An example of poor ethics.

[SaskMan]

Tonight I went out to do a little scouting in an area I've become pretty familiar with over the past few years. Just as I was nearing where I park to get on my bike to ride the final mile I notice a car I recognize on the road. I also notice 3 guys coming out of the bush within a little leaguer's toss of a treestand I have up.

Now the car owner knows I've killed some pretty big deer there over the years but I never really guessed anyone else would go and tromp all over an area another guy is going to hunt. I guess it's because Iwouldn't, maybe I'm being selfish but I call it ethical.

So anyways, while glassing the area I noticed deer habits are really changing, skittish deer from a long ways away, that tells me maybe the boys have been tromping around in there for awhile. It took me a few years to learn that every time you step into a big bucks area your chances for killing him decrease, you don't know it but he likely knows you're there.

This person likely has no idea how intamately familiar I am with the area and if a stand is in there I'll find it and if it is on the 160 I bet it is and if it has a bait on it I'll be calling the DNR. The 1/4 I'd bet a bait would be on is owned by a guy who lives far from here, I've talked to him on the phone quite a few times and baiting is illegal on private land without permission and permission is likely something he doesn't have.

Now before anyone calls me selfish...picture this, there are thousands of accessable acres, all basically as good as the rest. You know someone is hunting somewhere and you have a pile of other places to go yet you sidle in anyways,..............................illegal???? No. Ethical....................I say NO!!

I'm pretty sure within a week I'll know if the spot is buggered, I've buggered it myself in years past, a bit of pressure, careless scent..........nocturnal deer. If it is, I'll slide into another place I have scouted, it's not the end of the world. I just wanted to throw this out there to some serious deer hunters and ethical sportsman b/c the shadiness of the whole situation just kind of ticked me off.

[buckee]

I think it's unethical and selfish of someone to come into an area like that when they know dang well, you're already set up there. I feel the same way you do about the situation, and these blacktails go nocturnal really quick also if pressured, so I know where you're coming from..

It's a little different when someone accidently walks into your hunting area. But intentionally, just to get some sort of advantage over you and your area, is a no-no in my book.

[johnf]

Kinda like when some yahoo sits up next to you on the trout river because you're catching and he's not. They'll probibly never figure out that your getting the deer not because of where you are, but what you're doing.

I would guess they are more ignorant then unethical. If they know what they are doing I'd have to lean toward unethical.

[muzzy916]

out where i hunt, most if not all of it is private. there is alot of leased land and alot of hunters, but i run into about 15 differnt guys on this land that dont have permision, when most of the land owners live at the most no more than 5 miles away. Now i know most of the other hunters that hunt on the propetry and we all know where eachother hunts and a lot of the days we hunt. so most of the people generaly leave the other hunters areas alone. but there are still the few un ethical hunter that dont care

[SaskMan]

John, guaranteed they know what they're doing and they know I've been set up in there for a few years. It really burns my arse b/c there are so many places to hunt and they appear to be simply trying to reap the rewards of another's work. I'll tell you...sometimes telling anyone you got a big deer can be a big mistake.

[mule659]

That would really upset me...even in the areas my buddies and I together hunt we all have our own little hot spots and we stay the heck off of each others unless the other guy has already got his deer and knows there is another one you could go get or something of that nature. I hate nothing more than people going into land without permission and ruining a good hunting spot.

[Sask-Hunter]

That would tick me right off, i know a few good buddies of mine like another guy said hunt around the same area but we all have are perfect spot and we stay out of eachothers;)

id be looking for that stand Saskman and making a phone call when you find it, Once i had been baiting a spot for a few weeks and i had a stand over it and some bone head took my sign that read my name and number and put up his own to claim my stand as his, too bad i couldnt make out the number though:mad:

Anyway i hate people that hunt in my area that i have been scouting for months:D:D

[SaskMan]

I'm sure you'll run into him in the halls tomorrow, maybe ask him why he'd show so little class?

[wtnhunt]

I'm sure you'll run into him in the halls tomorrow, maybe ask him why he'd show so little class?

So it is a kid or kids? Think maybe John may be right that they are somewhat ignorant and maybe for whatever reason do not know they are doing what you view as wrong. Unfortunately not everyone holds the same thoughts on what is and is not ethical, and there are arguments on what is and is not ethical all the time. I do think it is wrong if they are intentionally intruding in the area if they know you plan to hunt there, but then again if it is public land, are you sure they know they are where you plan to be and that it is their intentions to intrude on your claim to this spot?

How much space is required in that area to give up to another hunter? Maybe they know they are close, but dont realize they are quite so close and are at your stand site?

[Rhino]

I agree with you too Kaare. Legal..yes (if they have permission) but ethical...no. I probably deal with that same problem a lot more down here than you do up there. Just sheer hunter numbers hunting less acreage is the difference. Some people just can't resist the urge to go check out what someone else has done and how they set up to hunt a spot. Some just have no clue how their continued disturbance affects a deer's routine.

