The Dark side of Hunting

[S.Kenton]

Nothing really here..I don't hunt on public land too often. I hunt my own property of neighbors and try and get to know the others who MAY or may not be in the woods at the same time as me.. STUMPY:Your story really got to me. I would carry a nice sidearm just in case that ever happens again.. it sickens me that would happen to you.. I often wonder how people like that could even sleep at night. But ya know what they say.."WHAT COMES AROUND GOES AROUND"...I believe that whole heartedly.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Since I legally started hunting in 1948 at the age of 16 on private and public lands, haven't had any negative "events", ever. Hunted deer, rabbits, ruffed grouse and squirrel in Wisconsin for 62 yrs now and haven't met a "slob hunter". Also hunted elk in Montana and Colorado on private and public lands for quite a few yrs and haven't met a "slob hunter" in these states either. Lucky? I don't think so.....Fred

You live in a charmed region.

Hereabout 60% are good and friendly folk, 30% seem angry that you are there (I always ask if on private land but most folks just don't like competition or have a guilty conscience - I have been asked to leave my own land once even) and 10% are alarming in one way or another.

Angriest I ever got in the woods was in my ground blind (where I'd been since an hour before sunrise) which was built just inside land owned by a furniture company where I'd hunted for more than 20 years. At dawn two hunters walked up and told me they'd leased the hunting rights and I could stay until noon but then I had to leave. They walked across a small gulley and off that propery onto a farmer's land (where I had permision) and sat (together!) on a log only about 100 yards off. TWICE I saw them both shoot at running antlerless deer and NEITHER TIME DID EITHER OF THEM GO TO SEE IF THEY'D HIT THE DEER! The second time I could no longer stand it and I went over and chewed them up one side and down the other. Turns out they had not asked the farmer permission (who heard me yelling and came over), had a pile of plastic water bottles and candy wrappers on the ground in just two hours, and, sure enough, after they left I found a blood-trail that ended at a lung-shot doe. They were what we refer to as "citiots" (rhymes with "idiots") from downstate; which is not to say that all are bad . . . but the statistics for them ain't good. I tagged the doe, field dressed it, offerred it to the farmer (who declined and said "guess I have to post my land on that side") and have not been back to that area since.

The good news is that this event lead me to finally buy a home with enough property/woods to hunt.

 

[Robert Egler]

But......Have you ever thought of carrying a piece in case you ever run into those kind of cretins again?

Personally, I ALWAYS carry a firearm in the woods. During hunting season its a long arm, and outside of hunting season its a sidearm. Often even wear the sidearm while hunting, too, except when it's prohibited, like archery season. I can carry a rifle or shotgun to hunt squirrels in archery season, but not a sidearm. I'm sure there's some logic there somewhere. :youcrazy:

 

[Skylinewatcher]

I have not run into any trouble like you guys while hunting. I hate to read about such trouble. But, people will always be people.

 

[vern faulkner]

Was talking to a game warden a few years ago and he told me that back in the mid 60's in another county that 3 or 4 persons were cruising the back roads looking for places where just one car was parked during deer season. Upon finding one they would sneak into the woods as a group and approach the hunter and, at gunpoint, order him to place his rifle on the ground and walk away from it. Then taking his rifle. They were caught after about a weeks time. The police found a bunch of rifles in the trunk of their car, and later found close to 100 at their homes. They were working Pa, N.J, and the lower part of N.Y. state.

Personally, I have had no bad experiences while hunting except for a few tree hugger's that thought that nobody should be allowed hunt anything or be allowed to even own a firearm.

Vern

 

[gearheart]

Not a dangerous thing but I was definitely put off. I used to hunt with a group of friends in an area where some of them had property. We were a camp of 10 hunters and the local men had taken it upon themselves to garner permission from all of the relevant landowners. It's farm country and a strip of woods runs down the middle of a concession with the farms on the outside on the roads. My son came with me on his first hunt and we were put in position by the hunt boss covering a field on one side of the bush. Round about shooting time a farmer comes up riding on his tractor ,demanding to know who we are what we're doing and please get the he%% off of his land. So we skedaddle and find out later that his permission had not been granted. :redface: I was made to look like a fool and a slob hunter in front of my boy and needless to say I don't hunt with that gang anymore. :shake:

 

[hoochiepapa]

If any of you guys use four-wheelers for hunting, don't read this, 'cause I hate them.
THere is a trail that sidles a mountainside favorite area for elk, and it's hidden from the road by shrubbery and debris pushed in by the road grader. I had hunted this area successfully for quite a few years, mostly during bow season. Even had a four-point bull within about 10 yards, but couldn't shoot him because I was laying on my bow!!(Another story, another time).
So after I started ml hunting, I was tip-toeing down this trail, and it breaks out into a really nice meadow with lots of grass and water after about 2 miles. Just as I was about to get to the meadow, and mind you it's just dawn, two 4-wheelers came roaring up, stopped, and the guys asked me if I had seen anything. In loud voices. :cursing: I HATE 4-wheelers!!

