Unattended Camps!

[Wapiti]

This is a topic that really gets to me, leaving unattended camps for days at a time. It appears to be a growing practice that I feel is simply wrong. People tow there trailer up on the mountain or drop their camper or even pitch a tent days before they actually plan to do any camping in that spot just so they can lay claim to it. Or they will leave their camp set up for the entire week until they come back up the next weekend. This really burns by butt.

I hunted down on Beaver mountain during the first weekend of the archery hunt and had a hard time finding a camping place because of all the unattended camps. When we left on Monday afternoon there were at least 15 camps with trailers left behind.

We seen the same thing on the Manti between Cleveland Res and Joes Valley Res. People leaving unattended camps set up for the whole week. I also saw this during the rifle elk hunt on the Wasatch unit.

I feel this practice needs to stop. I would like to see the laws changed to not allow such a practice. Who do these people think they are.

Now, I'm sure there are many on this forum that do exactly what I'm talking about and to those people I say your inconsiderate of others and totally selfish.

Anyone else have problem with is growing practice?

 

[ARCHRYBLL]

I agree completely, I think that if they are going to be unattended for more than 48 hours they should have to be taken home. The forest service has set a 14 day camping limit in most areas and it has became a " I can set up my camp a week and a half before opening weekend" I am fine if you want to camp for two weeks in the same spot but the spot saving has got to stop!

 

[blazingsaddle]

I have to agree as well.
This summer I wanted to take my wife and son camping, I went up payson canyon behind my home. I drove the loop for three hours checking every and I mean every camp spot, to find not one was open unless I wanted to camp 10 feet from another trailer. I pulled my trailer back home that day, and went up SP canyon the next day.
I would say that only 10% of the camps actually had people in them, the rest were trailers that had been left. Keep in mind this was a thursday afternoon when I tried to go.
The other thing that kills me was I started checking registration an the trailers, over half were not registered either!
I spend quite a bit of time up that canyon, some of these trailers were left from late June till a week or so past the 24th of July.
I have been guilty the last few years of hauling a trailer up a day or so early, but i have come to understand the frusteration of others now. Truth be told, its not illegal.

I also understand every one wants the best camp spots with the best shade and the creek running near by, and the dancing pole in the middle of camp, but its getting crazy. I hate to think I have to worry about finding a camp spot when I want to camp.
I called the forest service and all they said is they would check it out. But did not know when, because they only have so few people to cover huge areas.
.

 

[grizzly]

I completely agree. I would like to see an orange sticker placed on the door of an unattended camper (like an abondened car), if the sticker is still there 48 hours later, it gets impounded to a nearby lot.

The system would pay for itself.

Grizzly

 

[southslope82]

I don't see what the problem is not everyone can bring everything they need in one trip, not everyone has all the time in the world to be setting up camp or even finding a spot to camp especially if it is cutting into precious hunting time. My job allows me to build very little vacation time so if I get to save some time by doing an early camp I will do it, As long as they are not breaking the law by staying at their camp for more than the number of days the forest service or whoever allows who cares.. To me that sounds like "Hey thats not fair he scouted and found that buck way before hunting season started and got it before me" The early bird always gets the worm!!

 

[blazingsaddle]

SS-
I can see both sides.
Its tough to have a spot "taken" weeks in advance. I see no harm in a few days prior, but when trailers are left for weeks to save the spot? Thats pushing it.

Who needs to make more than one trip to fit all their gear? What the crap are they taking? Oh wait you must be talking about the army with the one LE elk tag......I got it now.

 

[ARCHRYBLL]

The problem is that the laws are not getting enforced now so those 14 day limits are getting pushed all the time. Pretty soon you will have to get your camp spot a month before any of the hunts start!

P.S. I said if it is left unattended for 48 hours it should be ticketed, it shouldn't take more than 48 hours to get all your stuff in (if it does you need help)

 

[Spoonful]

The camping limit is fourteen days, but the time that you can leave your trailer unattended is 72 hrs. Last year I left my trailer on a thursday and when I got back on saterday I had a warning sticker from the forest service. 12 mile area on skyline. Spoonful

 

[shedfinder]

And if you leave your camper, someone might steal your nascar floor mat. See attached link.
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=8212995&cat=225&lpid=2

 

[crimedog]

Honestly that is the funniest thing I have seen in a while

 

[hornhunter247]

im guilty! I will haul my camper up to the area I want weeks early, but I normally scout every fri-mon so im really only gone 3 days. also I've never seen more than 2 other camps ever in this place in 3 yrs of hunting it! if its a popular place I would never leave a camp set up, 1 it is disrespectful of others, 2 to many guys that want my nascar accessories!

