Disappointed in non-resident hunters

[rammac]

going to politely disagree about ranchers protecting the land, or even wildlife. I am die hard conservative and lots of family are farmers and ranchers in Neb. but having cattle in the dry western states is an environmental catastrophe,, I've been watching it happen for decades. I would rather have the non-residents throw beer cans around than have the cows. they are turning the ecosystem into a dustbowl as they walk miles a day looking for a bit of grass. probably do more damage than the wild horses. and then the alfalfa farmers sucking the ground water dry, wasting water by running their pivots when they shouldn't be,,,lowering the water table, all the springs are drying up in the mountains because of it, so now the native animals can't get any water,, not to mention what the cows and wild horses do to the still flowing springs. they wont' let any other animals in to drink and stomp the springs into mudholes or even stomp them into not flowing anymore. I am sure everyone on here can agree the wild horses are doing tremendous damage but very few can admit the cattle do even more damage.

i know one local mountain that used to be nice to hunt on but the cows have turned every sqare inch of it into powdery dust,, can't even walk around anymore. sorry for the reality check guys. I am curious if anyone can agree with me? open your eyes and mind and contemplate before responding.

Nope, I for one, can't agree with you. It's more than likely that if what you say is true then the ranchers that ran the ground down weren't very experienced or knowledgeable about ranching. Running your graze down to dust isn't very good for business. In fact, your whole comment sounds awfully similar to the arguments that the anti-ranching/tree hugging community has made for decades and have been proven wrong.

 

[rammac]

If you want to see an example of how self centered most hunters have become just start a conversation about corner crossing or the use of cell phones while hunting.

 

[smokepoler]

Not to worry. Eventually the retired baby boomers will quit hunting and especially won't venture west. Add in there aren't too many non resident Generation Xs and Millennials that can afford the loan shark rates to hunt the western states. In a few years the residents will have the hunting and the game management budget all to themselves.

 

[GonzoK34]

I have hunted in many states over my life time and as a general rule the people I have encountered have been civil. They set their camps up just as I have. They gave me space and I respected theirs. If we happened to be in a similar area we would back out and go else where. Respect, courtesy, humility go hand in hand. There are individuals with a total lack of any of those characteristics. I try to ignore them with the clear mindset that they are a potential threat to my well being. As has been stated where you live and where you hunt may define you as a NR or R. I grew up in this country. I am an American. I fought in Vietnam as. U.S. Marine-that's as American as anyone can get. I pay taxes and I save my hard earned money so I can enjoy the freedom to go anywhere I wish too. It ****es me off when I meet people anywhere outside of California that learn I choose to visit their state and spend dollars to support their economy and have the ignorance to tell me I am not welcomed in their community. There are and will always be jerks who desire to impress us with just how lame they can be. If laws and regulations are being violated—-Report it. If you find trash left behind— pick it up! Today we have "smart phones". Take a picture of the vehicle license plate, note the description of those bad apples-report it! In closing on many occasions the weather has turned for the worse! Surprise some of those "Dumb ***** had to ask me for help"! I chose the high ground and helped them!

 

[corcrazy]

