Road hunters!!!!????

[Johnny_Namakan]

This morning one of my co-workers asked me if I knew that there were some hunters getting ready to shoot a deer at my Mom's resort on Sunday. I told him I had no idea about that. My Mom owns a resort on Lake Vermilion and she lives up on a ridge behind the resort. The resort is not visible from her house nor is her house visible from the resort, yet they are only 250-300 yards away through the woods. Well my co-worker said that there was a pick-up parked right in her driveway to the resort and that there was a doe in the yard of the resort. He stopped and was watching what they were doing and noticed a nice buck behind one of the cabins. These guys were getting ready to shoot this buck right in her dang yard. Not only that, directly behind this deer was my Mom's house, which as I mentioned isn't visible, but only a couple hundred yards away. Isn't that illegal? Well, I know it is, but has it come to the point where we have to post our own yards/driveways to keep road hunters out? My co-worker ended up pulling in behind them to see what the heck they were doing. At this point they got back into their vehicle and drove away through the other exit. This type of thing makes me so angry. How desperate are people to get a deer? There are deer everywhere up here, it's not like they're hard to get. Then my co-worker mentioned that his son had a run in with some road hunters on Sunday too. He was standing at the gate to their hunting property and saw a big buck across the paved County road on a little side road. He knew he couldn't shoot so he watched to see where the buck would go. As he's watching a truck comes down that side road and the buck trots off into the woods. The truck stops, a guy gets out with a gun and leans across the hood of the truck and gets ready to shoot. My co-wrokers son yells at them, "hey, that's private property." So they put the gun away and drive over to him. they said they didn't know it was private property. It's only posted every 100 ft. with No hunting signs. So he says well it is, it's posted all over, plus it's illegal to shoot off of a road. Why won't people just follow the dang rules??? Plus, where's the sport in shooting a deer off of a highway??

Some people just don't think before they act.

[Eric Wettschreck]

This is perfect example of why we need more $$$ for the DNR enforcement.

[iland99]

It's getting so bad that I think the DNR needs to give road hunters their own season. Maybe have a daily bag limit of two road hunters, with no posession limit.

[Gordie]

Sunday after everything was packed up and we were headed home not more than a mile and a half from the hunting shack the guy driving says hey look at those deer crossing the road when I saw it I couldn't belive my eyes, their in front of us is this monster 10 point chasing this doe across the road. his nose was level with her well you know.we stopped and watched the big buck chase her thru the feild and it wasnt much farther than 100 yards away. Then the doe seen us and they both disappeared into the woods. It was cool to see that and yes it was on private land that was not posted.not even a thuoght of shooting it, couldnt get the camera out fast enough either. hope that buck makes it in front of my hunting stand someday so I can ethicaly take this big buck. I dont understand how guys can live with themselves for doing this. I like the fair chase idea and if I dont get a deer that way well I know I did my best and will wait for next season.Its also not worth lossing your gun ,truck,fines , and all the other stuff over a deer.

[TRZ]

It really is sad, there are deer all over and these lazy slobs are still out in full force. i can't even imagine how ignorant and lazy these hunters are, if you can call them hunters. One of my spots is a clear cut on potlatch leased land and i actually had to miss a fawn on purpose to scare it off so some lazy slob would not poach it. i had at least 10 vehicles try to road hunt in this spot as i was sitting on the other end, one guy would come by every half hour during prime time. it is just pathetic. Why even hunt? are they that hungry? How could any sportsman even take pride in that?

[chucker34]

I bowhunt on our land which is many acres of woods permeated by winding dirt roads to cabins and year round homes. I was out this weekend and sure enough, trucks slowly driving down the neighbors' driveways that the road hunters know aren't there. They usually turn around pretty quickly when they see my orange but for God's sake, road hunting on someone'w driveway when they're not home???

[BKB]

Make the fine 5 grand, take everything they have plus the vehicle and ban them from hunting in Minnesota for life, then maybe these lazy dogs will get the message. Sounds like some extra cash for enforcement to me!!

[Zzapp]

It ain't just up north - I was sitting in a ladder stand at the back of my 10 acre ex-urban lot on the Burns/Elk River town line Saturday AM when I saw a minivan slowly prowling through the new and unpopulated HOUSING DEVELOPMENT on the Burns side. Didn't think much of it until I saw the passenger window was full of blaze orange! And he had the window down.

As soon as they saw me with the binox on them, they ramped back up to the posted limit and rolled away. I didn't think it would be necessary to post the horse pasture fence, but now I'm wondering if it wouldn't be prudent to do it before next year; maybe when the houses are occupied it won't happen but I don't want to risk my animals on it!

TJ

[lawdog]

Our game warden here told me this weekend that this year is the worst he's ever seen. What the heck is wrong with people??? If you are too lazy to hunt anywhere other than the seat of your darn pickup(and yes before some fool tries to make this anti handicapped, we ALL know there are exceptions for vehicle hunting for disabled people...)...STAY HOME!!!

[hookset]

Dont through too many stones... Go to any western state or even Iowa and road hunting is about the only way to shoot a deer. My land is on the edge of a prarie and we have lots of road hunters there. As long as they follow the rules(trespass and rightofways) who cares. alot of people dont have the money or time to take the week(or a few days)off to hunt. Many people dont see hunting as "romantic" as I do and are just out there to fill there freezer. I see both sides of the coin, and think there is room for everybody.

hookset

[BigWadeS]

I agree that there is room for everyone. I say this as growing up deer hunting in the praries of North Dakota we road hunted. My only problem with it is you better know what is around and behind you before you pull the trigger. With the amount of population and resorts around lakes I think road hunting in central and northern minnesota would be impossible, even if you are from there IMO. Just my$0.02

[Johnny_Namakan]

Hookset,

Not really apples to apples. I don't see a problem with road hunting in low/non populated areas, still not a sport in my mind, but that's my opinon. A lot of the stories above where in populated areas, and involved breaking the law with No Hunting/Private lands. Not only that, but during the act of breaking the law my Mom's life and property were put at risk. There is no room for that, period!!! I'm not sure about your area, but this is rifle area as well. So a couple hundred yards means nothing when you're dealing with high powered rifles, and people behind them that couldn't care less about the laws.

