Call the law, or handle it yourself

[NoWiser]

Valve stem removal.

Funny you say that. I have a similar story.

Back in college I had a good bow hunting spot a fair walk and a river crossing made me think I’d have the place to myself. One day, midseason, I got there and plastic grocery bags were tied to the trees every 30-40 yards. Turns out there were a couple of squirrel hunters that used grocery bags instead of flagging tape to be sure they wouldn’t get lost on their expeditions to fill their backpacks full of squirrels.

One day I was sitting in my stand with a few squirrels hopping around me. One of the squirrel hunters appears and walks toward me, following his grocery bags. As he got to about 50 yards I stood up and waved my hands at him. He looked up, made eye contact, and continued walking. I sat down as he passed my tree. Moments later I heard a CRACK as a bullet wizzed into my tree, followed by a thud as a squirrel hit the ground underneath me. The “hunter’s” wife, who was carrying the bags of squirrels for him, scurried right underneath me to pick it up. I have no idea if that bullet was 12” or 12’ from my head, but I know it was way too close. With the memory of the northern WI deer hunter massacre fresh in my mind from the previous fall and a language barrier that would have made communication impossible, I just sat as still as I could, given the trembling from adrenaline, and ignored them.

A few days later I was talking to a farmer in the area and told him the story. He mentioned that he knew the vehicle and he’d take care of it. I never saw that hunters truck again and the next time I talked to the farmer I asked what happened. He said he cut all 4 valve stems off the truck. I laughed a bit, but was always nervous hunting there after that in case those guys blamed me.

 

[3855WIN]

Getting shot at can also happen on private land. A friend told a fellow camp member about a big buck crossing a lane he had a stand on. Friend got back on his stand the next morning. He sees the buck and is about to shoot, but then is shot at. Turns out, the camp member told his son about the big deer. Late teen son slipped in that morning at the other end of the lane to kill the buck. They had 200 yards at most between them. That young man got a stern lecture that day.
Wear orange like the OP did, and use a light going in and out when it’s dark.

 

[Scrappy]

I'm not going to take a week off from work this year for shotgun deer like I usually do, and instead will just take more time for bow hunting. I have a few gun season spots on public that are very inaccessible where I can hunt alone, and will hit those up.

I'm assuming your kinda new to hunting or at least hunting in Iowa. If you think you can hunt public land in Iowa during shotgun season and not be shot at your definitely new to Iowa. If you think you can find a spot on public land in Iowa during shotgun season that is not being shot up by the deer drives then your definitely new to Iowa. Hunting public land in iowa during shotgun season is just asking to be shot at. just ask all the guys that have been shot. I've never shotgun hunted but I have driven by some of the public spots during shotgun season and there ain't no way in he!! I'd ever go into those woods.

 

[madtom]

Funny you say that. I have a similar story.

Back in college I had a good bow hunting spot a fair walk and a river crossing made me think I’d have the place to myself. One day, midseason, I got there and plastic grocery bags were tied to the trees every 30-40 yards. Turns out there were a couple of squirrel hunters that used grocery bags instead of flagging tape to be sure they wouldn’t get lost on their expeditions to fill their backpacks full of squirrels.

One day I was sitting in my stand with a few squirrels hopping around me. One of the squirrel hunters appears and walks toward me, following his grocery bags. As he got to about 50 yards I stood up and waved my hands at him. He looked up, made eye contact, and continued walking. I sat down as he passed my tree. Moments later I heard a CRACK as a bullet wizzed into my tree, followed by a thud as a squirrel hit the ground underneath me. The “hunter’s” wife, who was carrying the bags of squirrels for him, scurried right underneath me to pick it up. I have no idea if that bullet was 12” or 12’ from my head, but I know it was way too close. With the memory of the northern WI deer hunter massacre fresh in my mind from the previous fall and a language barrier that would have made communication impossible, I just sat as still as I could, given the trembling from adrenaline, and ignored them.

A few days later I was talking to a farmer in the area and told him the story. He mentioned that he knew the vehicle and he’d take care of it. I never saw that hunters truck again and the next time I talked to the farmer I asked what happened. He said he cut all 4 valve stems off the truck. I laughed a bit, but was always nervous hunting there after that in case those guys blamed me.

