Hunting Encroachment

Bob Addy

Bob Addy

New member
I am rather curious to see if any old school callers have had problems with new callers encroaching on your hunting grounds. I have been seeing this becoming more prevalent . It used to be with us older callers that once you had an established hunting area, other hunters would leave your country alone when they found out you were already working it. Not so now days. What happened to that code of respect for other hunters?
An example of what I am talking about is what took place with PG and I when we did some door knocking last summer. There is a ranch near Westbrook , Tx that I had my eyes on for several years so we went and asked permission to hunt it. The owner wasn’t in that day but I did contact him the next day. We had a great visit and he was going to give us the hunting rights to call his property. Further into the discussion he mentioned that he let a well pumper do some calling on his place on occasions and told me who the pumper was. It just so happens the pumper is a good friend of mine and I told the rancher I would not hunt since Gary already had the hunting rights. I had known Gary had a “honey hole” calling spot but didn’t know where. Needless to say I respect Gary and his hunting area and will not encroach on it.
On the other hand I have had hunting rights on property taken away or limited due to others actions. I am very wary of who I allow to go hunting with me as we all should be. Scars from the “old knife in the back” heal slowly and leave scars. One such hunter took exceptional advantage of his hunting privileges. Next thing I know gates have different locks on them which I had access to since my early days of hunting. Does this make me more protective over the land I have
gathered over the years to hunt on??? You better believe it. It is a shame but we have hunters on this board and others that are doing just as I’ve described. I don’t have much use for folks like that. I don’t step on toes and hunt on someone else’s country, I don’t like it done to mine.
My question is, what has happened to hunting ethics and respect? I enjoy the PM and Predator Posse sites. I have met several good hunters that have become good friends. I am also finding some of the not so goods ones too.

Bob
 
Bob
what I am finding out there are less places to hunt anymore. It wont belong that if you are not rich or own the land or know someone you wont be hunting. As the old saying gose money talks bull **** walks.
I had a place i bow hunted for 30 years and lost because one of the brothers died. I went to get permission and his wife, she said ok but she said you have to talk to the brother...Well he said no, so now what do you do? I didnt want to start a family feud so I just had to let it go...One thing I will say make sure you know who owns the land and if its brother or whom ever get permission from all parties......
also the problem is everyone one thinks they own the land they hunt on...you have people sneeking on land causing trouble and then the land owner get mad and soon no one hunts...I guess it is what you said you have to respect each other to make it work.....good luck........stump
 
Bob, your concern is well founded, very seldom do I take anyone hunting with me that is outside of my limited circle of friends. I too have scars that just won't seem to heal, it forced me and mine to start leasing land to hunt just to control it better. Don't get me wrong if I don't own the land I have no say with the landowner if he decides to let someone else hunt but if someone has no respect that you already hunt it and they bring someone else along, well finally it's either hunted to death or the landowner has to shut down all access to the place and rightly so. I just got permission back from the new owner of a place I used to hunt (as well as everyone else) I was the only predator hunter there, I was given permission to control the coyotes, nothing more and I'm gracious for that.

It all comes down to different people with different ideals, some people just don't care and you have to really get to know someone before you can decide to take them along or not. Even then sometimes you've got to threaten them with their life.
 
And here I thought you'd ba talking about "new homes" encroaching on your hunting spots. That's my biggest problem right now. Every winter I drive out to go callin', and the houses keep getting closer and closer to my spots, before too long, I'll be sitting on someones back deck to call some of my spots /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
I've not run into that problem personally, although I've been warned about a local guy that will move in on your hunting spots if you take him and he likes the spot, so yes, you do need to watch who you take and where and when you take them.
 
Out here, almost every thing is BLM land. Open to the public. Those that find it can hunt it. No one has hunting rights to these places. If it's not other callers your hunting against, it the guys that just drive around atr night with the white lights looking for "eye's" to shoot at, or thge trappers who run a 24/7 game and are way more sucessful than any caller in these parts. I guess in a way , Private land is a blessing and public land can be a curse.
 
Tom, so far the few that I have hunted with from PM have been straight up. It is some of the others that have found one or two of my prime hunting grounds and move in through the back door. I still owe Tommy J a hunt and hope to hook up with PG again. Those two will keep you rolling and are a blast to be with.
 
