How do you handle this?
Elk
Say you're hunting a little obscure draw off the road, no real pull off or trailhead so you park in the borrow ditch. You've hunted it regularly for two seasons and never seen anyone else.
You're sitting in front of a tree waiting for elk to come down in the evening and a guy walks right across the little draw about a half mile in from the road and parks himself across on the other side where the elk come from, about 70 yards away.
You know he knows you're there because he looked over and waved when you whistled. It's National Forest.
What do you do?
Shoot a flaming arrow at him. LOL. Not sure how that scenario would work out.
Remove all my clothes and dance out into the clearing singing " It's Raining Men".
That way, we can both go home with a story about witnessing inappropriate behavior and he' ll likely avoid hunting near where my truck is parked tomorrow.
I wave back and add it to experience of public ground hunting.
Maybe 1 of us will arrow an elk and help the other out with getting it off the mountain.
Good luck, Robb
I would leave and go somewhere else.
I ask him why he needs to sit so close, some people have no manners or respect for others. just rude sobs
I love Glunt's response. Hilarious!
I always try to see the flip side as well: You've been hunting this spot for years, you know there's elk here. You get in a bit late on day and across the draw is another guy, you've never seen anyone else in here.
Yes, public land, first guy in should have the spot, others should move on. Maybe to him 70 yards in bow season is plenty of space as he only shoots 20?
Try to see the "nice" in people, yes I get burned occasionally, but you could make a new friend out of the situation.
If it is a good spot, I would stay right where I was and hope for the best, or move a couple of hundred yards, but if it is a good location I would not leave, nor would I confront him.
How about this scenario:
Different day, and on this day he got there first, but you don't see him until you get to your favorite spot and hunker down. Your spot is 200 yards from where he set up. It is too late in the evening for you to go to a completely different location. With the shoe on the other foot, what do you do?
In the second one I would probably move another couple hundred yards to a location where he was not visible, but in reality, both locations are out of weapon range, so technically it doesn't make that much difference.
Maybe in the first scenario, he was actually in the area first because someone dropped him off, explaining why you didn't see a vehicle when you parked. He could have been still hunting until time to sit in the evening on a trail.
Question: What did you do?
Nothing you can do. Yeah, he should probably roll on out since you were there first but it's not a Law or anything like that. Just common courtesy. That's part of hunting close to a road.
I'd leave.
Leave but more than likely I'd move upstream of him, telling him to fly a kite as I walked by. Would probably blow the elk out but I'd be danged if I would let him slip in 70 yards in front knowing I was there.
Had this happen during a muzzle hunt, I set up on side of a hill and a gent came in and sat down 35 yards in front of me, I whistle and he hit me with his flash light. I decided to just move and shortly afterward heard a shot and seen him dragging a buck, just part of public, no difference when someone set up across from your decoys during a duck hunt, isn't right but it is what it is, overcome and adapt.
I thought you were better at parking to throw'em off the trail! :^)
I would like to do what Glunt said, but in reality would sit there PO'd. Then if I saw elk coming to where he would get a shot I would probably make myself known to the elk so they blew out of there before he got a shot. (Part of public is dealing with others, right?)
I would hunt far away from roads.
You think its 'your' spot - he thinks its 'his' spot.
Just because each hasnt seen other hunters there before doesnt mean its a secret.
This is a classic example of how to have Plans A-Z and have a big hunting area.
Im moving...
So I have this spot I've been putting 50 lb mineral blocks in for 20 plus years. I even drop a block in when Im not drawn to keep it going. I have a tree stand 17 yards from it and my buddies and I have killed a lot of elk out of that stand over the years. I added another block to it last month.
Last weekend I decided to add more salt and there was a game camera and a new fresh brush blind on the spot. I simply waved at the camera, put in the salt and moved upstream about 200 yards and picked out a tree to sit opening morning. Public land and yes I could probably beat him in to the spot but it's just not worth the aggravation. Besides, im thinking this just might work out to my advantage. So id move.
