Public Land Etiquette

645 pm last night, I've been in a tree for 2hrs at this point and hoping things come to life during the last 1/2hr of hunt time. I am set-up on a nice transition area of bedding and hardwoods, where I've observed deer coming and going. Crack... crack... snap... catches my attention. Here we go... Wrong! Along comes another hunter, which is fine and understandable, everyone has the right to be there. He/she appeared to be still hunting at a good clip, I give him/her a "pst..." and wave so we are both aware of each others presence. We acknowledge one another, and what happened after that was kind of bothersome. He/she walks a circle around my tree keeping a distance of about 25 yards, as if to check why I've selected that location? Then, goes bushing whacking through the bedding area.

There's no real solution or lesson learned from this, but let's all try to be somewhat courteous to one another out there. I won't sit here and say it ruined my hunt, but it certainly didn't help it. I will say walking right into a thick bedding area at twilight is a "bold move cotton" and a generally poor hunting tactic.

Rant over. What will you typically do when encountering another hunter in the field? My first instinct would be to head back the way I came and try a different area.

It's all part of the experience, I just hope nothing got spooked out too badly and they continue to use that bedding.

I think that if you believe there is any "etiquette" out there for ANYTHING these days you will be sadly disappointed.Manners and being taught how to behave are a thing of the past,take a look at the present President of the U.S. for an example.
In relation to public land hunting you get what you pay for and that basically sums it up for me.

I could make plenty of excuses for the behavior, ie Rookie hunter, first time in the area... but at the end of the day, you surely must have seen other hunter traffic in there in the past?
If you want privacy or at least a chance at privacy then you might need to buy your hunting property or rent the right to some place.

Find a way to use the actions of other hunters to your advantage, easier said than done but when you find that out you will be thanking them. John Eberhardt wrote a book about hunting pressured deer, it may be worth a read for you.

Precision Bowhunting, great book so far, I'm in the thick of it right now. He's written a few books with his son Chris. Dan Infalt is another very successful public land hunter who shares a wealth of his knowledge across various platforms.

I'm well aware of other hunters presence in that tract and don't necessarily look at it as a disadvantage, there's plenty of opportunity for all of us. This just kind of struck me as an odd thing to do and border-line inconsiderate.

I'm very fortunate to have access to a very small private parcel as well, but I want to keep pressure there to a minimum until hunting conditions are more favorable.

If I end up unintentionally coming across someone on public land I'll make sure we're aware of each other's presence and give them a wide berth.

One morning last year in deer season I sat in a spot that I don't normally sit in and shortly after first light another guy walked in behind me and sat down. He didn't notice me when he went past. I got up and went over to let him know we were fairly close to each other but I was only going to sit a little longer before pushing over to our other guys.

Upon speaking to this fellow a little I found out that this was a regular spot for his group to watch. His group and our group had hunted this same tract for years and we generally try to stay out of each other's way. I apologized for setting up so close and told him that after that morning I would stay more towards the area that my group regularly hunts. We said good day and parted ways.

I know that in this case I was there first and the other guy should have moved on but I've also found that in these cases showing a little respect goes a long way. I was outside of the area my group usually hunts and was unintentionally in one of "their spots".

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yeah thems the breaks. couple thoughts, 1) was he also hunting deer? and 2) i would guess they were oblivious to the fact that was a bedding area or had the worst hunting strategy. 3) if the deer were in that bedding area and he did bump them i wouldn't expect to see them back in there for a while.

i kinda did that to a guy last year. he was bow hunting deer from the ground but wearing orange so i spotted him right away. I was with my gf for a walk / lazy grouse hunt. i tried to be courteous and walked twice as far before entering the bush. accidentally bumped a deer the opposite direction of him. oops. would he have seen it if i didn't? who knows... did he even have a doe tag ? again no idea.

i also enjoyed the dodgeball reference. "lets see if it pays off for him"

I could make plenty of excuses for the behavior, ie Rookie hunter, first time in the area... but at the end of the day, you surely must have seen other hunter traffic in there in the past?
If you want privacy or at least a chance at privacy then you might need to buy your hunting property or rent the right to some place.[/QUOTE]


Sadly, even private ownership doesn't solve or guarantee privacy.
Kinda funny going to the dump Sat am; and recognizing someone from one of your game camera's.
Remember lookin', thinking; I know that guy from somewhere......

Lucky to have access to the outdoors vs like other countries- so small price to bear I suppose

I assume the person was deer hunting as they were toting a crossbow. Camo'd head to toe with a blacked out face net (hence not knowing if a he or she).

They probably didn't know it was a bedding area. I personally avoid intruding that space, in hopes it keeps them around and they feel it's a safe spot. So I was just kind of bummed.

That's what I was afraid of. I don't think mature bucks are bedding there, there's some topography in that tract, and I feel like the mature bucks are probably bedding in the swamp or on the ridges. But I've seen bachelor bucks and does use the trails leading in and out. Hopefully some of the younger naive ones stick around.

All in all it's not the end of the world. I didn't get mad about it or anything, just wanted to hear some others thoughts or similar stories.

Likely this will not repeat(hopefully too)but letting the person know-you are interfering with my hunt by walking in my shooting lane.....may steer the person away.
He/she may see"authority and decisiveness"in you approach,and let you be.

Worth the try.

What an ahole. I would have been furious and he would have heard it from me as he was circling the stand. For me there is no doubt he ruined your hunt at the prime time of the day. There are no excuses for his behavior at all in my mind. I don't care if he was a newbie or not, it's about commons sense and consideration for others. Even if he was new, they do cover hunting etiquette and safety in the course so he absolutely should have known better.
I hope he didn't ruin your spot, but if he pushed any decent buck out of that bedding area it may be gone for good. Hopefully some does would stick around though, so closer to rut time some bucks will still be around to check out the gals. Good luck with it.

