WTF is up with some hunters

[Delw]

 

 

 

 

Rant: Headed down a long rough road to the parking area I was going hunting in. 1 Hour rough drive on quad. Passed a grandma speed polaris UTV about half way. Made it to the parking area, now an hour hike up and down hills to reach the good stuff... near the base of where it gets steep. I'm glassing what I can see before pushing on. Pushing on means only 1 good way to go. It's steep right, it's steep left. However go straight and it gets better then you can really see good country. 30 minutes of glassing I hear 2 guys coming up behind behind me. Yep... polaris guys. Small chat for a minute and they say well good luck... and walk directly in front of where I'm glassing and into the area I'm working into. Is it just me was that an a-hole move?

next time go straight to the good spot.

 

Sure... and blow out the deer between where I was and there. By the way, this wasn't a "trail"... the trail branches off about 1/2 mile back. This was a ridge line. I just wouldn't have done what they did.

 

A ridge line is a trail, you yourself said it was impassible/ extreamly rough on both sides. now you expect then to walk 1/2 mile back to go another route.

 

fake edit

they coudl be saying, you know we were driving alon at our own pass and this guy passed us hauling butt right in front of us scaring everything away

 

Sure thing boss... scaring everything away that was 1/2 hour down a rough road then 1 hour hike down a ridge line. Glad I have more ethics than you. We'll have to simply disagree on ethics. I'm done. I simply don't agree on playing leap frog with another hunter. There was another way to go and I did, they didn't. Enough said. Enjoy your hunts.

 

your impatient and probably young not to mention a cry baby, more than likely from back east too boot.

 

I am glad you have better ethics than I do, now go jump on that quad and pass some other old farts taking there time.

[Delw]

Just hunt who cares ... just enjoy your time in Gods country ... public land we all gotta deal with it.

exactly but BE THANKFUL we have public land, the alternative is worse.

[Red Sparky]

I looked at the situation from my point of view. I would never walk right in front of someone glassing and hike directly to where he was glassing. But that's just me I guess.

What would have happened if somebody else was there before you? I can understand your irritation. I have been in the situation bow hunting where I had a deer tag and archery elk was going on at the same time. I was sitting in an old ground blind and saw two hunters walking in. When they saw me they were going to take off the other direction until I waved them over. I found out they were elk hunting and I was deer hunting. I offered to share the blind with them if they wanted but I got first shot at a deer. They chose to go to a different spot but appreciated the offer. This year I ran into them into a central area of the unit and we all had elk tags. They were hunting another part of the unit and we both ended up in the same area for a break. They told me of a wallow they found over the summer in the area I was hunting.

 

The same blind the year before another hunter got there before me. He was older and from out of state, hard for him to do much walking as the steep hills were taking their toll on legs and lungs. I knew the tracks at this natural mineral lick were quite fresh so told him to hunt it and kill a big bull, I had other places I could hunt elk. The best part was he was guided and the guide tracked me down. He had a bunch of antelope jerky because his antelope clients didn't want the meat. I think I ended up with about 20 pounds of antelope jerky as a thank you.

 

Not meaning to sound holier than thou or my ethics are better than anybody else's. We are hunters and need to get along. Public land hunting sucks if you let it. I love to eat wild game but I am at a point in my life where I have killed quite a bit and don't have to kill an animal to have had a great hunt.

[azshtr]

 

I looked at the situation from my point of view. I would never walk right in front of someone glassing and hike directly to where he was glassing. But that's just me I guess.

What would have happened if somebody else was there before you? I can understand your irritation. I have been in the situation bow hunting where I had a deer tag and archery elk was going on at the same time. I was sitting in an old ground blind and saw two hunters walking in. When they saw me they were going to take off the other direction until I waved them over. I found out they were elk hunting and I was deer hunting. I offered to share the blind with them if they wanted but I got first shot at a deer. They chose to go to a different spot but appreciated the offer. This year I ran into them into a central area of the unit and we all had elk tags. They were hunting another part of the unit and we both ended up in the same area for a break. They told me of a wallow they found over the summer in the area I was hunting.

 

The same blind the year before another hunter got there before me. He was older and from out of state, hard for him to do much walking as the steep hills were taking their toll on legs and lungs. I knew the tracks at this natural mineral lick were quite fresh so told him to hunt it and kill a big bull, I had other places I could hunt elk. The best part was he was guided and the guide tracked me down. He had a bunch of antelope jerky because his antelope clients didn't want the meat. I think I ended up with about 20 pounds of antelope jerky as a thank you.

