Rant - What happened to respect for other hunters???

[RocketRob16]

Gotta give props to OP for using this as a learning opportunity and considering all the feedback. Not easy to do sometimes.

 

[TheGDog]

Especially when there are multiple other routes to get to the vehicle that wouldn’t interfere with my hunting at all.

OMG... looking at those pictures? That's a TOTAL d~~k move. That "hill" isn't even hard to negotiate! Steep, meh a lil, but No "endless buckthorn" even. Dude could have AT LEAST hiked like 600-1000yds along the top of the ridge you were sitting at, and THEN descended down... potentially pushing something your way perhaps. I'd imagine THAT could be a gentlemanly thing to do, yes?

For S&G.. next time? Ask him what he does for a career. That oughta be enlightening.

 

[TheGDog]

I don't believe 99% of these guys are people that grew up hunting, it is these adult onset hunters that don't give a shit and/or have no respect for hunting/hunters as a whole.

Brother? WE just don't know any better, at least not at first anyway. Thankfully there are these forums.

That being said, I already knew better than to want to be near another "orange hat" at all. (As time goes on I'm learning how dangerous it is to have them near you)

But things like.. if somebody helps you packout it's customary to give them some of the kill. First of all, at first didn't even know people called up other people to help them packout, that it was even a thing. Second of all didn't know there was that "help tax" on the meat. (Just to give you some "fer instance" examples here of the kinda things WE aren't gonna just inherently know)

Just mentioning these things to you so you understand there's a whole lifetime of stuff you've managed to learn or figure out, or had parents that were into hunting, that WE didn't have growing up, teach you.

Myself personally I asked A LOT of questions on the various forums after each scouting outing, when I'd come up with more new questions, so learned a lot quickly during that first year. Be 10 yrs ago next yr!

 

[wytx]

We all had to start somewhere.
You're learning and that is good, mistakes will happen and I'm sure someone will point them out to you.
Try to keep a thick skin but listen, read and learn- just like you're doing.

Also, learn to spot the BS. Sometimes that can be harder.
Different folks have different ways of doing things and traditions. Doesn't make them right or wrong, just their way to do things.
Many times we've offered meat to folks that helped a bit, locals have nearly always turned us down. They say, it was your tag and your animal , congrats. Different thinking in different parts of the country.

 

[IdahoSwede]

While it’s not as popular to talk about I’ve had nothing but positive experiences running into other people while hunting. I only really hunt in the backcountry but have still ran into many other groups and only had cordial conversations where everyone tried to do the right thing. Lots of good people out there too.

 

[Blowdowner]

I mean... would I do exactly what he did? No. But was it public land? Yes? This might be an unpopular opinion but there's no "dibs" there. Getting there earlier doesn't grant more of a right to glass or hunt it. I've had plenty of hunters walk very close to where I was on their way to who-knows-where and I wouldn't personally "mark off" some random half-mile of land in my mind just because I saw another guy standing on a ridge looking at it.

That guy was awful close to you. But to look at another viewpoint, I'll regularly walk up to other hunters if I find them in the field. I consider it a courtesy - I'm very quiet, and getting close lets me have a brief chat about what they're up to without the sound carrying to any game. I usually ask what direction they're focusing on, and if they're staying put (glassing/sitting) or moving (which way?). I make a point of exiting the area in a direction totally away from their goal. But I consider that me being polite - a kindness, not an obligation.

Then again, I hunt very pressured areas. Running into other folks is common and plenty of folks I talk to will very openly share what they've seen, what they're after, and whether that pond I'm headed towards still has water or not. Despite the stories on forums like this, very few lie - I've always found these brief encounters to be helpful more often than not. Maybe he was hoping he would, too. You never know...

That’s all good what you say there but look at the photo. It’sa grassy parkland and the guy could walk other ways. And he’s quitting early. Original post doesn’t describe whether he’s injured or distressed. I’m curious.

 

[Steve300xcw]

And he’s quitting early

Is he?

 

[Rich M]

It is fully out of control at this point,

I don't believe 99% of these guys are people that grew up hunting, it is these adult onset hunters that don't give a shit and/or have no respect for hunting/hunters as a whole.

