Opening morning ruined by a jerk

[CleverName]

A little backstory: Theres a local road that has some houses at the bottom of the road that leads up to a huge BLM wooded area. Miles and miles of mountainous country. Great places to shoot and hunt. There's a man that lives on this road who hops on his ATV whenever he hears shooting and accosts people. Ive only ran into him once before. I was leaving my favorite shooting area in my truck. He came flying out of the woods on his ATV and blocked my path. We stared at each other for a short while, then he drove off. I have heard stories of him doing donuts around people, threatening people, telling them to stay off his land etc. Today a beautiful morning of hunting was ruined by him on his loud ATV doing donuts up and down the road and in the woods for hours.

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[BuckShot1118]

I know what you mean today got to the gate I wanted to walk at 4 A.M. an someone was already there. Got to my second spot an parked on the side of the road to wait for light an someone passed me while I was waiting. Then the third spot I got to around 5 still waiting for light someone is riding their quad up and down the road really loud, finally said the hell with it and headed home, the weekend warriors can have at the woods for now. Worse opening day ever for me!

 

[Greenbug]

Didn't even buy a deer tag this year. I don't enjoy it anymore. Too many people, too few deer, and even fewer quality hunting opportunities. It's sad what it has become. First opening day in 20+ years that I was not in the field.

 

[TapRackNGo]

Last week of the season midweek usually when I go up.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

I don't hunt deer or waterfowl any more either. When I was younger I could hike or pack in beyond the crowds and idiots. Can't do 'er anymore but I sure miss it!

 

[novamind]

I hear Ya Sarge, My best days are gone for me too, but a 1986 Honda 2-whl drive Quad with high and low range will ride two people/with gear and tow an elk to the truck.. about $1000.00. For a nice one. I'm looking for one now. As far as the guy on the quad... I ran into a situation simular in 1993 in the hills above Banks, Oregon where I lived...After a nonconfrontational meeting, it turned out his house was just behind the local inpovised shooting range hidden by trees, and several bullets had peppered his house 600+ yards plus away, from high flyers through the trees...We parted on good terms, just sayin..pow- wow good.

 

[RVTECH]

Only one issue here - IF he is blocking access on a public road to another public area then he violating the law and needs to be dealt with legally. Same thing if he is accosting people in a public area. However you did mention

threatening people, telling them to stay off his land etc.

and if it is his land then he has the right to tell people to stay off of it. I can understand this if people are using his property as a thoroughfare. I had this same problem several years ago with people using my property as a playground. I had a canyon behind my house and it had a holding pond for irrigation. Pretty good size, a couple acres anyway and I kept an aluminum boat on it as we would row around in it. I don't remember how may times I had to yell at people to bring my boat back and leave my property. Also people would actually argue with me trying to tell me because it wasn't posted they could be there. My point is this guy might be just some crazy old coot but then he may have some rights if people are on his land,

 

[Burt Gummer]

My first time deer hunting outside Enterprise at 13 I guy mistakenly thought I was a deer from 300 yards away and started firing on me. Took a chuck out of a tree I was standing next to; he apparently had a few PBRs before heading out. I could see how he confused me for a deer though. Bright orange baseball cap, neon shirt. Even when I was just a kid at hunting camp I realized a lot (not all) hunters are idiots and after almost getting shot (twice) I decided that it wasn't for me. If I die doing something risky I want it to be by my own hand.

 

[Dunerunner]

Been shot at hunting deer, too; only it was in California. You know...where they have a occupy the forest movement during the hunting season!! :angry:

 

[ZigZagZeke]

My first time deer hunting outside Enterprise at 13 I guy mistakenly thought I was a deer from 300 yards away and started firing on me. Took a chuck out of a tree I was standing next to; he apparently had a few PBRs before heading out. I could see how he confused me for a deer though. Bright orange baseball cap, neon shirt. Even when I was just a kid at hunting camp I realized a lot (not all) hunters are idiots and after almost getting shot (twice) I decided that it wasn't for me. If I die doing something risky I want it to be by my own hand.

My dad used to tell a story of a rancher in CA in the 60's who was wearing a red hat and had a white horse shot out from underneath him. Don't know if it's true, but it's believable.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

A little backstory: Theres a local road that has some houses at the bottom of the road that leads up to a huge BLM wooded area. Miles and miles of mountainous country. Great places to shoot and hunt. There's a man that lives on this road who hops on his ATV whenever he hears shooting and accosts people. Ive only ran into him once before. I was leaving my favorite shooting area in my truck. He came flying out of the woods on his ATV and blocked my path. We stared at each other for a short while, then he drove off. I have heard stories of him doing donuts around people, threatening people, telling them to stay off his land etc. Today a beautiful morning of hunting was ruined by him on his loud ATV doing donuts up and down the road and in the woods for hours.