 

Not meaning to sound holier than thou or my ethics are better than anybody else's. We are hunters and need to get along. Public land hunting sucks if you let it. I love to eat wild game but I am at a point in my life where I have killed quite a bit and don't have to kill an animal to have had a great hunt.

 

I already said what I would have done. I would not have walked directly into the area someone was glassing. They went in front of me, I went another way.

[TOBY]

But it was ok to pass them as they were to the road before you were? sounds like they beat you to the punch and you had to hurry and pass them. Who leapfrogged who?

 

Now since they were ahead of you ..why not stop and say hey you beat me to the punch what is your plan? Maybe work something out before getting there.

 

Kinda tortise and hare. you were ahead but they still won the race.

 

If some body blew by me on a dead end road that I was on first( would not happen) I would do the same thing.

 

total d!ck move passing someone that beat you to the punch on a dead end road. Unless you were waved by(would not happen from me).

[Cell4soul]

Opinions are like A-holes......everybody has one and they all stink. Y'all sound like a bunch of kids bickering over useless stuff. How about just getting out there and and enjoying the outdoors and adapting to the situation you are dealt? There, now you have my stinky opinion too!

[azshtr]

Communication would have been better way back on the road in hindsight. However there were dozens of good hunting places between where I passed and where we met later on the mountain. Many places that are good and many other directions. We were a long way from the end of the road... miles.

 

How slow can someone go and not let someone pass? I could have walked faster than they were driving. That could be a great technique, go in first and then have a friend drive very slow and hold up everyone else... what an idea! Kind of like a moving version of parking in front of a gate.

 

All in all, better communication would have been better way back, I just didn't think of it given the many other options and places they could have been headed... eventually.

 

And yes they did wave me past.

[Flatlander]

Communication would have been better way back on the road in hindsight. However there were dozens of good hunting places between where I passed and where we met later on the mountain. Many places that are good and many other directions. We were a long way from the end of the road... miles.

 

How slow can someone go and not let someone pass? I could have walked faster than they were driving. That could be a great technique, go in first and then have a friend drive very slow and hold up everyone else... what an idea! Kind of like a moving version of parking in front of a gate.

 

All in all, better communication would have been better way back, I just didn't think of it given the many other options and places they could have been headed... eventually.

 

And yes they did wave me past.

With all that good country, you could have just as easily hunted somewhere else too. But you didnt, because you didnt know where they were going to hunt. And they didnt, because they didnt know you were going to the same spot they were. If you guys had just asked each other what the plan was, you could have coordinated to stay out of each others hair. Its really the only way to do it. You are both there, no one should have to lose their whole day hiking and driving miles to avoid someone else. Its how public land works.

 

Once those guys bumped into you on the ridge, could you have asked each other where they were headed?

 

It doesnt seem like it has to be such a frustrating experience.

[300RUM]

Well there is a real simple solution. Game and Fish could do it like New Mexico does Antelope hunts and assign each group of hunters to a very small area. You wouldn't have a choice where to go but where you were would be all yours.

[GJMauro12]

But it was ok to pass them as they were to the road before you were? sounds like they beat you to the punch and you had to hurry and pass them. Who leapfrogged who?

 

Now since they were ahead of you ..why not stop and say hey you beat me to the punch what is your plan? Maybe work something out before getting there.

 

Kinda tortise and hare. you were ahead but they still won the race.

 

If some body blew by me on a dead end road that I was on first( would not happen) I would do the same thing.

 

total d!ck move passing someone that beat you to the punch on a dead end road. Unless you were waved by(would not happen from me).

This is funny! I normally dont let people pass either but I got passed on a dirt road this year that didnt turn out so good. I was on a really Rough and dusty road when I seen someone up ahead. I kept my distance from the truck ahead of me since it was a long rough road and the chances were we werent going to the same place.

 

I look back and someone has caught up to me somehow and is riding my tailgate.

 

I keep watching the truck tailgating me when he decides hes going to try and pass me. He hits the gas and starts to go around so I floored it and wouldnt let him back on the road. This dudes truck was bouncing like crazy, his truck bed cover went in the air, came down and smashed into pieces Landing in his bed.

 

Then he threw a boulder that smashed my front bumper. I had my wifes dad along to experience his first hunt. (Not his tag) he started getting nervous so I backed down and let him on the road. He got to the truck ahead of us and did the same thing to him.

 

Maybe some will think I was in the wrong. Maybe I shouldnt of got heated when he tried to pass but I think its pretty disrespectful to try and pass someone that isnt offering to let you pass.

 

Not saying the op did anything wrong by passing since they waved you on.

