Dummy camps in the Colockum

[RockChuck]

I used to laugh when I would see those tents and instantly think "dummy camp". 

Then I would happen to see someone there on my way out actually camping.

Sometimes people can only afford a $40 tent.

replace $40 dome tent with way over priced backpacking tent and that's me.  Even if I am day hunting I've got a lawn chair, a roll top table, and a tent.  I dont go hunting to camp so what do I need all the fluff for.

With that said I used to go pal around with the Hiatt camp up in the Wenas years ago during modern rifle elk.  I believe they are up to 4 generations now in that camp and probably 40+ years using that site.  The camp tradition is a huge part of the hunting heritage and I would NEVER try and take that away from any family or group.  Just because its public and first come first served, doesnt necessarily make it that way in my book

Burke / Fife camp been about 65yrs  howdy neighbor

haha!  Haven't been in years.  My out of state adventures get in the way now.  I never had a rifle tag but learned to skin and split wood in that camp as a young teen.  I skinned every elk for about a 7 year span that came through that camp and took great pride when uncle Jim or Grandpa Steve would say "that Karl is an elk skinning sumbitch!" I'd strut around like a rooster

Wow!! Good season! 

[slowhand]

Jesus they found every spike in the state.
Hiatt camp. Interesting?
Must be lost relatives of My family. Same exact last name. Crazy small world.

[Boss .300 winmag]

I have a hard time thinking of them as dummy camps, there the ones getting the good spots to camp in.🤔

[jstone]

Very cool photo

[scoutdog346]

Some of them might not be dummy camps when I modern firearm hunting we would set up camp one-week be for deer open the camp would be up all seasons long until the end of modern elk season that being up over a month if I'm understanding what you're saying IDK? author=TriggerMike link=topic=231763.msg3089763#msg3089763 date=1538358015]
This topic seems to come up every year but I was in 328/329 yesterday and noticed several dummy camps already set up for muzzleloader season. More than I've ever seen before. It's pretty clear it's a dummy camp when a single cheap tent is pitched in a giant camp spot with no other sign of recent human activity around. There's a 10 day stay limit within a 30 day time frame in this area so if they're not pulling out by, at the latest, day 3 of the season then they're breaking the law. Beyond that, does anyone know legally how long you can leave a camp unattended in a Washington state forest? I believe in the National Forest it's 2 or 3 days, at which point it becomes abandoned and technically littering. I even saw a tow trailer with a cheap tent in a spot... I'm assuming they dropped the trailer off and went home for the week since nothing was unpacked or setup and the trailer awning was retracted as well as the steps folded in. They could've been out driving around I guess, but I only saw 2 or 3 vehicles driving all day and that doesn't add up to 15+ dummy camps. I personally would never vandalize someones trailer or tent but I also wouldn't feel bad for someone if it happened to them in this situation. I'm also not even sure it would be vandalizing since you willingly and purposefully abandoned your own property on public land for up to a week or longer. Dropping it off and going home for a week or two before you intend to actually inhabit the area is clearly different than spiking out during season or getting a bull down and taking a couple days to get it back to camp. Setting up a dummy camp= BS in my opinion.
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[stickslinger]

First off muzzy season has come and gone. Probably rifle hunters.....doesnt matter. I dont see anything wrong with getting your camp spot the week before season, most people will not have a lot of time to set camp up let alone find a decent spot night before opener... I have camped in the same spot for 12 years and I always haul my trailer up the weekend before opener, and God help if I ever found someone messing with my stuff.

[dvolmer]

Just saying, I have never heard of this problem in Montana and Wyoming!  You also might actually get an animal down in one of those two states too!!!  hee hee 

[Karl Blanchard]

Just saying, I have never heard of this problem in Montana and Wyoming!  You also might actually get an animal down in one of those two states too!!!  hee hee 

  hahaha!  That's like comparing apples to pickled eggs

[BULLBLASTER]

Just saying, I have never heard of this problem in Montana and Wyoming!  You also might actually get an animal down in one of those two states too!!!  hee hee 

  hahaha!  That's like comparing apples to pickled eggs

...no dummy camps in Wyoming...    funny guy!

[Karl Blanchard]

Just saying, I have never heard of this problem in Montana and Wyoming!  You also might actually get an animal down in one of those two states too!!!  hee hee 

  hahaha!  That's like comparing apples to pickled eggs

...no dummy camps in Wyoming...    funny guy!

how many did we see last year?  I'd say 75% of camp spots were claimed? I still laugh about that crappy walltent that got lambasted by the snow

[BULLBLASTER]

Just saying, I have never heard of this problem in Montana and Wyoming!  You also might actually get an animal down in one of those two states too!!!  hee hee 

  hahaha!  That's like comparing apples to pickled eggs

...no dummy camps in Wyoming...    funny guy!

how many did we see last year?  I'd say 75% of camp spots were claimed? I still laugh about that crappy walltent that got lambasted by the snow

i was thinking the same thing! I think it was well more than 75% full tho. Since we left before elk season started we really didn’t even need to take a tent. Just pick a nice one and crash there for the week.

[ian_padron]

Sounds like you guys need new spots!

It's 328/329...if you're not expecting riff raff you're in for a bad time.

Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk

[Karl Blanchard]

   one of these days I'll find a good spot and have a good hunt.  Maybe even fill a tag 

[BULLBLASTER]

  one of these days I'll find a good spot and have a good hunt.  Maybe even fill a tag 

Don’t you know that limited entry mule deer hunts suck!

[Stein]

You guys must be hunting in ritzy areas, the dummy camps I run into involve broken lawn chairs, a cooler without a lid and some used police tape.