Should have just re-routed their grocery sacks to circle back to the parking lot, or put 500 more grocery sacks on random trees.

 

[Brian in Montana]

I once shot an elk on a timbered slope coming up from a deep canyon. The herd had come my direction up from the grass below. It was a pretty close shot, but as I was moving to tag the elk, 5 or six shots came my way from the canyon rim on the other side. They were shooting wild, and way too far at the other elk in the herd, but so close to me I could hear the zip of the bullet go past before the report of the rifles. Yeah, it was unnerving. Assuming they couldn't see me and would stop firing if they did, I actually stood up during a lull in the barrage and waved my orange cap. I moved their direction a little and could see they were sighting over the seats of their 4-wheelers, in a no-motorized-vehicle area, of course. Man that sort of thing pisses me off. Anyway, when they saw me, one of them actually looked at me through his scope. They made disgusted gesture my direction, as if I was messing up their illegal hunt, got on their 4-wheelers and road away.

I actually did call the game warden about those guys, but really, there was nothing to report. They were like 600yds away and I couldn't see much about them and had no idea where they'd come in from. I've all but stopped hunting in that area because the 4-wheelers are so bad and the law enforcement seems incapable or uninterested in doing anything about them.

Its difficult to know what to do in these situations, but they happen more often than they should. I've requested the Game Wardens get in that area and try to catch these posers, but beyond just being in the right place at the right time, there is little they can do. I do know a guy who says he returned fire once, when someone started shooting too near him, but I'm not sure that's a great idea either. The people that do this sort of thing are not enemy combatants, just assholes.

 

[antelopedundee]

I've had several close calls pheasant hunting were some fool tried to pull a cheney on me. actually been peppered from long distance on several occasions. once had a pheasant explode from an old dudes shot literally about two feet from my head .this old guy had no business either driving or carrying a gun any more. got to the point were if I saw his truck at the wma I just went elsewhere.

the joys of public land hunting


it is a shame there are so many ignorant hunters out there . becoming one won't change that sad fact , though it may make you feel better about it.

What's worse, a Cheney or a Bobby Knight?

 

[kmott]

What's worse, a Cheney or a Bobby Knight?

don't know of bobby knight but gittn shot in de face ain't good lessn youse a porn star.

 

[antelopedundee]

don't know of bobby knight but gittn shot in de face ain't good lessn youse a porn star.

Bobby knight shot or shot at someone while grouse hunting in Northern Wisconsin. He also coached as Indiana was the opponent for the last BB game at the old Fieldhouse in Madison in 1998 IIRC. The students all showed up wearing orange vests and carrying don't shoot us Bobby signs.

 

[kmott]

Bobby knight shot or shot at someone while grouse hunting in Northern Wisconsin. He also coached as Indiana was the opponent for the last BB game at the old Fieldhouse in Madison in 1998 IIRC. The students all showed up wearing orange vests and carrying don't shoot us Bobby signs.

never heard of him

 

[gouch]

I had a situation where I was in a campground when all of a sudden .22 round were smacking the trees right above my head. I ran towards the shooters yelling in the voice I learned from my old drill sergeant and using every R rated word I knew, and maybe a couple of X rated ones. It turned out to be a couple of 7 or 8 year old boys with their dads. Scared the chit out of the boys and they pretty much threw the guns back to their dads as they ran to hide behind them. The dads were embarrassed and apologized, then they all left. In hindsight it may not have been the smartest way to handle it but I was pissed and it worked. The scariest part came later that night when another camper came over to our camp drunk as a skunk, waving his .38 around talking about all the things he was going to do to those guys If I hadn't chased them off. We got him calmed down and my hunting partner asked to see his gun. He was so drunk he never noticed my partner unloading the revolver. I know I slept a little better that night knowing he was packing an empty gun.

 

[antelopedundee]

never heard of him

The Indiana University basketball coach who threw a chair across the court during a game.