 

[Triple_BB]

Just slap a trail camera on yer trailer. That allows you to leave everything for as long as you want and no one will mess with it or the MonsterMuleys Gestapo will getcha!

 

[southslope82]

I mean taking all your crap as in like bringing your camper up with your truck then if you have horses, quads, Atvs of any sort an additional trailer or what ever then making a second trip If you need

 

[elkstalkin]

I had this discussion with my brother during the last weekend of the (labor day) of archery season. We hunt around 12 mile. Trying to find a spot to camp anywhere form 6 mile to Baseball flats or beyond is a joke. People will leave their trailers up there all summer... I think its the shits to leave your trailer more than a couple of days but all summer. Come on... I think that the practice of leaving trailers is only going to get worse. If and when this gets worse, I think that the forest service should implement a fee program for those who want to leave their trailers or campers. It should be a graduated fee where the longer you want to leave it the more it costs.

 

[AndymanSavage]

I know of a spot on the boulder where the same group of locals parks a couple trailers at the bottom of a good canyon where the trail starts during the archery hunt and leaves them there until it snows. I'm talking right on the trail. Pretty annoying. And they get pissed if anyone tries to drive around "their" camp.

-----------------------------------------------
http://andymansavage.blogspot.com/

 

[hornhunter247]

I thought you could only camp in one spot for no more than 14 days? and the other thing that I always wonder is what are the laws about abandonment?

 

[hossblur]

I think we should just have to register to enter the mtns, then the state and feds can tax the crap out of us. Then we could employ the pinkerton agents to secretly travel around watching camps, or perhaps there could be a parking enforcement unit that travels around chalking tires! That would be great, then instead of doing practically nothing for wildlife the DWR can become parking lot attendants!! Yes I know its public land, so is main street during a parade yet those who get up early enough still blanket their spots. The last thing on earth any of us need is to more regulations on our sport. If you want a good spot then get one! I am more irritated by the dude that shows up at midnight the night before the hunt and parks in the middle of a camp we spent a day preparing! If you care then you make preparations, if you don't then you don't, but BIG BROTHER is not needed! Unfortunately locals have an advantage, what are you going to do set a quota? As for registration, it costs me $189 to register my trailer, on an average year it is on paved roads 500-600 miles per year, all the guys with enclosed work trailers, on the road every day cost almost nothing to register them, seems their should be off road tags for trailers that only are in the hills, same a jeeps and other mtn. rigs that never touch pavement. The previous guy was right, should we punish the local guy who scouts and kills the animal because he spent the time that someone else didn't?

 

[swbuckmaster]

well said HOSS

Archery is a year round commitment!!

 

[drannan]

I can't imaging needing TWO trips to get all my crap up into the mountains! My buddies say I brink too much stuff all the time and I still have never needed two trips! Getting away from regular life is part of the fun of hunting for me. If I did take two trips, most of my regular life would be right there with me!

 

[AZBuckSnort]

Here here! A raised glass of your favorite beverage to hoss, great post!

 

[SmokeyBandit]

theyre usually elk hunters that have a good place to camp or locals that just leave there camp there so they can go up on the weekends.



Smokey

 

[dryflyelk]

There's a beautiful camping spot near strawberry that I've never been able to camp in. It's occupied, every year, by one person. From snow to snow. And this year the guy actually moved in. It was his home. He was living there, with a broken down truck and a bunch of dogs.

We told the forest service, and they said that because of loopholes in the law that say you just have to "move your camp" every 14 days, the joker would move it about 10 feet in either direction. It was a regular old white trash trailer park.

They somehow got him out of there last time I checked, but I don't know how.

So, put me on the side of the 14 day limit or whatever. I'm sick of squatters setting up "their" spots for the whole year. These things aren't trailer parks for mobile homes, guys. They are campgrounds. Meant to be enjoyed and used, and then left for the next guy to do the same. When the people actually doing the camping are left with crappy spots while the prime spots are taken up by mere placeholders, that's a waste.

A little courtesy and common sense would go a long way in this debate.

 

[muleymaniac]

what you need to do is get a petion signed by everyone you know who uses these area's - take pictures /with dates and show up at the forest service office in charge of the area - basically go on record of a camping problem - - try the mvd of abandoned vechiles - - what I hate worse is having set-up camp 2-3 days in advance - and the night before opening day have some idiot drive in after 10 o'clock and set-up right next to my camp - radio blaring - even parked his rig so i had a problemn getting out in the morning - of courses they slept in - being on public land i really couldnt say or do anything - it wouldn't done any good anyway - there fire pit - as it was - blow smoke in our direction all the time - MM

 

[hossblur]

