Mule deer hunting etiquette?

[BroodBuster]

Don't sight in your rifle opening morning of archery season. I thought my buddy was going to be a part of that target practice. He's the most laid back person I know but I decided right then and there to never piss him off!

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

if I see someone cleaning a deer should I offer to help?

I think its fine to walk up and briefly congratulate them and if you desire see if they want a hand or not. If they don't want a hand don't hang around as a lookie lou.


Morning/night stay wide of other hunters. Midday if I happen into another hunter closely I might veer over to say high briefly. Out here in CO you never know who has what tags so there is the potential to share mutually beneficial info depending on who has a buck/doe/bull/cow tag on them.

 

[tttoadman]

I think its fine to walk up and briefly congratulate them and if you desire see if they want a hand or not. If they don't want a hand don't hang around as a lookie lou.


Morning/night stay wide of other hunters. Midday if I happen into another hunter closely I might veer over to say high briefly. Out here in CO you never know who has what tags so there is the potential to share mutually beneficial info depending on who has a buck/doe/bull/cow tag on them.

When I have caught somebody or a couple guys with an animal, I will always offer to take some pics. Some people don't carry the tripods to take selfies or even cameras. I have even gotten peoples email address and emailed pics after I got home. This is a great ice breaker, and people are really appreciative.

 

[AdamW]

Great info guys. As a new public land hunter and western hunter, this is all helpful. For me a big one is "Did I just set up camp in someone's (or our) prime hunting spot?" as mentioned earlier in this thread. I'd love to hear more input on good rule of thumb places to camp or places to avoid camping once you get in the backcountry.

 

[MesaHorseCo.]

If you had telepathy, then you would know if you were in someones prime spot. You don't know what other people are doing, until you see them, just like they don't know what your doing, until they see you. Its just a fact, you will run into other hunters here and there, even in the backcountry. Do your thing, use common sense, and have fun. Me and my wife backpacked to the rim of a good elk basin last year during muzzleloader. The next afternoon, we noticed a speck of blaze straight across the basin from us...we inspected with the spotting scope and noticed another small camp on the opposite ridge in some brush. It was obvious after looking that it was a kid and his dad, and the kid was the one hunting. We were making plans to move out first thing in the am, since they were most likely there first. That night I glassed a nice bull feeding up out of the timber, right next to them in a little draw. I looked at them and they were glassing down into the basin...i was waving my arms like a mad man trying to get there attention, it was near dark and there was absolutely no way my ass was getting over there in time. I finally started waving my blaze vest and they noticed me. I was doing my best to give them hand signals to let them know there was a bull 200 yards from them.

 

[MesaHorseCo.]

They finally caught on to what I was telling them...ive never seen 2 guys throw there gear on so quick in my life! They took off to try to get above the bull and cut him off, and me and the wife were just watching with our binos and spotter and thinking how bad ass it would be if that kid shot that bull. They popped over a knob just a little below him, wind shot up the ridge, and the bull was out of there. It was super cool though watching it unfold, and trying to help people you have never even met. This thread just got my thinking about that evening. It only would have been better if they got him! But then I would have had to drag across the basin and see if they needed help getting him out. The next morning we packed our gear and headed into the next basin. Never saw those guys again.

 

[bowtech3dhunter]

Pretty simple in my mind-would you be pissed if somebody did the same thing to you? If yes, don't do it.

I like this mentality.

 

[elkbowkevin]

Ive always had the mind set as: do unto others as you would like done to you.

I have had some great experiences with "finding" other hunters in areas I am in, and had some not so great encounters too.

One bad one was me calling solo to a small herd of elk, then two dudes come up the trail. I was about 75 yds off the trail to the west, the elk shut up and so do I. They then cross the head of the small meadow and creek head, and head on up the trail. 5 min later, they hear the commotion and then come back down the trail and proceed to stick one of the cows that I was calling in less than 80 yards from me across the meadow.
Mad,,, ya,, disapointed,,, extremely, as I had worked my ass off getting in there at 5am to get set up. These turkey-heads come in at 6:30 in the daylight up the trail in the light light and snuff an elk out from under me.

 

[Eagle]

Ive always had the mind set as: do unto others as you would like done to you.

I have had some great experiences with "finding" other hunters in areas I am in, and had some not so great encounters too.

One bad one was me calling solo to a small herd of elk, then two dudes come up the trail. I was about 75 yds off the trail to the west, the elk shut up and so do I. They then cross the head of the small meadow and creek head, and head on up the trail. 5 min later, they hear the commotion and then come back down the trail and proceed to stick one of the cows that I was calling in less than 80 yards from me across the meadow.
Mad,,, ya,, disapointed,,, extremely, as I had worked my ass off getting in there at 5am to get set up. These turkey-heads come in at 6:30 in the daylight up the trail in the light light and snuff an elk out from under me.

I can understand your frustration, but it sounds like they had no idea you were around, so not sure how you can be upset at them for taking advantage of the situation if they were unaware someone else was hunting that herd?

 

[2ski]

What about grouse hunting? Same time of year. One guy wandering around with a shotgun shooting grouse during archery season.

I'm always kind of leary about sighting in my rifle during any season. Rifle of archery. Never know where someone is almost on an animal.