Am I Wrong in this Case???

chriswhite22

chriswhite22

Active member
So... against my best judgement I decided to head out for the opener. It's been around 5 years since I have done that.... I wanted to get a mixed bag so I went to the closest place to my home that offers that chance, but unfortunately it isn't too big (less than 200 acres). Anyhow, I get there darn near an hour before shooting light and a few guys beat me to it. We were parked in the only designated parking spot on the entire CA area. About 10 minutes before shooting light we notice a truck coming and then driving right by us and down the dirt road. Figured it was a local. So it was just us! I get out and talk to them and in a nutshell said you were here first so you tell me where to go. It was that simple and they were more than nice. I started off by myself and my dogs. As I worked the first section the guys I talked to where getting into birds, good for them, and I ran into a couple coveys so I was happy. Anyway, this CA land is narrow for the first half mile and then opens up to the bulk of the land. As I got to the bulk of the land the guys I talked to knew I was going towards the back of the property while they work the section closest to the lot. Great plan until that truck that drove by was loaded with hunters who decide to park near a back of the property (not designated for parking nor even marked on the CA map) and worked their way right to me. Now the thing that makes me mad is that's a classless jerk of a move. Second, the way it's set up I'm a little lower than them so they can't see me and I can't see them. So that makes me even more upset. I can potentially shoot someone on a low flying bird as I'm contending with a little sun and just the slightest little ridge that puts that into play. I said something to one of the five guys. Just told him they should have parked in the right spot or at the very least let us know what they're doing. A lot of stupidity for a bird. Or am I wrong here?!?

Sorry for venting to you, lol.
 
Legally, neither of you is wrong since there's no set of rules indicating where, who, and when someone can hunt public land in terms of ethics (I'm assuming a CA is a Conservation Area and is therefore open to public hunting).

I don't hunt in groups. I prefer to hunt solo or just with one other trusted person, so I could see myself getting upset in the situation you described if a big group shows up late. The best solution might be to just avoid it on opener since that's when the pressure is the highest. Go back there later in the season midweek. I'll bet the whole section will be empty of hunters.
 
gimruis said:
The best solution might be to just avoid it on opener since that's when the pressure is the highest. Go back there later in the season midweek. I'll bet the whole section will be empty of hunters.
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I like that advice!

Yeah, it was on public land and thanks for the perspective. It's much appreciated. Sometimes it's good to hear from others to bring you back to earth. One year for our annual South Dakota trip the group of 5 made shirts with slogans that represents each of us. Mine was Chris "I'd rather hunt alone" White. I cherish that shirt for it's accuracy, lol.
 
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There are a lot of seasoned upland bird hunters on this website that exclusively hunt public land. So I'm sure they have more experience in these types of situations. I'm sure a few will chime in for you eventually here.
 
I agree with you being pissed about it (I would be too) but unless your states rules for a CA specifically state that hunters must park at designated parking lots, it sounds like the only rules that were broken were just ethical rules.

That's hunting openers for you. One year my group held down a place for 3 hours before legal shooting time (9 AM here in MN) and 10 minutes before opener, a truck pulled in and parked. All the while there's 6 of us standing there getting ready to go. This wasn't a large area either. We went and talked to the 2 guys that pulled in, they had it in their heads they were going to hunt there. We said ok, here's where we're going. Nothing we could do or say as it's public land. But it definitely bugs a guy.
 
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