2lumpy
Long Time Member
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Yes. Many times. Will mostly likely will do it again.
The devil's in the details.
An old hunter buddy has a profound belief:
"The second truck up the road may as well stay home".
He taught me a few lessons. One good one was, never be the second truck up the mountain.
Here is a single example of my road blocking techniques.
I spent a month locating elk for a friend of a friend and had 5 good bulls located and patterned. There was a single road accessing the area. On the morning of the hunt we left the house 3 hours early and drove to the area, arriving 2 hours before light. No one else was on the road, so far as we could tell. I chose a location a half mile or better from where these bulls were coming out to feed every morning. There was a large boulder covered ridge next to the road on my left and a thick heavy grove of trees on my right, I turned off the lights and shut off the engine. I put my foot on the brake pedal so my brake lights were on, so anyone coming up the mountain could see well in advance that a vehicle was already on the road.
I turned to my friend's friend and said, we may as well have a nap, it's still 2 hours until day light and we're going to wait here until it's light enough to see.
As I'd anticipated, about 20 minutes before shooting light, here came two trucks up behind us and of course they had no choice but to turn around or stop behind me. They stopped behind me. I gave them about 60 seconds to think about what they might want to do (60 seconds is a fairly long time under these conditions but I wanted to make sure they weren't going to back out and find a different area) I then got out of my truck and walked back to the first truck as the window rolled down to reveal 4 nice guys but they were nice guys that were kind of grumpy.
Here is what I said:
"Good Morning, I'm don't want to be an as-hole but there's the situation, there have be five good bulls feeding out up ahead of us about a half a mile. I've watched them for the last 4 mornings. I'm reasonable sure they will be here again this morning. We've been here for 2 hours waiting for sun up and it's still 20 minutes before it will be light enough to see. If we go on up this road right now we'll run these elk back in the mahoganies in the dark and nobody is going to shot anything. If you want, I'll get back in my truck and start in because I'm in front and I intend to go in first, now or when it gets light. Or, we can all set here an wait until it gets light enough to shot, then you can follow me in and we'll all take our chances. So, it's your choice, we can go in now and run them off in the dark or wait. You decide, I won't keep you from going in but I will be going in ahead of you, one way or another". It took another 60 seconds for them to discuss it and they decided we should all wait for day light.
On other occasions I've done similar things.
I have, on more than one occasion, been driving up a road and had an animal break and run and I've bailed out, left the truck running, door wide open and given chase only to come back 5 minutes later (not 30 minutes) to find someone waiting to go by because they couldn't get around. It wasn't intentional blocking, I'd call it circumstantial, not premeditated. I've always apologized and hurried to move and always been treated with understanding because I'm sure those that were being blocked had done something similar themselves. Sometimes they isn't time to pull off or the opportunity is lost. I've done it, had it done to me, never had a problem with it.
We did skid a pick-up out of the way on the Loop Road on the Pauns. a number of years ago. It had been left there over night to block access, it didn't.
I'd say it depends on the situation but if you'd ask me if I've every blocked a road I'd have to answer yes.
DC
The devil's in the details.
An old hunter buddy has a profound belief:
"The second truck up the road may as well stay home".
He taught me a few lessons. One good one was, never be the second truck up the mountain.
Here is a single example of my road blocking techniques.
I spent a month locating elk for a friend of a friend and had 5 good bulls located and patterned. There was a single road accessing the area. On the morning of the hunt we left the house 3 hours early and drove to the area, arriving 2 hours before light. No one else was on the road, so far as we could tell. I chose a location a half mile or better from where these bulls were coming out to feed every morning. There was a large boulder covered ridge next to the road on my left and a thick heavy grove of trees on my right, I turned off the lights and shut off the engine. I put my foot on the brake pedal so my brake lights were on, so anyone coming up the mountain could see well in advance that a vehicle was already on the road.
I turned to my friend's friend and said, we may as well have a nap, it's still 2 hours until day light and we're going to wait here until it's light enough to see.
As I'd anticipated, about 20 minutes before shooting light, here came two trucks up behind us and of course they had no choice but to turn around or stop behind me. They stopped behind me. I gave them about 60 seconds to think about what they might want to do (60 seconds is a fairly long time under these conditions but I wanted to make sure they weren't going to back out and find a different area) I then got out of my truck and walked back to the first truck as the window rolled down to reveal 4 nice guys but they were nice guys that were kind of grumpy.
Here is what I said:
"Good Morning, I'm don't want to be an as-hole but there's the situation, there have be five good bulls feeding out up ahead of us about a half a mile. I've watched them for the last 4 mornings. I'm reasonable sure they will be here again this morning. We've been here for 2 hours waiting for sun up and it's still 20 minutes before it will be light enough to see. If we go on up this road right now we'll run these elk back in the mahoganies in the dark and nobody is going to shot anything. If you want, I'll get back in my truck and start in because I'm in front and I intend to go in first, now or when it gets light. Or, we can all set here an wait until it gets light enough to shot, then you can follow me in and we'll all take our chances. So, it's your choice, we can go in now and run them off in the dark or wait. You decide, I won't keep you from going in but I will be going in ahead of you, one way or another". It took another 60 seconds for them to discuss it and they decided we should all wait for day light.
On other occasions I've done similar things.
I have, on more than one occasion, been driving up a road and had an animal break and run and I've bailed out, left the truck running, door wide open and given chase only to come back 5 minutes later (not 30 minutes) to find someone waiting to go by because they couldn't get around. It wasn't intentional blocking, I'd call it circumstantial, not premeditated. I've always apologized and hurried to move and always been treated with understanding because I'm sure those that were being blocked had done something similar themselves. Sometimes they isn't time to pull off or the opportunity is lost. I've done it, had it done to me, never had a problem with it.
We did skid a pick-up out of the way on the Loop Road on the Pauns. a number of years ago. It had been left there over night to block access, it didn't.
I'd say it depends on the situation but if you'd ask me if I've every blocked a road I'd have to answer yes.
DC
Then through the Mud Puddle I went in 2WD.