Cheers

If a hunter like that is never corrected, they may learn that they're doing nothing wrong. I would have politely let him know he was f'ing with my day.

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As a newbie this is almost a crippling fear of mine, messing up someones hunt. If im still hunting squirrel or grouse and see someone ill try and make eye contact, slight wave or something and im gone. I dont want to be that guy as i wouldnt want it happening to me when im at that point. Plus i respect other hunters so if theyre already there well too bad for me they deserve it. One thing ive noticed when bumping into people lately who are headed to or from their stand/blind or people going to setp up or check trail cams is that most people are real nice. They say where theyre set up and where others are so i can try and keep a distance but also say its ok we all deserve a chance as long as we respect eachother. Even got some good tips whuch were honest and have exchanged numbers to keep eachother posted on how it went. I no longer avoid certain tracts when i see a few trucks but im mindful and respectful

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Originally Posted by RiverRat88

As a newbie this is almost a crippling fear of mine, messing up someones hunt. If im still hunting squirrel or grouse and see someone ill try and make eye contact, slight wave or something and im gone. I dont want to be that guy as i wouldnt want it happening to me when im at that point. Plus i respect other hunters so if theyre already there well too bad for me they deserve it. One thing ive noticed when bumping into people lately who are headed to or from their stand/blind or people going to setp up or check trail cams is that most people are real nice. They say where theyre set up and where others are so i can try and keep a distance but also say its ok we all deserve a chance as long as we respect eachother. Even got some good tips whuch were honest and have exchanged numbers to keep eachother posted on how it went. I no longer avoid certain tracts when i see a few trucks but im mindful and respectful

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Nicely done. Respect and consideration for others is what it's all about. You've learned your lessons well. Move to the head of the class.

one of my best days for deer sightings was right after the owner of the property beside the one I hunt crashed through the bush and spooked 8 deer in my direction. Then after an hour all the deer started slowly creeping back towards me....then end of legal light happened however an inconvenience it bumped deer my way and this is private property...I would expect the worst on public land. Have not and will not hunt public....find private land its out there....if your reading about the Eberharts youll soon learn that pre season scouting is king and that involves asking permission. Chris Eberharts book is most informational on how to scout for private property. Everyone has the option to hunt private land you just have to hunt down willing owners and sometimes be willing to drive an hour or two. The hard work put in getting private access will make hunting less effort then if you were on public land in the long run. ie leaving a treestand/trail cams/baiting is much easier on public land not to mention competition and controlling the safe areas on the property. We never enter the bedding area cause we arent allowed in the bush but the field and connecting routes to the bush are on property we can hunt and we take deer every year in the same spot and same stands.

Twice during rifle season last year on Crown I had new hunters walk within 20M of my stand (did not see ladder stand). Both, in an act of self preservation made me wait until they passed me with guns pointed the other way to speak out.

Both were in the middle of the open field, taking 3 steps and watching the wood line...... in the middle of open field..... Nothing I could do, but say hi, and be friendly.

The second group of two male hunters were so new...they still had leg stickers on Under Armour hunting bibs and coats...plus the butt stock and forestock still had the Savage Axis 2, stickers. The kicker was the perfectly formed and cut beards that beckons to a Starbucks Hunter urban outdoors man, right down to the quilted sheep wool dog ear hats in Hunter orange...

Guns in Axis, 7MM and 300 WSM, if I remember right. Lots of power to kill deers they said...

I've had guys come by me twice, on ATVs, while I was my stand...they stopped, chatted and then left. No word of a lie, within an hour, on both occasions, I had a deer come into the shooting lane and I shot them.

I figured it was the noise that attracted the deer, they're curios creatures.

So having a few guys walk by may be like dogging, they may flush a deer your way.

The best way to hunt public land is to find a quiet spot where there's decent sign,set yourself up,sit down and don't move around. Let other hunters that are bush bashing put Deer up in front of you. There's nothing wrong with hunting public land in that manner. It can be highly productive.

Some good advice and good stories here, thanks guys. This won't deter me from hunting public land, I just needed to vent to some folk that would understand. My wife just said "so what..."

I like the "Starbucks Hunter urban outdoors man" description, top notch!

its just as frustrating having trespassers on private property...last year had 3 pheasant hunters walk right past my blind and got them all on camera.

If I hunted public land I would find the escape routes the deer are using and setup down route of the likely spots they would get spooked or bumped from other hunters. When the deer on my property get spooked they really only use 2 or 3 escape routes which are also on routes to secondary bedding areas. Just through watching them get bumped and documenting where tracks are going to and coming from you can use it to your advantage...over time on the same property they're pretty predictable.

The fact that some of the comments here show anger at people getting disturbed by other hunters hunting public land is hilarious. They have every right to be there just as much as you. You're in Southern Ontario what do you expect? If you don't like seeing other hunters then its time to invest into some backpacking gear. Strap on some good hiking boots, grab a bivy, some freeze dried food, a map and start walking kilometres away from the closest trailhead. Yes it may require a lot of work but it's worth it in the end to get away from the crowds. The animals are far less pressured

Believe it or not, most (definitely not all) people are able to conduct their business in a fashion that's respectful of others. We are part of an already scrutinized demographic being hunters, there's no reason to be angry with each other as well. The public land available is the only source some people. While a back-country hunt might be a far richer experience, the reality is it's not in the cards for everyone.

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Originally Posted by ride.lift.shoot

Believe it or not, most (definitely not all) people are able to conduct their business in a fashion that's respectful of others. We are part of an already scrutinized demographic being hunters, there's no reason to be angry with each other as well. The public land available is the only source some people. While a back-country hunt might be a far richer experience, the reality is it's not in the cards for everyone.

