Irritating end to an Elk Hunt

[returnofsid]

5 days of elk hunting, with very little sign of elk and nothing bugling, averaging about 15 miles of hiking per day.  Yesterday evening, the last evening of hunting, I'm sitting on a stump where I'd seen a monster buck with double drop tines a few days prior and hear a bull elk bugle twice, about 500 yards away.  As I'm trying to figure out where he is, so I can stalk in on him, I hear 2 car doors slam, a horn honk and then gun fire from the OK Corral!  30 yards from me, a dad and his 2 teenage sons decide to target practice with their 22s!  Ugh!  I walked up behind them and said, "Archery Elk season in the middle of nowhere, elk are finally bugling and you decide this would be a good place to target practice?!"  The dad just about jumped out of his skin, not realizing I was there. He apologizes and says "We're out of here."  I relocated about 2 miles away, with a couple mountain ridges between us.  I could hear them shooting still, 2 hours later!  GRRRRR!!!!!

As I walk out, I see his truck blocking the Forest Service gate to the road I'd walked in on...

Is it wrong to admit I wondered how his tires would stand up to a broadhead?

[BIGINNER]

public land? 

[bigdave]

To you it is the culmination of months of planning and anticipation and expense, so I understand your frustration......to others it is just a day in the woods with their kids.

I believe your frustration is misguided.........Get over it and plan to get the heck away from the road next year.

[grundy53]

To you it is the culmination of months of planning and anticipation and expense, so I understand your frustration......to others it is just a day in the woods with their kids.

I believe your frustration is misguided.........Get over it and plan to get the heck away from the road next year.

sent from my typewriter

[WonkyWapiti]

I don't think his frustration is misguided.  He said he'd been putting on 15 miles a day so he's been out there.   Bowhunters don't own the woods, that is correct.  I also don't think I'd be going out during muzzleloader season or rifle season to blast away either tho.  I'm sure there would be plenty of happy hunters.   

[deerhunter_98520]

I understand the frustration....I'm a elk bow hunter/deer rifle hunter and heard guys shooting all day yesterday....just have to work around it....it didn't affect the elk I was after.....but as far as getting off the road more, maybe in the east side you can but try doing it on the westside on the coast where I hunt....there are roads literally   everywhere....your lucky to find a chunk of timber a mile long...you just have to get in the thick stuff where they hide.....I bet that bull that bugled didn't move far after the .22 shots....I would have just asked them politely if they could go down the road and shoot that you were after a bull and didn't want the shots to spook him....chances are a fellow hunter wouldn't have a problem with doing that...and if he didn't want to move then you just have to adapt....I would have still went after that bull

[DBHAWTHORNE]

I am a bowhunter but I don't think what the Dad did by taking his boys shooting archery season was wrong or disrespectful....and even though he may not have moved far enough for your liking he still inconvenienced himself in an attempt to be respectful to your wishes.... I can definitely understand the frustration..... but  the anger...  (broadhead in tire feeling)...no. Go further and stay further from the road if you don't want to deal with those types of things.

[Jonathan_S]

I agree, I doubt that bull went far after the shots were fired.

[Elkstuffer]

I agree it is public land and everyone is entitled to use it. However, I am going to muzzy hunt this year and need to put a few rounds through my muzzleloader and out of respect to the archery hunters, which normally I am one, I chose to wait until after the 15th to do so.

I've been on the other side also and had my son with me while archery deer hunting and had guys open up with there pistols and rifles. First I was ticked and then I just feared for the safety of my son. Not everyone is cognizant of there surroundings or responsible enough to use a backstop.

[returnofsid]

You are all correct.  I had no right to be upset at them.  In fact, as I walked past them, I did apologize for my attitude.  Luckily, since teenagers were present, I'd also kept my language civil or I'd have been apologizing for that as well.  It wasn't so much JUST the target shooting that was the irritation, though that did irritate me, even though it shouldn't have.  When I used to shoot guns, if I was out on public land target practicing, I'd make sure I wasn't near anyone.  These guys were shooting within view of my camp trailer, actually shooting towards it. I'd also make sure no hunting opportunities were in the area that I might interfere with, even though I had a right to be there. Also, I gotta disagree with the statement that archery hunters think they own the woods.  My cousin spent a night at camp with me and joined me the following day with his 30-06, on the chance we saw a bear.  Grouse hunters were also in the area.  None of this bothered me in the least.  Archery season isn't the only season open right now. 

