Public Land Hunting Behavior

[Daves762]

Opening day. Big storm over head. Wife and I up three hours before shooting light. One hour prep., One hour travel, one hour to sit and wait. In our spot one hour before sunrise, 30 mins. before shooting light. 14 degrees out, slight breeze, medium wet snow coming down. Sitting in a SMALL bowl canyon 270 degree view. Same location has produced several times. Nice place for a short morning hunt, before we get froze out.
And then it happened.
Couple hunters park next to our truck, walk in our snow tracks on the way in. Spot us sitting in our spot. We have a long stare down. Then they climb a short bit above us, set up just above us, and start glassing. Literally within 50 yds of our set up.
Ok first off, first come first serve. We were in there an HOUR before sunrise. You showed up after sunrise and wandered in like I was in your back yard. You saw us. You didn't move on.
I don't want to hear any of this "public land that's how it goes" BS. You show up after someone else, you find another spot. You don't sit cheek to cheek, and think it's OK.
Too bad censorship exists or I would tell you what I really think.
If I had not been with my wife I would have started singing Christmas Carols just to scare everything out of there.
Lessons in respect can be painful. Best you practice respect voluntarily.

 

[manitou]

Happened to me every set up this season in WY. I was getting ready to pack up and move as I did earlier in the day and thought: "They are set up with their wind blowing across the deer travel route straight to me, rude S.O.B.s. I can probably out shoot them if their shooting is anything like their hunting prowess" So I stayed, hoping I could dump a nice muley with a long shot right under their rude little noses... and I did. I watched the buck coming from private land two miles away onto public down the drainage heading to water just like they always do. He scented the two fat bass-turds and circled toward me as the "hunters" watched through their binos. I was watching them and it was as entertaining as watching the buck slowly sneaking/moving down and then across the draw. I dumped him at 503 yards and turned to watch the "hunters" stand up with their binos focused on the downed buck. They watched as I made my way over to the deer and began prepping for the job of quartering, then they packed up and left. The access to this spot is only forty yards wide and the public portion of the drainage is small. They knew they would have to set up upwind of me, right in the area I was glassing. They walked right through the buck travel corridor, stopping to look at me through their binos every few dozen yards. Personally, when I arrive at a limited access, small parcel and there is already a vehicle there, I figure: "good on them, they arrived early and deserve to hunt it" and I go elswhere. Was a great evening. I just wish I could see the expressions on their faces and hear their conversation after the shot.

 

[jpd676]

Yeah...it seems like people don't have the ethics they used to. Last week I found a big buck on private land and was watching him in a spotter for 25 minutes. A truck saw me looking, parked a few hundred yards away from me and started watching what I was looking at. The guy then dove over to me and started talking to me about the buck I was watching. He then drove back to the spot he had parked in and as soon as the buck crossed into public land, he let the lead fly. Unfountunatley, the guy wounded the buck and it got away. I'm not sure where people come up with their ideas of sportsmanship.

I ended up killing a good buck but not as good as that one was.

 

[KSB209]

Can't say I have much big game experience like this but try duck hunting in public land and guys taking 200 yard shots at ducks decoying into your spread.... SOBs!!!

 

[Another Casual]

We spent a summer scouting a drainage only to hike in the day before the season and run into an outfitter who setup a bunch of camps there. They were rude to us and obviously wanted us gone, but once we saw them we knew we would go somewhere else anyway. Ended up finding a nice new spot. I had always hoped professionals would be more professional, but I think they preferred their clients not know anyone else had hiked in for free when they were charging for horses.

Everybody wants to think an area is their spot, but the land is there 24/7 and we aren't. If someone beats me in I'll smile/wave and move on. We try to hunt areas with large amounts of public land as it makes it easier to just move on to another spot.

 

[AudentesFortunaJuvat]

I had the "am I duck hunting or deer hunting?" Experience this year, pretty sure I had my rifle out....

 

[Send it 284]

Pressure sucks but I'm over moving because someone else is in the same drainage.
My first bull was a big 6x6, and when I pulled up to my spot a truck was parked blocking the trail.

I hiked around it and found a hunter in the middle of a clear-cut that I hunt, after saying hello I moved past and shot a bruiser literally 5 minutes later.
The look on the poor guys face was priceless when he came over to investigate...

