

[MtnOyster]

I had 2 guys try to tell me I was trespassing on private land several decades back. I was actually in the middle of a very large parcel of BLM land, with no private around for literally miles.

I had a idiot outfitter me and my buddy ran into try to tell me the same thing, he threatened to call the game warden, I said allow me, hell i've already talked to him earlier today, he left in a hurry....

 

[Roughwater]

I had just a few minutes earlier parked on a pull in off a FS Road in the evening. I walked up a short ridge where I could see the mountain side across a creek. As I was standing there looking I heard a bugle and saw some Elk about 1/2 way up the mountain. As I was listening and watching another guy pulled up and walked up to me and started talking. While we were talking I heard a Elk bugle but didn't let on and after a few he walked down to his truck and drove away. I didn't lie but I sure held back. My ears aren't the best and the creek was kinda noisy and if he heard the elk bugle he didn't let on and neither did I. But you can bet I was up on that mountain side come opening morning.

 

[805Bowhunter]

Bowhunting Colorado probably 6 seasons ago...I ran into two hunters pretty far back in...probably 6ish miles. They were coming out of what I thought looked like an insane basin with some good meadows (we had scouted this area a little the year before) and a lot of dense timber. Some good elk sign on the way in and a lot of fresh tracks headed that way. As I was planning my route in, two hunters came walking up the trail and said, "Definitely dont want to go down in there. There's some weird stuff going on just trust us." I said, "huh?" They didnt elaborate but rather said, "trust us, we heard some bugles earlier this morning at ____ (about a mile away). I waited for them to leave as I knew there was going to be some elk down in there. I make my descent into the basin only to hear some weird noises. I wanted them to be bugles so I kept moving in. I get to a little overlook where I can glass into a good meadow...pull out my binos and see seven dudes all running around butt ass naked playing some sort of "tag" game.

I promptly left the basin and headed straight to where the hunters had "heard bugles," blew a cow call, had a 5x5 come walking in to 20 yards, double lunged him, and had the bull in a tree by sundown. Had a family friend come in on horses and asked, "How'd you find this spot?" Didnt know what to say.

 

[ozyclint]

"had any luck with the fishing?"

"no, haven't had a bite all day"

 

[Coveyleader]

Pretty simple......Ask me no questions and I won’t tell you any lies!

 

[MallardSX2]

I dont mind other hunters but I avoid talking with other hunters while in the field. This years Elk episode proves why I do that.

 

[HuntInWild88]

I was just getting back to the truck one day and a guy pulls up with a horse trailer. Asked if i had seen anything and i was truthful and said no. He then tells me i should try another area because this area is "horse country!"
He spilled the beans when he said he drove over 7 hours from the other side of the state just to hunt this specific drainage...

 

[journeyman713]

No excuse - more of a Redemption moment for me.

Years ago, I hunted a very large national forest, had a decent 20 year run.
Good success with Bowhunting whitetail, then hunted the later rifle for the same.
Had developed a couple nice go-to spots, typically if you see a car in the side of the road, you go somewhere else, never a problem during Bowhunting. Sort of an unwritten rule.

Rifle season is a different story. An Indian reservation is near by, I'll say different ethics.
What happens is, every year, truck loads of people will line up near your truck and do a coordinated deer drive, though your area. Yes they see you, in a tree in Blaze orange, and walk right by. They shoot everything they see. You move, they do it again.

One year, I seen this coming and made my own plan. Fifteen guys (the drivers) get unloaded at my trail, spread out 40 yards apart. Five guys (the posters) take the trucks a half mile down the road and go in the woods. I know the area well, half way between these guys is a small clearing. The very moment the last guy stepped into the woods out of sight, I Ran my ass off to that little clearing, and did a post of my own!

Like clockwork, a Doe comes running through the clearing, just as I set-up. One shot - deer down!
Half the drivers come over to see their success, only to realize I was not where they thought I was.
One Love it when a good plan comes together!

 

[iaff3666]

not a peep, still to early

 

[Marble]

I had 2 guys try to tell me I was trespassing on private land several decades back. I was actually in the middle of a very large parcel of BLM land, with no private around for literally miles.

I've had this too. Guy put his own signs up.

Ive also had outfitters tell me the trail was collapsed or blocked, they have 6 hunters station all over the place, this hunters have already shot up the herd and they scattered....on and on.

But it's pretty obvious hes only dropped off one guy when you can see it plainly in the snow.

In the almost 20 years I've hunted in CO, I've only had issues with outfitters. The hunters have all been top notch.

 

[5MilesBack]

There's a reason I wear camo.........I'm not one to converse with other hunters that are out there. The less they know of me even being there......the better. That is unless they've already blown my hunting, then I'll mess with them to no end. But I still won't talk to them.....at least in human talk.

 

[LookinforDirt]

I had some hunters demolish my bow hunting ground blind once. They would usually come in the woods late after I was already sitting for 30 minutes and walk 30-40 yards past my blind to get to their spot. I come in one afternoon and the blind is scattered all over the woods (natural built blind, branches, twigs, etc.). I was 12yrs old! What kind of person destroys a kids deer blind???

 

[OctoberGold]

Last year in CO we were still hunting down a slope looking for the herd we left the night before. Ran into a guy who told us that him his friends who were locals rode horses in an hour from camp to get to this spot. Then proceeded to tell us that him and his 3 buddies had this side of the mountain covered pretty well. We ended up staying and had a couple close calls, but couldn't close the deal. Never saw those guys again, but we would see their horses every day. Apparently there was plenty of room for everyone.