wiiawiwb Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 (edited) Hunting season is about to open or has already open in many states. That means hunters are in the woods along with sasquatchers like us. I always have reservations about going into the woods anywhere during hunting season and especially when I go off trail. About ten years ago, during hunting season, I was doing a hike on a popular trail. Apparently, I spooked a deer and two hunters, out of a party of five or six, ran over to me and began screaming at me for screwing up their hunt. I was unarmed and they were quickly escalating things. I talked my way out of it, turned around, and went back to the car a bit shaken. I was doing nothing wrong and was on a well-known hiking trail (not bushwhacking) but these hunters thought no one should be around during their hunting season. It was an eye opener for me and since then I have been reluctant to go in the woods during hunting season. I take ample precautions and have a blaze-orange hat, fleece, and covering for my backpack and have always worn them. No one should confuse me for a deer. What is your protocol during hunting season? Do you wait it out or continue to go into the woods to go sasquatching? Edited October 24, 2020 by wiiawiwb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxhill Posted October 24, 2020 BFF Patron Share Posted October 24, 2020 I would never go anywhere near public hunting land during hunting season. While I don't support their reaction and you had every right to be there, I do have some empathy for their response to your presence. . Consider this......one of them may have had you in their sights and ready to pull the trigger, of course if you were wearing your blaze orange then this would be unforgivable/inconceivable but it happens! If you weren't wearing blaze orange, what if one of the hunters was pro-kill? If they are hunting on public lands they obviously don't have access to private property hence their opportunity to hunt may be extremely limited and you just crapped all over their day, and don't get me wrong you had the right to do that. Also there is the possibility that they may have been hunting to put food on the table. So while the reaction to your presence was no doubt out of line, my recommendation would be stay out of the woods during hunting season. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntster Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 As a lifetime big game hunter, I have no empathy for those "hunters". They should have sat quietly as you passed, just like a lion, a bear, or I would have done. I've been accidentally shot two different times by hunters, and both times they were in my hunting party. I now hunt alone, and I have a damned good reply for those who try to tell me that hunting alone is dangerous. Another thing I've noticed: three days after big game hunting season closes, and as the last hunters leave the field, the predators and scavengers come out en masse. Human hunters literally leave a smorgasbord of protein out there (bone marrow, livers, kidneys, hearts, meat, heads, etc) for God's disposal crew, not to mention their camp waste. The best bear hunting in Alaska begins immediately after moose season closes. I know a party of hunters who sat on a moose gut pile that was left on the last couple of days of the season, and ended up taking two brown bears and a wolverine from that spot over the following week. Sasquatch hunting will improve dramatically after human hunters leave the field after the close of deer season, your odds of getting shot (accidentally or not) will be greatly reduced, and the overall experience will be much better. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxhill Posted October 24, 2020 BFF Patron Share Posted October 24, 2020 If someone walks that close to you while your hunting, the responsible thing to do would be to politely make contact with them and let them know your in the area. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowBorn Posted October 24, 2020 Moderator Share Posted October 24, 2020 In my case I hunt public land all the time and have no problem with other hunters. If you are on the trail there should not be no problem at all with other hunters. Most of the hunters that hunt in the area of where I hunt . Hunt of the trail and bush wack way back in the nasty stuff where the deer are in public land. The only problem that I have during bow season is during small game. They usually use 22. cal and this worries me a bit since I am all camo'ed out. But when I hear them close I will usually let them know That I am close by . If other hunters walk by my stand or ground blind It just does not bother me. The same goes with other hunters in my area. Some times it works out to our advantage and pushes the deer towards us or other deer. So it is a good thing. Same goes with the Big guy. Not a problem. Sit out there all day till dark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 I have been a lifelong hunter, hunting mostly public land. If someone "messes up my hunt", I smile and say to myself oh well, it's public land. I have had great conversations and made great friends with people who have "messed up my hunt". I also have messed up peoples hunts. None of these instances were intentional. It just happens. In the past 50 years, though, I have encountered viciously acting "hunters" that had me, shall we say concerned for my well being. I'd say 87% of the people in those 50 years were well behaved and even cordial. About 10% verbally lashed out at me with very colorful language. When I was young some calm hunters let me know ethics and what to look for when someone is hunting the area such as direction of parking there vehicle is the direction they are headed in a walk in area that has more than one road heading in. If a vehicle is parked at a walk in area of a timber company, you hunt some where else, since they may have several people of their group in there. 