Its public land, I've been hosed and done the hosing. ..
If you don't like it buy a ranch or a guide

 

[Skimbleshanks]

Sorry to hear sbout your bad luck and rude behavior of others. This season I set up at a meadow to glass a couple weeks ago. Couple hours before magic hour im alerady set up. Right about the time my butt starts hurting I hear a few cracks in the distance and my heart starts to race. Its a small meadow 100x150 yards. It gets closer, and louder and more obnoxious, and before I know it 2 guys come busting out into the other corner, walk out into the open and start looking around. When their binoculars were pointed at mine I gave a big dumb wave to them. At least they moved on and I got to watch a pretty sunset. AAANNNNND today I filled my tag on private land.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I dealt with that stupidity just a few weeks ago while moose hunting. An area that my guide had been watching produced a large bull the night before opening day. We spotted him about 400yds off the logging road as it was getting dark. The guide already had a few lesser bulls on his game cameras and was confident that the area would be productive.

Next morning we were up at 3am and on the road at 4am. Dawn wasn't until about 6:30 so I was curious as to why we were leaving so early when the area was only a 1/2 hr away from the lodge. He said that the first truck in an area gets to hunt there and he didn't know if others were looking at the same location but didn't want to take any chances. He said no one else would hunt there if we were there first. We sat in the truck for about 90min when two other trucks came by. They slowly drove past us and starred. Sure enough, they parked a few hundred yards away and started using an moose call as soon as it started to get light.

We were calling from one direction and they were calling from another. It was totally ridiculous and my guide was fuming. He couldn't believe that anyone would do that. We eventually moved through the timber in search of the bull but the day proved to be unproductive for all of us. The next day we hunted in a totally different area that he had not previously scouted. Fortunately, we did not see any other hunters and ended up taking a nice bull.

 

[rsbhunter]

I had "almost" the same thing on numerous occasions... One deer hunt, got there 1 hour before light, went in dark, set up. About 15 min b4 legal, father and 2 sons pull up...see my vehicle..get out, shoot a couple shots (there were no animals) and then hike up.the hill....figure that they thought they could ruin my hunt and chase the deer up the hill at the same time.....no animals taken by anyone... But went duck hunting one time, about 1/2 mile through trees, swamp, mud, etc. Gun, decoys, all the stuff...guys set up from us 50 YARDS !!!!!!! Some people are only alive because it's illegal to kill em! Just started shooting at ducks 100 yards away.....they left......alot of people put what is "legal" over what is right.....rsbhunter

 

[milo-2]

Not to belittle your experience, but with the degradation in society as a whole, I wonder why people are surprised by others behavior.
In my opinion, hunting has never been a fraternity of like minded people, yes, we are all here because of it, does not mean in the field we will be so compatible.
Every advancement, whether in technology like ON X Hunt, or tidbits of info passed on here that just further ensures encroachment of what you know to some extent.

 

[Lee Deming]

There is a skinny public land access a little too close to town that I hunt when I only have a day. Once in there, it opens up to a broad swath of public land and there is space for about 3 pickups at the trailhead. I am always the first one there. Whenever someone pulls up, stops and gets out with the obvious intention of hunting there I speak to them and ask where they are going once they get to the bigger chunk of public land. I offer to let them go in first every time. If they go long, I go short. If they go short I go long. Most guys offer to help if I shoot anything and I return the offer. Talking to them goes a long way to reduce any tension.

 

[ShtrRdy]

Not to belittle your experience, but with the degradation in society as a whole, I wonder why people are surprised by others behavior.
In my opinion, hunting has never been a fraternity of like minded people, yes, we are all here because of it, does not mean in the field we will be so compatible.
Every advancement, whether in technology like ON X Hunt, or tidbits of info passed on here that just further ensures encroachment of what you know to some extent.

...... and there's just a heck of a lot more people in the US. I'm ready to move to WY and I suspect the good folks that were born and live in WY are starting to get tired of others moving in.

 

[RYEWSKY25284]

Opening day. Big storm over head. Wife and I up three hours before shooting light. One hour prep., One hour travel, one hour to sit and wait. In our spot one hour before sunrise, 30 mins. before shooting light. 14 degrees out, slight breeze, medium wet snow coming down. Sitting in a SMALL bowl canyon 270 degree view. Same location has produced several times. Nice place for a short morning hunt, before we get froze out.
And then it happened.
Couple hunters park next to our truck, walk in our snow tracks on the way in. Spot us sitting in our spot. We have a long stare down. Then they climb a short bit above us, set up just above us, and start glassing. Literally within 50 yds of our set up.
Ok first off, first come first serve. We were in there an HOUR before sunrise. You showed up after sunrise and wandered in like I was in your back yard. You saw us. You didn't move on.
I don't want to hear any of this "public land that's how it goes" BS. You show up after someone else, you find another spot. You don't sit cheek to cheek, and think it's OK.
Too bad censorship exists or I would tell you what I really think.
If I had not been with my wife I would have started singing Christmas Carols just to scare everything out of there.
Lessons in respect can be painful. Best you practice respect voluntarily.

Yea, That's total BS.
I'd be fight'n mad