It has changed alot over the last few years, but in the past getting permission for calling coyotes was hardly required, and I still got permission. With the advent of all the calling videos, and all the exposure that it's got, and the fact that it really didn't cost much to enjoy this hobby, it drew alot of people to the sport. I've followed tracks on private ground I had exclusive permission on, those trespassers piss people off, so people lock-in ground with money to try and protect ground, and it won't be long before you have to pay to hunt coyotes. Who'ed of thought 20 years ago that today it would cost $350 a day to hunt coyotes or P-dogs. I went through the same thing with indian artifact hunting, a couple people realized that they could profit off of writing about walking the Platte river for arrowheads, they had just realized themselves that there was a "gold-mine" with walking the Platte. Six months later there are hundreds of people from all over the US driving to Eastern Colorado to walk the river, all trespassers. Too bad for the old guys who'd done it for their whole life, they only see other people when they try to walk. I'm not laying blame on anyone, or not passing judgement, because I'll have enough ground to hunt on for a very, very long time. I'm just stating that if you go out to expose a good thing for what ever reason you have, then that good thing won't be around for long.
 
Bob thanks for the words. Better yet, a cat filled night? Alright

At the start of the season I went on a "land getting" party. I drove into a ranch that looked like it was in good country. I drove up to the house and put on the "varmint hunters spill". The landowner looked down and said I would but there was a guy who called about it a few weeks ago. I asked if he could give me the name. He metioned the last name and I immediatly new who it was. I called Rusty H. to let him know what had happened. Since I feared Rusty hearing a different story. Ive done the same to Randy W. Although Randy contacted me first. lol But I was gonna let him know.

I guess that with the sport ever so growing it is only destined to go down the road that deer hunting has gone here in the Lone Star State. Ranches have seen what hunters will pay, and capitalize on it, and for good reason. Dont get me wrong, if I could pimp my back yard I would to. This sport is heading in that direction.

Before I knew you Bob I shared a place with you and didnt know it. Along with two or three others. I have since let it go since it is 3 hours round trip. But that goes to show that we all bump into each other from time to time even though this is a big state.
 
I don't know why I don't but thank goodness I have never had the kind of problems you describe. I hunt both private land, big ranches with big coyote problems year around. The public land I hunt only from Oct. to Feb to give the dogs a break.

I guess I choose the correct state to settle in.

Good luck to you all and hopefully your problems with other hunters will go away.
 
I have to agree that Texas is going for the all mighty $$$. I have been after a ranch next door to one I've been calling for the past year. I thought I had it sewed up until a couple of weeks ago. A Midland outfitter has taken it over.
It wasn't Randy either.
Hunting private land has its good points and at times bad. I still have a few ranches where only I will be allowed on. But as we know, that can change too.
 
I've got it, let's form a secret club and explain how horrible it is to shoot ol wiley and tell of cougars and bears eating people that try to call certain areas..... oh well since they ain't making anymore land and this board opens up a new season to anyone who want it, we had better just work on our honor and hope for the best, Bob your thread here is a great start towards setting an example and outlines a problem that some may have never thought about. I hope to someday hunt with several members of this board, the few (2)that I have are welcome friends and of course if you want to come to okieland just call me, I'll try to put you on some dogs, the rest will be up to you. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Thomas.
 
It is getting a little bit tougher to find places to call. I have established about 80 rancher/farmer land owner contacts over the years and they pretty much give me unrestricted and sole access to predator calling on their land. I also have hundreds of thousands of acres of national grasslands I can hunt as well.

I am pretty tight mouthed about where I go to call. I very seldom take anyone with me, except for a fellow I have been calling with for 30 years. Recently, I have done some calling with Howler and a friend of his from Glasgow, MT. That has worked out fairly well and I have enjoyed the times we have gone out calling.

In North Dakota we DO NOT have a no trespass law yet. It has come before the legislature every session for about the last 20 years, but has failed every time. That means that land that is not posted, can be hunted without requiring you to go find the land owner to obtain permission. I will usually try to find the land owner and get permission even if the land isn't posted. However, if I am driving to a calling area and spot a coyote or fresh tracks on land that is not posted that I don't have permission to call, I will call that land.

Unless you have a county atlas and know who owns every acre of land, it is almost impossible to contact landowners in some areas of North Dakota. Many of them pack up and head south for the winter and it is just a difficult job to ascertain who owns what parcel of land.

Anyway, it is a bummer to have folks horn in on land you ordinarily have permission to hunt on. I guess it is a sign of the times though, and that is unfortunate indeed.
 
