Public Land Etiquette

[smitty55]

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

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

[Gilroy]

"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.

[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.

[Gilroy]

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.

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.

[Crawdad Six]

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?

[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.

[topher]

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.

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

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

[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.

[fratri]

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.

[fishermccann]

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