[Saguaro]

I like what RedSparky had to say. I had a deer hunt this year and on one morning, I saw headlights behind me about a quarter mile away. It had to be a deer hunter, nothing else made sense at that hour. I knew the area and there were only maybe two places that deer can be found. I didn't want to screw up whoever it was behind me. I stopped, waited, and started talking to the driver as he stopped next to me. He had one passenger. As far as I was concerned, I would go to wherever they weren't going. I figured that would do us both a favor. I figured out seconds later that I knew him and the passenger from growing up because they were both dads of friends of mine. That was a nice surprise because I hadn't seen them in about 15 years. I spoke with one of them later by phone and got all caught up. He ended up taking a nice 4x4 and on the last day I got a 3x3. It could have been much different. He could have zoomed past me with a wave and I would have been left guessing his plans and could have spoiled his chances or he could have blown mine. It's nice to have the older, 50+ year olds because they usually stop and talk with people on the road.

[AZDirtyTaco]

 

But it was ok to pass them as they were to the road before you were? sounds like they beat you to the punch and you had to hurry and pass them. Who leapfrogged who?

 

Now since they were ahead of you ..why not stop and say hey you beat me to the punch what is your plan? Maybe work something out before getting there.

 

Kinda tortise and hare. you were ahead but they still won the race.

 

If some body blew by me on a dead end road that I was on first( would not happen) I would do the same thing.

 

total d!ck move passing someone that beat you to the punch on a dead end road. Unless you were waved by(would not happen from me).

This is funny! I normally dont let people pass either but I got passed on a dirt road this year that didnt turn out so good. I was on a really Rough and dusty road when I seen someone up ahead. I kept my distance from the truck ahead of me since it was a long rough road and the chances were we werent going to the same place.

 

I look back and someone has caught up to me somehow and is riding my tailgate.

 

I keep watching the truck tailgating me when he decides hes going to try and pass me. He hits the gas and starts to go around so I floored it and wouldnt let him back on the road. This dudes truck was bouncing like crazy, his truck bed cover went in the air, came down and smashed into pieces Landing in his bed.

 

Then he threw a boulder that smashed my front bumper. I had my wifes dad along to experience his first hunt. (Not his tag) he started getting nervous so I backed down and let him on the road. He got to the truck ahead of us and did the same thing to him.

 

Maybe some will think I was in the wrong. Maybe I shouldnt of got heated when he tried to pass but I think its pretty disrespectful to try and pass someone that isnt offering to let you pass.

 

Not saying the op did anything wrong by passing since they waved you on.

 

I actually am really loving this conversation we're all having, because it's speaking to our back country etiquette and how we are treating each other.

 

These roads and these 'spots' our not ours to dictate and forcibly prevent others from treading on what we call ours - that is petty entitlement, and none of us should be thinking this way. I'm sorry to pick on you here man... but this is just flat wrong for you to do. It's a total jerk move to block someone that is traveling at faster pace than you because of your ego. I have grown up here in AZ and have been traveling the back roads since I was a kid. It's not the same anymore like most things in life, but why does it have to be for the worse? There are a lot of people now with this type of thinking and it sucks. I hope this thread will perhaps make at least 1 person be a little more courteous to one and other out there.

There have been some awesome stories of outdoorsmanship, kinship, and unselfishness that have also been shared in this thread. Please continue to share them and perhaps those stories can lead to an improvement in some corners of our hunting culture.

[AZDirtyTaco]

Well there is a real simple solution. Game and Fish could do it like New Mexico does Antelope hunts and assign each group of hunters to a very small area. You wouldn't have a choice where to go but where you were would be all yours.

Man... that hurt my eyes to read. ;-)

[Non-Typical Solutions]

This topic brings back memories of late elk hunt in 3A at the tree farms......we had scouted it out and had no clue as to the zoo we were going to encounter opening morning!

 

We had pulled off a two tracker to walk down a ridge to position ourselves for where we "thought" the elk were going to come through according to our pre season scouting trip.

 

As we are getting out of the truck another truck pulls up behind us and we tell them where we are going as we pointed exactly the direction we were headed.

 

They said thanks and then proceeded to drive cross country exactly where we had pointed we were going

 

Our only consolation was that there happened to be a G$F sitting up on top watching and they bailed off and caught up with the idiots!!!

 

They were lucky they didn't get a .270 hole in their tailgate!!!

 

Course then I would be the one having a conversation with the law!!!

[Roosevelt Mark]

Ya that was a community spot forsure. To bad the critters aren't there like they used to be