Plus, if people have the time and the money to road hunt for the day, then they do have the time and the money to sit in the woods for the day. Once again, not sure of your area, but in our area there is more public lands than private lands. Superior National Forest/Kabetogama State Forest.

[hookset]

I agree... breaking the law is wrong and there should be huge fines... You where not talking about road hunters, you where talking about trespassers and poachers. I agree with you on that 100%. To be honest I dont know what I would do if I caught some one shooting a deer on my heavily posted farm. I am sure I would come unglued to some extent.

Great topic. you are all great stewards of gunting and game. I learn alot here.

Thank You

hookset

[icehole10]

YOU GUYS WANT TO SEE SOME ROAD HUNTING YOU SHOULD COME TO NORTH DAKOTA. I MOVED HERE SIX YEARS AGO AND COULD NOT BELEIVE WHAT I WAS SEEING. MOST PEOPLE ON THIS SIDE OF THE RIVER DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT POSTING IS. I GREW UP IN MINNESOTA AND WAS USED TO GOING INTO THE WOODS IN THE DARK AND WAITING FOR THE DEER TO COME TO ME. THE FIRST YEAR I HUNTED OVER HERE A GUY HTAT I WORK WITH INVITED ME TO HUNT WITH HIM. HE DIDN'T EVEN WAKE UP TILL THE SUN WAS COMING UP AND HIS IDEA OF A MORNING HUNT WAS DRIVE THE ROADS AND HOPE TO SEE ON STANDING IN A FIELD SLAM THE TRUCK IN PARK AND GET OUT FOR SHOT WITH OUT THE DEER RUNNING. NEEDLESS TO SAY THAT WAS THE ONLY TIME I HUNTED WITH HIM. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT THEY CALLED THIS HUNTING.

[chucker34]

I can see some of the road hunting out west in unpopulated areas but what are guys thinking cruising borderline suburban areas planning to shoot deer on private land where they've never even met the owner? It's about as bad as the people doing a drive about 1/4 mile from my house this weekend and shooting in every direction. Needless to say, I instructed the family to stay inside that day. It and the drive hunting I've witnessed in such close proximity to houses has left a bad taste in my mouth for driving deer in general. This may be a stupid question, but do the record books consider this type of hunting fair chase?

[10,000 Casts]

Working at Gander in Fargo, I hear some crazy road hunting stories from ND (and I work in the fishing dept!!!). Right to recreation has alot to do with it and vast open praire is also a cause but just a quick story from Fri afternoon.

I was driving to Bemidji on Hwy 71 (very busy highway)and up in front of me I see a dad and a son pull over, jump out of their truck with rifles in hand and run into the woods. It was obvious that they had the rifles ready to go. sad....

I thought about getting the license plate # but I didn't have a pen and I never saw them shoot.

All I could think is wow.... what good outdoor ethics to be teaching your son.

John

[icehole10]

That's the great thing about nd. You don't have to case your gun and you can have shells in the magazine!!

[firemedic5586]

Last month I had spend a good few hours in a tree, waiting for one of the Bucks we had been seeing to pass through.

When ether he or another one of his bigger Brothers comes through the fence line on the field that I'm hunting.

(Standing crops, posted and a fence line) yes according to the book that would be trespass.

Anyway, he clears the fence, just as a truck I had seen slowly trolling down the road that is on the outside of the fence pulls up. The buck holds his ground as the truck comes to a stop. He bolts when the truck is turned off. I then hear doors open (truck is 80yrds away) followed by voices. Shortly afterwards, I hear that noise a barbed wire fence makes as it gets stretched. Then low and behold from my perch high in my tree, 70ryds out, I see a Native American dressed in orange, with rifle, standing in OUR FIELD. This person then says "He's gone"

Well, my boiler then blows. I happen to make rather disparaging remarks at the top of my voice to this person. I did manage to cover everything form intelligence level, parentage, and heritage in my rather colorful verbal tirade

I get informed the other day that my dad was awoken at about 0000hrs to a rifle shot, (same property). Not to mention all the other people we have seen tresspassing but have'nt been able to catch.

It will be a happy day in my world when I catch someone on our property.

[TRZ]

i totally disagree, anyone who road hunts is NO sportsman, I would much rather shoot a fawn from my stand than a 10 pointer off a road. We are also not talking about the handicapped who can hunt from a vehicle-they still can't shoot deer off the public raods and on private property. These are able bodied people who are amazingly lazy and ignorant and they make the rest of the hunting community look bad!

[Shoot2Kill]

Quote:

---

Dont through too many stones... Go to any western state or even Iowa and road hunting is about the only way to shoot a deer. My land is on the edge of a prarie and we have lots of road hunters there. As long as they follow the rules(trespass and rightofways) who cares. alot of people dont have the money or time to take the week(or a few days)off to hunt. Many people dont see hunting as "romantic" as I do and are just out there to fill there freezer. I see both sides of the coin, and think there is room for everybody.

hookset

---

Hookset - where do you get that about Iowa? You can kill a deer anywhere in that state and not be on a road.