Again, while your taking pics and petitioning the forest service, remember, every rule/law started with good intentions. Should this "squatter" need to move, sure, he shouldn't be living in the campground. However, there are millions of square miles of mtn., perhaps you should consider moving away from campgrounds. We hunt the manti, locals(whom I hunt with) usually set up camps the weekend before hunts. You have every oppurtunity to do the same. And yes, pretty much the same guys camp on the same spot every year(burnt hill for us). Having said this, their are thousands of spots on this mtn that are empty every year, try one. Most of us hunt to get away from civilization and its rules, if we want to sleep in we do, a 10am beer, go for it, don't feel like combing the hair, its your hair, etc., why on gods green earth do you want to bring more regulations into the mtns? Oh and a small news flash, the locals are less than happy about all the city people that invade their areas every year, but I am pretty sure they aren't petitioning the forest service to make a rule that you can only camp in the forest closest to your home. The problem a lot of guys have is they have crew cab trucks pulling 35' fifth wheel toy haulers and there aren't a lot of easy spots to get to that aren't already filled with 35' toy haulers, get off the main canyon road(if you can) and you don't have a problem.

 

[sab]

>Oh and a small news
>flash, the locals are less
>than happy about all the
>city people that invade their
>areas every year

"Their" areas? Proximity has nothing to do with access rights. I, as a Texas resident, have the same rights as a Utah resident to use federal lands in Utah!

Sorry, but this is a sore point for me. My taxes pay for federal lands just as well as anyone elses!

Regards,
Scott

 

[hossblur]

Yes "their" ground and spots. When we "they" feed deer in the winter we consider it ours, when we, "they" do habitat work we consider it ours, sorry if you don't like the attitude but Utah is a state where over 2/3 of the land is "government owned" And yes we "they" that hunt and care for an area year after year feel a little bit more of a connection to that area then someone who might drop in from texas because he read some article about hunting. Nothing personal, but thats just the way it is. Like I said, come from texas and set up your camp, same as anyone else, but don't show up late and complain because someone else did it earlier. In exchange I won't come to Texas and tell you all what to do with your areas, be they "government owned" or whatever. See MOST of us in this state go to the mtns to escape civilization, not to have parking cops and reserved spots.

 

[sab]

hossblur:

You and I definitely agree more than we disagree. I'm an advocate of keeping it simple when it comes to hunting (backpacks and bivies, not 1 tons and fifth wheels!). I've never camped within site of anyone else, partly by selecting the right site, but mostly because most people won't hike ten miles to set up camp. I'm also a firm believer in replacing regulations with simple common-courtesy (something which died sometime in the 1980s, I'm afraid).

Where we differ in opinion is on access rights. I'm not a Texas native. I'm here for work, and while I really like Texas and its conservative politics, I find hunting here to be lacking. Public land is barely available, and hunting over a feeder doesn't do it for me. For those reasons, I'm attracted to the western states. You western states residents are lucky to have an abundance of public land available to you. However, (most of) it is federal land, and when I hear talk of it being "your" land and that "outsiders" need to stay out, I get a bit perturbed. It doesn't sound like you're of that particular opinion, but that's the tone I got from your previous post. If I read you wrong, I apologize.

I appreciate that you and others have fed wildlife during harsh winters and done habitat work, and I admit that I have not done those things due to my home location. However, many resident hunters out west do absolutely nothing (like us NR hunters), yet they have the "it's my land, not yours" attitude, which is flat-out wrong. Whether a person lives 1 foot from federal land, or 1000 miles from federal land has nothing to do with access rights. For now, at least, there is plenty of land to go around. You just may have to work a little to get away from others.

OK, I'm done ranting now. Thanks for the lively discussion, and again, thanks for your service in maintaining our resources!

Good luck this season,
Scott

 

[Triple_BB]

>"Their" areas? Proximity has nothing
>to do with access rights.
> I, as a Texas
>resident, have the same rights
>as a Utah resident to
>use federal lands in Utah!
>

You wouldn't in Wyoming. At least if its wilderness. So sorry, try again next time...

 

[sab]

>You wouldn't in Wyoming. At
>least if its wilderness.
>So sorry, try again next
>time...

Yes, but I wasn't talking about Wyoming, was I? Wyoming's law defies logic, and it's one reason I don't hunt that beautiful state.

Regards,
Scott

 

[hossblur]

my point wasn't outsiders stay out, it is simply that guys who live near an area more likely than not will get there camps where they want them because they can run them up after work or whatever without making a major excursion. I live 150 miles from where I hunt and this is true for me too. The difference is I am not proposing that because of this we should have strict parking enforcement. As for Wyoming, well its wyoming, what more can you say. I was born here and grew up here and have watched as "outsiders" have moved here for its beauty, recreation, etc., then spend their lives trying to limit access with rules, regs, wilderness designations, etc. It makes one very anti regs in the mtns.