Gastro Gnome - Eat Better Wherever

Public Land Etiquette Question

Spitz! This is the excuse for my behavior on 10/1 this year. I’m only 50, but you obviously figured this out at a younger age.

I experienced that transformative experience somewhere around my 52'nd birthday - you may or may not be quite there yet.
 
I can identify with Ron White's mea culpa regarding the right to remain silent but lacking the ability.
 
Okay BuzzH, I see what u are saying. Makes sense. I generally try to avoid campsites because I HATE confrontation.
 
This happened to me this year too. Pulled up to a gated road, where a single car was parked. Several roads and trails were beyond the gate, a couple valleys, ridges and bowls to hunt. I was runni late and ran into the group from the car dragging a deer out on the way in. Stopped and congratulated them. One of them was visibly annoyed and asked me if there was “another spot back there”.

Got back to my truck after hunting, and one of the dickheads left an angry note on my windshield. Felt bad for a minute, then I thought “#*^@#* em there was tons of land back there and they didn’t even walk a mile in, judging from there the blood trail was. I would have walked well past them anyways...
 
My observations. Public is just that, public. We all pay for that land. Open to all. Open to many. No first come, first served. Resident, non-resident, nature hiker. Until you have the animal on the ground it is not your bull so is fair game to every other hunter that wants to make a move or take a longer shot.

AZ water holes and UT campsites are known to bring out selfish behavior. Leaving items to "claim" one or more spots then not using them that day is selfish. Then, you finally do happen to show up days or weeks later to 1 of the 10 waterholes you chained a lawn chair at then are all pissy at the nerve someone is at your spot. Why buy private land when can claim a chunk of public? Sweet if could claim to personally own public land but that is not real world and when the Warden or LEO shows up after a fight or shooting then will be a bad outcome.

This selfish behavior is not limited to hunters. I hope for better from hunters but seeing ownership declared of public land by lawn chairs and empty trailers and vehicles parked at trail heads is aggravating. Having 10 orange vests in one basin at sunrise is aggravating though you take your chances on public when a lot of tags are issued. I do not hunt to be aggravated so I do not always hunt public land. I prefer public land but also like to hunt often so part of my application strategy involves a few hunt applications that would be on crowded public land then seeking a different way to hunt that tag.
 
Back
Top