Reserving PUBLIC LAND for Your Camp

[ratherhunt]

Public land is public land so it really should be first come, but I never use a site that I think might be someones site, I just dont want the stress of worrying about my stuff when I am out hunting.

[dbllunger]

Yelp...so what would happen if someone drug your piece of crap junk out of the way and set up their camp?  Willing to bet you would be all bent out of shape claiming you had it staked out and they had to move?  No....then why leave a gutted out piece of crap in a nice camping location.  I would just set up my camp right next to you within feet and go hunting just to prove a point.  I get so sick and tires of seeing pup tents, worthless trailers, and other junk parked in camping areas weeks before the season.  No different then guy blocking off a trail head or access route into an area with their "camp", and wanking when you ride walk through it.  F'm don't set up your camp thinking everyone else has to work around your arrogant jerk butt.  Yelp,  if you wanted to spend a week in advance living and taking care of the area then fine, but to squat your garbage keeping  people out is just plain arrogant and rude.
This year we scouted out several possible camping spots as we were hunting a new unit.  We ended up in one of the locations and it was a absolute pig stye with garbage, old tents, archery target, clam shells, and broken bottles laying all around.  It was filled with a camp during archery season so we had no idea.  It also had a nice *censored*ter built over the hill obviously many years ago.   When we left litterally we cleaned the entire area, covered the *censored*ter with our tarp, and even the gamie commented on how it was cleaned up.  F'n DB's give us all a bad name, so typical American we took care of the Welfare Bums. 

[Yelm hunter]

THIS IS SOME OF WHY WINSTON CREEK IS GOING TO BE SHUT DOWN THIS SEASON!!

[rasbo]

love these debates on this subject..I just lick all the trees in the area I want to camp in first come first serve.......

[unluckyjohn]

Well is it any different for the "outfitter" leaving his wall tents up for the different clients and entire seasons? you could just "leave a note on their tent"  don't slam me , that was a joke

[deadwoodbuck]

as they say chief RHIP and you are there which gives you rank.  tell em to blow and go.  with as much time in service and as many patrols as you have been on they can deep six any idea that you are going to leave...

[teal101]

I do agree that it is public land an you can set up where ever u damn please. However if it's a obvious established well maintained and groomed campsite, there is such a thing called common courtesy. thank you

People can groom it all they want, how the heck do I know what they groomed it for. Might have been for summer camping, grouse hunting archery, deer or maybe elk camp and I got there 1st.

We have our spots, We get them year after year.. But in all honesty. Not every year.

BFD!

Public land, if you are not their when I get there I will set up.

Kinda like duck hunters who want to go out and spend weekends building a duck blind.
Weekend after weekend this blind was not used. On public land.
On day I set up, started hunting. About 2 hours into shooting hours 2 guys show up in a boat. I have my full spread out.
They demanded I leave.

LOL

I invited them to hunt with me, they said no I have to leave. They even said they would call the cops if I did not.

I left steamed.

Hunted that same blind a few more time that year, and some days they beat me their.
And man oh man. they were steamed again when the area I picked got better shooting. Might have been my calling or my spread, or Karma...

State land?  Read him page 30 of the regs and tell him to call the cops.  Un-attended blinds are available to the public on a first come first serve basis.

[fishm@n]

This type of thing is always a problem especially when you're camped right off the road in a truck camp.. we've had heated words with these kinds of *censored*-Bags more than once. Sad thing is they are usually the ones that leave all their garbage behind.. slobs.

I'm interested to know what the rules are regarding "reserving" a site by saying throwing up a tent a week or longer before the opener and leaving it there. I've seen horse hunters do this weeks in advance setting up a wall tent and leaving it unoccupied for weeks on public land. I know you can't do this in the wilderness, but what about national forest land?

[boneaddict]

Funny, I don't seem to find anyone wanting to share my camps. LOL

[robmill70]

I had 2 hunters walk up my trail yesterday....do you think they turned around when the saw me...NO!   They came up started talking loud and then proceeded down my trail.  I know hunter etiquette out out with rifle guys, mostly with muzzle loaders, but i thought there was still some among us bow hunters......public land, first come first serve!

[Buckmark]

I know hunter etiquette out out with rifle guys, mostly with muzzle loaders, but i thought there was still some among us bow hunters......

Your kidding right? That is one of the most pretentious statments i have seen on this site....

[boneaddict]

I liked "my trail"

Though sympathetic to his plight I was afraid to comment.   

[CP]

I was wondering what made it “my trail”.  Was it because you were hunting it, camping on it, walking on it?

But sometimes I hunt with a muzzleloader so you know all about my etiquette.  If I find your trail maybe I’ll run my dog down it and shoot a few grouse off it.  You didn’t mention shotgun hunters but I suspect that we are the worst of all.

[robmill70]

When i say "my trail"...I mean the trail I'm walking down....I certainly lay no claim to any trail, plot, clearcut, or land.  But from your responses I guess it's cool for people to come busting into "an area you are currently occupying" talking load and running the game out of the AO

[Holg3107]

I had 2 hunters walk up my trail yesterday....do you think they turned around when the saw me...NO!   They came up started talking loud and then proceeded down my trail.  I know hunter etiquette out out with rifle guys, mostly with muzzle loaders, but i thought there was still some among us bow hunters......public land, first come first serve!

that is one of the most rediculous things ive ever read. Its public land.... I hunt public land, see people all the time, lifes a whole lot easier if you just stop and talk see what each others plans are and try and not F* up each others hunts. I've only lived in WA for 2 years but if theirs one thing that Ive learned when it comes to hunting in this state if its public and you can drive to it, you wont be alone. suck it up and quit complaining. At least you knew there was someone else hunting the same area. 10 mins before or after you would have had no idea and they would have walked in anyways.