Would you please post a map of ALL the land that you have permission to hunt so that no one steps on your little bitty toes again? Bob had you not acted like such a greedy self centered #%#%$%^ about the whole deal, I would have dropped the whole thing. You can ask two other guys on this board to see if I am lying or not, but I had no intention of hunting "YOUR" place!!! Due to your actions I kept stoking the fire leading you to believe I was. Last I checked there are several hunters that have permission to hunt that place and if that bothers you this bad then maybe you should talk with the landowner to see if he will ask the other hunters that have permission NOT to hunt his land because it hurts your feelings or goes against what you call respect or ethics. Is bald face lying to someone a part of your hunter ethics and respect?

So that everyone will know the whole story, I was given a ranchers name and phone number to call for permission to hunt his ranch. A 63,000 acre ranch that is split into 2 different places. One is called by alot of hunters and from what I have heard is hunted by helicopter once or twice a yr, but the other one is one of these so called honey holes. A honey hole that several hunters have permission to hunt, including Bob and myself. The problem is that this entire post is directed at me, not the other hunters that have permission to hunt "HIS" honey hole. I have not called this place yet, nor do I plan on going out there this weekend!! You get the landowner himself to tell me personally that you have sole rights to this place then so be it, but until then as I see it you, me and the other hunters that you know personally have permission to hunt this ranch will just have to try to get along as best as we can. Seems strange that none of the other hunters that hunt that place are on here whinning about me getting permission to hunt there?!?!?!?!

Even though you didn't name me personally, I know and you know who this was directed at. Its not my nature to be called out and not respond. If this goes against the rules of this board then I guess I was wrong for replying to this post. From now on instead of airing your problems with me out on this board, I suggest picking up the phone and making a call and talking to me personally ( my number is in the phone book).
 
No need for maps Kurt, just simple curtousy will do. As far as what went on the other night, how was I to know you were supossedly joking and pushing it on. One thing that I take extremely serious about is the hunting I do and the places I hunt on. So who is right and who is wrong on this one. I didn't start it.
Yes, there are a couple of others that hunt on that part of the ranch. They are the ones that got me on it in the first place. I owe it to them and the rancher for letting me on the ranch.
Just a piece of advice for the future, watch what you joke around about, sometimes it backfires when taken the wrong way.
 
Fellas, no reason to get mad.....I've been hunting those two ranches for years and they are WAY overrated. For some strange reason there just aren't as many coyotes out there as there used to be. Anyway....here's a pic of me getting geared up from my last hunt out there. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
RustyHelicopter4.jpg


Rusty Holt
 
Simple courtesy?? Calling someone a liar is courteous? Your right you didn't start it. You acting like you was the king of all calling kings and that you have never educated a coyote had nothing to do with it either. You telling me and everyone else in the chatroom that you was afraid all I would do on that ranch would educate more coyotes. Have we hunted together before?? Not that I remember. So tell me why would you say something like that when you have no idea how I hunt? And for me watching what I joke about - no need!!! Its not what I joke about but with whom I joke with. This is all water under a burnt bridge now, so it really don't matter. You got your place and I have mine.
 
Yes KB, its washed on down the creek.

Rusty, who is that guy sitting beside you, looks real familar but can't place his name. Have to agree with the over rated part. It was flown about 2 weeks before my last hunt on there. Worked my butt off all day for 5 yotes. It is still a great place and close to home.
 
Gee Bob, I was gonna' buy you a beer next week and pump you for some honeyhole coordinates. But if you're this sensitive about company, maybe I should save my $1.50? Hahahaha! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Hey, phone tag isn't working. E:mail me when you get a chance.
 
Hey guys, I truly hope you two can get this all worked out. Both of you have been great members not only here but in the chat room as well. I know that these newer callers come here just to talk to guys like yourself. I know I enjoy you guys there. Having something personal made public isn't the route to go and just makes things more difficult for everyone. I know deep down you guys know that.

I made the same mistake the other day by bringing my feelings to light just the other day on the board when I knew I should of taken it up in a personal e-mail. Should I have said what needed to be said, yeah maybe. But I said it in the wrong place. Discussions like this do need to be just between the parties involved.

As far as the topic itself goes, it's a great one. Lance kinda touched on it some but us out west where there are vast amounts of BLM land run into the same thing. With the land all being public, anyone can hunt it. What always seems to happen to me is that when I'm hunting, someone always seems to find there way right smack in the middle of my stand. They are totally legal but I guess they feel that it is also their right. If I see a vehicle, then I totally bypass the area. I also will do everything I can to go around instead of going through the area if someone else is there. I do think it's a matter of respect and a lot of hunters have lost that. Someday, that may just cost the rest of us.
 


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