Just a piece of mind ,,,, I'm from Wisconsin we are known for our ruffled grouse I deal with literally hundreds of non-resident our out-of-state hunters being from Parkfalls Wisconsin the ruffled grouse capital of the world, People come from all over they pay their money they buy their licenses they support our community which is great there is also a very big lack of disrespect for our property weather being state national or private this doesn't just happen in the Western states that I love and hunt every fall this happens all around the world I literally can pick up truckloads of garbage ,, cans water bottles dog treat bags whatever have you all over in any parking spot along our public land with the growingInterest in hunting and highly publicized on the inter-web hunting shows podcast it's so easy for somebody to get involved not like it was for us as a family 20/30 years ago. There is no difference with the treatment and respect for firearms I had to take a hunter safety course where I had to have an individual tell me what I was doing right and wrong and wouldn't give me my certificate if I couldn't do what I needed to do to be safe now you just go take a little class on the Internet for 45 minutes and bang you can have a Wisconsin hunter certificate this is all great but it also takes away from a lot of the safety precautions that one on one can teach somebody I spent a great dealOf time with my five-year-old and I feel she is almost more safer than some of the people,,, residences in Montana that I run into in November when I mule deer hunting I have never posted on any forums I read them learn from them and see what other people have to say I will be hunting Wyoming in about a week with my family five-year-old daughter 15-year-old daughter and my wife just go after some antelope for the family as a trip/ camping .. As far as road hunting and all of that goes there are a lot of people elderly/disabled people that no longer can walk 5 miles into the bush like they could when they were young so to keep hunting and something to do they drive the back roads most of them never even pulled a gun out of the truck they're just out to do something to past time Drink there coffee with there buddy I totally respect this and hope I'm able to do that at some point if that ever comes to it, But with that you'll have the high school kids racing around the back roads spinning their wheels like we all did throwing rocks and snow and mud and again hardly to pull the rifle out of the truck but they're just out playing . I see this every year when I'm in Montana Wyoming Nebraska South Dakota and here in Wisconsin it's something we all have to learn and deal with and instead of getting frustrated try to educate people and just make it well aware that it's not everybody just being a jack wagon.. This is none of The hard-working ethical hunters can avoid by getting over the next rise and into the wash and try to stay away from the main roads but again you will have to deal with idiots And people just not familiar with their abilities and what they can and can't do a friend of mine was 11 miles in on his horses this year in Montana and two young strapping guys were back there bow hunting elk and he literally looked at them and said do you guys realize if you kill and elk back here you will never get it out you'll never save all that meat they looked at him dumbfounded like they never even thought that they would have to carry the elk out .. I myself limit myself to 4-5 mile hike with 2 guys that's a hell of a feat to get a bull elk out and all your gear , after 4 trips of pack weight 72 pounds to 96 pounds I was whooped .. I hope maybe some of this post will shed some light on your frustrated hunters as well as I want her in the field dealing with all of this all you can do is just shrug it off and hopefully know you're smarter than the guy that sneaks up on somebody from 300 yards away that's wearing blaze orange .. take care and best of luck in the field !!!

 

[DSheetz]

Just how smart is it to sneak up and try to scare someone that is armed with a rifle ? If they are watching an animal coming in toward them they are probably locked and loaded as well . So what happens when you do that to a combat veteran that has PTSD ?

 

[brentru]

Topic off point. This was about idiots and not ranching.
I hate listening to cows bellow when I'm in elk country but I disagree. The forest service and BLM do a pretty good job out west (WY at-least) when it comes to ensuring ranchers are managing the resources. The cattle and sheep manage the grass and invasive plants keeping them in check which used to be done by the vast herds of buffalo, elk and deer. When properly managed the ecosystem is much healthier. Because of the cattle there are water holes created everywhere where there wouldn't normally be water. They are mud holes sometimes but deer, elk and antelope use them frequently.
I do agree that irrigation of alfalfa and especially corn above 4000 ft is downright stupid.

Back on topic....The idiot WY resident that parked on top of me was the mayor of Rawlins WY - Steve Nicholson and his son. They have a ranch nearby so maybe they assume everyone in the area is a non-resident and they think they own it. Or he is just an idiot - who knows.

Sheep do a service in keeping weeds down, but they need to be off public land BEFORE hunting season starts. I've run into them more time than I can count in the NF in Colorado. Between the herds and the big Great Pyrenees dogs that keep them safe from the predators, it is no wonder that I don't find many elk in those areas during archery season. Almost put an arrow into a brown goat that was eating weeds in the NF one year. Looked like a cow elk for a minute, until it wasn't.

 

[travisch]

Well we're going to a stage 1 area and plan on following restrictions, building a enclosed stove with 1/4 inch spark arrestor mesh per reg. As far as stay away from your state, I dont think so. You have a ton of blm land for all Americans to enjoy

By all means...please enjoy. Be a role model and set a good example.