I've had this happen at least a handful of times. I move but at least half the time I say something. Nothing mean just kind of a "hey, you know there is plenty of country". If I think the elk will be there any second, I'll leap frog in front of him.
I've had this happen at least a handful of times. I move but at least half the time I say something. Nothing mean just kind of a "hey, you know there is plenty of country". If I think the elk will be there any second, I'll leap frog in front of him.
It's public land, it sucks, but all you can legally do is stay there or move on and try to make his actions help you, move to where the elk are likely to move to when he bumps them.
I'd sit there and stew and stew, getting madder by the minute. That would take about 10 minutes, then I'd get up and leave. I wouldn't look at the other guy. Wouldn't wave. Wouldn't throw a Molotov cocktail at his truck. Wouldn't slit his tires. Wouldn't follow him home and steal his dog. I might dream of all those bad things, but I'd work very hard on my impulse control :)
I have a similar story from hunting a public area draw whitetail hunt in Missouri. I hate public hunting at home in Missouri, for just this reason, and spend the majority of my time on private.
Out west, I've been very fortunate so far . . .
Well I have a 60 yard pin so I'd just hold a little high....
Unfortunately public land comes with the public. I would have walked back to my truck and went with a plan B if possible. I may or may not stop to deface the Obama and Hillary bumper stickers on this guy's Prius on my way out though out of spite! Ha!
Bake we hunt public MO, any chance on hooking us up with private :)
That's what I refer to as a "Drop off only" spot. Nothing you can do now. Just go over and sit down right next to him and have a long conversation about all the things that are "wrong" in hunting these days. When it gets dark you can walk back to your truck together and hopefully have a beer...
Ran into this alot duck hunting. Arseholes will be Arseholes.
So I would consider 3 options. 1) stay put and see if they move on or it works out in your favor anyway, 2) move circling around to cut off the approach route before the elk reach to Arsehole's position....snooker him, or 3) just move on to plan B-Z.
Most likely, unless I am really sure this is the spot that morning, I would move on with option 3.
I fully anticipate running into this scenario Saturday morning when I go to hunt a waterhole I found this year. I have a game cam hanging there.....I hope. It is not far from a road so I'm sure it is well known. Since I've had some bad nose bleeds lately I need to take it easy so this is my spot our of the need to hunt compromised by the need to take it easy right now so as not to ruin the whole season. We shall see how it goes.......
I'd move on but before I did I'd yap at him & see who he is & how long he's known that spot, it's public land but I'm not willing to sit there & share it if I don't have to. (grin) Heck, you may know him!
ElkNut1
Move on, holding my middle finger up as I walk away!
I would at least go speak to him. I also would most likely give him a few tips on being respectful. I know it is public but first come first serve and be courteous. I had an issue last year in Kansas and to be honest I got pissed. I spoke to the kid in a parking area and explained I had been hunting this one draw for a week and asked if he would just stay out of that area, maybe 30 acres. He agreed, I then caught him sneaking around and setting up about 150 yds. in front of me. I am sorry but when you give someone your word and lie, that gets me pissed. I went and sat under the tree he was hanging his stand in and he asked what the hell I was doing. I told him when he was done, I was gonna climb up and sit on his lap. He actually finished putting up the stand but then realized I was serious and pulled it and left. Sorry public or not right is right and an a$$hole is an A$$hole. Turns out after talking to him some more he had buggered me another time as well. Shawn
Do you have rainbow stickers and a coexist sticker on the back of your truck? He may have misinterpreted your whistle!
I used to hunt public land for deer years and years ago, and I had many of these encounters. Sometimes I was there first, sometimes not. If I was the first guy, I would usually ask them to move on. If I was the second, I moved on. Once I was sitting under a tree ( rifle hunting ) on the ground, and saw a guy slipping through the woods, and he sat down about 50 yd. in front of me. This was before camo anything, but he never saw me. I just gave him enough time to settle and slipped out. He never knew I was there.
As others stated, it sucks, but it is what it is. As soon as I could manage it, I quit the public scene.
Don't even get me started on the duck hunting public crap. . .
