So how would you respond?

[Ben Long]

So my buddy drops me off along side a dirt road at o-dark-30 so I can climb up to elk elevations. As I shrug into my pack, another truck drives past. I start off into the woods, and the other truck turns around and follows me up the skid road. I turn and ask them what their plans were. They were about 20+ years old. The driver said he just saw me bail out and thought it looked like a good spot to try. What would you do?

 

[jryoung]

If you want to shoot yourself in the foot that's cool, but don't shoot me in the foot too by tailgating me in here.

 

[Rancho Loco]

Turn around and go back to get picked up.

Once it stops being fun, it's not fun anymore.

 

[Straight Arrow]

I would ask them to turn their lights off, park, and join me ... saying, "Try to keep up and when it gets light enough we will survey the area and come up with a plan. Road hunting won't work here."

 

[VAspeedgoat]

I would ask them to turn their lights off, park, and join me ... saying, "Try to keep up and when it gets light enough we will survey the area and come up with a plan. Road hunting won't work here."

That's a good one, put up or shut up usually works.

 

[noharleyyet]

I would ask them to turn their lights off, park, and join me ... saying, "Try to keep up and when it gets light enough we will survey the area and come up with a plan. Road hunting won't work here."

...good answer. OP, what did you do?

 

[Danders134]

I had a similar situation as this happen a few years ago while bowhunting. I had parked my pickup at the head of an old jeep trail about an hour before daylight and headed up the ridge. About halfway in I could hear elk bugling in the park at the top of the ridge, then I heard a vehicle coming. Stepped off the trail as a gmc jimmy came roaring by. They never even saw me of heard the elk, they proceeded to drive to the top of the park and were getting out as I came walking up. By this time all the elk had bailed so I yelled as loud as I could, what the hell you think your doing! They about jumped out of their skin, not knowing I was there. He asked where I had come from and I told them from the white truck that they had to drive around to get up there. They still proceeded to start calling as loud as they could and I just shook my head and went the other way. Gotta love public land hunting, but use some common sense..

 

[BuzzH]

If I bump into other hunters or someone shows at a trailhead, I just ask them where they intend to hunt.

Then I make my decision where to hunt where I wont interfere with their hunt or have them ruin mine.

A couple years ago my Brother and I ran into another hunter where we parked. I asked where he was going to hunt and it was right where we had intended to go. No big deal, we just went a couple ridges over and stayed out of his way.

Worked out right fair for me:

That said, I've also asked people where they were going to go, told them where I was going, and then the stupid bastards end up hunting right on top of me all day.

I would say 90% of the time though, other hunters are pretty darn courteous and respectful of each other.

 

[Josh Kuntz]

Politely inform them of the general area/direction you plan to hunt and ask them if they could hunt an area that won't conflict with your plan.

When I bump into other hunters, I generally try to be the first to say "I don't want to screw up your hunt". This usually diffuses tension.

In the rare times where people make it clear that they plan to go into the same spot, I might try something like. "All due respect, but I was in here first and having 2 people in here won't work well so it would be cool if you would find a different area today".

 

[Elkmagnet]

Politely inform them of the general area/direction you plan to hunt and ask them if they could hunt an area that won't conflict with your plan.

When I bump into other hunters, I generally try to be the first to say "I don't want to screw up your hunt". This usually diffuses tension.

In the rare times where people make it clear that they plan to go into the same spot, I might try something like. "All due respect, but I was in here first and having 2 people in here won't work well so it would be cool if you would find a different area today".

Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't either way the glassing should be better from the high road.

 

[Pinecricker]

At least make an effort to educate them on the best way to do things.

For example:

1. Not effective to drive up the road, walk instead.
2. Bad etiquette to drop in on top of some one.
3. If you're gonna be in close to some one else, plan things out together for safety.

Its worth the effort to politely and patiently try to turn them into better hunters, especially if they are young.

When I see younger hunters doing that kind of thing I always ask them if they have killed many elk. They invariably say no, then I tell them that its probably because they are driving in too close instead of walking.

Ask them if they really think an elk, especially a bull, will just stand there while they drive up to it and shoot it?

 

[pointingdogsrule]

"Lot's of WOLVES up here. Trying to fill my WOLF tag"

good luck to all
the dog

 

[JohnCushman]

Last time that happened to me I told the kids in the truck...I'm going to go bury the body, you guys got a shovel?...they took off...

 

[mtmuley]

First guy to a spot, whether trailhead, gated road or whatever, is afforded the luxury of where to hunt. Simple courtesy that I was taught. Maybe those 20 somethings hadn't had any guidance in the fine art of hunter courtesy. My kids have known it since the day they stepped foot in the woods. mtmuley

 

[The Hedgehog]

So my buddy drops me off along side a dirt road at o-dark-30 so I can climb up to elk elevations. As I shrug into my pack, another truck drives past. I start off into the woods, and the other truck turns around and follows me up the skid road. I turn and ask them what their plans were. They were about 20+ years old. The driver said he just saw me bail out and thought it looked like a good spot to try. What would you do?

I'd find a place to hunt that wasn't near a road.

 

[Ben Long]

Yeah, I pretty much did what that gentleman Josh Kuntz suggested. I told them where I was going and then offered a second plan for them. I was nicer than usual, given their young age. Still, I thought it was pretty cheeky of them to stop, turn around, and follow me in the woods. I hope they had a good time. BTW Greenhorn, the road is at the bottom of the mountain, the elk at the top! Big roadless area on the Kootenai, but you gotta start the climb someplace.

 

[The Hedgehog]

Ben, understood.

I've almost always been 110% polite, when running into others while hunting on public land. I don't run into many. But when I do - I don't feel their plan is any of my business or vice versa, and I don't expect them to change theirs, because it's unlikely I'd change mine. Had I been in your shoes, I'd had laughed and continued on my merry way.