Bad hunting manners!

[H&Hhunter]

There are few things new or even some old hunters need to know about manners when it comes to hunting. Here are a few of the ways a guy can be guarantied to not be invited back to ranch/farm/camp next year.

If you are invited to hunt with a person that mean YOU. DO NOT show up with another hunter/hunters at the guys camp. I've had this happen more times than I like to recall. Once I invited a guy caribou hunting and he showed up with 5 GUYS! I had a two seat airplane so I just left them all behind.

If you are given permission to hunt on a piece of private land that means YOU not you and your buddies. If you want to hunt with your buddies ask permission for them too!

If you are hunting on a lease as a guest with the lessee DO NOT try and negotiate yourself a hunt with the owner behind the lessee's back. And do not try and out money the lessee with the landowner. That is not only a sure way to never get invited hunting again it is a pretty good way to wind up with a broken nose. If you want on the lease do it through the current lessee's.

NEVER give another mans hunting dog a command without his permission. I once had a guy turn one of my blood trailing dogs lose on a wounded coyote! I never did break that dog of chasing coyotes after that. I wanted to kill that SOB hunter on the spot but they have rules about that!

DO NOT shoot over or around or into the area a hunting dog is baying an animal until the dog owner/ handler gets there and pulls the dog back for the shot. I had a dog shot three years ago when an excited hunter let fly into the middle of a hog that was fighting my dog. That didn't go over to well.

In regards to above DO NOT stand there and yell NO or LEAVE IT to a dog that is doing his job by baying an animal because you are excited and want to shoot. The dog is trained to do what he does, yelling at him is just confusing him. Only the owner has the ability and the knowledge to know how to disengage the dog, chill out and wait for the owner to show up.

NEVER carry a chambered rifle in a scabbard on a horse.

Never try and shoot from a horse especially if it isn't your horse.

If you've already filled your tag shooting another critter and using my tag isn't only uncool it is illegal.

Don't ever bring a chambered rifle into the cab of my truck. If you are going to show me it is unloaded by pulling the trigger please roll down the window first. That was one expensive day for that hunter!

If you have been invited on a free hunt as aguest and the hunting isn't to good. DON'T WHINE and complain. When I hear things like geez are there any animals on this place? Remember that you are guest and making a comment like that is insulting to the land owner/hunter who out of the goodness of his heart invited you to come and enjoy the place.

Don't give out free gun "advice" to a guy who is carrying a well worn obviously prized rifle with an old time worn out scope on it. It doesn't matter what you are shooting or what the gun mags have to say about how great your new thumperzipper .372 mag with laser scope attached is. The guy who has carried old reliable in the field for umpteen years doesn't care. His rifle has been hunting and killed more stuff than you or your virginal rifle ever will. If you don't have a compliment about your hosts rifle just keep your mouth shut.

Do not point your gun at people.

Get a pair of binoculars DO NOT use your scope as a viewing device. I can't tell you how many times I've seen guys "glassing" me with their scoped rifles.

If you don't like the food, bring your own or shut up and eat.

If nobody else in camp is drinking booze it probably isn't the best plan to break out the flask and start chugging it down.

If both of you are hunting and you are the guest be hyper sensitive about offering to let the host shoot first. If he wants you to take the shot he'll make that clear in the begining. DON'T BE A GAME HOG! I hunt waterfowl on a private ranch in Northern Co, by invitation of the land owner. We always hunt in the same blind. I pass up many shots to let him have a go first. I also make sure and be there early enough to set decoys get four wheelers running etc. I clean up after the day is over without being asked. Be helpful and get invited in the future.

Don't offer to pay for gas just do it without being asked.

Same goes for meals.

Don't sleep furthest form the woods stove then get up a stoke it all night.

Get your sorry hide out of your bag in the morning and be ready to go. DO NOT make others wait for you.

This was a blank sheet I've had all of these happen to me at one time or another.

Good hunting.

 

[41magsnub]

I would add have respect for the land owners property. This is a story relayed to me by a hunting buddy on how NOT to get invited back.

My buddy has his little black book of hunting locations. His boss heard about it and badgered him into taking him hunting one year (after my buddy asked permission to bring a friend). At the beginning of the hunt they check in with the land owner to make small talk and pick up any tips on where the birds are hiding. As they are talking the boss (guest) lit up a Camel, smoked it, and then flicked the butt into a stubble field. RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE LAND OWNER :banghead:.

