Posting Unit #'s to Public Forum

[Deleted member 52847]

Alright...I've gotta know if I'm the only one who thinks posting unit #'s, giving unit specific information and suggestions on the public forums is a bad idea/borderline unethical.

I feel like in today's day and age, we've got more tools at our disposal to learn about units or areas, we've got satellite images, can break terrain down into 3D, etc. It's easier than ever before to scout.

Then you've got the good ol fashioned boots on the ground research and scouting.

I'm all for helping folks out, especially when they have put time and effort in, and when its through a PM. However, I really dislike the specific info in unit #s.

 

[2ski]

Gatekeeping.

I think the word unethical gets thrown around far too often in hunting when people don't like something that doesnt have anything to do with the fair chase. Thats where i use the term unethical. I’ve seen people throw around the word if someone camps too close to someone else at night. Or camping someplace the elk are going to be at night when they don't know what that person does or doesn’t know about elk habits. Its honestly laughable. I mean shoot, there's a difference between asking where the elk are in unit 1 or if I ask for a good hotel recommendation in unit 1. But I still posted the unit #. People can choose to or not to answer questions. And if I decide to answer a question you don't want me to then you're just censoring me if you're telling me I can't post unit #s.

Also, don't ever ask me about the fishing in any Montana water bodies specifically because that would be unethical to share information. I've seen people growly about people asking for ice thickness on lakes in the winter. I mean come on.

For that matter don't ever ask me for recommendation for restaurants in any towns because I don't want my hidden gems to become crowded and hard to get into. Unethical as well. You might say "but elk and restaurants aren't the same" and I'd counter that to you they aren't. If you go out hunting an area and there's more people than you'd like to see in "your hunting spot". As my mom would say, what does that have to do with the price of milk? The elk will move if it gets too crowded. Then it's up to you to find out where they went.

And then you'll be on a forum asking which unit the elk in unit 1 went to. I'm just funnin ya with that one.

 

[Deleted member 40728]

I don’t think mentioning unit numbers helps the situation but there are plenty of other ways a unit gets overrun.
I remember watching a hunting show a few years back and there was no camera footage of landmarks or mention of the unit, but it was mentioned that it was an alpine first rifle hunt that was able to be drawn with only 1 point.
That in itself is enough information to figure it out and guess what, that unit doesn’t take 1 point anymore.

I think the hunting influencers and show producers can spoil a unit easier than it being discussed on a forum but either way, this is the age of technology we are living in and none of that is going to stop. I personally won’t openly post unit or area numbers but have discussed them through PM and text. Who knows where the info goes afterwards. Better to just adapt and move on.

 

[np307]

It's definitely not unethical. It can be aggravating and usually when I see someone doing it I roll my eyes, but for most western units getting asked about, they are almost always either no/low point units that someone with no experience is asking about or they are extremely hard to draw tags that everyone already knows is good.

Here at home I hunt a nearby national forest and it is maddening the number of people that will come onto a forum or Facebook and ask for "advice" but "not asking for anyone's honey hole". I've tried to explain several times that they really are asking for people's hunting spots, they just might not realize it.

My advice about publicly available unit info is this: don't believe any of it. Someone who knows how to kill whatever you're after isn't going to be posting info about their spot online, and somebody who is posting about their spot online usually doesn't have the kind of info that would be helpful.

Aggravating? Sure. Unethical? Not by a long shot.

 

[rogerthat]

Where were these concerns 15-20 years ago? Your a day late and a dollar short as my grandpa used to say. Ship has sailed. The info is out and readily available. A unit number post on a message board is not a major factor anymore.

 

[brocksw]

It is terrible and the practice should be banned from forums.

 

[Valley1320]

If its a OIL tag I don't have a bit of a problem with guys sharing it. I don't have a problem at all with sharing the unit of dads desert sheep hunt cuz I want every hunter that draws it to be successful. Now if it's my deer unit or elk unit ya I don't want just anyone knowing where it is exactly or specific areas of the unit. Without them doing good the work themselves.

