-Opening weekend in Western Stearns County.

Get to a WMA early to save the spot for my dad and I. Another two guys show up and ask us what our plan is. I explain our plan of attack. They inform me that they have permission to hunt the bordering private property and they were planning on pushing part of the public towards the private. I said that we had no problem with that and they said okay and went back to their truck and left.

We started our hunt (in the rain) we walked for about 15 min and just crested a hill when my dad shouted hunters up front. There was 4-5 guys walking towards us. They had accessed the public land from the private. It was the same guys that I talked to earlier. They had just cut us off from one of the prime spots. So we turned around and headed for the truck. Total birds-0

-Sunday evening
I head to another WMA for a short walk. On the way I pass a white truck with two hunters in it, they had just passed the WMA. I figured that they had just hunted it. I decided that since I was that close I would at least run the dog.

We started walking and I notice that the white truck that I had passed had returned and parked on the side of the road and the two guys were hunting right in front of us. From where they were parked they would have seen my truck parked in the PARKING LOT and us walking towards them. I veered off a different way so if a bird got up I would not shoot towards them. I heard them shoot twice. I noticed that they had went onto some private property. I walked a while longer and returned to the truck. Total birds-0. Then to top it off when I drove past their truck on the county road it was parked halfway in the lane of travel.

I know both days the parties knew we were there and decided to cut us off anyways.

I know there were no laws broken. But come on if you see someone or know someone is hunting there wait for them to finish or hunt somewheres else. Especially if you have access to private property.

Sorry, I just had to vent!

Yes, that is very bad ethics on the other parties part. Some times you just gotta keep on and keep hunting, better luck next time.

Unfortunately, we mostly hear about the 2-percenters.

I hunted mostly public land this weekend, ran into a few others out there doing the same, and everyone was very courtious of each other. No problems with other guys out there.

Me and my buddie hunt almost all public land. We do all of our hunting during the week so not many problems with this type of behavior with others but we have had it happen a time or two. We get to a spot and there is no one there, then bam from out of no where a truck pulls up and they seem to think that they need to hunt right into our path of travel? I agree no rules broken other than not respecting the one that are allready hunting!! I have not problem with sharing land, in fact it has worked out well for us in the past when another group shows up and hunts different area of the same land and we or them push birds towards each other.
I guess what makes me the most mad is that we all know that if we did it to these guys we would get an ear full of things we probly did not want to hear. I guess it is just the ups and downs of hunting public areas!!

I had a case last year where I was hunting a small < 60 acre wildlife area, was about half way thru and some guy drove up, hopped out, and cut me off from the picked cornfield edge that I was working toward. He had to have seem me and/or my vehicle but HE was going to run that cornfield edge, to heck with anybody else. Then at the end, when he pulled up alongside my vehicle, he acted surprised when I bitched at him, and asked why he didn't have any class and why didn't he just go down the road to the other 1000+ acres of public land that was in the area?

Hopefully he'll think twice before he cuts someone off this year.

First off I don't think getting in to a verbal dispute is a good idea when each member in the dispute has a weapon.. Secondly puplic land means just that....PUPLIC LAND.. anyone has just as much right to be there as you.. I'm not saying what the, for lack of a better word "idiots" are doing is ethical..But probably not illegal and for someone to verbaly harass them may be pushing the bounds of legallity. Unfortunatly if you are hunting public land it's something we all have dealt with and will probably have to deal with in the future.. The best thing is to hope your dog is better than his and finds the bird he misses or just to move on .. Trust me I would like nothing better than to give them an ear full...but do you think it will do any good..I just bite my tounge and walk away...Have a great season and keep it cool....uplander

Typical. That type of behavior is SO common pheasant hunting on the limited pockets of public land. That's why I gave it up years ago after so many occurences. I am back into it again but go out of my way to avoid those situations. Mainly I hunt far from the cities. That seems to help a lot.

It happens every year on opening day. We sit there watching the birds flying around from sun-up to 9am. People know that you are there but they decide to take the stance that they are working in a line and you need to move out of their way. Ticks me off to no end but they never learn. Last year we were working east to west on a management area and 3 trucks pull up on the end that we are walking to. All 10 guys and dogs get out and start working right at us. We just kept on going right at them and they never even moved over. [Note from admin: Please read forum policy before posting again. Thank you.] Where I am from you don't do that ! Am I wrong to say this? Get some brains and some ethics.....or don't go hunting! My rant is now over and you can return to your regularly scheduled forum reading...lol

Slayer...you shouldn't attack us poor city folk that way we have feelings you know....lol .. I think people from everywhere are guilty of this. Locals may even feel they have the right to certain spots since thet live there!!!

i was walking a slough edge with my golden which i accessed from private land, i noticed a group of 3 hunters walking the other side of the slough edge where it narrows into a channel. while approaching an area i have shot a lot of pheasants on the edge the other hunters stop directly in front of my path so that if any birds got out of the area i was going with my dog i couldn't shoot. i gave that plan up and walked a fenceline back to the private land (where i ended up shooting a bird with 23 inch tail feathers and inch long spurs)and as soon as i walked back to the fenceline they continued on their side. i couldnt believe the audacity of those hunters who stopped their walk just to screw me over.

i have run into countless problems the last couple seasons because their are just a large number of hunters without any ethics

Yea. It is a problem in both hunting and fishing. It is too bad but I feel it is a reflection of the society we live in. You see it in every aspect of the world we live in.

I have gotten into a few heated "debates" at the boat landing but when guns are involved I just go on my merry way.

We just have too many bird hunters and too few spots open to the public. Simple supply and demand. I wish our state would make a effort to diversify its approach to upland management (i/e CRP with public access during the contract) because they will never be able to acquire enough pubilc land to handle the pressure. I hunt 100% public land around Sauk Centre and Alexandria and do awesome all season the last 10 years, but hunting pressure takes so much of the fun out of it, I almost want to quit after annoying days. We will always have lazy, slob hunters with no ethics, I just wish we could spread them out more.
Thats my 2cents

Those of you who want more public land, do you contribute to Pheasants Forever and the Build a Wildlife Area campaign? Every year more public land is bought through that program. In fact, over 1000 acres were bought in Douglas County last year alone.

Also, please vote for the Clean Water amendment as that has wildlife habitat provisions in it as well.

codydawg, bingo-well said. only thing is if you join every organization that you feel you should support gets a bit spendy.

I would be more of a donator if all of the money went to the cause and not the promoters of the cause....Brand new trucks cost alot of money .......I'm not sayin.....I'm just sayin....but something tells me the heads of some of the orgs. are not living check to check....feel free to bash me now .....I know they do great things....just playing the advocate