harrassment today

[Mike Sertich]

I just had a bit of "tough talk" today. My Brit and I were grouse hunting north of Duluth. The area I was in was Potlatch land open for public use. I had been there 3-4 times in the past and had no troubles. Today as I was walking along the trail from the main road I noticed new posted signs. No problem, since they were all east of the area I was on. Suddenly 2 4- wheelers appeared and the stern talking was on. That I was on posted land(I wasn't), That they had been hunting this area for 20 years, That I had better get that mutt out of here before something happens, you grouse hunters are all alike just go where you (Contact Us Please) well please. etc.So I responded that I knew this was NOT posted land and that I had every bit of right to be there as they did. My favorite though, was "don't you know it's deer season". I asked if it started today and they got fired up even more. I had a pencil and notepad so I wrote down the 4-wheeler nos. as they started to leave. That really incensed them. Anyway, they threw out a few more insults and left. I wasn't afraid but I was irritated to the point as why the aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattitude? Little wonder why things get ugly.

[ZOOM]

It upsets me to no end when DEER hunters think there the only hunters in the woods from Nov 1st until the close of the deer season. I hunt deer but I sure don't look down on those who hunt other game. I think that these kind of people(the ones giving you a hard time) give us other hunters a bad name, to be blunt. Game is game and who ever wants to hunt leagal land with in there season, so be it. I'm with you on this one Mike. Just watch it though. It seems like every year there's some crazy out there that has to prove a point. Its a real shame that we even have to worry about other hunters being the bad guys. I guess that's just what we have to live with. I just thought Hunters were above that sort of thing. Be safe and good bird hunting. I'm going Duck hunting tommorow morning then I'll see about a deer.

p.s your dogs not a mutt!!!!!!!!! he's your buddy.

[Muthagoose]

Amazing how some act,scary thing is there are more and more A holes out there each day.

Brits are excellent dogs.Ran 2 years ago when I guided for Marsh lake gun club. They were just a pleasure to work with...

[Mike Sertich]

My Brit is fun. I would like to talk with you sometime about his point. I am from Virginia originally, so no problem getting there as I live fairly close. You guys are right about incidents like this being scary. I would be disappointed if someone else had this happen and they ended up giving hunting up. I have just begun this again after 40 years and really enjoy it. But a young person just may get scared off and give it up. That is tragic.

[CASTnBLAST]

Cripes,when ISN'T it deer hunting? It starts with bow hunting on the same day the bird season opens then onto rifle hunting and then muzzle loading.A guy wouldn't get much time in hunting around the sacred deer seasons!

[harvey lee]

Probably the best thing to do is call the DNR and give them the license numbers and let them deal with it. Thats the only way anything will be accomplished.

[Mike Sertich]

I have done that. No reply yet. Maybe during the week.Thank you

[quackersmacker]

Mike, that is too bad you had to deal with these no talent a-- clowns! These are the guys who give all hunters bad names. I think I would call the DNR as someone else brought that up already. Hopefully they will follow up on it, it may be the only way to pervent things like this in the future. Good luck and keep on hunting, there is not one game that is more important then the other, we all pay for our liscenses, and rights to use public property!! Take care and catch you soon

-Ryan Ewald

[Scott M]

Why can't we be friends, why can't we be friends, why can't we be friends, why can't we be friends

Wow, c'mon hunters, we must all hang together or assuredly we shall all hang separately. That is really sad to hear.

[Heartman]

Hey Sert -

Turning the license #'s over to the DNR is the right thing to do. Or, you could contact CO Kip Duncan directly to get some help a bit quicker - I believe he's based out of Two Harbors, but you may have an indirect connection there that would expedite things and make the woods a bit safer for all of us.

Glad to hear you're getting out - exercise and cold, clean air is the best!

Your pal, Walleye.

[sticknstring]

It amazes me the way people can act sometimes and think they own public land. Last year a buddy and I were bowhunting some public ground near Marcell the weekend prior to firearm opener. We hung some stands midday in a promising location... and came back later that afternoon to hunt. While we were gone someone had come in on quads and left notes both on the trail into and taped to our treestands telling us that this was their spot and they would be parking their 4wheelers right there and that we should find another place to hunt. Unbelievable! Probably better that they left a note... I'm sure I would've given them an earful had they confronted us directly.