I shined lights, splashed water, moved a boat, and did everything but yell at the guys setting up 60 yards away one time in the dark. They went ahead and set up.
Of course I was where the ducks wanted to be, so I got the action, until those clowns started sky-busting them before they got to me. . . .
I just pulled my boat right into my decoys and took my time gathering everything to leave.
People. . .
I'd try to be as curtly civil as possible, hard to do I know, but I would make sure he is fully aware that not everyone is as nice as me. Oh and my bear spray might go off... accidents happen.
I used to work with an old fart who hunted deer on public here in northern mn. Opening morning he got to his stand only to find someone in it already, he crawled on up, sat down next to the guy and lit a smoke, asked him how things were going. The guy got down and left. Made for a good story for both of them.
Glunt would do exactly what he said he would do, believe me.
I'd remove my tree steps and leave.
When this happened to me the last time, I sat there and he eventually wandered away. I ran into him later and politely asked why he did that, and he sheepishly replied, "I thought you were going the other direction". Lame and stupid. The guy ended up going in there the next day and hunting all day in bad wind and blew the elk all out of there. I attribute that kind of behavior to the same slobs who do that sort of crap in daily life.
What brought it to mind was lunch with a friend yesterday. Last year he and his son horse packed 8 miles into where they been hunting for a decade. The next day a group of the infamous Amish guys showed up with rented horses and set up their camp 100 yards away. They had paid a driver to drive them from PA and were putting him up in a hotel in Steamboat for a couple weeks.
My friend goes over to have a chat with them. Same story, "public land". So they agree to hunt opposite sides of the big valley. Next morning my friend goes up his side, and who shows up 50 yards from his ground blind, bugling and cowcalling? Same story, shrug - "public land". Two days later my friend and son packed up their camp and left.
Herdmanager, I rarely see other hunters where I hunt close to roads. Everyone knows you have to go deep, deep to find elk. My friends who are "way-backers" all tell me about multiple encounters with other hunters many miles back in the wilderness. I prefer the solitude. This event was a one-off where I hunt.
"Two days later my friend and son packed up their camp and left."
He should have just chased them around with a camera threatening to take their picture;)
Ha! We had some guys wander into the middle of one of our set ups last year, actually planting themselves between the guys we had calling and our guy in the shooter position. We just blew out of there shaking our heads.
That might be counterproductive though. It rewards the guys with no manners. They're encouraged to crowd other guys.
I wouldn't want to be an aggressive jerk tough.
Since he's set up on the opposite side of the draw from you, Lou , he's probably paid no attention to the wind. The hunt is potentially, already ruined.
I think that you should be friendly, very friendly, ...and wander over. Find out where he's from, some of his family history, maybe touch on the topic of manscaping. Ask him if he could help you out assessing a rash since it's in an area that you can't visually inspect.
Suggest that you could fix him up with your cousin...she may not be a looker, but she can do things with her tongue that you wish your dog was capable of doing.
Ask to borrow his truck. Reassure him that you're a different person now. Those troubles that you had are in your past.
Express excitement that he found you and that you've been hoping to find someone to hunt with...that it's been a long twenty three years with no success...at least now you'll have someone who hasn't heard all of your jokes before.
Say "Knock, knock" and wait.
Then look over his shoulder and say "Oh. Shit. That bear's back." and turn and run away.
That's a good reason to go back farther or consider a drop camp next time. Its public land- some guys have a different mentality than others or can care less about others. That's bad character. I may self would never do it-but someone else's kid might- so teach your children well and try to break the cycle.
Glad I live and hunt in Alaska.
I like Orion's ideas :) :)
I hunt public land almost exclusively for Whitetail in Oklahoma and elk in Colorado. It can be very very frustrating but my rule is if I'm first in the spot I stick around and I asked the other person to leave. And if I know someone else's hunting in the area I make it a very good point to steer far away and not disturb them. I feel bad for your buddy! Not much you can do about 30 people!
