Drop_Tine5214
Member
Well I think I may have run into some anti-hunters on my way to the stand tonight for the first time. I participate in a special urban management hunt every year to reduce deer populations in town. Well one of my stands is in a large public park. I got all my stuff on at about 3 p.m. today and started walking to my stand just as another car pulled up in front of mine. Well some guy and his girlfriend get out of the car with their 3 dogs and follow me almost all the way to my stand, they turned around when they were about 75-100 yards from me. The guy was walking all along the timber edge clapping his hands as loud as he could and screaming "DARWIN!! DARWIN!!" Not sure if that was his dog's name or if he was just trying to ruin my hunt. I'm fairly sure it was the latter because it seemed pretty deliberate. I realize they have every right to use the park as I do, I'm not debating that. But it just seems pretty inconsiderate to me because I know they saw me and this park is HUGE and they followed my steps for a few hundred yards away from their car. Hopefully I'm just being paranoid.
There was another truck parked along the timber edge about 500 yards away from mine and they followed the edge all the way to his screaming and clapping. That guy ended up leaving shortly after. The funny thing is that in the middle of all this they spooked a doe and she ran to about 60 yards from my stand. Too bad I couldn't have rewarded their efforts on this doe with a Rage 2-blade. That would have been justice.
Well shortly after they leave a red SUV pulls right up next to my vehicle and the guy inside looked like he was looking into mine. I'm guessing he was either thinking about stealing something or was reading the sticker that is on my windshield that is my permit to hunt. Well after I unhooked and started the climb down in case he tried getting in my vehicle, he started moving again. He was creeping along the field edge at about 3 miles an hour for about 10 minutes looking into the timber. My first guess was that he was another hunter possibly out looking for deer, but after he got closer I realized he had out of state plates. Luckily he got close enough I could take down his plate number just in case. I'm pretty paranoid that this was a treestand thief doing a little scouting, hopefully I'm wrong. Just in case I might drive back there tonight and take my stand down.
I really like doing these urban management hunts because I feel like I am doing some good and maybe even saving someone from hitting a deer and getting killed, but stuff like this makes me want to hike about 2 miles from civilization and just hunt there from now on.
Before anyone says anything also, I realize those people had as much a right to be there as me and I know this type of stuff happens when you hunt public. I'm not debating that, just expressing my frustration and paranoia.
There was another truck parked along the timber edge about 500 yards away from mine and they followed the edge all the way to his screaming and clapping. That guy ended up leaving shortly after. The funny thing is that in the middle of all this they spooked a doe and she ran to about 60 yards from my stand. Too bad I couldn't have rewarded their efforts on this doe with a Rage 2-blade. That would have been justice.
Well shortly after they leave a red SUV pulls right up next to my vehicle and the guy inside looked like he was looking into mine. I'm guessing he was either thinking about stealing something or was reading the sticker that is on my windshield that is my permit to hunt. Well after I unhooked and started the climb down in case he tried getting in my vehicle, he started moving again. He was creeping along the field edge at about 3 miles an hour for about 10 minutes looking into the timber. My first guess was that he was another hunter possibly out looking for deer, but after he got closer I realized he had out of state plates. Luckily he got close enough I could take down his plate number just in case. I'm pretty paranoid that this was a treestand thief doing a little scouting, hopefully I'm wrong. Just in case I might drive back there tonight and take my stand down.
I really like doing these urban management hunts because I feel like I am doing some good and maybe even saving someone from hitting a deer and getting killed, but stuff like this makes me want to hike about 2 miles from civilization and just hunt there from now on.
Before anyone says anything also, I realize those people had as much a right to be there as me and I know this type of stuff happens when you hunt public. I'm not debating that, just expressing my frustration and paranoia.
Sounds like the same maggot infested ignorant type.