 

[Vaino]

All my hunting time is and has been treasured and I refuse to have it spoiled by events or people. Why get all whacked out of shape because of events and people which I have no control over? That's called frustration and I just refuse to have that state of mind. As soon as the word "hate" is mentioned, somebody's not having a good time and life is way too short to be wasting it on "hate" as a reaction to people or things which can be irksome and allowed to attain a "hateful" status in one's mind. At 80 I'm still ulcer free.....Fred

 

[gearheart]

Don't attribute to malice what can be adequately explained away by stupidity. :v I've had a Gamey come motoring up on one of those abominations to check all our licenses at 5 PM no less. Last hour of shooting light. Nothing seen that evening BTW. :shake: :shake:

 

[Stumpkiller]

. . . two 4-wheelers came roaring up, stopped, and the guys asked me if I had seen anything. In loud voices. :cursing: I HATE 4-wheelers!!

I, too, hate ATVs. That's the only restriction I put on folks who ask to hunt on my property. No motorized vehicles (we'll get my tractor if you need to drag).

Over the years I have learned to pattern ATVs and use them to work areas for me. I hunt the thick stuff - usually near a common path. The deer, I believe, also figure out pretty quick not to use or parallel an ATV path. So, find the trails that run perpendicular to them and through the thick stuff.

 

[Marc Adamchek]

Squirrel Tail - I too carry a sidearm in the woods outside of hunting season. Mostly for coyote while I'm walking my Brittany buddy.

I hate to think of ever having to choose to use it against the two-legged vermin.

 

[rabjr]

Guess its a good thing I use a CATV and not an ATV as my legs. :haha: :wink:

We can't use handguns here and the thought of having to wear one because of possible confrontations with slob hunters doesn't sit very well with me. I'd rather bow to their superiority and leave the area as fast as possible. Nothing is worth someone getting shot especially me.

Fred your a lucky man...

 

[Stumpkiller]

For you - there might be one exception.

But you gotta bring down some firewood off the hill if you don't have a deer in the back. ;-)

 

[rabjr]

Been there done that! :haha: When I was huntin the Adirondacks I swear I was a carry all for everybody. But yeah I fully understand, I've had hunts ruined too by ATVs racing around. When I'm going to and from, I don't think I ever hit 5 mph. Always crawling looking around.

 

[Vaino]

ATVs have their places but both Wisconsin and Colorado restrict their useage. Wisconsin doesn't allow ATVs in the woods, only on designated trails and roads and Colorado restricts ATVs to numbered roads and some "open" areas. A few yrs ago I was elk hunting in a "no ATV area" which was plainly evident on the forest map, but along came 2 guys on an ATV putting down a trail and who were completely unaware of the restriction. After a greeting, I informed them that they were in violation and they questioned whether or not they in fact were. I politely asked them to look at the condition of the trails and logging roads for previous signs of ATV travel...there were none. Finally showed them the forest map to no avail...they didn't exactly know where they were. Asked them where they gained access and they said they drove over a large berm but saw no sign, but in fact there was a sign. Told them that on a previous ATV violation , the warden didn't allow the violator to drive out, but instead made him dismantle the ATV and carry it out piece by piece. This convinced them and I never saw them again. Since hunting this same area since 1985, this was the only "event" I've experienced and I still chuckle when thinking about it. Some might, but I don't class these 2 guys as "slob hunters"...just ill informed and because cool heads prevailed, this was only an "event" not an incident and in no way interfered w/ my hunt....Fred

 

[gearheart]

I would have bought tickets to watch that guy carrying the pieces out. :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

 

[hoochiepapa]

You're just assuming it didn't interfere with your hunt. How many elk did they scare away that you didn't see?
And some of these fools don't care what the rules say, they do what they want. Just last year, a "hunter" used his four-wheeler to get out his elk in an area where they are forbidden because he didn't want to do the work to pack it out. And he had to cut down trees to get his machine in. When I asked him why he was doing it that way, he said it was too far to pack out. I asked why he shot something so far from the road, and he just shrugged. He shot it three miles fron his camp, and then broke the law and may have ruined someone else's chance at a shot for his laziness. And it happens all the time. I can take you right now to the area that allows no motorized vehicles, and show you 4-wheeler tracks. I saw them just Thursday. I don't give people much credit for being honest. I guess maybe I've seen too many instances that make me cynical.

 

[gearheart]

Yeah. When it comes to rules a lot of over priveleged spoiled brats who never grew up have that "But I am above the law" attitude.

 

[Vaino]

Hey Mike...if I had ESP I might know the answers to your assumptions, but I don't have ESP so will just have to go along w/ what I think..... those guys on the ATV didn't "spoil" anything at all asre my hunt because I didn't allow that to happen.... :grin: ....Fred

 

[hoochiepapa]

Hey, Fred!! You build beautiful rifles, and have helped me greatly, but we will never agree. You sound like those that would drive on by a difficulty and "not get involved". I, on the other hand am not afraid to get involved. Such was illustrated this evening coming home. A guy was crazily trying to get the Suburban behind him to rear-end him. At 60. He almost caused a five car pileup. Only two of us stopped, and the guy was being crazy throwing tools around and such. You probably would have driven right on by.
I believe that there are some who will try to get those who don't want to, to stay on the law side of things. There are those of us that want to see good and honest things done by people, because we don't do the bad and dishonest things like break game laws. I don't let it ruin my season, just like most don't. I go away knowing that I have done the right thing, and my seasons are always a success. I have turned in poachers, even co-workers, and won't hunt with those that won't obey the laws. And I will stand in the way of someone trying to break the laws.