Hunting Etiquette

[backcountrycrazy]

Is there such thing as having etiquette to other hunters that are going after a buck first? Here is how our hunt went down this weekend. Two Hunters at first light were hiking up the mountain on the front. We were glassing from down below to spot something to go after. Two more hunters pulled up and glassed in the same area. To keep it short we spotted a decent 4 point at the base and decided to go after him. Upon arriving at the base of the front and getting ready here comes the hunters that were glassing by us. They drove down the road a ways and ended up hiking right back to were I sent my buddy in to guide him on this buck. The stalk ended up getting blown because of, in my opinion, dicks who tried to cut us off on the buck and get to it first. I understand everyone wants to get a shot at a buck and tries hard to do so, but my question is IF SOMEONE ELSE IS GOING IN ON A BUCK WOULDN?T THE RIGHT THING TO DO BE WATCHING OR GOING ELSEWHERE TO HUNT? Maybe I am just messed up in the head thinking that it is proper etiquette to let a hunter attempt his stalk if he went after a buck first. Thanks to the two hunters that the day before let me attempt my stock on a buck. I was unsuccessful but man it was fun.

 

[isayNUNYA]

Its public land. I'm not saying what they did was ok but on the other hand how do you know that they have not been watching this buck and hunting him for the past week? Maybe they spotted him from a different vantage point? Who knows? My friends and myself are always respectful of someone who is putting a stalk on an animal. However if they are hunting an animal that we are also hunting then I would'nt pick up shop and move. Bottom line is treat others how you what to be treated.
Did you talk to them and let them know you had glassed this buck up and where making a stalk on the deer?

 

[sageadvice]

IMO, Yes there does exist a Etiquette in you should be allowed to stalk your buck but good luck getting guys to live by it. I feel for you and sorry to hear that you guys were buggered up! I myself would rather hunt a sage flat with no deer, or other hunters, on it than hunt the same mountain that others are on or cut in on another's hunt.

Interesting to note, down this very page is a hunt recap, "3rd season Co hunt" where a guy justifies himself in doing IMO, exactly as you suggest that this guy did to your friends hunt. In fact, the other hunter had hard words for him once he hustled up to the top after seeing them from the truck. That poster then went on and very shortly spotted and killed a decent 4x4 buck, imagine that, which he posted up for our admiration. Sorry but he got none from me and i posted as such but he feels untouchable with his, always handy, huge bag of excuses. The powers that be here felt differently than i did anyway and deleted our little chat.

I guess it's just a fact that some, here and everywhere, care little or nothing of other people when they themselves are after a buck. It's a very sad deal indeed!!

Joey

 

[huntindad4]

I agree Sage! It's always "well that's public land hunting" or well "what if he actually saw that deer last week and was planning a hunt for him before he got there" SAD!!

I hunt the general tag in ID most years when we don't draw and see all kinds of idiocy but we choose our units on hunter numbers more than deer numbers to try to avoid these conflicts. To little avail however.

Bill

 

[marley]

I agree with Sageadvice in every way. If a stalk is in place sit back and enjoy the show, even videotape it for them.

I am the one that posted the thread that Sage is talking about and it was no where near this same scenario. The other hunter and I bumped into each other while I was trying to get to a very distant area away from them. When they hit the ridgeline they headed in my direction. He didn't know I was going to be there and I didn't know that's where he was heading. After a heated discussion I allowed him to procede in the direction that he was wanting to go and I went in the direction that he came from. Just so happened that I killed a nice buck that he happened to walk right past. If he would of seen the buck he could've killed it and had he not insisted on going the other direction I would've never seen it. He just chose the wrong direction when I gave him first choice on where to go. No excuses just the facts. Should I have ran back up to him to tell him that he walked past a nice buck?

Sage and I butt heads, I don't know why he has it out for me but on this occasion I agree with what he said about hunting etiquette.

 

[lunkerjunker]

It seems that was par for this past weekend on the Front.

 

[bowhunt]

I just have NO interest in chasing a buck that someone else is after.
Seems odd to me that some people are so wound up about shooting something that they act like dorks over it.

 

[kilowatt]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-15-10 AT 10:11AM (MST)[p]There is no "Hunting Etiquette" in Utah or other states, greed takes over and no one cares. Hell, back 10 years ago we were hunting right there outside of Salina and we let a small dink barely forked horn go on to grow up but some local shot right over the heads of two of our guys to get that dink with milk still on his lips....WAJ

Brian
http://i25.tinypic.com/fxbjgy.jpg[/IMG]

 

[predator]

Agreed. Once upon a time I put a stalk on a cow elk. The wind was iffy, and it took me some backtracking and sidehilling. I worked really hard for that cow.

When I got her back to the truck, someone who had watched the whole thing had left me note simply saying "Nice stalk, great shot, we enjoyed every minute".

That was on the Front, btw. I have problems every year with fellow bowhunters. I think the testosterone during the rut makes 'em goofy. LOL

Pred

 

[cantclosethedeal]

I believe I watched this whole thing unfold glassing from my truck. It was a nice 165ish 4pt with weak main beam on the drivers side, but great deep forks everywhere else.
From my vantage point, there was one guy in position coming up from the bottom, two guys (only one had a bow) trying to move in from the north above, two guys coming from the south, and one guy up on top sitting on an escape route. (They literally had this buck surrounded)
The guys on top got busted by a doe and the group ran between two groups of hunters. Close but not quite.

If this is what I watched happen, I feel obligated to mention that this buck was only 100yds above the houses on Wasatch blvd when this all unfolded. It was also in one of the more popular places on the front. You will get no solitude hunting here.