Public land insanity

[silvestris]

Perhaps a little law is appropriate here.  A turkey caller lying in a road is considered abandoned property.  Hopefully the former owner will believe that he lost the caller between the truck and where he hunted and spend hours looking for it.  Never look a gift caller in the pot.

[Rio Fan]

S and d-
You are a good man!  I hope the turkey Gods bless you with a big old longbeard.

I don't share information with hunters I don't know and I sure in the heck don't ask for information, that's what scouting is for.  There have been several times where I've been carrying a bird out of the woods and I'll hear rigs coming down the road towards me and I'll hide behind trees/bushes until they're gone.  And then I quickly throw the bird in my canopy and make sure there aren't any feathers laying on the ground where I parked.  It's too bad there are "hunters" out there that don't have respect for others.

[olejake]

Personally, if I see a truck parked I keep going and go to another spot ...and hope others do the same..if for no other reason than safety for myself and them as well...NO turkey.. nor deer ..nor squirrel.. is worth an accident..as stated earlier, it seems that general respect for others has greatly diminished..sadly,.even in the turkey-hunting brotherhood.. I remember the day when turkey hunters were the "elite" when it came to ethics and manners..  to the OP.. you did the right thing

[Spitten and drummen]

Thanks everyone for telling me i did right. Not downing any other hunting, as i love hunting period,but it use to be if you were in the turkey woods, overall you and the others were in a league of there own. Not that its bad to have more people in the sport, but thanks to tv everyone wants to kill turkeys. Not much wrong with that, its just like with everything else, there are more of the slob type hunters showing up now. Just my 2 cents

[ilbucksndux]

I'll just about bet ya that these guys are primarily duck hunters. They are the biggest slobs known to man. There is nothing more disrespectful than trying to race a guy to his spot. Its one thing walking past a guy on a log road,but running past someone at the truck someone needs a good talking to. I share public land info with 2 maybe 3 people and those are guys that I hunt with. When I do meet someone at the truck or on a log road its a "good morning how ya soon conversation and no correct info is exchanged, on neither side I'm sure.

In the rare chance I run into someone I do ask what direction they are going and I go the opposite.

If someone shot a bird that I was working 40 yards away from me . . . . . Well he would have not got the chance to shoot

[jayjay]

That's a really poor situation, and its unfortunate that there are people out there like that...you did the right thing....let karma get 'em! Good luck on your future hunts, I hope you're blessed with some great ones

[Bigspurs68]

The bird that was 40 yds from us was not in the open and I was trying to video my girl shooting him. At the shot I told her to be still and hope we weren't the next targets. You would have had to been there. With my girl there... It was scary.

[Spitten and drummen]

Yeah bigspurs, i hear you. Bad situation to be in with your little one there especially. Some people just blow my mind with their behavior.

[Bigspurs68]

S&D, I'm sure your bad situation reminds many of us that there are inconsiderate people in all walks of life. I have been at it for too long to say I never messed up another's hunt. I will say that I have never done on purpose. I have walked in on set ups before when the caller was giving a bird the silent treatment. With no calling going on, I had no reason to assume there was a hunter there. If possible, I back out quietly when I know what's up. We will deal with it but it could be lessened by courtesy.

[ilbucksndux]

Yes it happens. If you have not accidentally walked up to someone in the woods you will. A few years ago on the first day of youth season I got going late and there was another truck in the parking spot. I could see from the truck where they were and there were birds gobbling behind them in the woods. We kept on walking. They were on the road. I knew the guy and he was mildly understanding. We were gonna be gone by the time the bird got to them. After we had sat down I heard a shot. the next day I apologized and its all good now. I will say that 99% of the time if I drive up somewhere and there is already a truck there I keep on going. 

[ridgerunner]

I've hunted Public lands for many years..in many States. They unspoken rule that 99% of the hunter I've met is....If a vehicle is in a spot...move on down the road...Never have I pulled off to hunt public land when someone else is parked there first..Most hunters adhere to this rule..There are slob hunters...but most States I've hunted this was the norm. LBL KY is probably the worst, but if you tell people " we're here!" , " move on down the road"!...that's usually enough.

[bowmike]

sounds like pa

Except in PA the come rushing in to the bird your working and shoot iat it from behind. Happened to me twice. Ducking BBS is not fun.

[d.winsor]

I don't know where you people hunt public land, when you say if you see another car parked there you drive on, you will be driving until 10 or 10:30 when everyone else is leaving.  I don't see how you can expect to pull your car into a parking area for public land, and block other people from hunting thousands of acres, just because you got there first.  There is not that much public land to satisfy all the different tastes for turkey hunting.  No one can hunt a thousand acres in one day by there self anyway.  What do you do, park and stay in your car just to try to run people off, you should be out turkey hunting.  I don't know if you have ever noticed it or not but parking areas on public land are made a lot bigger than for just one car, there is a reason for that, you need to get yourself some private land, you will be happier.  I have hunted public land all my life, and never have run into an individual like you.  If I had I would have left, but I would have been back with the game warden.  In Indiana there is a law that deals with people hindering properly licensed individuals from legally hunting.  I don't think that just because you got there first supersedes that.  If I were you I would be careful, you might get up in the face of the wrong person one day, not everybody appreciates that kind of treatment.  Years ago a turkey hunter could drive on to another spot, times have changed, there are a lot more turkey hunters now days, and growing every year, with the same amount of public land. 

[turkey john]

I grew up in the mtns of Va and most of my hunting was on National Forest. Back in the day people would just drive on if you were at a spot first. Not now. They will park two and three deep behind you. Most are from out of state or city folk who have just recently started hunting. I blame the nwtf for putting a lot of folks in the woods. They go to a banquet, watch a video and they are a turkey hunter. Yea I've felt like letting the air out of tires but that's not me.. I will give them a good tongue lashing if I catch them face to face. .. Some just don't know better and think it's like deer hunting.

[Spitten and drummen]

D. Winsor. I hunt exclusively on public land and i will go to another spot if someone is parked where i planned to go. That was instilled in me by my grandfather who was a old school turkey hunter. He called that respect. Apparently the public land you hunt on is different from that in the south. Like i said previously, there is 80,000 acres with no designated parking areas. There are thousands of logging roads and forrest service roads to chose from. If you dont like them then you can park on the side of a gravel road and take off. So basically what im saying is if you knowingly go into a place someone has beat you too, then yes, it says alot about your character.