Ashamed to be a hunter some days

[sako223]

There are so many user groups that don't care to get along. There are also so many cheaters in each group. It is very difficult to catch many of them. The last thing I want to do is give up my day to catch offenders but I have had to many times. Once your hunt is ruined what can you say.
As hunting becomes tougher people look for more shortcuts.
One thing is common, they always claim ignorance, always. Even the bow hunters that had the rifle hidden in the bush behind them.
I hope more enforcement happens or we are risking loosing more as the groups will continue to clash. We have found that getting into their pocket is the only real effective penalty. Take their money and they remember it.

[antlerbolic_bearoids]

Not to pick a fight, but I think comparing this to the United States' history of racism is extreme.  I'm not ashamed to be white at all, but I'm not proud of white supremacists or my own families history of racism for that matter.  I'm also sure that you don't appreciate the tension that seems to automatically exist between people of different races because of what OTHERS have caused for you.  As for you guys being archery hunters that only hunt private land doesn't exempt you guys from the problem.  When you are trying to get permission on private land, and the land owner says "hell no, I'm tired of the trash, the land damage, the tresspassing, and the disrespect of my land," does stating that you are a bowhunter make it all better?    Just because you don't participate in general rifle season because of all the "morons" doesn't mean that those morons aren't screwing things up for you.  What these "hunters" are doing is giving us ALL a bad name, and we ALL should be pissed.  No I am not going to shrug this off and say "oh well, not my problem" and "ah shucks that guy in the ford F-150 driving across the hillside blew my stock."  I have never once been ashamed for being a hunter, but I am ashamed of some of my fellow hunters.  As for turning them in and getting points, I've done it.  However, I've attempted several other times to no prevail.  Including this last weekend.  Like I said I'm not trying to start a fight and everybody is entitled to their own opinion, and I'm glad you shared yours.  Here's mine: I would personally like to invade the camps of these people and/or pull them out of the cabs of their trucks, beat their asses, tie them up, cover them in their trash that I picked up, find the owner of the land they screwed up, watch them beat their ass, recover them in their trash, and then turn them in for points.      
 

[SHANE(WA)]

pretty sad  I lived in the middle of unit 124, one of the highest whitetail harvest units in the state! I literally feared opening day of rifle deer around my house, scary, droves of rifle hunters road hunting , all the property out there for 40 sq miles was private by many people, but yet these yahoos are out driving around hunting  saw many shooting out windows at bucks.It got so bad in one field the game dept just sat there for 3 years in a row and ticket people every year

[EastWaViking]

124 is where I live...it is crazy!  Somebody shot my goose decoys, in my field, from their truck a couple years ago.  Luckily I was between hunting and picking them up, I heard the shot from the house and saw a red truck roll up it's window and drive off.  Never got the plate number.   

[fishm@n]

It is that behaviour that pushed me out of rifle hunting in this state. I can't tell you the number of times I witnessed this kind of crap elk hunting in Taneum. Things are a lot quieter during archery season... still find plenty of slobs that trash camp sites. No respect for anything. Too close to the big city idiots.

[jstone]

That's why i stopped rifle hunting. Even archery is has a lot of stupid people. I have had people see me and still try to go after an animal that i am stalking. When my son and i hunt the swakane it is getting harder and harder to bring myself to go hunting cause there is getting to be more and more morons out there.

[let.it.fly]

yea its sucks. i have family in shelbyville missouri(very small town), every year during modern the population jumps from about 600 to over 2000. well my unkles buddy lives just outside of town and last year he had two bullets rip through his house and the powerline to his house was shot. crazy i know. it turns out some city hunters had been shooting at a buck that was at a full run. his house was in sight of the offenders the whole time. they just didnt care. long story short they caught the guys, they were charged with a whole range of things. most felonies. wreckless indangerment. wreckless use of a firearm, and the list goes on

[lostcat]

You guys all carry cameras dont ya? Zoom way in take some pictures.

[jstone]

Unfortunately I work with a dumb ass like that. I always give him crap for the way he hunts, I don't think he likes me much, but i don't care

[turbo]

It's the same inbreeders that are f-ing up snowmobiling for the rest of us just like hunting. Beer cans and trash in the woods, drunk riding/hunting. They are assisting in taking away our rights in the back country. I will turn in anyone I see breaking the law from now on!

[tbrady]

I didn't bother reading your entire post or any here, but I disagree with your title completely.

Ashamed to be a hunter some days? The idea seems to be the actions of some look and reflect poorly on you... right?

Let me spin this a different way. Are you white? Are you ashamed to be white some days because there are some racist POSs out there? Some members of KKK, some "good 'ole boys" down in the south? Do their actions make you ashamed?

Black? Do the thugs and wanna-be thugs make you ashamed to be black? The stereotypical whistle blowers who cry racism every time things don't go their way? You ashamed?

Do poachers make you ashamed that you hunt? Are you engaging in illegal hunting activities? Are you doing these things?

There are some lousy people out there. Those that do illegal things, unethical things, downright disgusting things. Doesn't matter what color you are, what activities you engage in. How you carry yourself defines who you are and how you should feel, not who you might be perceived to be associated with. If you don't like what they are doing, do something about it, don't feel bad about yourself.

Tony, I don't disagree with what you say but I don't think it is quite that simple.  Maybe it's more accurate to say I feel ashamed of other hunters behaviors some days.  I am constantly defending hunting/hunters at my place of employment.  It's an environment where 90% of the people there have a negative perception of how "hunters" "behave" while "hunting".  I don't feel bad about myself as a hunter.  I feel bad that me and all you guys that have responded to this post are associated with a bunch of low-life slobs. 

Our state has the highest percentage of anti-hunters anywhere in the country.  Whether their perception is right or fair is irrelevant, it impacts the most ethical of hunters just the same.  I think a better analogy than using race is using Islam where a minority of Muslims has severely impacted peoples perception of it.

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Photos + license plate #'s + willingness to testify = BONUS POINTS = OIL Tag

[rainshadow1]

I don't disagree with you Tony. It's a very valid point.

Thinking about it, I don't know if I'd ever say "I'm ashamed to be a hunter" in any context... But I understand why it was said here....

We need to carefully, publically, disassociate these dirtbags with the group "hunters," and identify them properly as "poachers" or "criminals" or other catagories of "idiots committing crimes while carrying hunting licenses."

But don't overlook the fact that most of the non-hunting general public sees them as "hunters."

That's OUR problem. And it gets sickening. So while it's a good point, I understand the feelings that bring the post title.



Washington doesn't have enough F&W enforcement to stop this kind of stuff, local law enforcement doesn't want anything to do with most of what we see going on, so that leaves us...

INSTANTLY....Pull out the cameras and cell phones! Forget about points, get these brain dead FOOLS into the jails where they belong!

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Photos + license plate #'s + willingness to testify = BONUS POINTS = OIL Tag

Dont get me wrong A-Holes like that don't belong in the woods, I was just stating an additional benefit.

[KimberRich]

You all have good valid points!  The main one that chaps my ass is the guys that have to display their kills on their trucks or trailers.  If you have a long bed truck with a 100 pound 3 point in the bed there is no reason the head needs to be sticking up out if it!!!!  There are enough anti-hunters out there trying to give us a bad name and then idiots like this do things to make it easier for them. 

Sunday afternoon we were headed back over Blewitt and passed a guy with the head of a tiny little 3 point Muley tied up to the top of his tailgate.  Bloody face with tongue hanging out. The rest of his bed was empty.  It wasn't some young kid with his first buck or something or a monster buck that someone would be super proud of.  A barely legal buck.  It makes me angry.   
I see it every year and don't get it??