Hunting Courtesy

[Porkchop21 34]

I'm curious to what everyones thoughts are on this. If you go down a side road hunting and come across other hunters campsite do you usually turn around and go elsewhere, or drive right past their campsite and continue on down the road and possibly affect their hunt? I have always been taught basically to turn around out of courtesy and go else where. Now I'm talking about a side road where it dead ends and hunters often stay and hunt in behind their campsites. I understand it's a free country, but I'm curious what others thoughts are. I have had it happen to me in the past where I was moose hunting and had a moose answering my calls, only for it to get screwed up by a couple guys in a truck who drove past my trailer and truck and turned around at the dead end where I was set up. The road only went about 2km past my trailer.

[RatherBeFishin 86]

I will always turn around if i notice a trailer or set up on the side of the road and or in a gravel pit just off the road as it is pretty easy to assume that there will be hunters in there. However if the trailer is blocking a road into a cut you had better believe i will be quadding around that and heading in.

[Dirttracker18 26]

Campsite with a dead end behind, turn around, campsite where the road continues then I likely keep going.

We were in a spot like that last couple of years and the only ones who seem to miss this simple etiquette was the guys from Southern Ontario. They went so far as to drop a guy off at a cut we were clearly standing at and walk out into the middle right in front of us. No chance whatsoever they missed two guys covering the area.

They also made an effort to get early on day and beat me to a cut that I was in on opening morning, that they walked into.

All of this was on a short dead end road where we were camped and the same group of guys mucking up our hunt.

[Foozer 194]

I normally turn around and go elsewhere. Anytime we see people around, or trucks or quads, or any sign of recent activity - we'll turn around.

However, parking a trailer at the beginning of a dead end road does not allow you to tie up that spot for the entire season.

We were hunting an area adjacent to a dead end road where a trailer was parked before the season opened well into November. For several consecutive weeks there had not been anyone around that trailer and I wanted to check out the old cuts down that road as I was familiar with the area and knew moose were nearby.

I drove past it to the end of the line and walked my usual path through the old cuts and swamp.

These clowns could have had their moose the first week and left their trailer there for the rest of the season to keep others out. Nothing courteous about that!

[MR.SAFETY 26]

if i see that someone has set up a campsite and i know the area and that the road does not go much further past their site i will turn around. if they are at there site i will give a wave and be friendly. i have been invited on several occasions to chat and visit and have done the same when i was camped out. BS a bit and carry on. its all part of it as far as i am concerned. For me though to go past the blocked road. not to sure on that one. in my younger days maybe. but to me with my 9 year old son on the back of the bike or walking or driving a pick up. nope never. they blocked the road (not saying its right) but if you come in there ,they are not gonna be to happy. who knows what people will do these days. for a moose sorry not worth the trouble. find another spot to hunt and if i see a CO in the bush. yup hes gonna know about it. if i dont when i get back to town then maybe a phone call. to me if you want get a moose or deer that bad and you need to break the law, then maybe you need to rethink why you are out in the bush. thats what i will teach my sons anyways.

[scandiman 114]

I'll chime in on this one, as I was recently camping out (bow hunting) near the end of a dead end road and had several trucks come down the road at night. Couple of them stopped at our camp site and said hello and then turned around. A couple others just cursed at us as they turned the truck around.

I got no issue with someone coming over to say hello. We are on crown land and therefore don't have any right to deny access to that area. For the most part people are good to deal with and will respect the fact that you have that spot taken.

Then again, there's always those who think that you shouldn't be there and get pissed off.

[Porkchop21 34]

Thanks for the replies fellas. It seems we are all on the same page, I never block a road with my campsite or anything close to it. I have also been the victim of other hunters dropping guys off on post in the same cut I was sitting in. It's just annoying when I try to be courteous and others fail at it.

[gsambray 172]

I've had a guy walk in and seen me siting watching a cut. He walked up and asked if I was going to be there long and I guess my answer of most of the day wasn't good enough. He said a few cuss words and decided to fire a shot in the air when he was walking out. But all that did was spook a doe who was laying down out of sight and allowed myself to harvest her. Later that day I seen the gentleman and wrote down his plate number and handed it over to the first co I seen

[Guest fish9876]

Ive had people from the south walk up and stand 50 yards from me and start watching the same lake even tho I got there early to hunt. I dont bother with opening week anymore. Too many arguments with other hunters. I dont block roads or anything but I know that if i set up camp in an area that it doesnt give me rights to the entire area and other people are just as welcome to hunt the area as I am. Ive been tempted to strap campers to the back end of my dodge and take em for a hike down the cut road so when the other hunters find it they know better for next time and they do not block roads anymore but its just not worth the headaches and arguments. Ive also been tempted to remove their tires and leave them notes with a scavenger hunt to go and find them so that next year they park their trailers responsibly and can actually spend their time filling a tag. Yup. Opening week is just too much stress for me lol. End of rant. Ps if i see ya hunting a cut or lake ill give you a friendly wave and go hunt a different spot away from you. One thing I miss about opening week is having campfires and beer with other hunters after sun down and talking about past hunts.

[Benji 67]

I would turn around...