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If you have decided to rely on public land as your sole access point to hunting you have to expect hunter pressure as there are numerous other hunters who have chosen that route.Maybe that don,t have the time to travel to other less crowded public areas,maybe they are to lazy to look for permission on private land,maybe they will not pay to rent land access or pay for land.So because you are in that group,warts and all,that is your lot in life.Expecting some excellent manners from members of your group is asking a little to much,as your all in there for the free ride,so to speak.

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Originally Posted by Gilroy

If you have decided to rely on public land as your sole access point to hunting you have to expect hunter pressure as there are numerous other hunters who have chosen that route.Maybe that don,t have the time to travel to other less crowded public areas,maybe they are to lazy to look for permission on private land,maybe they will not pay to rent land access or pay for land.So because you are in that group,warts and all,that is your lot in life.Expecting some excellent manners from members of your group is asking a little to much,as your all in there for the free ride,so to speak.

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Boy that sure doesn't sound nice, maybe a little condescending?
Hunting public land is all our right, owning private land (if you have the money or time) is your right... Calling someone lazy for hunting public land is silly.

That is unfortunate. If it was just a member of the public out for a stroll than no harm no foul as they probably don't know any better. A fellow hunter however should know better. Kind of like people driving 10k below the speed limit on a road with no passing opportunities. Annoying as hell but they aren't breaking any laws and nothing you can do about it.

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Originally Posted by Species8472

That is unfortunate. If it was just a member of the public out for a stroll than no harm no foul as they probably don't know any better. A fellow hunter however should know better. Kind of like people driving 10k below the speed limit on a road with no passing opportunities. Annoying as hell but they aren't breaking any laws and nothing you can do about it.

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Believe it or not,In Ontario,slow drivers can be ticketed for impeding the flow of traffic.

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Originally Posted by trimmer21

Believe it or not,In Ontario,slow drivers can be ticketed for impeding the flow of traffic.

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Same as you can be charged for interfering with a legal hunt. Both charges are exceedingly rare. Generally just have to live with the annoyance.

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Originally Posted by fratri

Boy that sure doesn't sound nice, maybe a little condescending?
Hunting public land is all our right, owning private land (if you have the money or time) is your right... Calling someone lazy for hunting public land is silly.

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I agree with the spirit of Gilroy's point.
Lots of accessible public land to be had with a good drive; You'll get trampled on public space round here without putting gas in the car.
Live in TO and head north of Kingston for a few hunts.....gets you a night or two out with the guys; and away from the Honey-do lists

LOL..less angry reply for the WIN...

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Originally Posted by ride.lift.shoot

Believe it or not, most (definitely not all) people are able to conduct their business in a fashion that's respectful of others. We are part of an already scrutinized demographic being hunters, there's no reason to be angry with each other as well. The public land available is the only source some people. While a back-country hunt might be a far richer experience, the reality is it's not in the cards for everyone.

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Originally Posted by Gilroy

If you have decided to rely on public land as your sole access point to hunting you have to expect hunter pressure as there are numerous other hunters who have chosen that route.Maybe that don,t have the time to travel to other less crowded public areas,maybe they are to lazy to look for permission on private land,maybe they will not pay to rent land access or pay for land.So because you are in that group,warts and all,that is your lot in life.Expecting some excellent manners from members of your group is asking a little to much,as your all in there for the free ride,so to speak.

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uhhh.... ok.... not sure where that came from, but, thanks? Moving on then...

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Originally Posted by fratri

Boy that sure doesn't sound nice, maybe a little condescending?
Hunting public land is all our right, owning private land (if you have the money or time) is your right... Calling someone lazy for hunting public land is silly.

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Maybe you need to put your reading glasses on or you read my post and cannot comprehend what I wrote, I did not call anyone lazy for hunting public land that is what you are saying.What I did write was "maybe they are to lazy to look for permission on private land" there is a difference you just don,t get .

If anyone expects some sort of privacy or manners being shown on public lands I think they are asking way to much in today's reality.Hunting public land is indeed your right along with the rights of everybody else from dog walkers,mushroom pickers, to tree huggers. If you are happy to share the woods with all of
them ,then I am happy for you.I am not being condescending here just trying to bring you a sense of reality.

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Originally Posted by Bonkers

The fact that some of the comments here show anger at people getting disturbed by other hunters hunting public land is hilarious. They have every right to be there just as much as you. You're in Southern Ontario what do you expect? If you don't like seeing other hunters then its time to invest into some backpacking gear. Strap on some good hiking boots, grab a bivy, some freeze dried food, a map and start walking kilometres away from the closest trailhead. Yes it may require a lot of work but it's worth it in the end to get away from the crowds. The animals are far less pressured

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Here's where you are so wrong, at least IMO. It's has nothing to do with the fact that someone else has the right to be there just as much as anyone else. It's about respect and consideration for other hunters, just as you would expect to be treated. For 15 years I hunted crown land on the north shore of White lake. There were 4 or 5 camps every year that hunted that territory and we all had our areas that we hunted in. Ours was around 500 acres and we mostly hunted the back half. We never had any problems, each camp knew where the other gangs hunted and we all respected each other. Sure there was the odd loner we would see, but even they knew enough to stay away from a gang of guys who would not be happy having their hunts ruined by idiots tromping all over the place when they damn well knew there was already a crew hunting there.
Bonkers maybe we have a different idea of being disturbed, as you put it. To me that would be some stranger showing up, seeing you, give a wave and backing off. It's likely happened to most of us at one time or another. I think ride.lift.shoot was being nice when he said "kind of bothersome". He has every right to be ticked off, there's nothing hilarious about it to me.

