It's called respect

[Stumps]

Another issue we had was a guy ghosting us in the woods. Never got closer than 50 yards, would stop whenever we did. Not sure if he did not know what he was doing or if he was just messing with us. The guy followed me for about a mile until my buddy and I split. I ended up losing him in a Scotch Broom thicket and he back tracked and found my buddy and followed him some more. My buddy got tired of the guy and started walking back directly toward him. The guy would just move away, then when my buddy turned back he would follow again.

Weird hunt, think my buddy is bad luck. Also saw something I had never seen before on that hunt. A teepee made out of cut Scotch Broom. It was set up where it could have been used as a blind and has a small fire ring in the center of the floor.

[JimmyHoffa]

I took a buddy out that has never gotten a deer, this is his second year hunting. I had him a good spot under a tree, with low hanging branches overlooking a well used game trail. We were about a half mile in from the trailhead and no one else was there when we arrived. I told him that I was going to head down the trail a bit further and hook around to see if I could push anything his way.

So there he sits all quiet when 3 guys come walking down, all camo, no guns whispering back and forth. I assume they were scouting for either muzzleloader or archery given the clothing. They stop and glass the clearing that my buddy is set up on. My buddy lets out a little cough to let them know he is there and they immediately turns to see him sitting there, then move into his sight line on the clearing. Then the start loudly talking and fidgeting with a radio.

I am a quarter mile up the trail by this point and my radio starts vibrating, but there is no voice coming across. I hit the call button and then hear a voice not my buddy's coming over the radio. The other "hunters" were switching channels broadcasting to try to make other people's radios make noise. They eventually move on from my buddy's location and move down my way.

I had thought I saw a ear flick and was glassing an area pretty hard while hiding behind a tree. The three guys see me and instead of moving away or going around they headed straight for me and start talking loudly again. I decide at this point that the area is likely blown and head back to the tree where I left my buddy. He then explains what they did in front of his spot once they saw him. On the way out it took every ounce of self control I had not to do something to their truck.

They were purposely going out spoiling other people's season in hopes those deer would be around when it was their turn again.

There's a bowhunter that goes into one of the elk areas to check his cameras during modern, he bugles his way down the roads and just stomps around crashing in the brush trying to find his cameras. 

[ruttnbuck]

With deer, really??? Its a animal  that your probably only getting 50#s of meat from  +or- 10# (I'm talking blacktail in western wa.) so in my head its not worth being a bone head. Use your head the way it was intended.

So I started hunting in 2009 and my first season was western WA blacktail and it was really hard, because every single place I scouted I found a truck or 3 so I moved along. Basically I ended up not hunting because my ethics said don't walk in on someone etc.

I now hunt eastern WA we get 11 days. That's it. I get maybe 4 between work and health. I can't hike like I could, I can't drive places the way I could.  I have no partner.  I just do the best I can but the woods are public I will go where it works best for me.  Because if I do not care about ME it's proven no one else will.

What I hate are guys who block dead end roads as if they own that road or the guys who hang no trespassing signs on public land, or the dozen guys who will walk in right on top of me and then scope me.

I may kill something some day but it's insanely hard to just go hunt out there and in my case it's not getting easier and may actually end.

So maybe consider that what you think is just inconsiderate is people trying to enjoy the outdoors not ruin your hunt.

I hunt timber company leased permit areas so there  is not much places where a guy can just go out  and hike crosscountry , the road are well maintained so there's no roads that are ditched out .  So when I find a little spur road that's got a good looking cut at the end of the road i'm not going too just drive into it and blow whatever is there out, no I'm gonna park my truck and walk so I can actually have a chance at seeing something at least.  So if someone gets mad because I wanted to walk rather then drive in, well im sorry and I'd  hope whoever came up on me  would be considerate enough to turn around. 

[Sitka_Blacktail]

ruttnbuck, I do the same thing. I'll even go so far as to say if anyone wants to join me on a landing and glass away, I have no problem with that. That doesn't interrupt my hunt at all as long as they are quiet. But it gets my dander up when I'm trying to sneak out on a landing on foot and someone comes barreling up in a truck when it's obvious I'm there  and they get out and slam doors and such. That is just plain rude.