I was hunting the ranch near Maupin as usual this weekend. My son-in-law was on a stand Saturday morning about a mile away from where I was and he heard an ATV tooling around. We went back to the truck about 9 am and were getting ready to walk another parcel of land that's usually good still hunting when I noticed the gate was down to that parcel. It had been up when we parked there that morning. Sure enough, there were ATV tracks leading in and out. So much for that 160 acre parcel. The thing is, nobody is authorized to hunt there but me and one other person. Neither of us uses an ATV for anything but retrieving a downed deer. We put the gate back up and went in for breakfast.

Normally, I'm against zero tolerance policies, but whoever it was is jeopardizing my hunting privileges, privileges that most hunters would give body parts to acquire. If I catch them, you bet they are going to be talking to the sheriff, and the landowners will back me 100%.

That said, today was a better day:



Not a great rack, but hanging weight, minus head, skin, hooves, and internals was 120 pounds. He and his twin brother were standing looking at me at about 90 yards. Took him one shot through the lungs off-hand. Can't say enough good stuff about my S&W (Howa) 1500's accuracy.

There are still some monsters down in the canyon:

 

[Dunerunner]

Nice buck!

 

[mjbskwim]

OK,so I'm walking down the road with my cow call and my bow.Hear something in the brush,along with the hiway traffic,in this nice little re-prod. It's snorting,winding me,and it runs off. I'm sure that was my best bet all day.
I go down another road to see about a walk about.Gotta take care of business #2.
I drive to this landing,in a flat clear cut.Tree line is about 70 yards away.
No vehicles any where.
Side note. If you are heading to the bathroom to #2 and your little girl gets a cut,you take care of her. If you have your pants around your knees and she lopps her arm off,she better hold some pressure cause your in the middle of something.

Back to the story.
I drive up with the windows down,dog's head out the window.
I park and let the dog out to pee.I glass around for a couple minutes.
I put the dog back in the truck.
I grab the gun and go to rear of truck. Dig a hole,squat and.....well
This is 4 minutes after I first drove up this road without any vehicles on it.
I hear a cow call and then a voice. "hey.......dumb a$$"
I'm the dumba$$ and you are in a tree stand with just a bow?
I see the rope move and then the tree stand.I finish and drive off
10 minutes later the guy and his buddy drive up next to me to tell me I ruined his hunt. Now since he was right at the tree line,70 yards away,had he just keep his mouth shut,he would have been just fine.I did back fill my "spot" so that wouldn't have effected anything,from 70 yards away.
I just sat in the truck and let them yak,with my pistol in hand,of course.

 

[Spitpatch]

Zeke: thanks for the pics.

Hope you had your tongue hard in cheek about needing to avail yerself of all your Howa's accuracy at 90 yards. ( I think Howa's start distinguishing themselves at ranges slightly longer than what a Winchester '73 44-40 would find a moderate test).

As for the OP: ATV usage will eventually be killed by the users. I have one. I use it. I have also turned in a violator at a neighboring camp (whom I had spoken to friendly and cautionary in years previous) in regard to road closure restrictions. He was just a guy that was really friendly, good camp neighbor, but just didn't get it about the road closure thing.

Don't get me started about trail etiquette, Western Oregon crowded woods, people who have no courtesy, hunters who think it is competition for territory/who can get up the trail first. I walk away, go home, don't hunt. They completely miss the entire concept, and I simply cannot exist in the proximity of their world.

 

[usmc]

you hear this stuff every year and it is pathetic.i too ran into 2 hunter's who crossed private property to access a remote clear cut.they didn't speak good english,and were from portland. im not bagging on people from portland,just the fact that i ran into 2 people that disregarded the no trespassing signs,and they didnt have a clue where they were at.i might have to go back to archery for deer,as this was my primary reason for leaving rifle elk hunting.people dont have any respect for others anymore. its intolerable.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

Zeke: thanks for the pics.

Hope you had your tongue hard in cheek about needing to avail yerself of all your Howa's accuracy at 90 yards. ( I think Howa's start distinguishing themselves at ranges slightly longer than what a Winchester '73 44-40 would find a moderate test).

I appreciate my rifle being able to group at <1" at 100 yards when I'm shooting off-hand, huffing and puffing from jogging to get a good angle, and adrenalin pumping due to excitement. Add a few inches of rifle inaccuracy to the inaccuracy created by the physical situation and I could have missed him. That said, I have an 1873 Remington rolling block (lined and rechambered for .357 Mag) that I've thought about using instead of the Howa. In 8 seasons with 6 deer taken in that area, I've only had one shot longer than 100 yards, and it will group about 3" at 100 yards with iron sights.