Public land etiquette?

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GetTothePoint

Well-known member
Looking for local input here, just curious what the etiquette for walk in is in SD? We were up from Kansas for our first trip to SD, on three of our 5 days we had groups jump in on us in situations I've never had that happen in 20yrs bird hunting in Kansas. Opening morning we had two trucks parked spread out in a 160 and had two guys drive 300 yds from us 10 min from shooting time and another group show up right at shooting time on the opposite end and walk some of the public to some private they had. Second morning a group drives down a minimum maintenance road that looked like it hadn't been traveled in a year to come in the backside of an 80 on us. Third morning just as bad, is this common practice up there or did we have bad luck? Thanks
 
We killed 16 over 4.5 days with 4 guys is all. We didn't see the numbers we had thought we would but still a great experience. Just couldn't believe some of the issues we ran into on public land.
 
In KS we have had deer hunters stop and ask us if we minded if they got on the opposite end of a section and hopefully we would run a buck out to them. Also in KS we have seen good bucks while out bird hunting and flagged down deer hunters to tell them where we saw them hoping good karma would repay us. I personally have always been a if a truck is there we will move on kinda guy but when in Rome......
 
the guys you saw were probably opening weekend hunters only, avoid the opener, it is just not worth it.
 
The opening weekend/week gets worse every year. I gave up on it about 6 years ago. Shooting time used to be noon. You could show up at nine and get your spot all staked out. Then right at shooting time here they come. They hop out and walk right in front of you. I've cut some of these people off as I figure I've been here waiting and I'll walk the cover I want to first and they can all go to a special place for jerks. Majority of them have no idea how to hunt anyways. They make one push then leave. Usually can walk behind them and get birds. Some people get pretty peeved about a guy with a good dog finding birds right where they walked without a dog.
 
I figure whoever is at the parking spot first gets first dibs, so I'll ask them what they plan to do, then adjust my hunt accordingly and tell them what I'm going to do. I always give anyone else out there at least a 150 yard bubble, although if each are on say, a different side of a river, the bubble may be closer as safety permits. Anyone or any group that starts in from a different area that I can't talk to, I simply adjust not to cross in front of them and maintain a parallel cushion of at least 150 yards. Had all of these scenarios happen the last two weekends.

I may find a different spot and come back later in the morning when most hunters are gone and the birds have returned from feeding. Using this strategy, I have a couple PLOTS I often limit out on when I know at least one group hit it at first shooting light...
 
If I see someone on a public hunting area when I get there, I move on. I always try to have multiple options in mind when I head out specifically for this reason.
 
Labs said:
I figure whoever is at the parking spot first gets first dibs, so I'll ask them what they plan to do, then adjust my hunt accordingly and tell them what I'm going to do. I always give anyone else out there at least a 150 yard bubble, although if each are on say, a different side of a river, the bubble may be closer as safety permits. Anyone or any group that starts in from a different area that I can't talk to, I simply adjust not to cross in front of them and maintain a parallel cushion of at least 150 yards. Had all of these scenarios happen the last two weekends.

I may find a different spot and come back later in the morning when most hunters are gone and the birds have returned from feeding. Using this strategy, I have a couple PLOTS I often limit out on when I know at least one group hit it at first shooting light...
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Labs, what if the guys said "we're here and plan on taking our time and hunting this piece"? I think it's decent you at least ask but curious what your reply would be as that would be my answer to someone in that situation.
 
In my neck of the woods, that doesn't really happen. If I see a truck, I keep going. If I see a person, I'll ask what their plan is. I've had people accidentally bump into me and I've accidentally bumped into people, but to straight up jump on the same piece of ground when someone else is there is pretty outrageous, IMO. Especially on a quarter or 80 acre piece. Sorry to hear about the issues, but it sounds like you had a good hunt otherwise.

As for the guys who walked the public onto private ground, it sounds like they were intentionally being rude, which is worse than the imbecile who is a jerk unknowingly.
 
GetTothePoint said:
Labs, what if the guys said "we're here and plan on taking our time and hunting this piece"? I think it's decent you at least ask but curious what your reply would be as that would be my answer to someone in that situation.
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There's nothing in ND law that gives the first group on a PLOTS (Public Land Open To Sportsmen) the right to lay claim to it until such time as they choose to leave. When it comes to a big PLOTS (I'm talking about good sized pieces of land, half section to a full section), multiple hunters or groups having to share is a fact of life, particularly after the first week when non-residents can begin to hunt state land...

The first scenario I described was opening day of resident only week on a piece that is a full section with parking areas 1 mile apart on the NW, NE, and SE corners, and a fourth 1/2 mile south of the NW area. That morning my wife & I were the first truck to pull into a parking area by a good hour, 1.5 hours before legal shooting time. Would it be reasonable that I would get exclusive rights to a full section of excellent public land because I was there first? Obviously not, I would have neither the law or common sense on my side...

The next truck in pulled up by me and we discussed our plans. That was the first truck of a group of 18 guys, I had myself and my wife. We mutually came up with a game plan where we all could hunt safely and not interfere with each other. They went down to the next parking area 1/2 mile south, and part of their group went to the SE corner parking area, while we stayed at the NW corner.

Right at legal shooting time another truck parked at the NE corner parking area, a 1 mile east of us. That turned out to be a group of three hunters who hunted south down the east side side while my wife and I hunted south down the west side. The big group set up an east to west push from the SE parking lot down the south side with blockers along the fence on the west side.