 

[antelopedundee]

I'm assuming your kinda new to hunting or at least hunting in Iowa. If you think you can hunt public land in Iowa during shotgun season and not be shot at your definitely new to Iowa. If you think you can find a spot on public land in Iowa during shotgun season that is not being shot up by the deer drives then your definitely new to Iowa. Hunting public land in iowa during shotgun season is just asking to be shot at. just ask all the guys that have been shot. I've never shotgun hunted but I have driven by some of the public spots during shotgun season and there ain't no way in he!! I'd ever go into those woods.

Hunted public land in Iowa more than a few times and have rarely seen anyone much less getting shot at. Those Aholes with 4 wheelers are a different story tho.

 

[kmott]

The Indiana University basketball coach who threw a chair across the court during a game.

????????????????????????????????yup, never heard of him. don't foller the hoops

 

[antelopedundee]

????????????????????????????????yup, never heard of him. don't foller the hoops

Better than having him follow you.

 

[bullbugle307]

I had an instance when I shot my first elk where I was really glad I did things the right way. I got on a herd of elk from about 150 yards away. They were right on top of a small knoll, stopped. I waited, and waited, and waited for them to not be skylined. I was prone in 10 inch snow with crap clothing, and it was cold. It was probably only minutes, but it seemed like an eternity before a lone cow got down to where she wasn't skylined, had a solid backstop behind her, and didn't have another elk behind her.

Once it was safe, I shot, and the herd took off. Not 10 seconds later, a hunter popped over that knoll, who I had no idea was there! As that herd took off to my right, a calf stopped, and he shot it. I was still in shock from the dude popping up over the knoll, but his shot was safe as it was about 90 degrees to my right, and he too hit his mark.

We had to pass each other to harvest our elk, I told him I had no idea he was there and was damn glad I did the right thing and waited for a safe shot even though I thought I was the only hunter around. He thanked me, and confirmed he was waiting for a safe shot also. I thanked him, and we helped each other with recovery.

Just thought I'd throw that out there, as it's good to know there are other conscientious hunters out there, despite all the bs we all endure, and that doing the right thing matters even when you think you're the only one around.

 

[LCH]

@antelopedundee Hey now, let's leave The General out of this..

 

[Rzrbck918]

I haven't hunted public land a ton out west but it seems to me that public land or really any land very near a road can be dangerous in the south and midwest where it seems as if everyone hunts a few days a year. Anytime I hunt public (generally only duck and turkey), I always sit with my back against a tree for this very purpose. Too many people either don't think or don't care about what is beyond their target. I would inform the game warden of someone parking illegally and possibly illegally discharging a firearm from the road.

 

[mplane72]

Last place you'll find me during Iowa Gun 1 or 2 is public land.

 

[antelopedundee]

Last place you'll find me during Iowa Gun 1 or 2 is public land.

Some of it is lousy hunting for one thing.

 

[BrentD]

Curious to know what others would have done in this situation

Last year I walked in to IA public ground deer hunting and set up for ambush. About an hour later a truck pulls up, parks illegally, and guy gets out and walks in directly towards me with the wind at his back. I figure he can see me (horrible assumption) because I am dressed like an orange flashlight. Next I hear gunshots, then the sound of several slugs whizzing past my head. I walk towards the guy and he stops shooting, and see a deer that was between us bound away. When I'm about 100 yards from him he starts yelling out, asking where I am parked. When I get up to him, I can see he has a waterfowl shotgun with open sights, which has an effective slug range of about 50 yards. The deer was 200+ yards from him when he was lobbing rounds at it. I calmly point out that his slugs nearly hit me. He changes the subject, so I leave.

I was in shock at first, and it wasn't until about an hour later that the fear and anger started to sink in. It was also really disturbing that someone wouldn't even blink after learning they had nearly killed someone. I didn't hunt for about a month afterwards due to the trauma.

So what would you have done? Take cover and wait it out? Give him an earful, and more? Take his license plate # and call law enforcement?

If I could do it all over again I would have waved my arms and got his attention when he was first walking in, then if he still didn't see me, start screaming bloody murder once his first shot rang out.

this happened to me. Also in Iowa. I was duck hunting on a mudbar at the time, but the same scenario, although the deer eventually died, so my story ended slightly differently, but it was more or less the same thing. I don't think LE would do anything or even care. Just the way it is in Iowa. Personally, I feel the only safe place to be during shotgun deer season is my basement.