Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting National Forest Land and Outfitter Camps: Hunting Etiquette?

Google Earth is too good. If you use it, you know that. The resolution keeps getting better every time its updated. With that, it is easy to find big outfitter camps. Even under tree cover, its hard to hide multiple canvas wall tents from the eye in the sky.

I recently found a good size camp not far from the place we hunt. 3 miles away, but in the next drainage over. The area they occupy is good elk country, and in an area I have considered hunting on foot.

What is the etiquette of hunting the same mountain where you know an outfitter camp exists?

I'm not talking about walking up to camp to share coffee and talk hunting. I mean hunting the same general mountain. Little pocket meadows,and bigger mountain meadows within a mile of the tents. What is the etiquette? This is all national forest land. Do you give them a cushion? If so, what distance?

Have you had encounters with outfitters/hunters from the outfitter and how do you handle this situation?

Hunt where you may, its public land........

Just because they set up a tent there doesn't mean they are the only hunters entitled to the area...That's what private leases are for.

If I have ever ran into an outfitted hunter in the woods I didn't know it.

I would tend stay away from purposeful close encounters. That said, if I had any camp within 3 miles of mine, we are going to hunt some of the same areas as I tend to roam a fair bit. I've run into outfitter guys a few times. They always seem surprised that someone would walk 3-5 miles.

The other thing I would do with that new found bit of knowledge is use the other guys to push elk to me. I'd set up a bit in natural terrain funnels to catch elk movement away from the other camp - especially if it was full of people. A bunch of movement/hunting around a camp with a campful of guys will move elk away from the camp. I'd also look at nasty/thick/steep areas in proximity to the other camp - might find elk hiding in those places.

If I see orange, I act accordingly. That might mean move to another area, or try to get in a spot where they'd push critters.

I'd hunt on top of a camp if need be. Hunters shouldn't be there during daylight, anyway. (Grin)

My experience has been, around here anyway, an outfitter has ZERO respect for your camp if you are near an area they want to hunt.
I have had outfitters "pass" me with horses to get to a drainage first. If I see you, or evidence of you on the trail in front of me, I turn around and find another spot.
I "get it", they have paying clients to satisfy.....but it still doesn't make it right.
The river guides are even worse. You catch a fish that they see...they will pull in above you and "sit" in the run, then if you go above them and return the favor....you are about to exchange pleasantries....


I know this is painting with a broad brush.......but a lot of guides feel that a public spot is somehow "their" spot.

Not to hijack your thread, but I have something closely related. Have hunted an area 3 of the last 5 years. Twice w/bow and once w/rifle. There is an outfitter nearby and he has put treestands up on every waterhole in the area (14 that my partner and I have found).

Problem is that they are chained up and left year-round to "claim" the spot so one of his guides says. We have gone in there spring and summer and they are always up. Only rarely do we see a hunter at one in season.

So what do I do? Put my own stand up, (maybe in a tree right next to them) or find a new area? It is ALL National Forest.
John

Report that to the nearest NF office or take them down. anything left on public land maybe confiscated by NF personnel.

I have been in both situations. I hunt in ML season near an outfitter that I know. If there are hunters in her camps. I don't hunt close, but a mile is not considered close. If there are no hunters, I might hunt within a few hundred yards. An outfitter's permit is valid for 100yards surrounding the camp in CO. Meaning it is their leased spot.

I have also met outfitters who think their permit areas entitle them to exclusive hunting rights. If they complain to me I tell them to go to hell. Generally though outfitter client or not, if they get there first, I go else where. Sadly I have found the reverse is not true.

It's illegal to leave them up all year. And it's hogging the resource. But if you report him and then hunt those same spots, that could lead to some interesting discussions. If I were you and wanted to hunt a spot like that, I'd put up my own tree stand. If they came along and questioned why you were hunting "their" spot, you could just say that you'd been scouting there in the summer and you were aware that the stands were left there all year, so you knew they weren't put there recently and assumed no one would be using them. That would let him know you're onto him, and if he was smart he'd back off. If he pressed the issue, then I'd report him.

As far as the OP's question, it's really your judgment call. Like WS said, if the shoe is on the other foot, the outfitter is not going to cut you any slack and leave you to hunt an area.

So I'd base your decision on whether you want to hunt in an area that's being pressured by his hunters. Also, if I was near his camp and there was anyone there, I'd stop in and say hello, make his acquaintance, and let him know where you're hunting. It can't hurt, and if he knows you're over there he may choose to hunt elsewhere. And one day you may need some help from him.

or use theirs...

Personally, I wouldn't do that because then they would be justified in asking you to vacate their stand.

It takes all kinds.
I have had an outfitter go out of his way to tell us the location of some elk he thought we would be interested in.
On the other hand I�ve had an outfitters guide complain that he had hunted this area 20 years, he felt his territorial rights were grandfathered in, didn�t like where our spike camp was located, and on and on. What really frosted me was that he picked on a young rookie hunter from my camp to voice his gripes.
The conversation went a little different when I confronted him.
I actually got on well with the outfitter himself but his guide made me bristle.

Outfitter vs outfitter � I was on a fishing charter where our outfitter was very territorial about his secret spot. When he saw a competitor�s boat in �his� part of the Pacific he stopped guiding us and began making high speed passes close to the competitor�s fishing boat. Neither boat�s clients appreciated that.

Not outfitters but other camps.
I�ve had good results by going to a nearby camp and offering to stay clear of them. I�ll ask them if there are areas they want us to stay out of. They appreciated that. Our camps began to help one another. Both camps had successful hunts.

Great topic BTW - Thanks for posting it.

The outfitter's camp is from 2 to 3 1/2 miles from the spots I have hunted. I reported the year round stands to a Game Warden in Sept 2011. Nothing has been done. My friend and I are hesitant to cut any down for fear of starting a war.

Nonetheless elk tags are getting harder to come by, and a good hunting spot even harder. Don't think we can put up with this for much longer.
John

It is not a wilderness area. They drive in everyday in pickups or 4 wheelers.

I hunt near a friendly outfitter and have for several years. If I find myself in an area the guides are hunting, I move to another area. Their guides do not always return the courtesy. If that happens, I continue to hunt the area. The outfitter has actually told me that it is a National Forrest and I was welcome to hunt anywhere I wanted to. But the "law" is simple, the Outfitter has a lease for their drop camps, it extends for 100 yards. Hunt where you want, but it is clear from your post that you are a responsible hunter. Give the guides respect and it has been my experience that they will as well. (Mostly)

If it's USFS land like you mentioned earlier, start calling the USFS LEO.

You need to report it to the forest service, not the game warden. He has nothing to do with the use, only wildlife.


I'd be in there in the summer taking them down and then leaving them at the NF entrance or close. If there is a forest service office, I would take them there and do a little scolding for them not doing there job.

As for not wanting to start a war. We all do what we have to do, be sheeple or assert yourself standup for the laws.

Leaving them up year-round is definitely against the rules. The rules vary somewhat from state to state and from Forest to Forest but, generally, anything left in place for 14 days is removed if Forest Service personnel become aware of it. I believe that some of the Forests in heavily used parts of Arizona will remove anything left unattended for more than 48 hours.

If you see signs that an area is being used by game, there is no reason that you cannot put up your own tree stand.

Inviting a confrontation may not be the smartest way to approach a situation with an outfitter and guide(s) who know where to find your camp and vehicle.