That's what happened here to the OP. That jerk not only didn't back off when he saw him on his watch, he had the audacity to actually circle him in his stand leaving a scent trail and then went tromping through the bedding area at the worst possible time of the day, guaranteeing that he would ruin that stands hunt. That's the worst part, even a newbie hunter should realize that evening prime time is for sitting still on a watch, not wandering all over the place. Like nobody could be that stupid one would think, so it makes me think the arsehole did it on purpose. I could maybe give someone a bit of slack in the middle of the day, but even then I would be sure to tell him if possible where other hunters are located so as to inform him where he might have a better chance of having a successful hunt, specially during rifle season, not that it was the case here.

Now I will admit that I've never hunted southern Ontario, so I can't actually say I know how busy it gets on public land down there. If it is really that bad then yea you're right, the best bet would be to travel way, way far back to get away from the crowds, although that brings with it a whole new bunch of potential problems, like trying to drag a deer out through a mile or more of thick bush. I know it was a major but happy chore for us to drag a deer out if we got one and there was 4 of us. We were in the bush all day, so we carried a fair amount of gear. Two guys would drag using a good length of hardwood through the gams and the other two guys would carry all the gear. Then we would switch. With only two hunters it would sure take a long time.

Like you say, getting far back is often the key. I just checked google earth and my morning watch was 1450 yds from the road as the crow flies, so an easy mile+ walk in the morning dark. We hunted way north of there too. Lot's of swamps everywhere, they just never stop lol. Thing is, we could easily have hunted the front part if we had wanted to, but scouting showed far more sign far back from the lake in the messiest bush. Even opening day we were back there. All we ever did was travel through on the same trail. It was hard hunting still, nothing like around here with agriculture. Pure bush and swamps. Real messy too, likely why we didn't see many other hunters back there.

Cheers

"Now I will admit that I've never hunted southern Ontario, so I can't actually say I know how busy it gets on public land down there."

OK smitty55 your living in Lanark County but somehow you manage to come up with this line.LOL

Lisen your whole post reeks of that bad attitude about a group of guys who have established an area on PUBLIC LAND and decide they basically OWN IT.You don,t own it,you don,t pay taxes to own it and have the exclusive right to hunt it. Please explain to me how a group from Toronto would know you hunt a specific location in White Lake.If they go up there in July and scout out YOUR SPOT and set up camp in the fall, are you suggesting you have some more RIGHT to the land as they do?
No its old ploy about manners and etiquette is just that,some of you guys want the status quo on land you do not own and that is not happening.IMHO

I,am with Bonkers on this one.

hes not asking them to not hunt, or even complaining about them hunting public land at all. he is complaining about the etiquette which was not used during this encounter. although this person didnt do anything illegal, what they did was not right necessarily. I think bringing up the discussion here helps push this etiquette into new hunters.
the bottom line is if you see another hunter in a stand deer hunting, do your best to turn around and leave and make as little impact in their hunting as possible.

The northern moose hunting references crack me up, since its not the same at all, and also i don't agree with monopolizing the bush, and it sounds like some groups do that during those hunts.

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Originally Posted by bowj

hes not asking them to not hunt, or even complaining about them hunting public land at all. he is complaining about the etiquette which was not used during this encounter. although this person didnt do anything illegal, what they did was not right necessarily. I think bringing up the discussion here helps push this etiquette into new hunters.
the bottom line is if you see another hunter in a stand deer hunting, do your best to turn around and leave and make as little impact in their hunting as possible.

The northern moose hunting references crack me up, since its not the same at all, and also i don't agree with monopolizing the bush, and it sounds like some groups do that during those hunts.

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I agree with your entire post Except when your hunting Public Land you must expect this type of thing to happen,there is no way around it.In relation to your last line there are plenty of hunting groups in Southern Ontario monopolizing the bush and a BIG PART OF THE BLAME for that lies with the MNR who in the old days and probably even today allowed CROWN land leases and permits to build camps and the natural consequences of that was the camp owners believed they had exclusive rights to all the Crown land around their camps.

There is a way to level the playing field on all this crap, on Public Land pay to hunt, on Crown land pay to hunt.You want 500 acres of private hunting in White River on Crown land bid against the next group for the privilege.

Can someone define "Southern Ontario" for me? What area are you talking about, in general?

Niagara Peninsula? South of Algonquin Park from Lake Simcoe to the Quebec border?

77B, plot of 114 acres. For a public spot that close to the city there's surprisingly not a lot of pressure, less than I expected there to be anyway. I'm there 1-2 times a week within season and between last year and this year I can count on one hand how many times I've seen another hunter. All other interactions were perfectly normal, this one just left me feeling a bit perplexed.

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Originally Posted by ride.lift.shoot

77B, plot of 114 acres. For a public spot that close to the city there's surprisingly not a lot of pressure, less than I expected there to be anyway. I'm there 1-2 times a week within season and between last year and this year I can count on one hand how many times I've seen another hunter. All other interactions were perfectly normal, this one just left me feeling a bit perplexed.

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Probably bumped into me in the same plot....

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Gilroy you are reading into things that I never said or implied. Go figure. Bowj got it right, no problem. You seem to have a problem with comprehension maybe. Btw I consider myself in Eastern Ontario not southern. There are tons of camps on crown land and yes, most of them do respect other areas. Sounds like you're the type who would go tromping through public land where ever you please, just because it's legal. So much for consideration for other hunters eh?

This line really shows your attitude. "There is a way to level the playing field on all this crap, on Public Land pay to hunt, on Crown land pay to hunt." That has to be the most asinine comment I've ever heard a hunter make. You are a shame to the hunting community. Nuff said.

For the guys up north.... Southern Ontario at least in my area, within an hour of my home holds....say about 8 public land areas to hunt.
Those areas range in size from 50 to 200 acres but they are surrounded by private farmland... So getting back deep into the bush really isn't that far back, certainly not miles...

Southern Ontario public land hunting is much more different then in Northern Ontario, that's for sure.