It is the guys who didnt grow up hunting.

Thank your youtube heroes and the hunting industry for pushing folks into introducing more hunters or hunting will die.

Then i read the guys on here idolizing their heroes and hanging on every word. LoL! Keep throwing money at them…

Why do you think LR hunting is such a big deal? Cant get closer, need to learn how to shoot further.

 

[*zap*]

Respect has left society why should hunting be the exception.

 

[goathunter]

The older I get the less wound up I get about the little things. Was this guy inconsiderate? Totally. Maybe clueless though. Should you waste one more second of your life thinking about it? Hell no.

 

[Dtharvester]

What ever happened to respect for others? Full-stop

I’m sure it was already mentioned, but I definitely grew up in the “there’s our group, and then there’s those assholes over there”, whether it was fishing or hunting.
As I got older and decided as an adult I wanted to view the world through a different lens, I realized I may have to be the one taking the high road, since I found plenty of people must’ve been raised with the same view as my fam had in my youth.
Personally, I don’t even get out of the truck if I see a rig in “my spot”, but I see plenty of locals that’ll that’ll grumpily cruise into an area because they’re pissed that someone got there before them.
The issue isn’t always due to someone being new to the outdoors, and hunting and fishing.
Sometimes an asshole is just an asshole.

 

[Blowdowner]

Is he?

Once again I completely agree with “it’s public land what can you do” but yeah that guy is traversing the area around twilight so that maybe he’s not quitting early if it’s his 8th day but it definitely makes it a little worse. Is it you?

 

[Steve300xcw]

Once again I completely agree with “it’s public land what can you do” but yeah that guy is traversing the area around twilight so that maybe he’s not quitting early if it’s his 8th day but it definitely makes it a little worse. Is it you?

No not me. Though I have had the nerve to bail on hunting before the shooting hours were over


If gotta guess that if the mans question had been answered a lil differently, this thread wouldnt have been made

 

[taskswap]

I’m sure it was already mentioned, but I definitely grew up in the “there’s our group, and then there’s those assholes over there”, whether it was fishing or hunting.

We often tolerate behavior among friends and family that would drive us nuts from a stranger. And we all know "that guy", don't we? The guy that does the thing that if he was a stranger, he'd be swimming back to shore, but if he's your friend, it's just "goddammit Steve..."

 

[Blowdowner]

No not me. Though I have had the nerve to bail on hunting before the shooting hours were over


If gotta guess that if the mans question had been answered a lil differently, this thread wouldnt have been made

True he should have said take a detour. Now I’m wondering if this guys exit was the main way out.

 

[Amos Keeto]

First time I ever hunted "public" land was Colorado in 1976.
In my previous 26 years of hunting east Texas, I'd always hunted a lease or private property.
I was NOT prepared to have THAT many people wandering around where I thought I should/wanted to be hunting!
Went back three or four years in a row.
1) it was an 800 mile drive - one way!
2) cost $500/$800 between tags, fuel, supplies, food, etc, etc....
3) cut into my vacation time to hunt east Texas
4) growing family meant spending money wiser instead of a wild goose chase

#2 would buy me (at that time!) my annual lease, gas and food plus we had a two room shack rather than a tent.
AND....hunting season lasted two months (Nov-Dec) with a wider variety of game.
And no weirdo, orange clad strangers popping up out of nowhere to spook your game!

EDIT: a hunt was a 45 minute drive instead of 800 miles.
I could take the family from time to time.
Our lease was year round, so if the family wanted outdoor time, I could take them on a "hike" without intruders.

To each his own!
I haven't been back to Colorado since.

