What a nice surprise

I headed out for archery elk in MT. Arrived here around the 4th or 5th and got a back country campground spot.

So, coming from michigan here's the surprise. All of the hunters i talked to were nice and welcoming. We shared info and when someones partner left them i hunted with them for a few days. We were able to share ideas and plans and grow our knowledge.

If i were to try this at a back country campground around home something would be stolen. People would be ripping around all night drunk and if i didn't know other people they wouldn't say much of anything.

Here's something that's not a surprise...all the elk pushed onto private. It's like they know that fence is bad news and wont cross it.

Flight635 said:

I headed out for archery elk in MT. Arrived here around the 4th or 5th and got a back country campground spot.

So, coming from michigan here's the surprise. All of the hunters i talked to were nice and welcoming. We shared info and when someones partner left them i hunted with them for a few days. We were able to share ideas and plans and grow our knowledge.

If i were to try this at a back country campground around home something would be stolen. People would be ripping around all night drunk and if i didn't know other people they wouldn't say much of anything.

Here's something that's not a surprise...all the elk pushed onto private. It's like they know that fence is bad news and wont cross it.

Click to expand...

It's nice to hear a good story about public hunting for a change.

That is how it should be. A few years back, I ran into four hunters from Minnesota, while I was pronghorn hunting. They were looking for a spot to set up camp and asked if they were intruding on my hunt. I directed them to a flatter spot just 200 yards away that had a stack of firewood already. They each had a doe tag, so I pointed out where I had just seen some does and a small buck. I gave them the layout of the land and the way I used to get within 200 yards of the small herd. Politeness earns the same in my books. I hope they filled their tags and had a great hunt.

Flight635 said:

I headed out for archery elk in MT. Arrived here around the 4th or 5th and got a back country campground spot.

So, coming from michigan here's the surprise. All of the hunters i talked to were nice and welcoming. We shared info and when someones partner left them i hunted with them for a few days. We were able to share ideas and plans and grow our knowledge.

If i were to try this at a back country campground around home something would be stolen. People would be ripping around all night drunk and if i didn't know other people they wouldn't say much of anything.

Here's something that's not a surprise...all the elk pushed onto private. It's like they know that fence is bad news and wont cross it.

Click to expand...

That's a lie; Montana and its people suck.

It is good to hear. Also, I have found this to be the norm. My positive interactions with other hunters and elk camps outnumber the negative at least 10 to 1.

I've never had a really bad experience with bumping into or camping next to other hunters. The only thing I can remember anyone getting up set is I was out the door of my camper when 3 people on horseback rode on by and I had a few friendly words to the last rider. For some reason the oldest one in the group turned back to the other one I talked too with a scowl on his face asking him what I said.
The man replied back oh he just said good luck to us,
and the older guy looked back at me then turned around and kept on riding.
Guess he thought I said something he didn't like?
Other than that it's always been the duck hunters that I've come across that think they own the public land and trying to push people off of their so called spot.
But that's been far and few between.