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

It goes both ways. Them inviting a confrontation with me might not be the smartest.

Yup, a confrontation between two armed parties deep in the woods is always a good thing. Especially when you're outnumbered.

Tactics! My dad told me that chance favors the prepared.. No, need to wait another few weeks to see if I drew the tag. Otherwise this is all talk.
John

I've had horse camps act the same way. We hike in and sit on ridges that they want to run every day with the horses. They mostly just glare and keep on moving. Walking hunters on the other hand always seemed to be a jovial lot.

Who said I would be outnumbered?

OK, drop the "outnumbered" part and respond to the rest of the comment.

Turning tail and letting the other guy who is obviously breaking the law, never is right. Confrontation or not, armed or not, a person has to take action or he becomes one of the masses (sheeple)that let others push him around.
If the outfitter in question is armed and wants to go that route, I have no doubt I could handle myself in that situation if it unfortunately comes to that. I have dealt with those types of outfitters in the past and I'm still here. I have no idea if the poster can.

I have given the poster advice on how to handle it thru the forest service but if that does not work ,he needs to figure out what to do or not hunt that area.

Who said anything about turning tail and letting him get away with it?

One of my least favorite things about this forum is when people try to slant an argument by putting words in the other person's mouth. It's only the internet, but it's dishonest and a chickensh** tactic.

I know you gave the OP advice, and I did too. I think that your advice about taking another person's stands down was BS and wrong--that is messing with another person's property, and it's taking the law into your own hands, which is not a good thing. If you see a guy poach a deer in the backcountry, are you going to ride in and execute a citizen's arrest? When you see a guy weaving in traffic, obviously drunk, do you try to pull him over?

Even thought the outfitter is breaking the law,you are also messing with his livelihood by taking his stands, and that is 100% guaranteed to escalate the situation. You can go in with your guns blazing and all, but the last thing I ever want to do is have to shoot another man over something as trivial as a tree stand.

I've been in a similar situation, armed and confronted by a drunken dickhead (also armed)who I would have been 100% justified in killing with my pistol, and believe me, I could have. I never want to be in that situation again.

Well it's obvious that your advice and mine are at two ends of the spectrum. You do what you want and I'll do the same. I'd still take the stands down and turn them over to the FS if the FS won't act. That is not stealing

So the outfitter makes a living at it. It does not justify him breaking the law. That is indeed chickensh$$.

You said." 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. "


He already did that, with no response. If he was smart he would not leave them up all year, so you can leave that out of the equation.

To me that is turning tail. It's like "I'm going to go tell on you".

I stopped doing that in grade school.

End of discussion for me.

Yes, you're right about two ends of the spectrum. That's the good thing about this forum, a guy can ask for advice, get the whole spectrum, and make up his own mind.

The way I see it, if an outfitter hangs a tree stand where I want to hunt to "claim" the spot, the only way he's getting away with anything, and the only way it's affecting me is if I don't hunt those spots as a result. If I ignore his tree stand and hunt those spots, it's not affecting me, and it's really none of my business. Sure, I can report him, but that's as far as I'd take it--it's not my place to police the backcountry.

And that was my advice--ignore his stands and hunt where you want. And if he presses the issue, turn him in.

If I take his stands down, I'm placing myself in the role of law enforcement for something that is not affecting me. And I'm inviting a confrontation. That bothers me, smacks of a busybody who minds other people's business. Same as when I'm out walking my dog off the leash, he's not hurting anything or going near anyone, and some dickhead will yell "Put your dog on a leash." Yeah, I know it's against the law, but he's not hurting you or anybody else so MYOFB. When that happens I ignore the dickhead. But if he were to try and take the law into his own hands, he'd be inviting a confrontation and he'd get one.

Lastly, I agree that the outfitter hanging stands to "claim" a spot is chickensh**. That's why I'd just ignore his stands.

I wouldn't put myself in a position of having to draw down on someone for doing something that is just "chickensh** that I can ignore if I choose.

Around here a blind/treestand/etc on public land is open to the first one there.

So, if you're in someone else's stand, and he comes along and asks you to get out so he can use it, what would you do?

Tell him to f*#@ off.

If the stand is on public land it ain't "his stand" if he ain't in it.

Really? Just get in someone else's stand and tell em to ____ off? Never thought of it that way. Don't think it would fly with a lot of people though. I know that if you refused to get out of my stand that I would cut down the tree with you in it. See if you have the nerve to ride it down.
No, I think I'm going to wait till the drawing next week and if I draw then go scouting and if stands are still up then contact the Forest Service as someone else suggested. If no draw, well, wait till next year..
John

That's funny. You actually believe that just because it's on public land, it's not his if he's not it. Guess you could help yourself to the stuff in his camp too, if it's on public land and he's not there.

Yeah really.

What would a "guy" from Texas know about public land? You put a stand on public land here and vacate it, it becomes available to anyone. Ground blinds work the same way in the duck spots. Cutting the tree down on public land is illegal....with someone in it could be deadly (for you). Don't like it...take your stand down when your're done. Simple...even for a Texan. You see up here we've decided that some douchebag that hangs a stand thinking he's gonna' claim public land for himself is chit-outta-luck. Works good and keeps lazy Texans from ruining our state like you've ruined yours.

Generally speaking though in these parts we actually hunt. No corn feeders, tree stands or any of that other bull-chit you fellas call hunting.

Not only do I believe it...it's the f@$%ing law. Camps are a different matter. Treestands and blinds are all I'm addressing. Come on up and try it tough guy...you'll be schooled right quick.

You know nothing about me to start calling names like this. Now all I know about you is that you are very rude and on ignore.

I called you a Texan, nothing more nothing less....I can see why you're offended. A little sensitive? Don't cut my tree stand down bro...

Try what? Tough guy? What is your problem?

If I find a spot at noon, and hang a tree stand there to hunt that evening, and come back that evening to find you in my stand, I'm not breaking the law and I'll ask you to get out of my stand.

Would you have a problem with that?