[Heidi]

I wouldn't take my two britts out into public land grouse hunting during rifle season on public land. I would be too afraid of my dogs being shot by some red neck. Too many of these jerks out there that would shoot a dog because it is interfering with his deer hunting. Maybe I have poor friends, but they have threatened to do the same thing. It is a shame because I've seen many birds so far this year and now the leaves are gone. I hunt near Longville for both birds and deer.

[Weed Shark]

Story #1 (a few years ago): A neighboring landowner where I hunt got chewed out on his own property. Something like, “I’ve hunted hear x amount of years”… “Stay out.” Lots of cussing.

The landowner asked him if he knew the owner. Upon hearing a no, “Oh, well, I know the owner,” he says. The trespassing hunter at some point started to walk away but came back and chewed him out another five minutes. The landowner did the smart thing and quit hunting for the day.

Never argue with wacky people with loaded guns!

Story #2 (a couple years ago): The high school age son, at the farm where I hunt, was driving to his grandma’s nearby. The religious boy receiver the f-word from a longhaired hunter on the road with a four-wheeler, who proceeded to chase the boy’s car on his ATV, until his hat flew off revealing a bald top. Why the anger? I don’t know.

Unfortunately, I don’t believe he got reported. I’d like to get these rage filled people out of the woods.

[B@ssmaster]

I too was a victim of harassment this past weekend by fellow deer hunters. My father and I have hunted a piece of state owned land for about 8-10 years now; we have access to it via permission of a private landowner that is a friend of my Dad's. (The state land is surrounded by a bit of private land, and a lot of swamp area, pretty remote if you are not affiliated with any of the private land.) Ever since we started hunting there, the local's that own an adjoining 80 acres every year have done whatever they can to discourage us from hunting on "their state land" (their phrase, not mine). One of them actually had the kahonies this year to walk up to my father and me and ask us what we were doing there, because his family "always" hunts this area. Couldn’t believe what we were hearing! That guy also “happened” to shoot at a deer as he was approaching us, stated that he saw it walking the edge of the swamp, but he had to fire 5 rounds just to “get it to stop moving to get a better shot”. Then he proceeds to tell us that he missed and it must have run off that direction… Could have been a deer, could have been fabricated. Never will know I guess………And to top it off, they own a private 80, and have access to an additional 80 of state land they need to traverse to get to the area my father and I hunt. PLENTY of public land for them to hunt around their 80 and the adjoining state land, without intentionally harassing other legal hunters. As near as we can tell, they typically have anywhere from 3-7 people in their group. Lots of space to absorb that number. All my father and I do is stand hunt, and we at most take two deer in a year, we can't eat more than that. Most of the years Dad waits for a trophy and never fires a shot, so it isn't as if we are even disruptive to anyone. When we first scouted the area, we made a conscious effort to hunt as far away from them as the space allows, just giving them space.

We have had them post a hunter within 15 yards of our stands all morning one year. We have had them run deer drives right around us, knowing we were there. They seem to also have the attitude that “if it’s brown, it’s down” from watching their hunting techniques over the years. Not that there is anything wrong with that, you could argue that does/fawns need to be harvested too, but they seem to unload their guns at every fleeting glimpse of a deer instead of waiting for a reasonable shot and placing a semi humane shot with a high potential for a quick, clean kill. Very rarely do we hear a single shot from any of their party. It's very common to hear them form up a line and start looking for the wounded deer someplace nearby. They make sure we can hear them yelling back and forth as they search...

One year they shot a deer very near to us, then proceeded to retrieve it via their farm tractor and bucket, crashing through the state land clear cut, and letting the tractor idle the entire HOUR it took to gut the deer, before loading it up and crashing through another route back through the clear-cut. All done within a few hundred yards of my stand, within sight and took them a total of approx 3 hours to accomplish.....