S55 , do you consider other hunters, when you lay claim-stakeout-monopolize, public land to the exclusion of others?

When hunting Crown land,it's to be expected that other hunters can and will "pop up" at any time,especially in areas in the south where Crown or public land is scarce Nobody has the right to keep anyone off public land......period. I know there's some camps that think and act like they own the property they hunt on,but,thankfully,those camps are few and far between,anymore,because the ramifications of a belligerent confrontation can have far-reaching consequences more severe,now,than in the past with anti-gun/anti-hunting sentiments running quite high through the Liberal justice system. For hunters,in general,we have far more to lose than gain. Every hunter MUST be aware of that fact and govern themselves accordingly.

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Originally Posted by trimmer21

When hunting Crown land,it's to be expected that other hunters can and will "pop up" at any time,especially in areas in the south where Crown or public land is scarce Nobody has the right to keep anyone off public land......period. I know there's some camps that think and act like they own the property they hunt on,but,thankfully,those camps are few and far between,anymore,because the ramifications of a belligerent confrontation can have far-reaching consequences more severe,now,than in the past with anti-gun/anti-hunting sentiments running quite high through the Liberal justice system. For hunters,in general,we have far more to lose than gain. Every hunter MUST be aware of that fact and govern themselves accordingly.

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Well said, and with that said, if two hunters meet in the bush, a little consideration for each other solves most issues.

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Originally Posted by fishermccann

S55 , do you consider other hunters, when you lay claim-stakeout-monopolize, public land to the exclusion of others?

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Most of the time in places like Smitty mentioned, there are no "others" to worry about. Our group hunted a place that sounds very similar to it for many years. There were other groups that hunted the same land and we all stayed out of each other's way so as not to mess up runs with the hounds. If by chance some "other" showed up needing consideration they were given it. They had as much right to use the land as we did. If they wanted to hunt right in the middle of the line of standers they did, although I don't know why anyone would.

I don't know what kind of consideration you're talking about though. Should we have offered the "others" a stand to hunt in or tip them off to the good spots? They can do their own homework, same as the group who has been successfully hunting the area year after year.

Are there groups who "lay claim" to an area and try to keep newcomers out? Sure there are, but they're few and far between. As it goes with anything, a few examples of it here and there hardly make up the "norm".

Just because a group goes back to the same area year after year doesn't mean anything other than that they are familiar and successful in the area and enjoy hunting that spot. You may see it as "monopolizing" the area, but don't they have as much right to continue hunting there as anyone else who might show up on opening morning? It works both ways.

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Yes I agree with most of that ,:goodstuff: but, what if they indeed do their homework as you say,(google maps, summer walk through, etc.), and thought that the spot looked good, ( they did not know you were there for years), and wanted a piece of the action there? If they got there with a couple of their friends, before your group, would you move on?:confused: Be honest!

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Originally Posted by fishermccann

Yes I agree with most of that ,:goodstuff: but, what if they indeed do their homework as you say,(google maps, summer walk through, etc.), and thought that the spot looked good, ( they did not know you were there for years), and wanted a piece of the action there? If they got there with a couple of their friends, before your group, would you move on?:confused: Be honest!

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One group I used to hunt with would not have moved on, which is a big part of the reason I no longer hunt with them. The example you gave was almost exactly what happened.

The people I hunt with now absolutely would move on if we weren't the first ones there in the morning. That's why we drag ourselves out of bed so early in the morning, walk for an hour in the dark to our stands and then sit in the dark for half an hour or so until legal light. If someone beats us in there, fair enough, I'll sit somewhere else.

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Fair enough, you are one of the good ones. I also bet many would say,(forcefully), that they had been hunting that area for years and you should move on. Hunting on crown land, possession should be 100% of who hunts there, not who hunted there 'before'.

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Originally Posted by smitty55

What an ahole. I would have been furious and he would have heard it from me as he was circling the stand. For me there is no doubt he ruined your hunt at the prime time of the day. There are no excuses for his behavior at all in my mind. I don't care if he was a newbie or not, it's about commons sense and consideration for others. Even if he was new, they do cover hunting etiquette and safety in the course so he absolutely should have known better.
I hope he didn't ruin your spot, but if he pushed any decent buck out of that bedding area it may be gone for good. Hopefully some does would stick around though, so closer to rut time some bucks will still be around to check out the gals. Good luck with it.

Cheers

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Originally Posted by smitty55

Here's where you are so wrong, at least IMO. It's has nothing to do with the fact that someone else has the right to be there just as much as anyone else. It's about respect and consideration for other hunters, just as you would expect to be treated. For 15 years I hunted crown land on the north shore of White lake. There were 4 or 5 camps every year that hunted that territory and we all had our areas that we hunted in. Ours was around 500 acres and we mostly hunted the back half. We never had any problems, each camp knew where the other gangs hunted and we all respected each other. Sure there was the odd loner we would see, but even they knew enough to stay away from a gang of guys who would not be happy having their hunts ruined by idiots tromping all over the place when they damn well knew there was already a crew hunting there.
Bonkers maybe we have a different idea of being disturbed, as you put it. To me that would be some stranger showing up, seeing you, give a wave and backing off. It's likely happened to most of us at one time or another. I think ride.lift.shoot was being nice when he said "kind of bothersome". He has every right to be ticked off, there's nothing hilarious about it to me.

That's what happened here to the OP. That jerk not only didn't back off when he saw him on his watch, he had the audacity to actually circle him in his stand leaving a scent trail and then went tromping through the bedding area at the worst possible time of the day, guaranteeing that he would ruin that stands hunt. That's the worst part, even a newbie hunter should realize that evening prime time is for sitting still on a watch, not wandering all over the place. Like nobody could be that stupid one would think, so it makes me think the arsehole did it on purpose. I could maybe give someone a bit of slack in the middle of the day, but even then I would be sure to tell him if possible where other hunters are located so as to inform him where he might have a better chance of having a successful hunt, specially during rifle season, not that it was the case here.

