Hikers: Stop Hating on Hunters

[Cab]

I've had a mixed bag of experiences:

Good: Mom with 2 kids runs into me walking back to my truck after turkey hunting. I was friendly and said Hi, she and her kids were extremely kind, even told me about where they saw birds.

Bad: Opening morning hunting deer 2 mountain bikers go past my dad on a trail and say loudly " UGH F'ing hunters are the worst, what are they even doing here" mind you this area is covered in signs telling you when hunting season is and to wear orange. I guess those 2 bikers didn't know how to read.

Good: Had a family walk in to an area I was bow hunting, I wave to them to be friendly and not freak them out. The little girl sees me and says to her dad " That guys trying to kill a deer thats bad, right dad?" Dad looks at his young daughter and says " Hell no it's not! hope he gets a big one!"   

Bad: walking out after turkey hunting and this group that I guess fills the bird feeders in the area was coming the other way. I talk to them a bit and they just seemed uncomfortable so I kept it short. I hear the head guy say to everyone " yea those turkey hunters don't wear orange and they shoot each other all the time. It's dangerous being out here around them."

I've had very few run in's with non-hunters here on trail. I find I had a lot more negative experience hunting back east in small chunks of public land just outside of the suburbs. A LOT of female dog walkers were unfriendly but I was always nice, waved and said Hi. I realized very early on when hunting that I am the face of the sport to some of the people I am going to meet in the woods. If I'm friendly, treat them with respect and engage them in this way that hopefully they come away with a positive view of hunters.

You can't change every persons mind so I don't try to. I work with a lot of non-hunters (I'm only hunter they know or have actually met in person sometimes) and I do everything I can to always show the positive. None of them want to see grip and grins but fully support hunting now after talking/knowing me.

[cbond3318]

I was up checking out a Trailhead along Twisp River 2 summers ago when I passed a group of 4 very strange looking people sitting together at the trailhead. I turned around and pulled up to them and hopped out. Turns out , 2 guys and 2 gals dressed in head to toe handmade buckskin dress,  rawhide sandals and hand woven baskets, dread locks, clay pigeons for earrings and smelt of a barter fair. They had just emerged from a 2 week primitive survival course up on top where I was planning on hunting. After some conversation, I learned their car and camp was another 5 or so miles down river and offered to give them a ride. AS we were driving along, I was asking them about the area they had come from, their experience, food they ate, we talked water sources, meadows, trails and then I asked if they had seen any deer as I was planning on hunting up there the upcoming season. To my surprise, they were very forthcoming with where they had seen deer in fact, the one guy said " there was a deer that would come into camp every night and had 4 or 5 very large spikes on each side of his head." We chatted until we arrived at their camp at which time I helped unload their gear, they thanked me and wished me luck. Pretty cool group.

The most flak I've caught is from OHV users on the mountain. Not sure why.

[TRD1911]

This was a great article and makes me like the guy even more. Honestly, I can't think of a better representative for our ways than him.

[Alchase]

My son and I stopped at the Mazama store a few years back. There were four hikers doing the PCT waiting for their ride back up Hearts Pass. We came in bought some munchies and heard two of them bad mouthing hunters, clearly pointing their conversations towards us. In their conversation with the guy behind the counter they said they were paying $90 each to be given a ride up to the PCT at Hearts Pass. I smiled and left.
We were gearing up at Hearts Pass when the showed up. They had to ride in the back of a pickup, in the rain all the way.
The one lady who was bad mouthing hunters in the store, says
“we can’t seem to get away from all these orange wearing a$$holes”!
I walked over to her rifle on my shoulder handgun on my belt, and just smiled at her and said
“my son asked me why we don’t offer you a ride to Hearts Pass since that is where we were headed. I was going to offer all of you a free ride, you would have been warm and dry. Then We heard your comments about hunters, my son asked why do they hate us dad? I told him I don’t think they hate us, they are just misinformed. You might want to think about that over the next few miles on the trail, in your wet clothes.”

