What to do?

[troutsniffer]

Another what would you do post. I have hunted elk in the same canyon on the Wasatch Front for the previous 2 years. I have a couple near misses, but yet to carry one off the mountain. I am yet to see another hunter where I've been. It takes me about 2 hours hiking in the dark to get there.
I went yesterday and there was no fresh sign in the usual areas. I decided to hit the next canyon and hike back to the road. I immediately started seeing fresh sign and I could smell them. At one point I could hear them walking below me, but wasn't able to see them. The further down the canyon I went, the more sign I saw. About 2/3 the way down the canyon I found a totally sweet wallow that looks to be getting hit like crazy. I was so excited until I saw the treestand and trailcam. This is a money spot that is a lot closer to the road than where I have been hunting. This wallow has about 6 heavily used trails coming to it. There were some huge elk tracks in the wallow.
What would you do?
A. Steal their trail cam.
B. Steal their treestand.
C. Both A & B.
D. The camera was not locked, so I could look at the photos and put the SD card back.
E. Leave a note and try to work out sharing the spot.
F. Hunt out of the stand if the hunter is not in it.
G. Hang my own stand in the tree next to his and put up my own trail cam.
H. Stay out of the canyon and let them have it.
I. Continue to hunt the hillside above the wallow.
What would you do?

 

[Gazelle]

Troutsniffer,(love that display name) I would let it go. They probably scouted all summer and did their homework. Ill bet theres another wallow in that canyon. And you know theres elk there. Good Luck and get after em !

 

[mathewsman]

E. or G. & when doing G, if he is already there when you get there, tip your cap and hunt somewhere else. You have just as much right to be there as he does, but be respectful & hope for the same courtesy to be extended to you.

"...I got a shotgun, rifle, and a 4 wheel
drive, and a country boy can survive..."

Hank Williams Jr.

 

[swbuckmaster]

If you steal my camera I slapa your face.

There are no big bucks in Utah! LOL

 

[c3]

I was going to say, it's probably my trail cam and one of my buddies stands

Sit the thing if you get there first and expect a courteous "Hey how is my spot treating you" when eventually you meet up with me or one of my partners there. You always have to check the card on the cam. To not do so would be a waste of your scent in the area. Just make sure it gets back in there

We're all in the same boat and it's just a game of craps as to which water the elk happen upon on any given day. The more friends we have and the more days we get up there the better the odds of bringing one home.

Good luck!

Cheers,
Pete

 

[troutsniffer]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-05-10 AT 11:10PM (MST)[p]I chose not to touch the camera or treestand. I did let the camera take my picture with a wave and a smile. Pete, does your trailcam have a homemade camo paint job and small bungees holding it to the tree? I snapped a picture of the wallow with my phone. The wallow has a second wallow about 10 yards downhill from it.

 

[jedisdead]

when I went to get my stands this year. There was an elk carcass under one of them. When I was taking down the other one my wife said "hey your forgetting one of your pegs". Looked down and it wasn't mine but, at least they didn't take the stands and they killed a bull. So who ever it was that used my stand on the wasatch(diamond fork/hobble creek) I got your peg if you want it back.

p.s. I would like to see the bull

 

[mshred]

i would just hunt the area very quietly. you made a good choice to leave the stand and camera alone - imo.

 

[alpinebowman]

I would knot hesitate to hunt the wallow. Get your own stand or build a blind and tear it up. It is a public water source. It is pretty hard to find a water hole on the front that buglingbilly or midnight don't have a stand on If they aren't there it doesn't hurt them.

alpinebowman

>>>---shots that are true pass right through--->

 

[c3]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-06-10 AT 02:25PM (MST)[p]Troutsniffer, I was just trying to be funny. Like alpinebowman said, there are a group of us who have a bunch of locations up on the front together and share the work. There a quite a few with two wallows near each other. All my cams were on the San Juan this year as I had an elk tag down there. I don't have any up on the front right now and haven't been up on the front since early Aug.

If you found the spot, just go sit it and make sure to put the card back in the cam the right way

Cheers,
Pete

 

[hedhunter]

leave the area and go find another spot.that spot is his!

 

[troutsniffer]

Thanks for your opinions. I think I will leave him a note on his camera and hopefully he will give me a call. I will continue to hunt the area. If he is reasonable, I will stay out of the canyon around the time he is hunting. Good luck to everyone that still has a tag in their pocket!

 

[bowhunt]

Your last post is the right idea.
But if you do not get a call, then just sit there if you get there first.
There are very few secret spots on the Front.

 

[alpinebowman]

This is the dumbest thing to say. I see don't see how having a stand on public property gives you exclusive rights to an area. I know of stands that people have put up and haven't used for years. It is first come first serve on public land. Go buy your own chunk of it if this is the way you feel.

