run ins with other public hunters

what type of reaction do you have to people that either question the snot outta you on what you see when you saw it wat it was and kinda in the vicinity of where you may hunting so they "can stay away from you cuz they dont wanna move in or ruin you hunt? There are a few times people will fire away askin things that you would figure they wouldnt ask bout the places but man they just dont get it. I mean a deer is a deer and there are plenty of them but unless its my friends that im very close to i tell way the other way in direction or tellem where to go so i can use them as a help (i.e. putm on the other side of the bedin area so that there scent will flush im ou to me case they were to drift there way. It makes me seem like a jerk but i feel if they cant put in the time to walk and dig up what i had to my burnin leather well they dont need to know

..its fun gettin after em and i see it as a chess game. Them big boys aint kings for nothin so before you go bombardin away tryin to find sign man gotta find the queens and make his moves wisely based on wat the board deals.

If I can tell it's a new hunter then I usually try and help them out a little. Lazy hunter; I'll tell 'em I saw a 180" buck waaaay over there chasing 53 hot does right into those sticker bushes . . . maybe you should get in there and check it out.

Some of the newbies that have to start out on their own have no idea that you can't just walk into the woods and connect with a big buck. If they don't have anyone to help 'em out they'll just get frustrated and quit - especially starting out on public land.
Granted, I've just gotten back to public land in 20 years of hunting strictly private so I haven't been on this piece of public land I'm hunting in almost 2 decades but I would try and help the guys out that don't have a clue but are sincere and really want to learn how to read sign and locate some deer.
I've talked with some new hunters at the local archery shop that really don't know how to read sign or that simply don't realize you have to spend some time in the woods off-season.

Now, if the guy (or gal) just seems lazy and wants a free ride then that's a different story.
You can usually tell the difference by what they ask and how they ask it.
I have no sympathy for lazy freeloaders.

I have always approached hunting public land, like I'm also being hunted. So I always try to remain invisible. I try to never walk on the roads, leaving evidence of foot prints. I very sparingly use bright eyes, & always place them in decoy spots from where I'm actually going.

If schedule permits I arrive early enough that "sane" folks are still in bed, also I try to find spots that are too far/hard to walk into. That's one of the reason I have to walk so far, because I'm making sure I avoid others. I've not run into another hunter in years, on the public land I hunt.

it seems as i am not alone then. Yes a new hunter i would do the same but as of last year i just started huntin public land heavy and had only a few verry verry close friends to show me the ropes as i have been spoiled by my nice private land spots. I will admit i was a spoiled being but soon did i learn in MOST cases here at home the bigger bucks are always in the mountains. There will be a true giant killed at times in the small lots around home but it is not often. Last year i was the 1 askin ?s and takin notes and only my buddys helped. Well as the summer drew on and season showed i learned how to scout as i hunted without treding an ruining the spot.. This year was a big learnin experience as i got schooled big time by the deer and have grown to like a nice tree in a big ol thicket. Its truely a tuff challenge that im up for tackling

I have met some of my best freinds on public land. If I run into you in the areas Im hunting your a good hunter! I have one freind though who asks pretty deep questions, and doesnt give up much info, my wife calls him "the stalker" Him and I talk shed hunting alot.

I dont typically run into other people when Im bowhunting. I show up well before sunrise and I am usually the first on the property and the last out. I do go into the deep dark nasty areas that are well off the beaten path and not easily accessible. That alone keeps the average joe out.
On the odd occasion I run into someone I am too wore out from carrying my gear in and out to start a conversation. I have no problem talking hunting with anyone, but when it comes to specifics about a property, I play the "its my first year here" card.

The way I see it, I would not give out trade secrets at work why give them out for my free time. I do not hang flaggers tape, reflective buttons and I work hard to leave no traces of where I was.

I agree with Dave. While hunting I try to be like a ghost! I stricly go on foot, miles at a crack to get within a core area to have "virgin ground." I hunt big woods bucks so one has to burn shoe leather to find fringe areas or honey holes. If I do happen upon another hunter and get questioned I am so vague, I play stupid. THat is unless they catch me draggin' one out

I rarely see other hunters on the public land that I hunt, but I'm also wading rivers and crawling on my hands and knees through buck laurel most of the time to get to my honey holes! I did run into a guy yesterday who I've seen many times in the local hardware store...had quite a few conversations with him there and I know from talking to him that he is a diehard hunter with a lot of experience. He is also a native American which kinda made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I saw him sneaking through one of my best "secret" spots where I've only seen tracks from a "ghost hunter" before!

I've had luck taking the approach that on each area that I hunt to not only pattern the deer, but to pattern the other hunters too, Most public land hunters are a little lazy. They don't study the areas and they tend to go in and out of the area on the same roads and paths.

Naturally, the deer are even more aware of this than I am. But they also tend to use the same escape routes as they move into the thick stuff that most hunters avoid.

There is one spot that's close to the parking area that is nearly as reliable as a supermarket if I can get in early enough and don't hit it too often. I guess that makes me as lazy as everyone else.

Of course there is the occasional hunter that takes it as seriously as I do and figures out the patterns as well or better than me. Fortunately these guys are few and far between.

Allen

As Hmong hunter on public land in Wisconsin, I've had my share of good and bad experiences with other hunters. Ranging from having a gun pointed at me to get off their property (which was public land), to being offered help to drag a deer. In all instances I find that when you stay calm and just have a friendly conversation with the other person, it tends to ease the tension a little. Afterall, even if they find you're spot, they're not going to be hunting it all the time, and even if they sit on it a few times, I still have plenty of other public land spots to set up on that I feel confident hunting.

In the end, we are all hunters aiming for the same goal.

I'm sorry you had that happen to you because of your ethnicity! I've only pointed a gun at soemone because of where they dwell. Just kidding! Public land hunting is an adventure I will asy that. It has many challenges. I guess we need to adapt to each one as not to cause ripples in the water so to speak. oh, if someone points a gun at you again, P.M. me, I'll see to it they don't do it again.
Good luck,
Northwoodslayer