They got real quiet as they geared up to hit the trail.

But at the same time you shouldn't let a few people color your opinion of an entire group.   Should the guy in Capitol Forest represent hunters?
https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,232505.0.html

That was the only interaction I can remember with hikers that was negative. It was apperent they wanted nothing to do with hunters, or I would have offered.

Most are just a wave and a little small talk. Some are good conversations about their hike, or where I am headed.

[jstone]

I was up in the high country out of Leavenworth on the early archery deer opener. Had my tent next to the main trail, about 4 miles from the trail head. Had 4 couples hike past me at lunch. I had a wazzu shirt on. That’s when they where playing Wyoming. A couple of them had husky stuff on. I chatted with them for a while. One of the guys went to Wyoming. Great people. They even gave me there extra water. Great experience.

[konradcountry]

I don't think most hikers hate hunters. Most are aware of hunting seasons.

If there is a problem with anyone it is urban walkers that assume nearby public land isn't open for hunting.

[fireweed]

Spend a lot of time hiking and backpacking to get in shape for hunting.

Rescued four cold, wet PCT hikers from a September blizzard.  They were VERY happy to see hunters and bought dinner for us after we gave them a ride to town.  I've worked at the National Park service with some very true eco-believers and these people were very curious and/or supportive of hunting--after all its organically grown, non-GMO, free range, and low emissions protein.

[saylean]

I did a class at cabelas this past summer called "Hikers to Hunters" for those hikers who were interested in getting into hunting. While it wasn't a huge class (under 20) it was still great to have people show up, with an open mind, and with the willingness to learn. Hopefully, those individuals left with a positive outcome and maybe voiced those opinions to others in their "hiker" circle.

Hunters and hikers have a ton in common, much more than either side likes to admit many times. It is great to see Steve speak out on this, as we all should. We all need to come together and fight to keep our public lands just that and to realize that "public" means there are a lot of different interests involved.

I've enjoyed bear sausage with other hikers when I have been out, showcased them mountain goats and bear, animals they would have never seen unless I had pointed them out. Remember guys and gals, WE are ambassadors to our sport, so lets act like it every chance we get.

[7mmfan]

I did a class at cabelas this past summer called "Hikers to Hunters" for those hikers who were interested in getting into hunting. While it wasn't a huge class (under 20) it was still great to have people show up, with an open mind, and with the willingness to learn. Hopefully, those individuals left with a positive outcome and maybe voiced those opinions to others in their "hiker" circle.

Hunters and hikers have a ton in common, much more than either side likes to admit many times. It is great to see Steve speak out on this, as we all should. We all need to come together and fight to keep our public lands just that and to realize that "public" means there are a lot of different interests involved.

I've enjoyed bear sausage with other hikers when I have been out, showcased them mountain goats and bear, animals they would have never seen unless I had pointed them out. Remember guys and gals, WE are ambassadors to our sport, so lets act like it every chance we get.

 

[Special T]

Im glad this got bumped up because Ive ruminated over this some. I was heavily involved in Scouts for a lot of years and have done a fair bit of back county hiking and Mountaineering. If i were to point to one thing that separates us most is the Leave No Trace philosophy (LNT).
https://lnt.org/learn/7-principles

I believe it is this philosophical difference that separates sportsmen from hikers. LNT ethos is closely linked to catch and release fly fishing. The evidence of this link is provided by the attempts of Hiking and climbing outfits like REI, Patagonia and others to expand into that segment with limited success. I believe this expansion has been handicapped because it runs against the basic ethos.  Many fishermen balk at Purist Catch and relief types, and yet the minimal intrusion runs a fowl of the core ethos of LNT hence the struggle.

The irony is that all the hunters that that Ive encountered hiking in follow the LNT philosophy in general terms but not with the Religious fervor that some hiking groups promote.

[CAMPMEAT]

Bad : Mountain bikers crapped right off the road, dog rolled in it, me not happy. Plus they tear up the trails with huge ruts. Near Greenwater.