Public Land Head Scratchers

[aclawrence]

Hey guys I had the idea for this thread and thought it might be funny.  I wanted to name it Public Land Idiots but felt like that title would not lead to a positive outcome so I went with public land head scratchers.  Things that make you just scratch your head like huh, or really, or just make you shake your head.  I thought it would be a place where we could share some of the more interesting things we see this season involving public land and the people who are using it.  PLEASE don't let this turn into a ranting or bashing type thread.  The intent is not to get all stirred but just share the things you see that you can only laugh about and go on doing what you're doing.  I'm sure some of ya'll have had plenty of interesting encounters out there this year already so lets here some funny stuff.  This might also be a way for new people to read through and learn some of not what to do kind of things.  I love hunting public land by the way.

[aclawrence]

I'll go first, so April 1st was the opening morning for me here in Alabama at a WMA I hunt at.  I got a late start due to a police chase in my backyard in the middle of the night.  Whole different story, anyway I was running a little behind due to lack of sleep.  I was hoping I would still be able to get to my spot since the 1st was on a Monday this year.  On the way to this WMA is a narrow road that you're pretty much stuck on without the option to pass for a ways.  About half way there I get stuck behind someone driver a little slower than I was hoping for.  Eventually a black truck gets behind me and I can tell their not really happy about the lead cars pace either.  Finally we get into the town and the slow car turns to the right.  I turn left and notice the black truck goes straight.  Happy now that I'm back on the road by myself I breath a sigh of relief then out of nowhere the black truck pulls a nascar moves and comes swerving out from a side street right in front of me and continues to drive like a maniac for the new few miles through a super curvy section.  Thank goodness he turned after a while.   We weren't technically on the public land yet but this guy was in a hurry to get there and was driving like we were both heading to the only spot available in 20K acres.  I don't know how the rest of the black truck guys morning went but somehow when I got to where I wanted to go, no one was there and I was able to kill an opening morning bird.  2nd place for public land opening day shenanigans would go to all the guys blowing their owl hooters way to early and all over the place.  I got to my spot but I definitely felt surrounded with all the hooting going on. 

[catman529]

My 2nd turkey season, getting toward late season, trying to call a henned up gobbler off a private pasture into public woods (yeah right).

I'm sitting there for a while hearing this bird gobble occasionally and then I spot someone coming through the woods. I get up and go over to talk to him. It's a shirtless guy carrying a cheap mossberg shotgun, wearing earplugs. I talked to him a little while and he had been sneaking around trying to kill one of the gobblers on private. He had no idea it was private until I told him. I asked why he was wearing earplugs, to which he replied "in case I have to shoot!" I told him to take them out and I made some loud cutting on my tube call. The bird gobbled back and the guys eyes lit up. He hadn't been hearing that bird the whole time. I was pretty new to hunting myself, but that was the most head scratchingest hunter I've come across in the woods.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[silvestris]

Unfortunately, most people don't know how to hoot.  When I hoot (rarely), I do it one time to learn direction and distance.  Following that, the throat gets a LONG break or the hooter goes into my pocket as throat or hooter no longer serves a legitimate purpose.  I also ensure that my hooting is realistic; I have heard some mighty ugly hooting out there.  Ignorance is bliss, but not in the turkey woods.

[tomstopper]

Mine would be sitting on public land, and having other hunters I'll who owl hooting to get a bird to gobble. Once they gobble, the hunters don't shut up with owl hooting and then everybody and their brother knows where it is. Seen this many times. Once I pinpoint his location I don't do anything personally to get him to say another peep

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

[Plush]

I was going down an old logging trail in an area I don't necessarily plan to hunt, but this was my second time out to the spot. I could see some boot prints that weren't mine so figured someone else was out too. I got a ways down the road and could see where he got some long branches to lay across the trail. They had little branches attached that made them stand up a foot or so off the ground. I am guessing it is his security system to know if someone is there between them and the next time. As I imagine many would either love the branch and kick it to make it move from where he had it.

I just stepped over though so that wasn't very effective for him.

[Nathan_Wiles]

Ran into a guy Turkey hunting with blaze orange vest and hat.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[Happy]

Pulled into a parking lot to turn around as there was already a vehicle parked there. As I turned, my headlights illuminated 2 decoy hens and a strutter. In the middle of the trail not 30 yards from the fellows vehicle.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[eggshell]

I'm going to tell on myself. Way back in the day I had an old 1977 c10 pickup that was more rust than good metal. I hunted a lot of public ground and often late mornings I would stop by pull offs and throw a hoot or cackle to see if I could raise a bird. One day as I leaned on the truck something fell and made a bang and screeching sound in the bed. And a gobbler gobbled. I decided to try it again so I picked up a big stick and hit the rusty side of the bed so it would vibrate and squeak. Bingo, he gobbled. After that I would never leave a pull off without taking a whack at my truck bed. I am hear to tell you there are a few gobblers who died because they gobbled at the sound. One day I was in the local hangout and a guy was telling everyone about this idiot he seen up on the ridge beating the side of his truck....his words were, "what a dumba##. One of my buddies turns and sees me and blurts out, "Oh that's him there" the guy looks at me ( I was just in my 20s) and said, "young man you ain't doing anything but scaring everyone's turkeys" and my buddy shoots back, "buddy that old chevy's gave more gobblers a ride than you've ever seen" (That statement wasn't true but my friends were just defending me). I just laughed and thanked him for the advice.

[LaLongbeard]

I wouldn't even know were to begin I've seen some really stupid people on public land. I think sometimes I'm a magnet for retards or maybe there's just so many the odds are you'll run into one. This will probably be a funny thread and although I don't look forward to it I'm sure I'll have a few stories to add our, season starts Saturday.

[eggshell]

My buddy ran into a guy all decked out like he was hunting pheasants. He asked my buddy if he'd flushed any. He said I can hear those turkeys but how do you ever get close enough to flush one for a shot. I've tried all day and haven''t gotten a shot off yet. My buddy swears it's true I just looked at him in doubt.

[Brian Fahs]

For the past 35 years I have hunted public land in the northeast. You really get to see and experience some headscratching stuff. Almost daily it happens. I have learned to just roll with it and enjoy the times when everything goes right.

As hard as it is to believe...... if you ever get the opportunity to talk to the knuckleheads you will understand. Most have absolutely no clue what they are doing.

[RUN-N-GUN]

Mine would be sitting on public land, and having other hunters I'll who owl hooting to get a bird to gobble. Once they gobble, the hunters don't shut up with owl hooting and then everybody and their brother knows where it is. Seen this many times. Once I pinpoint his location I don't do anything personally to get him to say another peep

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

The owl hooting 50 times blows my mind. I also heard a gentleman that sounded like he was trying to beat the lid off of a box call a half hour before daylight opening morning this year.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[aclawrence]

Man that "beat the lid off a box call" got me. Thanks for a good laugh!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ctrize]

Had a co worker who liked to turkey hunting but had never killed one. I took him to some public to scout one evening and we split up til dark. It's probably forty minutes before fly up and I can here him hit the owl call. Then he hits the crow call and then some kind of squeal.Im thinking why is he calling so early. We are in a river bottom and I work my way over to him just in time see him throw another call out. I ask him why he is calling so much and so early. He says early, it looks plenty dark enough to him. I look at him and say Frank take your sun glasses off. He takes them off and says jeez! What time is it?