Confrontation with another Hunter

[Northcountryman 305]

Hands down I had the worst opening day of my life this past Saturday, check it out:

 

So I got up early , was the first one out of camp, had all my gear , everything seemed good. I drive out to my spot , hike in , find my stand , get settled and check the time. Cell phone read 5:59 am and still pitch black so I was good. Then I settle in and wait for magic time. 

One thing I noticed on my stand though was a note wrapped in plastic and affixed with plastic pull ties, it said:

This is an active blind area , please move your stand immediately, thanks! 

Im like, screw that! I put this up in August , been checking trail cams every 2 weeks and never saw any other activity or stand ,  not moving! 

 

So, about

6:30 2 dudes show up, one of them says “Yo” I’ve been huntin this spot for 37 years , you need to leave, didn’t you read the note?” 

I said “ yeah, but i never saw anything here and I’ve been here sine August and it’s public land anyway “ after that, he started cursing and yelling which angered me and I replied in kind and we were both really loud and I’m sure scared anything within  a mile for hours . 

All  he kept saying to me was “ you should have seen the blind, you need to have good hunting etiquette tonwhicj I replied “ I didn’t see anything here so I thought no one was using it! “

Anyway, I finally left cuz I figured it wasn’t worth it anyway 

 

Did I do anything wrong? 

 

Thanks 

[Jeremy K 9978]

Maybe he was there for 37 years ,maybe he did have a blind in place . You were there first ,either he deals with it or leaves . 

[Paula 4523]

Yes, you left! It's public land open to anyone and everyone!

[Steve D 3104]

3 minutes ago, Northcountryman said:

Anyway, I finally left cuz I figured it wasn’t worth it anyway 

 

Hope you took the tree stand with you. If not check it good before climbing back in.

[Hunter007 2515]

This happened in the catskills?

[Rattler 5840]

Had that happen once.  There was nothing there for at least 2 months.  It showed up within the week.  Just smiled at the guy and then started laughing.  He got mad and told me to leave and I asked him, "Is there an 'OR ELSE' with that?"  He walked away grumbling to himself.

Nobody has any rights to any spot on public land and putting a blind there doesn't mean you get to hunt there in the morning.  The first person in that spot in the morning has rights to it.  Anyone showing up later has to move.

 

[The_Real_TCIII 18930]

Ill never understand why a guy would ruin his own opening day along with yours, they could just move a couple hundred yards and hunt for crissakes

[blackbeltbill 5074]

You did nothing wrong! He ruined your opening day!! I would report both those guys. Coward needed backup in his wrongful try at trying to intimidate you .  This sounds exactly like the Luke Soderburg Utube video that, I uploaded last year. 

[JRod 8G8H 398]

never hunted public land but the guy also needs to understand its much easier to move a ground blind than it is a treestand when the sun is coming up in a few minutes..  so to be fair there should have been some sort of compromise because after all it is public land.. he has no right to tell people what to do or to use intimidation. not to mention he likely knew he may encounter you so he brought his friend along for more manpower i'm thinking

[blackbeltbill 5074]

I just uploaded the Luke Soderburg Hunter Harassment video in- Deer Hunting. The senario in both cases is very similar.

[Hunter007 2515]

Bazaar if your there your there already its public land first come that day gets the spot .

No reservations on state land 

No homesteading on public land. 

[Jdubs 3946]

I don't care if he's hunted there the past 137 years.  Public is public and he has no claim to anything.  

[JimboCNY 16]

Stand your ground if you were there first.  It’s public land.

 

Last week I saw a car parked where I wanted to go on public so I asked where they would be so i didn’t ruin their hunt.  He went on a rant on how long he’s been hunting there and asked if the tracks he saw in his area were mine lol.  Unbelievable  

 

 

[The_Field_Ager 4343]

And people complain about private land hunters keeping their plots for family and friends. There is good reason for this. People, by and large, are ass-hats today. 

[Moho81 5628]

First come first serve on that day not first one there 37 years ago. Public land ain't a golf course you can't call for a tee time. 

[catskillkid 295]

Everyone has the right to Public Land. You paid for it through your tax dollars.

     I had the same issue when duck hunting a few years ago. I got to my spot on Public Land an hour before sunrise. Another hunter came along 30 minutes later and told me that I had to leave and that he was hunting there.  He also let me know that he was an off duty police officer in that town.  I told him that his occupation did not give him any additional rights than me and that he was trying to intimidate me into moving to another area.  "voices getting extremely loud" I also asked for his badge # and that I was going to have a talk with his chief. He turned around and left. The morning went well after shooting many ducks

 

[Big Indian 485]

That's effin BS. Northcountryman, I hope you enjoyed the rest of your day if possible, and I also hope you shoot the biggest deer from "his 37 year reserved spot" . F him and his a-hole friend. Only thing that worries me is hey may be vindictive. Please be careful

[blackbeltbill 5074]

This kind of Crap can happen on May 1st at the Roost on Public Land with a Loudmouth Tom on the Roost. Can't tell you how many hunters have come up behind me where, I was set-up. I Turn around and shine the Flashlight if it is still before Dawn. No one has left yet. Dangerous and plenty of words later if, I get the the Tom.

[Big Indian 485]

I had the same thing happen to me a few yrs ago, calling in a turkey, who was clearly up the bank from me. All of a sudden I hear something coming up from behind, I turn around and see another guy behind me. He's lucky I was with my 16 yo son at the time. I just told him how rude he was and how he ruined a great father and son hunt. It sucks, but I can't see arguing with someone who is obviously irrational, stupid, inconsiderate and has a gun.

[nodeerhere 597]

This is why I hate gun season! U can bow Hunt and there is a 1/4 of the people in the woods. Then gun season opens and u get even Tom dick and Harry in the woods! I know a lot of people will disagree with me here. But this!!!! Right here is why I'm so against crossbow during archery! Cause ur going to get every idiot in the world in the woods! Just my 2 cents! And as for doing anything wrong? Nope! The other idiot was in the wrong 

[Hunter007 2515]

Someone should add that in big bold letters in the DEC hunting rule book  NO

Squatting on public land !!!!

 

 

[philoshop 5860]

3 hours ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

Ill never understand why a guy would ruin his own opening day along with yours, they could just move a couple hundred yards and hunt for crissakes

Sometimes the entire point is to just screw with the other person and provoke a negative "gotcha" response. The left gets really angry when you don't give them that response. It's actually more fun than yelling at them, because they just have no idea how to deal with it. The clueless generation.

[blackbeltbill 5074]

I hear you Big Indian! I have plenty of Hotspots. Still, I make sure, I am the first guy to park and the first one to walk in when someone else pulls in the parking area. First come-- First Served on Public Lands!

[Will_C 176]

Threads like this make me so happy I have private land to hunt! I do remember when I first starting to hunt, most private land was open to all. If you saw someone where you were heading, you simply went a few hundred yards and sat there.

[nosquibs 9]

Wait a minute,  he expected you to leave even though you didn't see a ground blind yet he clearly saw your tree stand and he's talking about hunting etiquette? And all this on public land, WTH is it with people?

Years ago I hunted an old unused farm with the owners son, we had some guy try to kick us off saying that he owned it!