Time to vent

[fallhnt]

I hunt public land in IL.  with a bow and each year it's a challenge. Mushroom hunters, no restriction on starting at 1:00, general park public etc. I can deal with this because it's been this way since the county opened. I know there is a safety issue but until somebody gets hurt... Anyway , this year there seems to be no shortage "hunters" with poor or no ethics. I've had gun hunters over the boundary line spoil my hunts, this is a archery only area, and bowhunters who know I was there because of my calling just go on past my set-up to chase the gobbles. This poor tactic I call TV hunting. There hunt doesn't pan out like "as seen on TV" so they stay home and come back out a few days later and "get after em". If I see or hear another hunter calling I have always backed out. It just ticks me off that these jag offs not only ruin my hunt but have no chance in success themselves. It seems everybody wants to be like there TV hero. I say stay home jag off.

[Greg Massey]

I have a name for these people ... I call them road hunters.... its just about the same as riding around and calling from your truck and not having permission to hunting... trying to get a turkey to gobble.

[tomstopper]

These type of people are everywhere. This year, my nephew and I had two grown men ages 30 and up come rite through our setup on Youth Weekend and both carrying shotguns and no youths present and have had people move in on our calling on two seperate occasions this season. What the heck. I feel your pain.

[FL-Boss]

sorry to hear that.  been a lot of these public land posts lately...

[BowBendr]

I see and hear it a lot, especially when you live in one of the more populated states like NC. We're not a big state but by gosh, there are people everywhere. You can not think you will walk off the road more than a mile and get away from the crowd. The opposite is actually truer.
I'm not so sure it's the TV crowd. What I see people doing to other, in every manner of life, is pitiful. It's the "I am more important than you are" crowd. I'm too busy to wait, i'm faster, I don't care about you.....
That's what's wrong with life and hunting, everybodys "special".....


Sent by this stupid phone

[101st501]

It does suck, but that is one of the many pitfalls of public land hunting.  I have never had a negative experience while hunting on public land, but I am sure that it is only a matter of time.

[ridgerunner]

Been hunting public lands for many years...bout seen it all...Illinois is a special breed of ignorance though, i must say....I leased land in Illinois for many years.

[TRG3]

I live and hunt in Southern Illinois. I know the guys who have permission to hunt where I do and we talk to each other to make sure that we don't show up at the same spot. This does not work with those who do not have permission to be on posted ground nor does it work on public ground where four-wheelers take their hunters on to national forest land where they are not supposed to be. I've also experienced those who post national forest land in an attempt to keep others out. The unethical hunter is only interested in getting the animal by whatever means necessary. He's a lot like the guy who shows up every morning at Walmart to purchase as many .22 shells as allowed so that he can re-sell them at a profit. Don't get me started...

[steveo]

Yeah it's tuff dealing with that but guess with open public ground and some with less than ethical ways it is bound to happen,   had a guy ride his truck right past my set up last year on a public spot that is heavily posted "NO MOTORIZED VEHICLES". I also deal with ATV'S dirt bikes on some grounds and I keep notifying the local WCO's sooner or latter thinking they will catch them. The funny thing is I always seem to find turkeys and most times am lucky to fill some tags on those spots.