 

[JustABritCrazy]

I’m going to give this a different perspective. We hunt public land exclusively in eastern hardwoods. Group includes pre teens and late 80 year old hunters. After the first day we mostly drive with the goal of having kids and old guys seeing some deer. We occasionally will run into other hunters where we are going to post people. We’ll tell them what’s going on, post standers a hundred yards either side of them, if they shot something help them get it out. Sometimes guys are pissed sometimes they aren’t. We aren’t marching the group to another area due to someone already set up and aren’t changing our plans because many times the drivers are already marching to their jump off spots. Other Vehicles at the gate don’t make for changed plans either. Opening day and Saturdays most access points have other vehicles there. If it looks like someone is hunting the clearcut and we catch it before things get set up we’ll move along, but once everyone is mostly set up it’s a go. Is it a d**k move on our part? I’m sure many of you will say yes. Are we intentionally trying to screw up someone else’s hunt no. They’re doing their thing we’re doing ours and it’s public land.

 

[texastea23]

Yeah I can’t remember a rifle hunt where I haven’t seen/ had other hunters bumbling around. I have learned that it is what it is, especially in Combat hunting Colorado. I want to hunt so I get tags where they issue a bunch usually. Try to use other hunters to my advantage. And usually don’t freak out too much. Lots of times we are all just hunting “our plan” lots of times they are counterproductive to each other haha. I have seen guys walk a drainage I was glass turn walk back out and 30 min later there was bulls or bucks where they had been so I try not to be too doom and gloom. It sucks I get it I wish I could have the woods to myself all the time but it’s just not the way it goes… worst experience by far was turkey hunting actually, had a hot gobbler working in for my buddy and had two other hunters from 400 yards away running towards us, while I stood on the backside of the hill flailing my arms to wave them off… after they blew the opportunity I asked them what the hell they did that for and just shrugged and walked off. People are people man

I swear turkey hunting is filled with poor hunter etiquette. It’s a game within the game.
My brother and I were hunting one time on public land and we were calling in a hot bird from a field after he’d flirted with us earlier. Our setup wasn’t perfect so we adjusted and that when he started coming back. Well he’s gobbling like crazy and BOOM! Then I heard someone go hoohoo! really quiet. They were maybe 40ish yards from us. Didn’t figure out until a week later that my brothers best friend had seen the bird from a field, heard our calling, and cut him off without calling once. He said “well you were parked on the opposite side of the road I didn’t realize it was you”. We also found out that him and the guy he was hunting with got to hunt private land attached to public and they killed one that morning and went to public “so they didn’t pressure that spot too much”. I wasn’t too upset of shooting the bird but the moving to public when you had private and got one that morning had me pretty heated.

 

[2ski]

I swear turkey hunting is filled with poor hunter etiquette. It’s a game within the game.
My brother and I were hunting one time on public land and we were calling in a hot bird from a field after he’d flirted with us earlier. Our setup wasn’t perfect so we adjusted and that when he started coming back. Well he’s gobbling like crazy and BOOM! Then I heard someone go hoohoo! really quiet. They were maybe 40ish yards from us. Didn’t figure out until a week later that my brothers best friend had seen the bird from a field, heard our calling, and cut him off without calling once. He said “well you were parked on the opposite side of the road I didn’t realize it was you”. We also found out that him and the guy he was hunting with got to hunt private land attached to public and they killed one that morning and went to public “so they didn’t pressure that spot too much”. I wasn’t too upset of shooting the bird but the moving to public when you had private and got one that morning had me pretty heated.

Oh for shame! You should never ever hunt public land ever ever again after you've hunted private. When we say we're public land owners it actually means only for people that haven't huntes private.

 

[Unrudy]

I swear turkey hunting is filled with poor hunter etiquette. It’s a game within the game.
My brother and I were hunting one time on public land and we were calling in a hot bird from a field after he’d flirted with us earlier. Our setup wasn’t perfect so we adjusted and that when he started coming back. Well he’s gobbling like crazy and BOOM! Then I heard someone go hoohoo! really quiet. They were maybe 40ish yards from us. Didn’t figure out until a week later that my brothers best friend had seen the bird from a field, heard our calling, and cut him off without calling once. He said “well you were parked on the opposite side of the road I didn’t realize it was you”. We also found out that him and the guy he was hunting with got to hunt private land attached to public and they killed one that morning and went to public “so they didn’t pressure that spot too much”. I wasn’t too upset of shooting the bird but the moving to public when you had private and got one that morning had me pretty heated.

Once you start hunting private, to adapt with public land hunters will be difficult sorry about that by the way