>leave the area and go find
>another spot.that spot is his!
>


alpinebowman

>>>---shots that are true pass right through--->

 

[hedhunter]

alpinebowman, here is a scenario for you,lets say you find a good spot,set up your stand ,hang trailcam,you hunt it hard for 2 or 3 days,maybe you get busted by a few animals so you go hunt somewhere else to give this spot a break and let things settle down there for a couple days. now while you are gone someone else is sitting in YOUR stand looking at YOUR camera card and possibly spooking the animals that are using this area,that is real considerate of your fellow bowhunter now isn't!now you come back next week to your spot and hunt it 2 or 3 day and no game any where around now your good spot SUCKS.oh well guess i'll just go find a new good spot to hunt.this immediate area is his and to hunt it regularly is rude and inconsiderate of YOU!

 

[Elkhunter96]

I have to agree with the earlier post, public land is public land. That being said, I would also hunt the wallow unless the other hunter is there. I would not use his stand or mess with his trail cam, that would be inconsiderate and not acceptable. Hunting the spot is acceptable since the other hunter does not own it...

 

[Elkkrzy]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-07-10 AT 09:52PM (MST)[p]Troutsniffer check pm.

 

[alpinebowman]

So what does this do to all the new people in an area. Some young guy trying to get in the hunting game finds a nice hole in the hill with hopes of seeing a big deer. He then see's the treestand and the cam and has to say well I can cross this nice area off of the map. it is too bad he wasn't hunting the area 20 years ago to be able to mark his territory so to speak. I just can't see how there is any logic in what you are saying. I am certainly not saying you should use the guys stand or look at his camera but by god I will utilize the public resource if I want. I paid as much for my tag as the guy with the stand did.


>alpinebowman, here is a scenario for
>you,lets say you find a
>good spot,set up your stand
>,hang trailcam,you hunt it hard
>for 2 or 3 days,maybe
>you get busted by a
>few animals so you go
>hunt somewhere else to give
>this spot a break and
>let things settle down there
>for a couple days. now
>while you are gone someone
>else is sitting in YOUR
>stand looking at YOUR camera
>card and possibly spooking the
>animals that are using this
>area,that is real considerate of
>your fellow bowhunter now isn't!now
>you come back next week
>to your spot and hunt
>it 2 or 3 day
>and no game any where
>around now your good spot
>SUCKS.oh well guess i'll just
>go find a new good
>spot to hunt.this immediate area
>is his and to hunt
>it regularly is rude and
>inconsiderate of YOU!
>


alpinebowman

>>>---shots that are true pass right through--->

 

[troutsniffer]

Elkkrzy PM sent. Hedhunter. What if the hunter leaves his spot 2-3 days and hunts another spot which turns out to be around my treestand. He should have stayed in HIS spot instead of screwing up my spot. For all I know this hunter has 10 stands up and has not been to this one in a month. Maybe he does not plan on hunting this spot again this year. If he wants to rest the area for 2-3 days, he should call me when I leave my # on his camera I will stay out of the canyon and give him a chance. I do not think treestands and trailcams reserve spots, but I would like to cooperate with someone that has put in some work. We can help each other out, or spoil each others hunt. I have met both types on the Front.

 

[c3]

hedhunter, you must not hunt up on the front. There are no spots that go 2 or 3 days without someone at least walking through. There are 15,000 deer tag holders and about 6500 elk tag holders who can hunt it for 4 months. All good spots on the front suck, except when they don't and a great critter happens by

Did I ever tell you guys about the fellow with the most crooked teeth I've ever seen sitting on our salt lick smoking a cigarette one day when I got there to hunt a wallow we have a stand on? I'm being dead serious! I've never seen anything like it. Right out of deliverance or something. Found out later that night that my buddy had a trail cam on that wallow and it wasn't there after I found the hillbilly sitting there.

Needless to say I've seen some crazy stuff up there and you respectfully sitting one my stands when ever you feel like it is the least of my worries

Cheers,
Pete

>alpinebowman, here is a scenario for
>you,lets say you find a
>good spot,set up your stand
>,hang trailcam,you hunt it hard
>for 2 or 3 days,

> SNIP OF ALOT OF STUFF THAT HAPPENS EVERY DAY UP THERE <

>to hunt
>it regularly is rude and
>inconsiderate of YOU!
>

 

[swbuckmaster]

no crap hedhunter get a life. public land is public land. O but if you want to go by your rules get off my wasatch front. Ive hunted there longer then anyone alive and you are in one of my 10,000 spots.


for the rest that want to enjoy my 10,000 spots you can but do it with some respect. dont settle for the long shot. look for the humane shots and follow up everything you hit. If you do hit a deer and cant find it do the ethical thing and punch your tag. This way we can all continue to hunt the best 10,000 spots on a general tag in the west.

There are no big bucks in Utah! LOL

 

[hedhunter]

you guys are right,i apologize.my ethics were founded on eastern whitetail grounds,thats the way i do things here and there. i realize there is a big difference between the two types of hunts.you are also correct that i dont hunt the front and never will.do i have to be a dic for leaving someone else alone,then so be it.he asked for opinions and he got some so hang me.