Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: 92xj on January 10, 2018, 10:15:28 AM
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just curious and don't really have a way of putting my thought into words or a question so take this however you see fit.
West side elk tag holder hunting a west side 3pt or better unit that borders an east side spike unit. Do we rely on hunter ethics to not cross that line to shoot a 3pt+ bull that is feet across the line in the east side unit? Do you feel this happens often?
I know of outfitters as well as non outfitter people putting up elk camps (that they hunt from) within yards of this line. Do outfitters and others get this close to the line knowing the hunters might have a better chance at seeing a big bull since the bordering unit doesn't allow big bull hunting and then just let the hunter make the call to shoot or not.
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I think a lot of guys set up like that because the elk are crossing back and forth between the 2 units. Kind of like setting up on public land with elk on the adjacent private land. Just watch them and see if they move or get pushed to your side.
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Some outfitters probably set up close to the line. Cause it’s easier to get all the gear to and from the main trail. Which in most cases is the line between two units. Same goes for hunters who pack themselves in. Also they might set up camp close to the line cause their hunting grounds is just over the ridge (right side of the line) and don’t want their scent blowing into their area. Lots of reasoning for setting up a camp close to the line. Now for taking an animal on the wrong side of the line. That’s the hunters choice. Hope he/she don’t make that choice. Also like mentioned before. Animals cross over the line. You take east side dates and west side dates. Some east side season start before west side. Which would push the animals west just over the line. Not a factor I use to decide for an area to hunt. But some might.
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During Archery season you can call them across any line if your a good caller and you hit the rut just right. We have called bulls in across hwy 12 and 410 before. Point being heck ya hunt the lines.
Havent you heard of poachers trail above Yellowstone. Thats one line you better know which side your on. I seen our game department up there undercover a few yrs back.
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I've set up on the "line" before. The PCT is hard to miss should you get turned around. I've met up and set up camp with buddies that have tags for their side while I hunted mine. This allowed us to share a camp and stories etc. I'm sure with any rule there are rule breakers, but I never saw any real evidence of it. :dunno:
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This isn't an ethics question. This is a poaching question. If you shoot an animal that's out of season for that unit, you're a poacher. Pretty simple. :dunno:
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"Do we rely on hunter ethics to......."
That's a pretty broad question.
You put all hunters into a group and then give a specific example and frame it all as a question of ethics?
So, if a few hunters ethics can't be trusted then all hunters get lumped in with them as untrustworthy?
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This happened twice to me this year during deer hunting. Both times I had legal bucks well within range, but both were within feet of a "line", private/public in my cases. I was probably good to go in both cases, but why risk it :dunno: I passed on both, and ended up with tag soup (A 1st for me in 38 years :'()
Us humans have very few excuses to not know where any line is, and as ambassadors of the sport we love, should never cross that line. As for the animals, not so positive they really know where the line is, they are prey to some form of predator no matter where they are parked at any given time.