2% were real jerks verbally, with some threatening physical harm and in 3 instances in those 50 years, I had "hunters" steal elk from me before I got to it which took me about 20 min. to get to it. I gave up when they all chambered rounds and said sorry about your unfortunate situation. They never fired a shot at the elk. Mine was the only shot and I saw them approach my elk as I struggled through devils clubs to get to it. The other 2 times a short argument took place and I left before it got too escalated. Over all the vast majority of hunters are great people, just as in any case anywhere, there are bad apples. Wearing hunters orange and try to be aware of hunters in the area and avoid them is what I do when I'm out in the woods during a hunting season I'm not participating in. I should say that these are my experiences during Oregon hunting seasons, since I don't hunt out of state. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiiawiwb Posted November 5, 2020 Author Share Posted November 5, 2020 I'm heading out for any overnight this coming Sunday. I'll be in neon orange and should be visible from the NASA international space station. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC witness Posted November 6, 2020 Share Posted November 6, 2020 My outings in the fall are always multi-purpose; hunting, researching, prospecting, and 4x4 exploring. Our hunting seasons here in BC are quite long, generally running from Sep. through Dec., varying slightly in the 8 large management units. There's also a 10 week spring season for black bear and cougar. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 Here in Oregon, with spring and fall bear and turkey hunting, year around predator and cougar hunting, water fowl, upland game bird hunting, August through December big game hunting, winter fur bearer hunting along with lottery deer and elk tags that run from July to March, most of the year has a hunting season it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PNWexplorer Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 I headed into the woods today following a fresh snowfall that I suspected would be a treasure trove of fresh tracks that would reveal the activities of wildlife in the region. It was. Sadly, it was nothing but a ton of rabbits and deer. I drove about 15 miles Northeast into Idaho and parked just off hwy 95, then unloaded my UTV. I then drove about 8 miles into the woods up to the site of an old forest service lookout tower. Unfortunately, the mountain was enshrouded in clouds and fog. But the ride was fun... I recorded a video on the trip up just in case a Bigfoot lept out in front of me. Not sure if I can post it or not... AF1QipOjFatz06Ymuna3NkCNMavJBWhD8lMRPD0Ax2cr.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PNWexplorer Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 Posted the video on my YouTube channel, so should be good to go, now... And at the top... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiiawiwb Posted November 12, 2020 Author Share Posted November 12, 2020 Great videos. What a beautiful ride in the winter wonderland! Enjoying the sasquatching adventure while hoping for results is the most important. I was out Sunday night without results and will be overnight again tonight. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowBorn Posted November 12, 2020 Moderator Share Posted November 12, 2020 Pnw Yes, those are some good video's. I love the snow you have there too. My favorite time to be hiking out in the woods is when there is snow and when it is some what foggy and snowing. I just love those times. Especially when you are hunting and you see deer out off in the distance and all you see is there breath. Kind a of makes you feel like the scene from the movie " The Deer Hunter ". Where they are going up that ridge to shoot that deer off that ridge. I think that i would feel more comfortable having my next encounter in the winter when there is snow. Dark encounters are just not that great and really puts you on edge. The same would go with seeing them in the fall at night. You just do not feel comfortable. But having snow and it being night and all we might feel allot better.Even during hunting season. I usually can get into some funky places during the winter where one can not go during warm weather. What's cool is that you find tracks in snow that you might not find in the fall or in the summer. But you really have to search them out to find those tracks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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