What would you do?
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: Jaquomo
16-Aug-22
You're on public land and are sitting in a treestand by a well-used elk trail. From a hundred yards away, in the timber on the other side of the little meadow, you hear calling that is obviously from hunters. You have not done any calling and they presumably don't know you are there. Or maybe they saw your stand at some point, but decided to hunt there anyway. After a bit, a nice bull walks down the trail, possibly heading toward the calling, but not for sure. He is going to pass by your stand at 15 yards.
Do you shoot him?
From: Highway Star
16-Aug-22
yep
From: Tom
16-Aug-22
Do you have to ask??? Let that arrow fly.
From: Jaquomo
16-Aug-22
I know what I would do, just curious where others draw the line at their own definition of personal ethics.
From: 160andup
16-Aug-22
You serious, Clark?!
From: greg simon
16-Aug-22
I see no reason not to shoot. I put this treestand up in this location because elk used the trail.
From: billc
16-Aug-22
let it fly
From: SlipShot
16-Aug-22
Really? Of course, who wouldn't? It might be different if someone slipped in between the caller and the bull, but if they are sitting in a tree stand. I wouldn't be upset if someone that was in a stand shot a bull I was calling. I would be very upset if another hunter knowingly slipped in between me and the bull and shot it.
From: Michael
16-Aug-22
It depends if they are going to help pack it out or not.
OK no it doesn’t. I would be shooting.
From: Grey Ghost
16-Aug-22
Thump…whack…WOOHOO!!!
Matt
From: Shaft
16-Aug-22
Those are the risks you take when calling and hunting on public. With good calling you can call in a bull but not always. With bad calling you can call in a bull with luck. Anytime you call on public you have to understand that you're calling could be pulling a bull past another hunter and you have to except that risk. I'd take the shot, and if I ran into the hunter doing the calling, I'd let him know I was in a tree stand and thank him for his "excellent" elk calling.
From: maxracx
16-Aug-22
Absolutely, I shoot.
From: Jordan
16-Aug-22
Ran into this in the duck marsh alot back in the day. You would get set up in the honey hole the dux were using and some jacklegs would set up 75 yards upwind and start calling trying to pull the dux off your setup. Sux but public land hunting is what it is. I would never be the one to set up on someone else's set intentionally to cut them off from game, but if I got set up and some jerk tries that trick on me....I'm shooting that animal first if I get the chance. If you are trying to merge into my lane and I have position where you are required to yield to me, I'm not backing off or changing lanes for your dumb ass.
From: KsRancher
16-Aug-22
Shooting for sure
From: jjs
16-Aug-22
Public land open shot what is the ?
From: jjs
16-Aug-22
Public land open shot what is the ?
From: skull
16-Aug-22
Absolutely yes
From: ND String Puller
16-Aug-22
100 yards is pretty close, but you’re already there in a tree stand you put up. It’s not like you we’re moving to intercept the bull. Heck if you let him walk he might get your scent and blow anyway. If it was me calling I’d be happy for the tree stand hunter taking a slam dunk shot... I’d even offer carrying a quarter out if it wasn’t too far. Unless we are talking like a 350” bull then I’d whine a little. So what did you do Lou?
From: Treeline
16-Aug-22
Smoke him!
From: Bowfinatic
16-Aug-22
Absolutely shoot him
From: Snuffer
16-Aug-22
Not even a question of ethics. SHOOT !
From: Willieboat
16-Aug-22
Dead elk walking
From: Pete-pec
16-Aug-22
Depends on the animal. If it is something I wouldn't shoot, it gets a pass, and I'll not only congratulate the hunter, I'll help him butcher and pack the animal out. Why? Because good Karma goes a long way. If it was an animal I deemed worthy, I'd shoot it, and expect no help from the others, and likely break my league on the first rock that rolled underneath me. Why? Because bad Karma goes a long way......and often further. It's a tough predicament, but public land has its inherent dilemmas.
From: SBH
16-Aug-22
I'd shoot him for sure
From: RK
16-Aug-22
I’d miss him so he could go on about his business and get killed elsewhere
From: Habitat for Wildlife
16-Aug-22
Being there first, I don't see the dilemma. Instead of a hunter, if another elk was calling from their location you would shoot, I assume?
Only hunted elk once, unsuccessfully so these are interesting to read.
From: Aspen Ghost
16-Aug-22
Of course. Why wouldn't I? I don't understand why this is even a question.