I've actually had a guy come up to me once and tell me he went to specifically find one of my bowhunting stands. His follow up question was he wanted to know if I minded if he put another stand up about 40 yards from mine. Well at least he asked and I answered him honestly. A few years ago another guy set up a trail camera on a trail right in front of one of my stands during the 1st week of bow season. He had to walk right by my stand to go set it up. I let him know how unhappy I was about it. I've actually pulled bowhunting stands because some idiot decided to hang one within 10 yards of mine to take advantage of the shooting lanes I trimmed in advance of the season. That's about as low as it gets.

The only way I've found to try to minimize that problem is to hunt remote or overlooked places that most people won't bother to look at. However, after they find out someone is hunting it some idiots can't resist the urge to go tromp around trying to find out where and how you're hunting an area. Some people think the grass is always greener on the other side ya know.

Like you said, minimal human disturbance is critical to making and keeping a good stand site good. The more it's disturbed, the less your chances of dragging a mature buck out of there.

This is a real sore subject with me. I stay away from any area when I know someone else is hunting it. I just ask for the same courtesy from hunters that share the same woods with me. Sometimes I get it and sometimes I don't.

[hutchies]

Ethical...........probably not. I hunt public land all thru the year................ I have a honey hole. I have seen and killed more deer out of this tree than I have any other tree I have ever set in. I mean it's not even a comparison.......Like 20 to 1. I have only sat in that tree 1 day that I didn't see anything. With knowing that how many of my buddies do you think want to know where that tree is? I know a couple of them would go in and hunt there without asking me if they knew I wasn't in there. I just don't believe in moving in on anyone elses stand..................Unfortunately alot of people don't feel this way.

[wtnhunt]

After thinking about your message, got to wonder if the kids intentions are to just try to screw up your hunting or to actually try to get on a deer they know you are watching. Really a shame any way you look at it, and yes I agree it is in my opinion unethical, and from what you said also would be illegal in these parts given they do not have permission to be on that ground in the first place.

[SaskMan]

Here, you don't need permission to hunt land thhat is not posted so it is not illegal. It is just common courtesy encouraged by the DNR, that's why I went out of my way to track down the landowner's phone # and ask him, just common courtesy I believe.

I guess it is just burning me so much b/c sidling into a spot I know someone else hunts or has been successful in is something I, and any other ethical people would not do.

[GoodOlMossyHorns]

that would hack me off as well regardless if they knew what they were doing or not!

[Guest coydog316]

John, guaranteed they know what they're doing and they know I've been set up in there for a few years. It really burns my arse b/c there are so many places to hunt and they appear to be simply trying to reap the rewards of another's work. I'll tell you...sometimes telling anyone you got a big deer can be a big mistake.

Something happens to SOME hunters when they hear of somebody else seeing or getting a shot at a biggun'. Just a little word of encouragement, when you do see good deer tell only the guys you trust! I had to learn the hard way. There is someone who is able to hunt the same land that I hunt and if I say a word......well he hunts my stands. So good luck this year and you don't even have to tell me you seen one until you have him in the back of your truck!

[Dogg6]

Had kind of the same thing happen already this spring. Last year I took 5 doe opening morning of the WI gun season off the neighbors land. All the guys that hunt the property know my Dad and I hunt the very south end of the property and have for over 20 years and we know where all of them will be. I take this one particular stand out every year right after season because stands come up missing otherwise. This spring I was doing some scouting and found a brand new stand less than 50 yards away. I have talked to all the guys that hunt the property and everyone has said it isn't their's. I talked to the owner and he said no one new has asked to hunt. So, I guess this fall I will find out for sure who it is and find out who gave them permission to be in there, if anyone. Normally we don't have these kinds of problems, but it seems like every time somebody has some luck on the property, the following years one of us has issues with their spots. I just hate the fact that some guys feel the need to go where they are not supposed to and ruin another hunters area, just because somebody shot a big buck or filled a lot of tags. I work too hard to keep things huntable for my Dad and I without having people set up right on top of us. Some people have no ethics or morals.

[MichiganHunter]

Hey i'm in that boat with you a bit, i have private property to gun hunt but the family friends who own it dont like bow hunting (bad experince with someone else they let hunt). So when bow season comes along i'm hunting on state land. I had set up an area with a fix tree stand ( that i bought, i'm in college and dont have a lot of money with bills and and books) i took the stand back into state land about a mile off the road to a section of woods i had been scouting, i hug it two weeks before season and put out a minneral block about 100 yards from the stand with a scouting camera i got as a gift....one week till the season opened i went back to check the camera and change the battrie...and wouldn't you know it.....The stand was gone, the camera was gone and i was mad....well opening day came and i hunted on the ground in that area saw nothing but on the way back to the truck i saw a guy about 400 yards away accrost a grass field and i went over to check to see how he did and to my supprise he was hunting out of exactally the same kind of stand that i had hung...it even had the same kind of scratches on it that mine had....i didn't say anything to him but the next day he and the mystery stand was gone....and again i'm goin back out this year but with a climbing treestand....and I think it is very unethical of him to hunt in an area where he knows you were hunting...i will never hunt with in 500 yards of a pre existing stand location it it was hung before me.