The owner turned to my buddy and said you are welcome to hunt here, but that guy is banned. He was so embarrassed he has never gone back to that land to hunt or taken his boss hunting again.

 

[Il Duca]

Here's a piece of public hunting land manners:

Don't use someone else's tree stand. It's not your's. And if the owner comes to hunt and his stand is occupied it might just get you a warning shot across the bow. Seen it happen.

 

[theken206]

THOU ART TO USE THINE BINO's for GLASSING, NOT THINE SCOPE!!!

 

[Kingcreek]

Good points H&H.
If common sense was more common, this thread wouldn't be necessary.

 

[Roebuck]

I guess that abiding by your own stated rules, you are welcome to hunt with me H&H. Come on over!! Oh yes. Bring over some original Coors. Old Adolph did something to that Rocky Mountain Spring Water that I liked. Sh*t, come on over anyway!!

Roebuck.

 

[H&Hhunter]

Roebuck,

I am a master booze smuggler. I've smuggled booze from Germany to Colorado many times.

I am impressed that you like Coors I find it to be one of the better domestic beers as well.

I have to say that after spending much time in Europe I find most of our beer to be a bit hard to take.

I'd love to come over and hunt!

Greg

 

[trueblue1776]

Cheers to the other Original Coors drinkers, it's what John Elway would do .

H&H, You forgot three:

Smoking in camp is fine, smoking next to me right before I head out on a hunt is not, smoking on the trail may get you punched in the face.

Likewise, asking me questions in camp is fine, asking me while I'm stalking is ridiculous.

If you borrow a rifle treat it like it belongs to Jesus himself. Even if it looks rough, if I own it, it shoots.

Pretty obvious stuff, thought I would contribute some of my own grumpiness.

 

[koja48]

Good List, H&H

Don't use another man's knife without permission (chopping rabbit bones with my Dad's razor-sharp, hand-me-down sheath knife will get you an earful from me, a near beating, & and black-balled forevermore).

When you agree to be back to camp within a certain time frame, adhere to it.

If someone shows you a good spot, don't show it to all your friends (showing up with your buddies the very next day is especially tacky).

Remember that it's highly unlikely that you hit every duck/goose that falls.

 

[Triple S]

If you are given permission to hunt on a piece of private land that means YOU not you and your buddies. If you want to hunt with your buddies ask permission for them too!

I think this is very much one of the cardinal rules to follow when going hunting on someone else's land.

Also, find out exactly what you can and can not shoot. Each landowner has ideas of what he/she wants left or taken off of their property. More times than not, it is better off not to shoot, than to do something to upset the invite-tor.

 

[phantomak47]

Guys I am loving all of these threads with stories and info, I am by no means a well seasoned hunter, but with no one around me that really hunts or I can learn from, I find this info very helpful!

 

[Whitman31]

If you've already filled your tag shooting another critter and using my tag isn't only uncool it is illegal.

Just a note, in Minnesota this (party hunting) is legal, though I don't recommend it unless it's been pre-discussed...

 

[eastwood44mag]

My pet peeve:

Just because it was OK once does NOT mean it's OK in the future. Ask about everything every time. Don't touch my knife, gun, calls, boots, clothes, ammo, etc. without permission. Even if I told you before that you could, don't assume that you can now. There's a big difference between a rifle I just bought off the shelf and one that I've spent hours sighting in and tweaking just the way I like it.

 

[TehK1w1]

A couple more...
Do NOT:
-Relieve yourself right by the stand you have been allowed to use(If it is a stand hunt)
-Field dress an animal and then leave the gut pile by the stand/feeder/cabin
-shoot at livestock to "scare" them away from camp/the stand/the feeder(we had a guy kicked off of our lease a couple years back for shooting a cow, 1 shot through the heart at 120 yds, he claimed it was an accident )
-Borrow your host's highway driver to go pull out the hunting vehicle he let you borrow that you got stuck 3 miles back on the rockiest trail on the lease.
-DO NOT USE THE RIFLE SCOPE AS BINOCULARS!!!!!