...I also make it a point to have a back up plan
I would go upto him and talk it out and see if some sort of a deal could be made. Tell him how long you have been hunting there and that by him sitting where he is will ruin any chance for you. Just maybe he'll realize it's a situation best worked out or you'll both be leap frogging one another until you move in on the elk and blow the whole deal for both. Maybe you could spilt the week or rotate days. Much other than that I don't see what you could do.
Public land and half mile away. You either need to stay and see what happens if the elk show up or leave if you don't want to hunt that close to someone. I don't know if this is wide open space or heavily timbered. Where I hunt, a lot can happen in a half mile because you can only see 100 yards in front of you.
I don't especially like it when someone goes walking past my spot bugling but I just keep quiet and when he is past head the other way. Its everybody's land and so we can't get mad when someone else wants to use it.
Most of the time I find it helps to talk to someone I come across and find out which way they are heading and where they are parked. Lets you make a decision as to what you want to do off of the info you get from them. Most hunters I have met have been pretty good sports about it.
It's legal to bait (put out mineral blocks) and hunt over blocks? What state?
I would have to talk with the guy who saw me there and set up 70 yards away.
Like I said, I RARELY ever see another hunter in the spots I hunt, so it's not really a concern. Last year I only encountered one other hunter in the woods in 25 days of hunting, and was into elk almost every day. I hunt an area where lots of hunters like to go far back in, so I don't. I hunt the elk they leave behind, and avoid the crowds of Sitka Warriors.
This deal happened a few years ago.I don't think this guy had a clue how to hunt that spot so I chalked it off to a random encounter. I have not seen anyone in that spot since, and last year almost killed a 350 bull there, just no good shot angle for me.
Was just curious about how others manage this, since I know some of you have this stuff happen fairly regularly. Thanks for the replies.
Yeah, its public...not much you can do except turn the other cheek.
The good news is many don't know how to hunt a spot as so many bowhunters are rifle hunting with a bow. You can come back in a few days when they don't see anything and move on....
Well I sure wouldn't tell a guy I've been hunting a spot for 17 years. That just tells him it's a great spot and you can bet the bank he'll be back.
Last time I was drawn here in Manitoba I got onto a good bull and had slipped in between him and my buddy was cow calling with a decoy in the open 75 yards back. We were on an open fence line and of course some guys ended up parking right behind us and walk in our tracks but they were 500 yards back the whole time. When this bull starts coming in they keep walking until they are 150 yards behind my buddy and pancake and start cow calling. It's like REALLY?!?!?
Just don't get it. The bull obviously hung up and got outta there when the calling started getting ridiculous and he couldn't see anything but grass where they were standing, but even to get to them it would have had to come past me so it's just so stupid on their part. I am looking forward to more of the same in a couple weeks.
That is why I quit hunting public land. Pay an outfitter and enjoy private land solitude, and an enjoyable hunt.
Every day scenario in colorado
Sucks but it comes with public land. Class and respect are in short supply. Some people have more balls then brains, for example asking another hunter to stay clear of an area because they are hunting it. I honestly would just move on to another area an save yourself aggravation.
I have plenty of brains and huge balls and public or not when you approach someone in a friendly manner and respectfully ask them what they plan on doing after you explain what your plan is and said person looks at you and lies to your face and says "I will steer clear, you were here first" then barges in and wrecks your hunt. I am sorry the way I was bought up, said person deserves an ass kicking. Now if he was up front and told me to go f**k myself this is public land!! I would respect that!! Shawn
I'd go have a talk with him and why he thinks it's ok to hunt on top of me when there is an entire national forest to spread out in.
I once parked at a burmed off/tank trapped road, right in front of the burm. As I was walking along the road a few hundred yards in, I hear a quad. I stop and wait for him. He rolls to about 60 yards out, parks and begins getting his bow out and putting his arrows in the quiver, etc as I'm getting more and more pissed off. He strolls on over to me and my buddy asks how we're doing and where we planned on hunting. It was a small area/drainage and I said I planned on hunting all of it. After a few back and forths and me asking if he saw my truck as he drove around it, he finally got the clue and left.
Some people are clueless and need a bit of hellp finding their way.
