Slob hunters

[farout]

Another comment on this story.

Oregon public land is getting crowded these days and more often than not it makes for a difficult hunt. But interesting enough, not all is lost and there are some really cool folks you happen upon in the woods sometimes.

Few weeks ago, I was hunting the Wilson unit and got a big bodied 2x3 blacktail. I was with my wife. I was 100 yards down in a hole dressing the buck. A pickup stopped on a logging road above us and watched. I pulled the buck's head up at one point so they could see the antlers. They drove off. A few minutes later they were back and walking toward us. They said "thought we might offer you some help with that buck." I said sure, thanks! Two big stout young men then proceeded to drag the buck all the way to my truck and even tossed it in the back for me. I offered both money and jerky which they both humbly declined.

But as Bigry26's post shows there are probably 10 bad stories for every good one you hear these days.

 

[MontanaRifleman]

There is never an easy answer to something like this. Walk away from it and the idiots win and get their way and are encouraged to do it again to someone else. Stand up to them and you put yourself and others with you at risk.

In this situation, I think I would have sent the boys away in the truck to call and get fish and game/law enforcement on the scene and stayed there to dress out the elk and guard it.

 

[MMERSS]

But as Bigry26's post shows there are probably 10 bad stories for every good one you hear these days.

Oh I don't know about that.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f116/mt-huntress-bags-1107-yard-6x6-bull-123872/

There is a little more to this successful hunt than originally portrayed. I was elk hunting with all my brothers together for the first time in over a decade. The afternoon of opening day we were at our camp when the family in the camp next to ours came over and asked how we were doing and if we had seen any elk. After conversation it turned out the wife/mother of this family had never taken a bull elk before. We offered to assist if she was willing to spend the afternoon training for long range hunting. She accepted and the afternoon was devoted to train with the system and to ensure she was capable of breaking a perfect LR shot when needed. We had no problem holding our elk tags until after this huntress was successful. We have all taken enough elk before and this was not an issue, helping someone with their first bull was. Well the rest is history. After she shot her elk my brother was able to shoot his LR from the same hide that same morning. It turns out the family had horses so the recovery of my brothers elk was effortless, to include hers. It's not too difficult, help someone out and they will help you out.

I have no idea who this family is, it doesn't really matter. That Sunday of hunting was one of my most memorable. I was hunting with my brothers for the first time in a long time and we were able to assist another family with their hunt.

The point being there will always be good and bad hunters. Don't be discouraged by the bad and cherish those hunts with the good.

 

[brushhunter]

First, congrats on getting an elk.

Let me guess... Oregon coast range, general season? ODFW and any sort of law enforcement patrol is pretty much non existent. ODFW is pathetic. All they do is raise license fees for local and out of state hunters to put in the state general fund while game herds in Oregon are decimated by poaching.

Mad to hear that that happened to you, but it really doesn't come as a surprise.

Not only that oregon is the most mismanaged state out there these days. You got your so called trophey units that take 15 to 20 years to draw and then you got spike tags in that unit. Makes no sense at all. There is no way to accurately estimate the population of game here on the coast in my opinion. But yet we got tags like no other. Raise tags in other units because they think the herd numbers are management standards. Eliminate some tags, game numbers go up, better hunting, take the pressure off the big 3 units better hunting in the units with less tags win win.

Cats and bears are the other issue. Everbody is fighting so hard to keep out running dogs its stupid. Ive seen more fawn and calf kills in the last few years than all of my hunting years put together. Half eaten left to rot. Something got to give or there wont be much left to hunt.

 

[varmintH8R]

What you are describing isn't "unethical hunters" it is "game thieves" and armed robbery.

Boy, that sums it up right there. It's not an annoyance, it a felony.

There aren't too many things that give me the "pit of the stomach" feeling like your story did. When you walk away, you sure feel crappy and like you got walked all over. Doesn't help when your teenage kids are with you. If you escalate it, there are about 10 different ways things can go bad and change your life forever....

You for sure did the right thing in not engaging those A-holes, but it sure would be more rewarding if they got theirs. Problem seems to be that LE doesn't have a whole lot of tools to deal with this kind if behavior. Too easy for A-holes to shrug and deny trying to intimidate.

I go out of my way to be courteous and helpful to other hunters I come across in the field. I hope that by increasing the ranks of "the good guys" we can minimize the reputation the "bad guys" give us all.

Sorry your hunt was ruined and hope you get a shot to redeem it!