 

[Bartkowski]

This isn't as relavant as some posts, but its still rude and senseless. I was sighting in a rifle on a friends land and the backstop is a hill of thick brush, and out of the treeline someone appeared and walked right behind where I was shooting trying to kick up a rabbit they saw. I started yelling (they were 100 some yards away) for them to move away from the range and they still were trying to kick up a rabbit.

 

[eliphalet]

If the gates closed, leave it that way.

Just cause your out in the boonies doesn't mean it is a good place to throw the trash out of your truck, or empty your ash tray.

Bury your crap and the durn paper too.

Beer or pop cans don't burn, don't leave them in a fire circle.

Hunting on a ATV, use it respectfully it's not for motocross and stay on the trails.

Don't park your truck in the middle of a forest service or other narrow dirt road and go hunting, pull it off to the side.
Don't set up your tent in the road either, just because it is level or flat, (couldn't believe that one.) someone might wanna come through a hour or two before light and your in bed. Had to threaten the guy if he didn't move his truck I was gonna push it off the road for him, and I meant it, before he would get up and move it. FJ40's with 1/4" steel C-channel bumpers push large stuff quite well.

One of the worst I have witnessed was while we stood with a rancher talking he was casually watching some guys up on the hillside he had gave permission to hunt. As he watched the idiot pulled his ATV up to a barb wire fence and proceeded to run over it. Within sight of the house even. It was his last day there.

I am gonna stop it is irritating just remembering these guys.

 

[Sunray]

Then there's, if hunting on a farm, leave any gate that was closed when you waddled along the way you found it.
Those bare wires on a fence or post are very likely electrified. It hurts to touch them.
Show up with Coors and you'll get laughed out of camp. Moreso if it's Coors Lite or Budweiser. Beer is NOT made with rice. Mind you, there are guys who will show up with a 6 pack, then drink other people's rye.
If you can't cook, you can wash dishes, otherwise, stay out of the way. Unless you're putting the kettle on in the morning. If you don't drink coffee, don't try to make it either. By the way, there are people who do drink coffee but can't make it. If you have your coffee made for you at home, don't try to learn in camp.
Bring your own band-aids, bug spray, sun screen, etc.

 

[retrieverman]

This thread is quite ironic for what I am going through right now.

I invited a friend to hunt with me on my families place out of state a couple of years ago, and now, it is just "assumed" (by him) that he will go back (every year). Obviously, my son goes with me, and now, his son is talking about going too.

The guy is a "friend" which make uninviting hard to do, but I dang sure don't want to get his son started coming too.

Any suggestions?

 

[borrowedtime69]

manners thread...

H&H and everybody, very good list, most of it is just common sense and more of that is needed.

If you don't like the food, bring your own or shut up and eat.

If nobody else in camp is drinking booze it probably isn't the best plan to break out the flask and start chugging it down. (Note: i wouldnt be "chugging it down" but , after the guns are safely put away, i'll have a beer or something if i like, if the land owner is a mormon or something he needs to post his rules on the fencepost so we can read it before asking permission.)
If both of you are hunting and you are the guest be hyper sensitive about offering to let the host shoot first. If he wants you to take the shot he'll make that clear in the begining. DON'T BE A GAME HOG! I hunt waterfowl on a private ranch in Northern Co, by invitation of the land owner. We always hunt in the same blind. I pass up many shots to let him have a go first (Note: then why would you want to hunt private land? doesnt seem worth it, to me anyway). I also make sure and be there early enough to set decoys get four wheelers running etc. I clean up after the day is over without being asked. Be helpful and get invited in the future.

Don't offer to pay for gas just do it without being asked. Same goes for meals. (Note: to me, the land owner either wants you there or not, i would offer to pay for one or the other, but im not gonna brown nose and suck up. i usually do good deeds that go unnoticed like fixing stuff i see as i pass, picking up trash, taking notes of any thing not right on the property.)
Don't sleep furthest form the woods stove then get up a stoke it all night.