Now I will admit that I've never hunted southern Ontario, so I can't actually say I know how busy it gets on public land down there. If it is really that bad then yea you're right, the best bet would be to travel way, way far back to get away from the crowds, although that brings with it a whole new bunch of potential problems, like trying to drag a deer out through a mile or more of thick bush. I know it was a major but happy chore for us to drag a deer out if we got one and there was 4 of us. We were in the bush all day, so we carried a fair amount of gear. Two guys would drag using a good length of hardwood through the gams and the other two guys would carry all the gear. Then we would switch. With only two hunters it would sure take a long time.

Like you say, getting far back is often the key. I just checked google earth and my morning watch was 1450 yds from the road as the crow flies, so an easy mile+ walk in the morning dark. We hunted way north of there too. Lot's of swamps everywhere, they just never stop lol. Thing is, we could easily have hunted the front part if we had wanted to, but scouting showed far more sign far back from the lake in the messiest bush. Even opening day we were back there. All we ever did was travel through on the same trail. It was hard hunting still, nothing like around here with agriculture. Pure bush and swamps. Real messy too, likely why we didn't see many other hunters back there.

Cheers

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Originally Posted by smitty55

Gilroy you are reading into things that I never said or implied. Go figure. Bowj got it right, no problem. You seem to have a problem with comprehension maybe. Btw I consider myself in Eastern Ontario not southern. There are tons of camps on crown land and yes, most of them do respect other areas. Sounds like you're the type who would go tromping through public land where ever you please, just because it's legal. So much for consideration for other hunters eh?

This line really shows your attitude. "There is a way to level the playing field on all this crap, on Public Land pay to hunt, on Crown land pay to hunt." That has to be the most asinine comment I've ever heard a hunter make. You are a shame to the hunting community. Nuff said.

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No problem with my comprehension here are your posts,calling other hunters A holes,idiots and telling us you expect privacy on your Crown Land spot in White River. You want private land rights and are not prepared to pay for such and are totally aggressive in your tone towards other hunters.I don,t think your are straight shooter.

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Originally Posted by Gilroy

No problem with my comprehension here are your posts,calling other hunters A holes,idiots and telling us you expect privacy on your Crown Land spot in White River.

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He said White Lake, not White River.

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Originally Posted by Crawdad Six

He said White Lake, not White River.

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LOL, LOL For someone who does not know where Southern ONTARIO IS YOUR PRETTY SHARP TO PICK UP ON THIS.

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Originally Posted by trimmer21

When hunting Crown land,it's to be expected that other hunters can and will "pop up" at any time,especially in areas in the south where Crown or public land is scarce Nobody has the right to keep anyone off public land......period. I know there's some camps that think and act like they own the property they hunt on,but,thankfully,those camps are few and far between,anymore,because the ramifications of a belligerent confrontation can have far-reaching consequences more severe,now,than in the past with anti-gun/anti-hunting sentiments running quite high through the Liberal justice system. For hunters,in general,we have far more to lose than gain. Every hunter MUST be aware of that fact and govern themselves accordingly.

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That's a good point.

If I'm standing around arguing with another guy or group of them, I'm not hunting. Wasting time arguing over who has the right to be on public land is about the least productive use of precious vacation days I can imagine. Life is full of disappointments. Suck it up and move on.

I've got multiple likely spots mapped and if someone's there, I'll just do the polite thing - fire three shots into the air to let him know that I see him and ensure that he sees me.* Then he can enjoy his hunt while I move about a mile further back into the bush and enjoy my hunt.



*I don't really do that.

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Originally Posted by Crawdad Six

- fire three shots into the air to let him know that I see him ...
*I don't really do that.

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Thank God you don't really do that....with my first aid training; I hear 3 shoots it means 'distress' and even if I'm enjoying a nice evening hunt 2 miles away I will drop what I'm doing to come to your aid.

If I got there and you were just shooting into the air for fun, then I may have to do some first aid after all :)

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Originally Posted by Gilroy

LOL, LOL For someone who does not know where Southern ONTARIO IS YOUR PRETTY SHARP TO PICK UP ON THIS.

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That's because my reading comprehension is excellent.

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Originally Posted by MikePal

Thank God you don't really do that....with my first aid training; I hear 3 shoots it means 'distress' and even if I'm enjoying a nice evening hunt 2 miles away I will drop what I'm doing to come to your aid.

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Then I guess your tree stand will be unoccupied by the time I get there, won't it? :thumbup:

Thanks guys for reminding me why I gave up on this site about a year ago and thought "what the hell I'll give it another try but with the childish behaviour that I have seen here I just remember why I left in the first place, and before you criticize me go back and read your posts and honestly think about how you act, no I don't have to read the post but as a southern Ontario hunter I thought it would be a interesting read but sadly I am leaving now never to return, Oh well won't miss the stupidity. See ya!

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Originally Posted by Huntnfish

Thanks guys for reminding me why I gave up on this site about a year ago and thought "what the hell I'll give it another try but with the childish behaviour that I have seen here I just remember why I left in the first place, and before you criticize me go back and read your posts and honestly think about how you act, no I don't have to read the post but as a southern Ontario hunter I thought it would be a interesting read but sadly I am leaving now never to return, Oh well won't miss the stupidity. See ya!

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The internet (and this forum by default) is just like public land. Lots of good people but enough idiots that those with thin skin best abstain.

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Originally Posted by Huntnfish

Thanks guys for reminding me why I gave up on this site about a year ago and thought "what the hell I'll give it another try but with the childish behaviour that I have seen here I just remember why I left in the first place, and before you criticize me go back and read your posts and honestly think about how you act, no I don't have to read the post but as a southern Ontario hunter I thought it would be a interesting read but sadly I am leaving now never to return, Oh well won't miss the stupidity. See ya!

