Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Are there folk that will stop and ask?

We have some good people in South Dakota.


Rapid City Journal

I'am not sure if on that, Thing one they would be safe and sound.But the curent state of my truck is two my cat and me myself and a bunch crap.

Not hunting but a few years ago my wife and I were headed to meet her parents for dinner. At the entrance of our neighborhood was an elderly lady with a flat tire. I bailed out of the car and told my wife I would meet them at the resturant. She tried to pay me but I declined. My wife was returned the favor in the grocery store parking lot a couple of years later.

Few yrs back we came across a track vehicle (used alot up here for moose hunting) with both tracks thrown.. We were headed same direction they were walking they left a note and time they started walking... So me and my bud (i was driving polaris ranger him a 4 wheeler) we caught up to them they were still 17-18 miles from the parking lot... We loaded up mom, the kids in the ranger, dad hops on the wheeler.. We got them to parking lot, the dad comes up shoves a 100 dollar bill in my hand said take it i said i cant i told him i hope someone would do the same for my family. He said take it i wont take no for an answer... Anyhow my buddy tells me the dad gave him a 100 bucks as well... But we always stop and ask if folks needs help while hunting if they are in a jam...

I was driving on a shoreline to a pre-arranged duck hunting spot in the dark before dawn.
A white faced fella appeared from behind some brush. Scared the beejesus out of me. Their truck and trailer was stuck in some sand nearby.

No tow strap and no shovel so we eventually got it free by using the lid from my cooler as a shovel.

They asked how they could repay me.
I told them that I was supposed to set out the decoy spread for my crew that morning. They were going to be disappointed that we all missed the best opportunity of the day. One end of the lake is closed to hunting but it is perfectly legal to boat there. I told him to make a slow pass through that end of the lake with his boat, no big wake - just stir the pot - just make sure there is no firearms in the boat.

When I met my crew they were dejected. We threw out decoys in the rising sun. I told them what had happened and that there was still hope of salvaging a few airborn ducks that day. Unfortunately it never happened. For whatever reason he didn't do it.

Was driving I-90 with a deer in the back of the Exploder about 50 MPH in a snowstorm to get home before the wind came up worse. Suddenly a guy appeared too close in the headlights waiving for all he was worth. Now that'll scare the bejeezus out of ya!

Turns out he slid off the road on the southbound side and his buddy was bleeding heavily from a scalp laceration. Neither of us had a cell phone, was about to drive over when a trooper showed up. Which thankfully allowed me to get home before the blizzard hit.

I'm with ya there. While I was going to school in the UP I bailed quite a few people out of the ditches between Marquette and Houghton, I can only recall having to get bailed out one time. I offered money/a 6-pack and was told not to worry about it.

Was hunting southern Ohio during deer season one year and came upon a young kid who'd shot a buck back in some pretty nasty stuff. Little hills, but straight up and down. Snowing like a banshee, and he had no idea what he was doing or how he'd get that deer out of there. He didn't even have a drag rope. Spent the next two hours with him, as I could tell he was lost and scared. We got the buck out to a bridge crossing a creek in that area and walked back to my truck, went and found his car and got him squared away. It's just the right thing to do.

I can't even count how many times I've stopped to help out stranded motorists. My drive to work was a 50 minute commute on Minneapolis freeways for 7 years. Many stops were made to help folks out, make sure they had a cell phone and had contacted someone, or just hung out till the cops arrived to help them out.

Some day, I'm gonna need that kind of help and I'm glad I've done that for others in the same situation.

I remember driving through an area while on holiday and spotted a guy on the side of the road trying to load a large red hind into the back of a small SUV and struggling..

Much to the chagrin of my then wife, I turned around and went back to give the guy a lift to lift the carcass into the back. Initially he was a was a bit surprised when I pulled over and thought I was some anti going to chew him out, but was very grateful afterwards.

I have also stopped several times over the years to help folks who are broken down. I remember one time driving down some back lanes a couple of miles from anywhere on a foul winters night and I spotted a young girl walking, with no coat and obviously soaked to the skin.

I stopped and offered her a lift which she accepted. I guess she was about 17 and she said she had just finished a shift at an old peoples home a couple of miles away and was walking home. It soon became apparent she was not quite the full shilling as we say, and I was glad to drop her off out side her home.. Its sad to say that into todays climate, I would now think twice about doing such a good deed and would probably have a different approach..

Another non-hunting story but a fishing "rescue". I was trolling for salmon on Lake Michigan several miles offshore and encountered another fisherman flagging me down. Their inboard would not start and they asked if I would tow them into the marina about a 1/2 mile upriver from the mouth. My boat is only 16 1/2 foot and their boat was 21. It took me over two hours to tow them in and it was a real struggle after hitting the current of the river and running against it but we made it. They were thankful and even though it cost me a day of fishing and a struggle I would do it again. It's just what people should do when in that situation.

Yeah, but you're a Texan.. (for the rest of you - us Alaskans and them Texans have a "thing" going)

I hope they didn't lose any toes or fingers on that long hike out because you served them up a healthy dose of payback. I'm embarrassed you are from Wyoming that you would leave someone on the mountain in a blizzard when you had jumper cables in your truck the whole time. I wouldn't do that even if they had green license plates. People die from schitt like that. I would think that a jump and a mindful word that he had blocked the road and that you thought about not stopping because of it would have been a wiser choice.