[Guest superguide_jr]

Thats just the worst thing another hunter could do it just rattles me when i see people and hear about people doin this kinda stuff... i will keep my ears open for ya saskman and let u know if i find anything out for u.

[archerjg]

One of the properties that my uncle and I hunt is 550 acres of a family friend. He allows about 10 other people to hunt and everyone knows everyone up there. Come fall the others all crowd around and actually sit in my Uncle's stands that have been there for years as they know that he always has large bucks around him (we scout they don't). Everyone has their designated deer hunting areas that they chose yet they want to be in the other persons spot when they see them come out with a large buck. Don't dare even think about sitting near or in their territory or they will fly off the handle, but they have no problem sitting in your spot and trying to ruin it when they leave. A lot of times they leave trash and other items strewn everywhere.

It is the same during turkey season except it is first come first serve. The others all crowd around the bottom field where my uncle and I are unless we get there at 4:00 am as we consistently see and take large gobblers from the low bottom. Some people just can't stand to see others succeed while they come up empty or with smaller animals it is sad really.

Archerjg

[johnf]

You know, when I first started hunting I was in my late 20's. In Arkansas if you are on public land and see a stand that is not being used, you have the right to use it. I read the rulebook and could quote just about anything in it. I had used a particular stand on several occasions and thought nothing of it. (It was perfectly legal, and no one had told me otherwise). I was talking with some guys in a camp one day about hunting and someone mentioned a person complaining that some Yahoo (me) was sitting in their stand when they came into the woods and so they just turned and left. After a few minutes I confessed that I was the Yahoo (edited version) was me.

My point is, nothing that I was doing was illegal, but it was viewed by them (and me now) as unethical. I was new to the sport and didn't have a grasp of deer wood ethics 101.

To throw around phrases like "common knowledge" is not always accurate. After all everyone knows that a Vandoren 3 1/2 reed on a Vandoren 5RV Lyre mouthpiece is the best combination for clarinet tone and you have to raise the 3rd of a chord just a hair to get it to tune right..... right?

It has also been shown that the "cause/effect" area of the brain is not fully functioning until the average age of 25. Maybe these kids simply don't realize why their actions are wrong.

[Sask-Hunter]

Do you have an idea as too who it is??

[SaskBrute]

all use meadow lakers will sertenly be keeping our ears open for yah saskman right sask-hunter and superguid_jr!!!!

[Mirage]

I hate to say it but if you have a good spot and want to keep it GOOD. The less that know exactly where it is the better. If someone asks tell them in the woods. If you cant keep it secret because they see your vehicle parked out on the road, well im not sure what then. maybe have a friendly talk with the guy and explain how he is boogering up things in the wood and for some space. That is alot of peoples problems. I was hunting public land and shot a 5 pointer from this stand spot I had hunted for years, I was letting the deer be for because i shot him a 10:30 and my buddy was hunting near by. So I figured no rush i dont want to mess up the woods for him so i said I will wait till noon to get down and look for my deer. Well about an hour later i see two guys heading to my treestand from the dicrection the deer ran. They came right to me and asked if I saw any deer well of course i tell them no because this is my "honey hole" they ask what about that deer down the hill there you shot and I say yeah but I didnt see him for long....lol They asked me to hurry up and get my deer and get out of there because they want to hunt there for the evening...I laughed and said out of this 1000 acres you want to hunt here? NOW dont you think with the gut pile im going to leave it might be kinda messed up for a couple days. they said no and asked me to hurry up. Now what kind of ethics is that. So try to keep it secret if you can

[FSU_Seminole]

Something happens to SOME hunters when they hear of somebody else seeing or getting a shot at a biggun'. Just a little word of encouragement, when you do see good deer tell only the guys you trust! I had to learn the hard way. There is someone who is able to hunt the same land that I hunt and if I say a word......well he hunts my stands. So good luck this year and you don't even have to tell me you seen one until you have him in the back of your truck!

I know EXACTLY what you are talking about. I was very gulliable about deering hunting until about 5 years ago. Its sad but when I shoot a nice deer or if a see a mega buck for these parts, I tell only the people I know I can trust.

When people ask me have I seen any nice bucks or do I plant food plots I usually tell them no. Its sad that its come to that, but some hunters are only interested in putting their name in the record book or putting something on their wall by any means neccessary.

[ThethirdI]

A few years ago while I was sitting in my stand another hunter came along and set up his treestand about 15 yards in front of me. We were on public land, but for crying out loud how much of a jerk do you have to be to set up 15 yards away from a guy that you just looked in the face! I know how you feel about people creeping in on your area.