All of the days prior, I'd been MUCH further from any gates, many miles as a matter of fact.  The first day, I'd been past this same gate, about 8 miles.  On the way back to camp I'd seen a huge buck at this location but couldn't get closer than 60 yards and didn't want to spook it.  So, I figured since I wasn't seeing much for elk I'd spend my last evening hunting for that buck.  Low and behold, I hear the first elk bugle of the entire 5 days and the elk is within 500 yards of me.

All in all, even though I didn't bring home any meat, I did really enjoy my time in the woods, which is really what it's all about.  In 5 days, I put probably 60 miles in hiking.  Even though I didn't see any elk, I did see a lot of deer and A LOT of beautiful country. 

[returnofsid]

I am a bowhunter but I don't think what the Dad did by taking his boys shooting during acherchy season was wrong or disrespectful....and even though he may not have moved far enough for your liking he still inconvenienced himself in an attempt to be respectful to your wishes.... I can definitely understand the frustration..... but  the anger...  (broadhead in tire feeling)...no. Go further and stay further from the road if you don't want to deal with those types of things.

He didn't move at all.  I moved.  The broadhead in a tire feeling was actually a joke.  I'd never consider anything like that.

[returnofsid]

I am a bowhunter but I don't think what the Dad did by taking his boys shooting during acherchy season was wrong or disrespectful....and even though he may not have moved far enough for your liking he still inconvenienced himself in an attempt to be respectful to your wishes.... I can definitely understand the frustration..... but  the anger...  (broadhead in tire feeling)...no. Go further and stay further from the road if you don't want to deal with those types of things.

He didn't move at all.  I moved. They had 3 10-22s. An hour later it sounded like they were racing to see who could empty their magazines the quickest, reloading and doing it again...over and over...lol  The broadhead in a tire feeling was actually a joke.  I'd never consider anything like that.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

I am a bowhunter but I don't think what the Dad did by taking his boys shooting during acherchy season was wrong or disrespectful....and even though he may not have moved far enough for your liking he still inconvenienced himself in an attempt to be respectful to your wishes.... I can definitely understand the frustration..... but  the anger...  (broadhead in tire feeling)...no. Go further and stay further from the road if you don't want to deal with those types of things.

ahh..thanks for the clarification.
He didn't move at all.  I moved.  The broadhead in a tire feeling was actually a joke.  I'd never consider anything like that.

[MADMAX]

I do think it's pretty irritating to spend that much time preparing for archery season to have a bunch of guys show up in the middle of prime elk habitat 12 miles in on a dirt road to decide to open up with every type of heavy magnum known to man at the "pit"
I know this time it was just a .22 and a guy and kids and understand it public land, but really cant we have just a couple weeks ?
 I honestly think some guys do it on purpose to scr*w the bow hunters from taking "their elk"
I'll get flamed but I can just see me going out to some clearcut opening morning of modern elk season and sitting there before first light banging on a drum set.
Yea I'd get shot at I know, but hey its public land right ?
So it’s a 2 way street
IMO
 

[RadSav]

The year the wife had her Toutle tag we experienced the same thing.  We were a couple miles in past a gate the cows with the bull we were after had crossed less than 30 yards from the wife.  All we had to do was wait for the bull that was lagging fifty yards behind.  Then WWIII started a couple hundred yards down the hill.  Father and son had hiked into their favorite target shooting spot and just dumped the arsenal as fast as they could   The BIG bull decided chasing cows could wait and he bugged out.

The brief conversation led me to believe he knew we were hunting the area and on the bull.  But he had a rifle Toutle tag and didn't want us bowhunters in the area because that was "His" elk.  I have to admit a broadhead through the tires might have crossed my mind   Ahhh public land hunting, gotta love it! 

Could be worse though.  Could be Texas where 95% of all land is private!