In this part of the state, one always stops and helps. Stuck or broken rigs, white water wrecks, or whatever. People can die out there. Some day I will likely have to ask a favor, and there are folks 100 miles away in near any direction that will come and help.

I stop and offer what ever assistance I can. Its just my nature. In the winter even here in CT, there I times when you can get into real trouble when its cold out.

A case of self preservation just tonite. OK - it was a case of chicken...I feel bad for maybe not doing enough..

I was a mile and half out of town getting ready to release the dog off the back of the ATV for a run back (he's old - can't do that 5 miles anymore) when I came upon a sober, attractive, young, crying, under- dressed for the weather young woman, who half-flagged me down.

I gave her my jacket to wear and turned around and gave her a ride back to town, asking several questions on the way. No she didn't want the police, yes/no she had a place to go to ( I think not). She was from Anchorage, her "friend" (male) had "f*cked her over", she told me how "awesome" I was for helping her out (that's pretty pathetic, considering), and hugged me tightly on the way back to town. With squeezes. I enjoyed that... And my wife is out of town.

She's young enough to be my granddaughter, but don't think my hormones aren't still active. (Them things can get one in a LOT of trouble!)

I offered to call some of my female co-workers to assist her, but she refused. I dropped her off at the AC store, but still worry about her. Hope she's OK...

The drama never ends in the village...

Beside- I want to be up and out on the hunt at daylight - and she'd have been no help at all in that regard...

What the hell- I'm old - gotta get these priorities straight...

I sure hope she's Ok tho.. Don't know what else I could have done short of taking her home and getting a hot chocolate in her, and in a village of this size, that is not an option. 30 minutes later it would be all over town.

Understandable. I've thought about this and have decided that it's one more reason to have a cell phone at all times. In order to protect yourself from either actual harm or false accusations, call 911 (999 for you?)and tell them what's going on. "I'm Pete E, driving a blue 2012 Ford Expedition. I see a Caucasian female in her late twenties stranded on the side of the road at the intersection of..... Her vehicle is a (fill in the blank!) I'm going to give her a ride to.......... and I will call you back when I've arrived."
They won't mind taking the call and you've provided yourself a large dose of "anti problem" medication. My two cents.

I used to live a long way down a dirt road near the river. Every year someone would get stuck down by the river and show up at the house asking for a tug or a gallon of gas etc. Usually I would do it without a question.

One time sticks in my head though. It had been raining for a couple of days and I seen a "jacked up" truck head past the house one night. You know the type: looked 10 foot tall with monster truck tires and KC lights everywhere. Anyway I hear the idiot reving his engine to 7000 half the night. I was just sitting there shaking my head, saying to myself what an idiot.

Well along about midnight comes the knock on the door. There stands said idiot covered in mud, reeking of Beer, and "telling" me to get my tractor he needs a tow. I told him to call a tow truck. He tells me he doesn't have the money for a tow truck.
So against my better judgement I get the tractor and drive down to his rig. He had this thing buried to the frame in river gumbo. I took one look and said i couldn't get him out. He demands I try. So I tug for awhile, until its obvious I'm going to bury my tractor. So I unhook. He asks me "what the F are you doing?" I said: "I'm going to bed, You're F'd!" At this point he decides that I must need my butt Whooped and hes the one to do it.

Morale of this story is that some people aren't worth helping!!

There is always some risk when helping others, and being pulled into those domestic squabbles is a serious one. Still we have stopped and given those lightly clad ladies a ride into town, always watching the rear view for an irate husband/boyfriend.

I've helped two or three others that had me worried, and I wished I had passed by. One a hitchhiker about 300 yrds past a rig with it's hood up. Didn't want a ride back into town but to continue on to the next burg about 90 miles on. Story was mom was in the hospital. Turns out he was not connected to the disabled rig, and when I offered to drop him at the hospital, he simply wanted to be let out on mainstreet.

Second was an in the ditch (obviously took the turn too fast) rig when I was doing a late night run to begin a float trip. He was digging and spinning tires to get out as I came up at about 01:30 AM. I unhooked my boat, rigged up some heavy line and got him onto the pavement. As soon as we were unhooked off he went driving on two blown tires. No thank you, good by, or FU. When I made town about 6 miles on, I could hear him driving a back street on the rims. I always wondered what he was running from.

Last was young kid, wet to the waist, hiking along the highway in about -20 degree weather at 05:00 in the morning. His story involved a cross country shortcut and a fall through the ice at a stream crossing. The killer though was that he was packing and volunteered that he likely would have fired a shot had we not stopped.

Still I find it hard to pass those by that are obviously in trouble.

The phone call suggestion above is a good idea, so as much as I hate cells, maybe I should start packing.

I grew up hunting SE Oregon and had a few situations where we helped people and once were helped ourselves. There have been times when I stopped to help and was wondering if it'd be my death, but I almost always stop. Things are different when in the woods than when close to town. Close to town I've been scared, in the woods I've been glad to help.
Sooner or later everyone gets in a jam.