 

[Nameless Range]

For the most part it's no bueno, but then again I have done it. I actually think one of the first threads I started on here, I basically said exactly where I shot my moose. When I drew an Elkhorns permit, I made no secret of it. I can't see how posting either of those would influence both folks odds, or activity on the landscape, in any meaningful way.

 

[Jwill]

It’s a good way to get a truckload of private messages around application deadlines and draw times…

 

[BackofBeyond]

Like all questions, it's not a black/white answer. If it's my elk unit, or a draw tag with decent odds I say keep it to yourself. If it's a OIL tag, or draw odds less than say 10%, let 'er rip. The likelihood of it ruining the the hunt are pretty slim to none.

 

[TOGIE]

it's not helpful to the cause of point creep and crowding in units that aren't limited.

is it as big of a deal as some make it out to be? no. we're small potatoes compared to Janis having a blast and throwing it on youtube in a quality colorado elk unit that doesn't take all the much effort to figure out which one it is. did he hurt the quality? no. just the odds others can experience that quality.

 

[tanner127]

As a newer hunter, I do go online searching for past experiences in a unit that I drew. I have never hunted elk or hunted in December. What I’m looking for is logistical information. Road conditions/closures, weather, campgrounds, towns to get food/fuel/help if something goes wrong. That, along with scouting in Oct/Nov, will help me feel confident during the hunt. Seeing a successful harvest online doesn’t sway me towards certain units. My application strategy this year was based on units that are close to home with the highest odds of drawing. Don’t care about success rates or trophy potential at this time. I did just attend a hunter clinic and was able to get some helpful information from other hunters about how they move during those months. There’s another one next month that I’ll hopefully learn more at. At the end of the day I’m still an inexperienced hunter and even with the best information, might not be able to put the puzzle together to be successful.

 

[Caseknife]

Definitely a lot of guys get their panties in a wad over this. What gets me is the guys that obviously have done no homework at all on a unit and are fishing for information right after the draws. Come on, if you are putting in for a unit, better already have done extensive research to know whether you have the abilities/where with all to hunt the unit effectively.

 

[BirdManMike]

It isnt a good idea, but it isnt in any way unethical.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

I don't mind helping folks through private messages on units I have info available for. I don't put that info on the general site though.

Folks have helped me the same way so I don't mind paying it forward. Won't help folks who only join for info and leave tho. That can be hard to judge but I try my best.


Now my top secret fishing spot? That I keep close guarded. It's about fifteen feet wide and I can't risk others crowding it up during a run

 

[Dougfirtree]

Depends on the unit. I have no problem with a thread on some OIL unit. I'm done with mentioning more typical OTC or draw units by name on public threads, though. I only hunt unit 8675309 in Florida now.

 

[SaskHunter]

Depends on the unit and place.

I don't give much of a damn if people discuss units in Saskatchewan or Manitoba... What's going to happen? All 30 of us are going to hit the same massive unit? On the other hand, I've gone back on some of my earlier posts discussing units in Wyoming for instance, because I was tired of getting private messages about them.

 

[woods89]

For me, personally, it's bordering on unethical, as the thread is searchable, and the other hunters in any given unit had no say.

For others, I don't necessarily use the term unethical, but I believe it's certainly unwise.

 

[MNElkNut]

I have no problem saying, "Hey, I am excited! I drew unit XX". That does not give away any info and everyone knows someone is going to hunt it. However, I would shy away from posting specific info about a unit publicly. And that includes a hunt recap story. We all love those, so if you plan on doing that, maybe shouldn't post a unit number in the spring. Although I honestly don't think there are many people who go back and try and figure out where someone shot an elk and then apply there next year. Maybe it has happened, but that isn't causing a crowd.

 

[Cattleman]

Unethical - no
Ignorant - yes

There just needs to be away for these online forums to be private so every tom, dick, & harry can't access these threads with a simple google search !