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A Public Lands Ethics Question

luck1440

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I went out for the MT archery opener and had an interesting hunt.

I hiked in and camped Friday night. I didn't see the elk that night where I usually see them but I found them in the morning about a mile away. I began my stalk and closed the distance to 200 yards when I heard something below me. I see two hunters practically running to get out ahead of me. There's no way they didn't see me. It seemed they were trying to position themselves where they thought the elk would spook to if/when I spooked them. I thought no big deal. I'll just make sure when I spook the elk it's because I'm letting an arrow fly. I continue my stalk and the elk start acting spooked. It's weird because I don't think there's any way the can see me. That's when I notice a third hunter that has spooked them. Now there was only two things that could have been going on with the third hunter. He was either oblivious that the elk were there (there was no attempt at being stealthy that I could see) or he was working with the other two hunter to spook the elk towards the other two hunters and away from me. Either way that was the end of my hunt for the day. I guess that's what I get for only being a couple mile from the road.

My ethics question: If you see someone putting a stalk on an animal or a herd of animals do you consider that herd off limits while that hunter is making his or her stalk? I'm fairly new to Western hunting and I just assumed this was the case but maybe I'm just unfamiliar with the ethics of the situation.
 
There have been situations where I will position myself based on someone else's stalk so if the animal(s) do spook they might come my way and give me an opportunity. However, I will also give plenty of space and make sure I'm not encroaching. Also, I won't skyline myself or be upwind of the animals, because then I'd be jeopardizing their opportunity. I look at it like this - I wouldn't care if someone did the same thing I was doing.
 
It's going to happen on public land. You will run into the best and worst of us.
So true. Close proximity to elk during hunting season diminishes rational analysis. If two or more entities stalking/hunting the same elk and one (or more) unsuccessful ... then it's the "other guy's fault" and someone will try to conjure up an ethics violation to excuse their failure and lay the blame elsewhere.
 
If someone else is on animals I wouldn’t put a stalk on them. Now I may go to where I think they’ll end up, but definitely wouldn’t cut anyone off to do it. I’d really rather just hunt animals that weren’t spooked to me by another person.
 
People out west get real interested when they see someone moving around on foot. Wait until you are stalking an animal in a spot that is visible from the road. The truck line will start to form and wrap around the next ridge.
 
I don't think it is a point of public vs private land....it's just common courtesy to not muck up someone else's stalk. I'd assume positive intent and that they didn't know you were there or what you were doing. Another day, another opportunity.
 
Answering the OP='s question: The ethics answer is yes. I can't see how an uncoordinated pursuit from two parties is going to end up successful for either. Sadly, it happens often. Myself, I had six seperate stalks on sheep busted by other hunters who were aware of my presence.

The legality of it, I wonder at what point hunter harassment comes into play. I'll ask a lawyer and see what he says.
 
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