Once we had hunted almost 1/2 mile south, I could see what the other groups were doing. I easily adjusted our return hunt back to the truck so as to not interfere with them and never got closer than 250-300 yards to anyone in the other groups.

With a little communication and consideration, The three groups totaling 23 hunters all safely hunted that PLOTS at the same time, never interfering with each other. Each group got plenty of shooting & birds (my wife and I got 5, 1 short of our limit).

Seems to me that is virtually the definition of public land etiquette...
 
Good manners/etiquette only happens when the other party is willing to observe it. Sucks, but people don't care. They do whats best for them. I have been in your shoes more then once. Keep your chin up and try not to let bad people ruin your fun.
 
Labs said:
I may find a different spot and come back later in the morning when most hunters are gone and the birds have returned from feeding. Using this strategy, I have a couple PLOTS I often limit out on when I know at least one group hit it at first shooting light...
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North Dakota is a little different than MN and SD with their early dawn start time. Growing up in ND, I rarely felt the need to be in the field until about 9AM anyways. Grass is often filled with dew the first couple hours and it was nice to avoid that too.
 
My current home state (Minnesota) is filled with the worst spot etiquette hunters (any and all game) that I have seen. Those growing up in MN are so accustomed to this that those that despise it just say well that is public land hunting.

I will say though that MN has improved for pheasant and grouse hunting after opener. I almost never have anyone crowd me any more. I think the amount of spots (more - especially with WIA added) vs. number of hunters (lower) has greatly improved this !!!

Deer hunt private land only so good there.
 
Dorothy, I have a feeling that we're not in Kansas anymore.

It is simply a problem of supply and demand. Prior to opening day last year, I found a WPA with a large pheasant population. I got myself and the people that I hunt with there well before dawn. I was the first person there.

However, just prior to the opening hour, several other parties arrived.

In no way did I expect to own this land. I did not think this is something to complain about.

This doesn't happen in Kansas, simply because there are fewer people attempting to hunt the public land.
 
We regularly hunt (until Covid-19 slowed us down) North Dakota, South Dakota and Kansas, primarily on "walk-in" hunting areas (different names in each state). By far, South Dakota has been the worst for hunters "jumping" on our hunt. The most memorable was a group in South Dakota that watched us start to hunt a fence line, raced around to the far end and busted into the fence line flushing birds we had started moving, then asking "oh, did we ruin your hunt?" No, we don't have exclusive use of these areas, but in North Dakota and Kansas, if a vehicle is parked at a smaller walk-in area, or really, even a large one, folks seems to either drive on by or if we are close to them, stop and visit, asking what our plans are. Unfortunately, even in Kansas we've recently encountered hunters that would literally follow us around, jumping into an area we were actively hunting and pretty much ruining our hunt. This guy and his girlfriend/wife, followed us around for 3 days before we finally managed to figure out how to elude them. Now deer season is a different story. Especially on opening day, which we try to avoid if at all possible. If you want a spooky feeling, look up and find that the field you are hunting birds in is surrounded by vehicles with many of them watching you through their riflescope. Sure, they are just hoping we will push something out to them, but man it gives me the willies! That said, the deer hunters don't ruin a hunt but they sure make you wonder why you are in the field that day.
 
John ...

FYI: The ring-necked pheasant may be the most popular game bird in the state of Kansas, with between 110,000 and 150,000 hunters pursuing the species each season. That is more than just about any state and about double that of Minnesota.

Pheasant

The official website of the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks
ksoutdoors.com ksoutdoors.com

I found that your answer is very typical (not right nor wrong) of most native Minnesotans that have become desensitized to the issue.
 
BRITTMAN said:
John ...

FYI: The ring-necked pheasant may be the most popular game bird in the state of Kansas, with between 110,000 and 150,000 hunters pursuing the species each season. That is more than just about any state and about double that of Minnesota.

Pheasant

The official website of the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks
ksoutdoors.com ksoutdoors.com

I found that your answer is very typical (not right nor wrong) of most native Minnesotans that have become desensitized to the issue.
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I am new to MN. This is only my second hunting season here. I am just getting started exploring the public land hunting here. I have yet to feel crowded.

You are correct that Kansas has a lot of pheasant hunters. But it also has a lot of public land.

"Kansas has nearly 1.7 million acres open to public hunting (wildlife areas and WIHA combined). This is only a small portion of the more than 52 million acres of private land that also provides ample opportunity where permission can be obtained."

The OP was talking about South Dakota. SD is a state with limited public land that markets itself to out of state hunters as the pheasant capital of the world. That is a recipe for circumstances as described in the OP.

You have stated that I am desensitized to this issue. Should we be more sensitive about this?

What solutions do you think may be effective?
 
Well what you described is very common in SD, not so much in Kansas or MT or Nebraska, etc. There are more birds in SD and more hunters and not a lot of public land. In 30 plus years of pheasant hunting I have run into more trouble with other groups in SD than any other state. That being said I still try to make it to SD to hunt when possible. Yet stay away from the weekends and the first week, I don't need that kind of malarky when I'm out to have fun. For some reason people are much more polite in the other states. I've had a dog obviously working a bird in SD and have had hunters stop their car and post around my dog, not so in other states. Something about SD and public land brings out rudeness, I just hope it isn't in the water and I don't catch it.
 
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