[Skyvalhunter]

Does it get your dander up when they light up and start smoking?

[Janitor]

 Ruttnbuck I'm with you, I get it. If somebody gets to where I want to hunt before me good for them. I'll go some where else.
They can even block a dead end road before daylight and wait until it's light enough to see. To me that's smart hunting. Why go into an area before day light and scare the game away or drive all the way out on the landing when you don't need to. Old bucks are smart any hint of danger and they leave. When I come upon other hunters I fully respect them and back out quietly.   

[Stein]

It's public land and they have every right to do whatever they want on it that is legal.  I assume this will be the case and then am pleasantly surprised when someone acts nicely.

Myself, I have blown into an area where guys were hunting, mostly because I was new at it or new to the area and didn't know what I was doing.  I've also had it done to me many times.

It's part of the public land hunting game and I agree what happens in the woods pales in comparison to marshes.  Show up at one of the open Puget Sound sites on any given Saturday morning and it will make the densest general elk season seem like a gentleman's game.

[singleshot12]

Public Land=no respect! It's a me first and screw you mentality  People best get used to that.

[ridgefire]

I was parked at at trailhead this year that led to miles of country to hunt. Came back after a 12 days or so and a few other rigs were parked there. Should I have been mad about it or accepted it was public land? Public land, anybody can park there and hunt it if they want imo.

[brew]

Is hunting season over yet, this old argument is just as old and tired in 2017 as it was in 2009.

Either go to places without roads or get over yourself and realize roads are for driving.  This is truly your problem not an ethical dilemma. It was also my problem when it used to annoy me.  I simply changed how I hunt and how I respond to others.

runamuk you said it perfectly as usual...thanks for being one of the few voices of reason on the site

[CAMPMEAT]

So, the hunting world revolves around you and your area. Maybe the other hunters think the same way as you. Ever think of that ?

[davk]

Hunt along a road, deal with vehicles.  Get over it.

[ruttnbuck]

Ruttnbuck I'm with you, I get it. If somebody gets to where I want to hunt before me good for them. I'll go some where else.
They can even block a dead end road before daylight and wait until it's light enough to see. To me that's smart hunting. Why go into an area before day light and scare the game away or drive all the way out on the landing when you don't need to. Old bucks are smart any hint of danger and they leave. When I come upon other hunters I fully respect them and back out quietly.

Janitor its good to know there's a few left with common sense.   It doesn't matter what I say a lot of people are stuck on the fact that they have Rights to be in there and  they do, but sometimes it doesn't make sense to be inconsiderate  and screw someone over just because it's public land or "I Have a right" to go where I want. Of course there's instance that are going to happen when there'll be multiple trucks parked at an area with a lot of acres that would make sense for multiple hunters to be in at one time ... go for it but with the instance that I had happen last wknd should of been common sense to the other hunter.   Oh well keep on keeping on. 

[vandeman17]

Ruttnbuck I'm with you, I get it. If somebody gets to where I want to hunt before me good for them. I'll go some where else.
They can even block a dead end road before daylight and wait until it's light enough to see. To me that's smart hunting. Why go into an area before day light and scare the game away or drive all the way out on the landing when you don't need to. Old bucks are smart any hint of danger and they leave. When I come upon other hunters I fully respect them and back out quietly.

Janitor its good to know there's a few left with common sense.   It doesn't matter what I say a lot of people are stuck on the fact that they have Rights to be in there and  they do, but sometimes it doesn't make sense to be inconsiderate  and screw someone over just because it's public land or "I Have a right" to go where I want. Of course there's instance that are going to happen when there'll be multiple trucks parked at an area with a lot of acres that would make sense for multiple hunters to be in at one time ... go for it but with the instance that I had happen last wknd should of been common sense to the other hunter.   Oh well keep on keeping on.

You are pointing to a specific instance with a specific hunter. No one is arguing that what he did wasn't "ethical" given those exact circumstances, what most of us are saying is the vast majority of hunters and vast majority of situations regarding roads, landings, and all that are totally different.

[CAMPMEAT]

The WHOLE world isn't ethical..................