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Oh,gee,thanks for your thoughtful contribution. "See ya" and don't let the door hit you on the arse on your way out.

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Originally Posted by Huntnfish

Thanks guys for reminding me why I gave up on this site about a year ago and thought "what the hell I'll give it another try but with the childish behaviour that I have seen here I just remember why I left in the first place, and before you criticize me go back and read your posts and honestly think about how you act, no I don't have to read the post but as a southern Ontario hunter I thought it would be a interesting read but sadly I am leaving now never to return, Oh well won't miss the stupidity. See ya!

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Oh com'on! It's all in good fun. Gilroy is just an old crochety Scotsman. And he's a diehard liberal much to the disdain of many on here. If you're gonna hang around here ya gotta learn to roll with the punches.
There are actually, a few good threads on this site every now and again. Stick around, lurk if you want, and throw crap right back at those who give you a hard time.

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Originally Posted by MikePal

Thank God you don't really do that....with my first aid training; I hear 3 shoots it means 'distress' and even if I'm enjoying a nice evening hunt 2 miles away I will drop what I'm doing to come to your aid.

If I got there and you were just shooting into the air for fun, then I may have to do some first aid after all :)

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What's this "3 shots" you speak of? I only bring one bullet with me when I hunt? Only takes one to kill a deer? What will they think of next?

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Originally Posted by Bushmoose

What's this "3 shots" you speak of? I only bring one bullet with me when I hunt? Only takes one to kill a deer? What will they think of next?

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Bushmoose, you need to keep 3 extra rounds in you breast pocket, so when you fall out of your treestand you can fire them into the air to tell someone you need help. It's on the books as the international symbol of distress...but in most parts, when guys who hear shooting after dark...they think someone is just poaching and go back to the drinking the beer :)

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Originally Posted by Crawdad Six

That's because my reading comprehension is excellent.

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LOL YEH yeh I got your point kinda comprehended it so to speak.

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Originally Posted by Bushmoose

Oh com'on! It's all in good fun. Gilroy is just an old crochety Scotsman. And he's a diehard liberal much to the disdain of many on here. If you're gonna hang around here ya gotta learn to roll with the punches.
There are actually, a few good threads on this site every now and again. Stick around, lurk if you want, and throw crap right back at those who give you a hard time.

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What the heck he cant have been talking about he,he...If it was me Huntnfish please come back,see spoken like a real liberal.

Lol Gilroy you just keep proving my point. Your comprehension is on par with your spelling. White River eh? That's a good one. I never called any hunters anything. I was talking about one hunter, but I guess you can assume all you want. I stand by what I said, that guy was a jerk. I also never said anywhere that I expected privacy on crown land. Where I hunted folks used common sense and for the most part stuck to their areas. Even the one guy who often hunted closer to the road never came back around us. Like I said, we never had any probs with anyone, well except for one time when a bunch of liberal anti hunters were wandering up and down the road waving signs. Actually that wasn't even a problem, we just laughed at them. Never saw them again.

Then S 55 I will ask you the same question I asked before, if you and your buddies got to 'your' spot, and someone else was already there would you move on, or hunt all around him and make him feel like he had done something wrong.

I would move on, however I have never had that happen that I can remember hunters that I meet are polite and seem to agree with me move on there are thousands of ac of land no need to take someone else spot only a lazy slob hunter would do that or encourage it.

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Originally Posted by fishermccann

Then S 55 I will ask you the same question I asked before, if you and your buddies got to 'your' spot, and someone else was already there would you move on, or hunt all around him and make him feel like he had done something wrong.

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Originally Posted by smitty55

Lol Gilroy you just keep proving my point. Your comprehension is on par with your spelling. White River eh? That's a good one. I never called any hunters anything. I was talking about one hunter, but I guess you can assume all you want. I stand by what I said, that guy was a jerk. I also never said anywhere that I expected privacy on crown land. Where I hunted folks used common sense and for the most part stuck to their areas. Even the one guy who often hunted closer to the road never came back around us. Like I said, we never had any probs with anyone, well except for one time when a bunch of liberal anti hunters were wandering up and down the road waving signs. Actually that wasn't even a problem, we just laughed at them. Never saw them again.

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You already hung yourself with your own posts,try reading them.If I scouted out a spot in July (your spot) set up camp a few days before you,will your gang let me have my place in peace,from all your postings it would be NO. I have hunted up that way, I know how the game is played,plenty of evidence on this forum over the years that some gangs bully and threaten to get their way or keep their territory,its no secret.

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Originally Posted by greatwhite

I would move on, however I have never had that happen that I can remember hunters that I meet are polite and seem to agree with me move on there are thousands of ac of land no need to take someone else spot only a lazy slob hunter would do that or encourage it.

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The only way you can take somebody,s else,s spot is if you meet them face to face as its the story in the OP.However there are lots if times when a group from the south go up north,scout out a spot in summer,return in the fall and set up camp.The next morning another camp who come late,don,t like the fact somebody else is there and go out their way to disturb their hunt.Seen it happen many times.The newcomers who scouted out the spot in the summer don,t want to move as they got their first,the traditional camp get upset because they think its "their area".

Bingo Gilroy , we have a winner!