They push the law to the limits; most everything is legal (except the tractor thing), but all is highly unethical. And, we have never even spoken to anyone in the group until this year’s episode, and have NEVER done anything aggressive or intimidating towards them. We have been trying the bygones be bygones attitude, no point in escalating the situation. This year however, for some reason, the stakes have been raised. Besides the confrontation, someone shot a deer on the piece of private land we access though, and it was not my father or I (we have exclusive permission, the owner doesn't even hunt). We assume, (and I know what happens when you assume) someone blatantly shot the deer on private land to apparently "send us a message". Not that we could prove it was someone from that group, assuming it even was, but it would seem likely given the history. It's sad when we have to deal with people like this. It’s kind of like going back in time about 50 years to the days of the locals thinking they own everything just because they are lucky enough to live in God’s Country. Not that all locals have that opinion, I’m not saying that, but it would apparently fit this group, however.

My son is 15 and couldn't hunt this weekend, and now I am kind of glad he couldn't, I really don't think kids should see this kind of behavior. All we want to do is enjoy a day out in the woods and relax. It's to the point that I am actually considering letting them "win" and vacate the area, it's not worth it.......... Even though I’d hate to give them the satisfaction……

And yes, we know we can call the sheriff or CO, but we figured all that would do would be exacerbate the situation, not make it any better…..

But on the plus side, I passed on 15 deer and got a shot at a nice 8 pointer...........

Sorry for the rant, just a bit ticked off……

[Augusta]

Hmmm...Now I remember why I quit deer hunting!!!! Some people and their attitudes make me sick....

[uplander]

Mike, you got nerve going out on opening weekend.... more power to you though.. I love to hunt grouse, but usually give the orange army the 1st weekend to themselves..They have no right to tell you to leave and i hope the DNR lets them know that in a not very friendly way..Good luck chasin birds...BE SAFE.....uplander

[Steve Foss]

Bassmaster, it probably doesn't help much for me to say this, but in my book you've handled this well and taken the high road. Good luck working it out.

[B@ssmaster]

Thanks STF........

[Steve Foss]

No prob, bassmaster.

If I had to put up with what you're putting up with, I'd either quit hunting or would search long and hard for a new hunting ground. I have an advantage there in that I live next to wilderness, and when I get tired of all the orange hunting within half a mile of all the roads, I can shoulder my rifle and walk into the wild forest a mile or two and be all alone.

Makes me wish I could afford to buy 1,000 acres of prime deer habitat in northern MN and start my own deer camp. Can you imagine how sweet that would be? I mean, looking over these posts here on FM in this hunting board and over on the deer-bear, etc., board, you learn who the hunters are you'd like to be alongside, and you learn who you'd avoid.

Ahhh, build a log hunters cabin with bunks and stone fireplace and the whole nine yards and start meeting with like-minded people here on FM to gather a dozen or so dedicated hunters.

The key, of course, is to surround yourself with varied personalities who all add to a deer camp while ensuring the group has common values.

What a great time that would be. Well, I can dream, can't I?

[B@ssmaster]

I'm right there sharing that same dream.........

I think I need to go buy a Powerball ticket tonight....

[Steve Foss]

Yeah, that's the problem. No jing, no fling. Winning the Powerball is my retirement strategy, so keep your hands off it.

How's that for a retirement plan?

Or, if you win it you can invite me to YOUR new deer camp. I suggest the name "Utopia."

[B@ssmaster]

I think we have a deal, I win, you’re invited. You win, I'm invited. Sounds like a win/win. We're guaranteed now!

[Steve Foss]

Yep, done deal! Our odds of winning just improved from 80,000,000-to-1 to 79,999,999-to-one. Cool!

[DeanoB]

actually not a bad idea, maybe 1 of us doesn't have the jing, but 10-20 of us sure could make a run at buying up some land to be quality managed, and used by FMer's.

[Mike Sertich]

I was out on the Friday before the opener. I don't go out during deer season. Thanks for your concern though. People(outdoor) like you make the experience of being in the woods or on the lake, the pleasure that it is.I am blessed.