From: buckhammer
16-Aug-22
Something similar to this happened to me while hunting whitetails. My property has always been a sanctuary for deer and the neighbors and their friends know it.
Years ago a friend of the neighbors placed a stand 15 yards off my line fence. Right at daylight he starts calling/rattling trying to lure a buck out of my woods. His calling was good as he lured a buck from further back in my woods.
The only problem was that the buck walked by me at 10 yards. I shot him as he passed and the buck ran 80 yards and died right beneath the other hunters stand.
I climbed down and walked over to retrieve my deer. When I got there I asked the other hunter "Shall we do this again tomorrow morning?"
He pulled his stand later that day and I never seen him near my woods again.
From: Dale06
16-Aug-22
I’d shoot it 100% of the time.
From: Rut Nut
16-Aug-22
From: Supernaut
16-Aug-22
I would shoot.
From: PECO2
16-Aug-22
Send it!
From: Corax_latrans
16-Aug-22
Nice bull walks by right where I expected him to, I’m going to take the shot that I had set up for. Not that I aspire to hunting Elk from up a tree, but in principle….
I wouldn’t knowingly sneak in on a bull that I was reasonably sure was answering someone else’s calling; that’s a different matter. The smarter move for me would be to get downwind where there’s less chance of my screwing up their set and listen to see what I could learn.
Either that or move into a spot where I think the Elk would pass through if the other hunter(s) were to pass him up or get busted. I think that’s fair enough.
From: Jaquomo
16-Aug-22
I would shoot too. It has never happened to me, but I don't hunt out of trees. I have had it happen when I was on the ground, and I let the bull walk. I was sitting in an ambush and they moved in and started calling. Not a big bull. The other hunters didn't get a shot and they never knew I was there until later when we ran into each other at the parking pulloff.
I just threw it out there for discussion since it's almost elk season and Bowsite needs to be more about bowhunting and less about politics.
Thanks for playing!
From: Jordan
16-Aug-22
Amen to that Lou! This place is dead with 2 weeks to go. SMH
From: Ccity65
16-Aug-22
I would probably figure out a way to blow it, but my intent would be to kill the bull...
From: ND String Puller
16-Aug-22
Good thread! Thanks Lou, I tried the same with the Elk tips thread but didn’t turn up too much interest...us bowhunters are a secretive bunch! Just got tired of the old political circle jerk with the same merry band of pivot men.
Getting excited for September and I don’t even have a tag this year... it’s the wife’s turn to shoot. She’s got a bull tag for the Missouri River Breaks. Good luck this season!
From: Jaquomo
16-Aug-22
Looking forward to seeing pics and hearing the story of her big Breaks bull! Have a great hunt!
From: LBshooter
16-Aug-22
Why wouldn't you?
From: BULELK1
17-Aug-22
I haven't done a Tree stand in years, but I would arrow that bull for sure!
Then see if those other guys would help me pack him out------> haha
Good luck, Robb
From: midwest
17-Aug-22
Nah....I'd let him go. I'm sure they'd do the same.
j/k
From: GhostBird
17-Aug-22
???... I'll play...uh,Yell at the bull and blow him out of there so nobody gets a shot at him.
From: Vonfoust
17-Aug-22
I'd shoot until I'm out of arrows.
From: Patdel
17-Aug-22
Shoot. Wouldnt think twice.
From: 320Bull
17-Aug-22
I would be glad I killed it before the other guys puked up the area. Really though I would have no issue shooting it. As mentioned before you put the stand on that trail for a reason. Not to mention that 100 yards the bull has to travel across a meadow to get to them is the toughest part if the bull is actually going to the calls. I see it walking out in the meadow and hanging up.
From: WYelkhunter
17-Aug-22
If its a bull I want to shoot hell yes I shoot it. Even if I knew it was going to their calling I would shoot it. It has nothing to do with who was there first or last or who is calling who isn't. It is about hunting. I gave hunters a chance once because I knew they were calling to a specific bull (a bull I had hunted the day before) and I just sat and watched and listened to give them a chance at the bull. I will never do it again. I knew the bull wasn't going to come to them any closer but they were not smart enough to figure it out and just sat there calling. Next time I am in that situation I am going to go after the bull.
From: DanaC
17-Aug-22
I've had turkey 'callers' walk right in on a tom I was a minute from bagging and blow my hunt up. Life ain't fair. If they know you're there and they're dumb enough to call a bull past you anyway, c'est la vie!