Here's one for ya. Last year on our moose hunt - bow - we all went out to the crown land spots we normally hunt. Unmark vacant land. One of our guys noticed the trail in needed some work. So in he goes and he's in there for 4 hours. On his way out about 1/2 way he bumps into 2 guys who came in behind him. They were not polite and said they were hunting here. He told them he's been clearing the trail for the last 4 hours and they would not have gotten in as far as they did without the trail being cleared. They lied and said they hunt here every year. REALLY? we've been in there for 15 yrs for the same 3 weeks. Lying basturds . He told them he was going in . He left and came back to camp for lunch. when he went back out these 2 scumbags had called the game warden. They also hung a stand on the newly cleared trail. Wasn't there 2 hrs ago. No moose spot - just tossed up a stand. They told the game warden they'd been hunting out of the stand for the previous 2 days. The game warden sided with the 2 scumbags and told our guy to find somewhere else.
We at camp were in a mood to go cut down the stand and settle it like gentlemen - I woulda punched one of the lying, deceitful, devious scumbags and maybe even both of them. I know how crown land works and have excused myself many times in the past and will do so again in the future BUT these guys needed to be taught a lesson.

too bad your buddy didn't ask the scumbags to show the game warden their phone.
Call logs might show that they were not in area code the day before.
Sure would've been nice to settle it like gentlemen though eh?.........

Worst issue ive had is with turkeys..seems to drive some people nuts. On private land...running up birds with a loaded shotgun...stalking into my hen only set...multiple issues. Good luck. Better luck next time

Nice to see you on Crown Land in MY SPOT...this weekend...lol Chit happens on crown, I could care less and move on. Even some of the people who I have introduced this text me back and ask if they can come back to "my spot" LOL, it is crown and I have no right to say no, would never say no, because it is not mine to own. The good thing about the question is They are showing proper etiquette as new hunters because they have been told about, read about it, and understand about it. That is the right thing, so they are learning, from here, from others hunters or in field. IS that not the intent of every hunter to learn, respect and practice. I have pointed out the Kemptville MNR the NO TRESSPASS signs in 3 locations in MB where illegal signs are posted of which no lease is active under the MB forrest management plan which lists all active leases. I have only confronted one "owner" and told be damned with signs and trudged through the property. Right/legal on my behalf, wrong to be confrontational, but was so mad when he came tout to cancel our duck hunt on the adjacent ponds by shooting numerous shells at approaching geese during deer rifle season. Reported it again to MNR. The signs and ropes blocking off "HIS AREA" are up again this year.

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Originally Posted by greatwhite

I would move on, however I have never had that happen that I can remember hunters that I meet are polite and seem to agree with me move on there are thousands of ac of land no need to take someone else spot only a lazy slob hunter would do that or encourage it.

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Did you get any ducks or geese? Son and I only heard a few grouse in the distance.

Less birds this weekend and most of them stayed over reeds. We did get some shooting opportunities, but overall was a less than stellar normal weekend.

I only shot one round...as opposed to my normal 2-3 boxes..with no results. So I saved some money...

Oh man!

As a bow hunter I find that generally speaking fellow bow hunters are more considerate of one another compared to gun hunters. Our group has hunted in the Geraldton area for over 20 years for moose in the bow season and only once have we encountered a problem with a fellow bow hunter. We actually utilize "Hunt in Progress" signs that we post when heading into an area, and then pull them down went that morning or evening's hunt is completed.
If we come upon a spot where we know other hunters are in the area, we simply back out and hunt one of our numerous other areas.
We all respect the unwritten code that although it is crown land and open to anyone to hunt, we simply won't enter and area when others are in it, even when we have stands set up in the area , stands that we leave in the bush for 20+ years and to date we have only lost one to theft.

Rifle hunters can be a different breed altogether and as a result of the some of their behaviour is the main reason I would never hunt the first two weeks of the moose rifle season, and was a real motivating factor toward switching to bow over 25 years ago.
On a closing note, respect for fellow hunters always goes a long way, as opposed to confrontation.
Enjoy the overall experience of being in the bush and respect all hunters good and bad.

That's quite the paint brush ya' got there. ......

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Originally Posted by LiveBates

That's quite the paint brush ya' got there. ......

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Amazing what people read into things. First he said generally bow hunters are more considerate. I would agree. He also said rifle hunters can be a different breed and some of their behavior. That's a far cry from a paint brush.

Cheers

Etiquette is mostly dead... 3 years ago I was hunting a public forest when a band of jack offs came through (literally 4 or 5 guys) just blasting their guns away.. I heard pellets dropping from the sky onto the leaves of trees... I had to yell at them but not even sure if they heard as it sounded like d-day... I wish I had my own land to hunt.... sure the odd a-hole might trespass, but most people observe the signs...a the very least I wouldn't have to deal with what I did..

Splaker I'm not sure where you hunt but I don't believe that it's like this everywhere. I usually hunt not far from Ottawa as well as a bit up near Algonquin Park at Bissett creek and I have never run into those types of situations around here. I suspect it is more of a Southern occurrence. Don't get me wrong I'm sure it probably happens around here occasionally but I think the people in Eastern Ontario will back me up on this for the most part around here most hunters are pretty responsible and keep others in mind.

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Originally Posted by Splaker

Etiquette is mostly dead... 3 years ago I was hunting a public forest when a band of jack offs came through (literally 4 or 5 guys) just blasting their guns away.. I heard pellets dropping from the sky onto the leaves of trees... I had to yell at them but not even sure if they heard as it sounded like d-day... I wish I had my own land to hunt.... sure the odd a-hole might trespass, but most people observe the signs...a the very least I wouldn't have to deal with what I did..

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Originally Posted by greatwhite

Splaker I'm not sure where you hunt but I don't believe that it's like this everywhere. I usually hunt not far from Ottawa as well as a bit up near Algonquin Park at Bissett creek and I have never run into those types of situations around here. I suspect it is more of a Southern occurrence. Don't get me wrong I'm sure it probably happens around here occasionally but I think the people in Eastern Ontario will back me up on this for the most part around here most hunters are pretty responsible and keep others in mind.

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it was the only time... it's otherwise good... but some jerks like to dump their refuse on crown land...that happens everywhere b/c I;ve seen it all over the prov