Why don't people like hunting?

[Localqdm]

Lets see, yesterday on my morning hunt, I found boot prints of a trespasser through our sanctuary that our club has stayed out of for the past 2 yrs.  Needless to say, I didn't see any deer on my hunt.  Also found out one of neighbors is baiting.  That explains alot about our last 2 seasons there.  That was just my morning hunt. 

Then last night I set up on another property where I've patterned the deer leaving their beds to go eat, only to listen to guys who stand on our border, hammer away at running deer.  Now that isn't exactly the worst thing I know, but these guys often pack like 6 hunters on a 20-30 acre FIELD.  Yes a field, so you know where they hunt, the edge  of everyone else's property.  After their shooting someone else close by started blasting at least 20 rounds w/a pistol or small rifle, about 30 min before sunset.  I would assume target practice, but the blasts sounded to be in different directions.  I know, not necessarily doing something wrong, just strange and didn't help anything. I gave up and left early.  As I drove by I saw the field hunters.  I walked up and said hi as they were gutting a deer they just shot on our side.  Nice. 

At this point in the season, I didn't even have it in me to say anything.  Gun season in NY has always been like this for me.    But the longer I hunt the more I find that my experienced yesterday seem to be the norm not the exception in my area. 

Earlier this week I was exiting a field edge at sunset, that had some  deer in it--all fawns.  I was creeping along toward the road and a car  comes past seeing me.  It passed the hedge row, sees the deer and honks  the horn.  Nice.  Warning those fawns I just passed up.  But when I think about my interaction w/other hunters, no wonder this driver thinks this way about hunting, and no wonder hunter reputation is suffering. 

[wooly]

I can certainly relate to the baiting issue in the area I hunt. Just prior to season many of the surrounding propperties I hunt got stocked up like a supermarket. One is loaded with a troff full of apples...the next has an 80lb bag of rock salt dumped 20 yds from a stand...and yet another has more mineral rocks and blocks scattered around a stand than a damn quarry. Oh yeah- I've never heard of this tactic being employed before, but you can spend hours out there walking in circles picking up empty beer cans that lead right to the base of these stands. >

Funny how these slobs don't even feel the need to try to hide this crap or at the very least post their propperty so nobody notices. Can't say if any deer were taken over these bait stations, I've been avoiding these areas like the plague for fear of being the one accused of being their owner.

I see enough hikers and non-hunting folks out there to know I'm not the only one aware of this. It's no wonder we all fit the stereotypical "slob hunter profile" at times.

[Doc]

Regarding the illegal baiting situation, a few pictures of the bait sites and and a trip to the nearest ECO or regional DEC headquarters with details and I think that problem could be ended before the end of the day.

Doc

[backstrapper]

We are our own worst enemies some times.  You mentioned baiting and trespassing.  Have you called the DEC or the cops yet?

[Culvercreek hunt club]

If we don't police our own it will never change. Don't worry about being the friendly neighbor when it comes to breaking the law...make the call

[Fletch]

If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem.

As the others said you are remiss not to call DEC tip line.

It would also help if we had fines for violations that actually had bite.

And the state quit raping the DEC so we had the staff we needed to do the job.

And if bullchit was gold I have been given enough to be a billionaire!