 

[SidecarFlip]

MY sop if I hunt alone (or with a partner is), I always carry 2 guns. My rifle and my 44 S&W revolver. There is just something persuasive about a 44 with an 8 3/4 barrel in a DeSantis holster. I have had a couple confrontations over the years. The 44 is always a convincer without unholstering it.

Thanks 'Dirty Harry'.....

 

[WildRose]

Oh I don't know about that.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f116/mt-huntress-bags-1107-yard-6x6-bull-123872/

There is a little more to this successful hunt than originally portrayed. I was elk hunting with all my brothers together for the first time in over a decade. The afternoon of opening day we were at our camp when the family in the camp next to ours came over and asked how we were doing and if we had seen any elk. After conversation it turned out the wife/mother of this family had never taken a bull elk before. We offered to assist if she was willing to spend the afternoon training for long range hunting. She accepted and the afternoon was devoted to train with the system and to ensure she was capable of breaking a perfect LR shot when needed. We had no problem holding our elk tags until after this huntress was successful. We have all taken enough elk before and this was not an issue, helping someone with their first bull was. Well the rest is history. After she shot her elk my brother was able to shoot his LR from the same hide that same morning. It turns out the family had horses so the recovery of my brothers elk was effortless, to include hers. It's not too difficult, help someone out and they will help you out.

I have no idea who this family is, it doesn't really matter. That Sunday of hunting was one of my most memorable. I was hunting with my brothers for the first time in a long time and we were able to assist another family with their hunt.

The point being there will always be good and bad hunters. Don't be discouraged by the bad and cherish those hunts with the good.

Great story. Personally I'm of the "Smile, introduce yourself, shake hands and carry a large bore handgun openly at all times on public land" mentality.

If I find myself in an uncomfortable situation I just make it clear that I won't be intimidated or bullied and that generally ends it. Most of these types of people are gutless cowards who count on being able to bully/intimidate folks so like MR said above I'd have sent the rest of my part to bring in the LEO's while I dressed the Elk unless I really felt like these guys were willing to fight for it. Anymore you just don't know what some people are capable of.

 

[WildRose]

MY sop if I hunt alone (or with a partner is), I always carry 2 guns. My rifle and my 44 S&W revolver. There is just something persuasive about a 44 with an 8 3/4 barrel in a DeSantis holster. I have had a couple confrontations over the years. The 44 is always a convincer without unholstering it.

Thanks 'Dirty Harry'.....

I find my little 4" 425TI Taurus .41 mag serves the same purpose handily.

It's an incredibly light and easy to carry magnum. I have a cross draw holster that keeps it just above my left front Pocket and it's very "handy".

 

[Sully2]

MY sop if I hunt alone (or with a partner is), I always carry 2 guns. My rifle and my 44 S&W revolver. There is just something persuasive about a 44 with an 8 3/4 barrel in a DeSantis holster. I have had a couple confrontations over the years. The 44 is always a convincer without unholstering it.

Thanks 'Dirty Harry'.....

Model 629 with a 4" barrel here. High ride hip holster because with my short legs those standard hip holsters with 8" barrel guns drag the ground......

 

[bigry26]

I carry a cimmaron 45 colt on my hip but with the jack asses having guys setting out 300-550 yards with their rifles pointed at us I had to do what I thought was safest for my kids. I still get ****ed just thinking about the deal. But on a side note my son killed a big 2x3 blacktail this morning. Ryan

 

[WildRose]

I carry a cimmaron 45 colt on my hip but with the jack asses having guys setting out 300-550 yards with their rifles pointed at us I had to do what I thought was safest for my kids. I still get ****ed just thinking about the deal. But on a side note my son killed a big 2x3 blacktail this morning. Ryan

You made the wisest and safest choice under the circumstances you were dealt.

 

[SidecarFlip]

... and you did the right thing. Anytime children are nnvolved the game changes.

In as much as my kids are grown, I don't have that issue to consider.

Problem is, it's not just hunters, or politcians or your local car dealer, its a general attitude in this country thats prevalent today. Give an inch, take a mile. Don't G.A.S about your fellow man, do what makes you feel good and hell with everyone else.

We (as a country) need to get back to basics, basics about honesty and fair play. I read the other day in the newspaper that kids in sports today get trophies for loosing or trophies for just showing up and I thought ***...

Sometimes I think it would be better to live and die by the gun. There is a certain decisive fanility about that.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Model 629 with a 4" barrel here. High ride hip holster because with my short legs those standard hip holsters with 8" barrel guns drag the ground......

Short guys and tall gals with short skirts go together......