Get your sorry hide out of your bag in the morning and be ready to go. DO NOT make others wait for you. (Note:, why the hell would you wait for someone, just go?)

these are alot of reasons i hunt alone and only on public land. im out to relax, really relax, i dont want my hunting to be ridged, regimented, cold, stiff, and uncomfortable, i get enough of that at work. i dont want to be consantly worried if i've offended or pissed someone off.

i do fully realize that most land owners have had bad experiances with people they've let hunt their land. lets face it, there's quite alot of human turds walkin the earth right? i cant blame them for being wary and unreceptive to hunters, i can understand why.

however, in the past 10 years, ive only successfully gotten on one private property and that was in WY. the only reason i would hunt on private land is varmint, small game, and pest animals, with .22's and maybe shotguns, nothing too big or loud. i approach with great respect and am very freindly when i ask. either i get a pissy no with a speech of how sick of hunters they are or i get a price menu they charge to get on their land, even when i am hunting animals that damage the landowner's livestock, crops, or property.

ive also heard of dishonest land owners that come after you for some false damage claim to their property just to get some cash. bet it doesnt happen often, but i guess it does occur.

i just havent seen a good relationship between hunter and landowner for about 25 years or so, back when i was a kid.

i have hunted alone for the last 20 years, and, with the exception of family, i will continue to do so. and always on public land. - Eric

Duck Hunting
A city slicker shoots a duck out in the country. As he's retrieving it, a farmer walks up and stops him, claiming that since the duck is on his farm, it technically belongs to him. After minutes of arguing, the farmer proposes they settle the matter "country style."

"What's country style?" asks the city boy.

"Out here in the country," the farmer says, "when two fellers have a dispute, one feller kicks the other one in the balls as hard as he can. Then that feller, why, he kicks the first one as hard as he can. And so forth. Last man standin' wins the dispute."

Warily the city boy agrees and prepares himself. The farmer hauls off and kicks him in the groin with all his might. The city boy falls to the ground in the most intense pain he's ever felt, crying like a baby and coughing up blood. Finally he staggers to his feet and says, "All right, n-now it's–it's m-my turn."

The farmer grins. "Aw, hell, you win. Keep the duck."

 

[eliphalet]

Any suggestions?

Tough one huh? Just say "no".

Be tactful like " maybe the folks/family would prefer just yourself this year" or something along those lines.
Use to do something similar with my kid when some of his friends wanted him to go/do something he really thought better of or didn't want to do, but didn't want to tell them that or lie. He would ask me "Dad tell me I can't go" I would, he wouldn't go. Worked great.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

"If you've already filled your tag shooting another critter and using my tag isn't only uncool it is illegal."

H&H,

Great post, but this item is not quite accurate. OK, it is very UNCOOL under most circumstances. However, Wisconsin (my homeland) does allow Party Hunting, whereby you can continue to hunt after your tag is filled, and fill other's deer tags (with some rules too). Just a nit though, not trying to be inflamatory. It does allow you to keep hunting after :01 in the season when you are so lucky to fill your tag early.

I would add all my un-written rules too, here, but it would take a lifetimes experience to list them. I have a very low tolerance level for "invitees". Too many bad experiences, especially on land that I own.

OK, now I'm started, but only one for now.

If you've been invited to hunt in MY spot, and gut-shoot an antelope, and hurl repeatedly trying to gut it, DO NOT EVER expect me to clean it for you.

I like watching you puke.

 

[Andrewsky]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned road hunting.

The formula for good hunting is simple:

-Be Safe
-Obey the Law
-Be Considerate to Others
-Have Fun

Nothing more needs to be said.

 

[sm]

H&H - Great Thread!

Dove hunting and new folks. Especially if this is the first hunt of any kind for them and especially if kids.

-You are not there to shoot.
You are there for them!

Safety, and buddy system.
We usually let the younger folks shoot first, it all about them, learning, being safe, and having fun!

Then the new adult folks, this all understood before the hunt.
Again, it is all about them, not you.

Our future depends on new folks being introduced to Hunting in the correct way, one is there as an ambassador for all hunters, firearm owners, no matter the game or firearm use.

Tradition around here is, on these first dove hunts for kids /folks we give a nice penknife.
Tradition, Memories and all are about the new folks, not you.

You had someone treat you the same way, now it is time to pay forward.

 

[alsaqr]

"And if the owner comes to hunt and his stand is occupied it might just get you a warning shot across the bow. Seen it happen."

An ill-advised shot across the bow may lead to a return shot to the boiler room. That has happened too.

 

[waterhouse]

taking notes of any thing not right on the property

On the positive side of things, this is a great one. When you see a broken fence, mark it and let the land owner know. If it hasn't rained for weeks and you walk through a puddle, let the land owner know he might have a leaking irrigation pipe. Little things like this will get you invited back for years.