 

[WYO300RUM]

I have hunted in many states over my life time and as a general rule the people I have encountered have been civil. They set their camps up just as I have. They gave me space and I respected theirs. If we happened to be in a similar area we would back out and go else where. Respect, courtesy, humility go hand in hand. There are individuals with a total lack of any of those characteristics. I try to ignore them with the clear mindset that they are a potential threat to my well being. As has been stated where you live and where you hunt may define you as a NR or R. I grew up in this country. I am an American. I fought in Vietnam as. U.S. Marine-that's as American as anyone can get. I pay taxes and I save my hard earned money so I can enjoy the freedom to go anywhere I wish too. It ****es me off when I meet people anywhere outside of California that learn I choose to visit their state and spend dollars to support their economy and have the ignorance to tell me I am not welcomed in their community. There are and will always be jerks who desire to impress us with just how lame they can be. If laws and regulations are being violated—-Report it. If you find trash left behind— pick it up! Today we have "smart phones". Take a picture of the vehicle license plate, note the description of those bad apples-report it! In closing on many occasions the weather has turned for the worse! Surprise some of those "Dumb ***** had to ask me for help"! I chose the high ground and helped them!

Awesome post . We are liked minded. I lived in Poway for 17 yrs.. Wished we had met. I have to admit , it's nice to live in a free state. I've seen more bad resident hunters than non resident hunters in 8 states I have hunted . Residents out number non res. at least 10 to 1 in the field. Now days the farther you get from the road the better.

 

[Hugnot]

If you want to see an example of how self centered most hunters have become just start a conversation about corner crossing or the use of cell phones while hunting.

Tune me in: what is "corner crossing" - just asking.

 

[Muledeerhuntingfreak]

A men on your post I have had people out in the field using the rifle to look at me before and I don't like it they should not be in the field teaching their kids the wrong thing he had his 5 year old son hiking around with him And I was not happy and I let him know it

 

[jshepherd61]

I know what you mean. I had that happen a couple of years ago, but my truck was parked over the ridge and on the narrow trail. A clear indicator someone was hunting the area ahead. As I laid prone overlooking a short sage brush area below and waiting for the 700yd 6x6 bull to move out from all the cows, a couple of 4 wheelers with Texas hunters came to a stop about 50-60 yds from me. Even though I was covered in orange and obvious to see the moment they topped the ridge 300 yds away, they drove down to me and began to ask, "Have you seen anything?" As I watched the entire herd fleet footing into a draw and out of view.

Been there! I hunt the Gunnison Vally Colorado each year and every year we have the tree hugging group from Crested Butte, Colorado (usually 30 to 50) walking up the jeep trail banging pots and pans on opening day of elk season until local Law Enforcement removes them! Of course everything has scattered prior to there removal!

 

[rockwind]

Nope, I for one, can't agree with you. It's more than likely that if what you say is true then the ranchers that ran the ground down weren't very experienced or knowledgeable about ranching. Running your graze down to dust isn't very good for business. In fact, your whole comment sounds awfully similar to the arguments that the anti-ranching/tree hugging community has made for decades and have been proven wrong.

well,,, then try to keep an open mind and start looking at what is happening. as far as bunny lovers and anti ranching,,,i did't know there was an anti-ranching community. heard about bunny lovers though. not into that as I like to hunt, explore with my atv, hike, and take care of our great country. so if you need to say I am a bunny lover because we have a different opinion, then examine your logic. I am just able to use common sense and look and see the changes that occur,, pretty clear and obvious.

I know it is a sensitive subject that no one wants to address, but there has to be other intelligent hunters out there that see it. time to point it out and fix it before it is too late.

 

[travisch]

Sheep do a service in keeping weeds down, but they need to be off public land BEFORE hunting season starts. I've run into them more time than I can count in the NF in Colorado. Between the herds and the big Great Pyrenees dogs that keep them safe from the predators, it is no wonder that I don't find many elk in those areas during archery season. Almost put an arrow into a brown goat that was eating weeds in the NF one year. Looked like a cow elk for a minute, until it wasn't.

you are an idiot if you almost arrowed a goat.