# Idiots you’ve come across hunting



## MagicMarker

Let’s start a new thread. One I’ll never forget was about ten years ago down in Wayne. National Forest. In the evening after opening day went around the block to see if any other local camps had deer hanging. Talked to a couple guys in one camp that said all they had all day was a couple sound shots. I asked what a sound shot was and they said they heard a couple walking and just shot at the sounds. Never went their way after that


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## privateer

"sound shots" wow. guess that is the reason they don't let you Ohio guys hunt with rifles... 

when i saw "sound shots" i thought you were referring to something we have done before - like the time on a youth antlerless rifle hunt with my son and two of the biggest bucks i have ever seen - did i say ever... - sauntered by us while we were in open woods, wearing full blaze orange, sitting on the ground 20-yds away. so close that we could see their skin quiver as they shook the light rain from their coats. my son raised his rifle, aimed, and said "bang" -- you know, a "sound" shot... the deer just continued walking on by.

to complete the story. we saw a guy go in archery hunting to a tree stand in the direction the bucks walked that morning. when we walked out, that guy was at his truck too. i asked if he saw the bucks. he said, yup saw them and was so startled by them, dropped his bow from the tree stand... did i say they were big deer - how big? i have taken a 225-lb field dressed buck from that woods before. PA farm fed!


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## privateer

There was the idiot in PA deer woods one year that as my dad and I were talking with another hunter, this big-big young guy comes walking down the old rail bed - jacket open and rifle sling over his neck with rifle swinging from one side to the other. so the barrel was swinging through us about every step forward. I yelled at the guy to control his rifle - who was dumbfounded what the problem was. Then HIS dad - they guy turned out we were talking with - proceeded to chew him out...


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## 9Left

Hmmm... wish I had a story for that… I've come across many hunters that are rude and have no kind of etiquette in the woods... But honestly most hunters I have met seemed to be fairly safe. The only thing I have to back that up is the amount of Hunter related accidents you see reported on the news… It's in the single digits… And when compared to the tens of thousands of hunters that are in the woods with guns… I like to think that we are a pretty safe bunch ....Not saying at all that there's not a few morons out there… But I have never really met them


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## squid_1

I had a guy loaded down with antlers around his neck, grunt call and his crossbow sneaking down a hillside. He stopped almost directly below me and never looked up. I started talking softly to get his attention and he was looking all around. I finally said in a normal voice "up here" startled him to death. He said that he was glad it was a hunter and not the good lord that was talking to him. Still makes me chuckle when I drive by that tree.


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## Kenlow1

Son and I have permission to hunt a property, there is only one other hunter that has permission too. Last year my son was in his tree and saw 2-bucks but could not get a shot (one nice wide buck we had pic's of) Then right at dark-thirty as he was getting out of his stand he sees a light on ground behind him. he texts me that someone is in woods on the ground with a light? Thinking the other hunter is hunting that nite also, I surmise that maybe he is tracking a deer. We have his cell # so I text him-"are you in woods tonite and did you put a hit on a deer"? Nothing for 10 minutes. Finally he texted back that he shot at big buck but must have missed? I asked if he found his arrow with any blood on it, he responded that he could not find his arrow after searching for 10 minutes. He was in a climber so he was shooting down at an angle and told him if he missed the deer he should have no trouble finding his arrow. (said he has lighted nocs too) I asked him if he wanted us to come take a look and he said NO he was sure he just missed and said his arrow probably just buried into leaves. After I heard that I am know doing a "slow burn"! So he shoots at the big buck, cant find arrow or blood and just assumes he missed. Well we went home that nite and it bothered my son and I and we decided to go look the next day for any blood, arrow or sign. Guess what? He did not miss! We were not in woods 20 minutes and found his arrow about 75 yds from where the light was with blood on it. It had only gone in about 4-5"! Now we are really pisses as he never put in any effort to look further for the big buck. We looked all over, very little blood and can only figure he hit the shoulder. We never found the buck last year and hope it was a non-lethal hit and he survived?


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## bustedrod

bow season down at salt fork, i was crunched up against a little bank of brush on a nice run. i stsrted hearing clankin and bangin up the gully, well 10 minutes later this guy appears walking up my deer trail with a tree stand ,bow, back pack and smokin a cig.....stops dead in front of me never saw me ..finished his smoke and he was lookin around when i decided to let this clown know i was sitting there..i said hey and he still didnt see me and when i stood up he about crapped hahahahahahah


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## Dan1881

My very first time bow hunting, my brother and I were leaving public land and we saw what looked to be a large deer cross the path about 200 yards ahead. It was dusk, a lot of overhang and it happened quick so neither of us got a good look. We hunkered down in the hopes it was heading our way and after about 20 minutes slowly started creeping up. Once we got to to the cross path coming down the hill was a guy on foot and he was leading his small brown/tan horse! No hunter orange of course ,wearing a khaki jacket . The woods are used in summer as horse trails but to my knowledge when hunting starts they're closed (or logic would suggest to stay off them). We told him he should be careful that we saw to other parties hunting in these woods today, his reply "any idiot who can't tell a horse from a deer should be shot". I said sir I agree a hunter should identify it as a horse before shooting but i can't speak for everyone, it's dusk and we were 200 yards away and couldn't identify it. He then proceeded to go deeper into the woods as he mumbled under his breath to us.


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## cement569

i wouldn't say this guy was an idiot but kinda different. I was hunting a few years back during gun season and hear something coming up from the bottom that sounded like a dozer, so I sit back and watch. well its cold in the 20,s and here comes this fella dressed in jeans and tennis shoes and wearing a orange life vest, I sat there watching him and thought...should I say something to make my presence known? naw he was hunting so I just let him go on his way


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## Eye Dr

I had roosted a Gobbler the evening before the first day of season in Pa. The next morning I got in on him nice and early. As it started to get daylight, he was gobbling like crazy. All of the sudden he started putting and flew a long ways away. About 10 minutes later a guy walked up to me from the gobblers direction. He was wearing a solid fluorescent orange pair of coveralls. For some odd reason I asked him if he heard/saw anything, and he said “ yeah one just flew out of a tree but I didn’t know where it went “. I just shook my head and left.


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## Bluegillin'

I grew up in Coshocton County and given the great reports, people came from all over the state and beyond to hunt. Due to the idiots that came, the farmers that had llamas had to either spray paint orange on them or put a vest on them so that they did not get shot. 

I also had a summer job in a factory there, one day a manager walks in the lunch room and a guy starts making donkey sounds. Everybody laughed and the manager stormed out. Being the new guy, I said what's that about. Well, as you can guess by this thread, that guy had supposedly shot someone's donkey thinking it was a deer. (Field dressed, I think the donkey came in at about 650 pounds LOL.)


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## floater99

We saw a guy at a check in station with a TAGGED GOAT in his truck ( unfortunately true ) quite a commotion around his trk
We had two guys in full orange trying to set there decoys at a goose hunt one time and they were setting up in our drawn area to boot


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## fishingful

I was duck hunting a Mosquito lake. Cold morning, got out early and was all set up. 45 min till shooting time. I droped my calls in the water, they were freezing and it was still dark. So was clearing them out because a few were frozen. I blew on one (2 second toot). I hear, "shut the f*** up" screaming not normal talking. 

I listened to the guy yelling at his kid for the last 30 minutes while he tried to launch his boat and droping what had to be every decoy from 10 feet high in the aluminum boat.

Great experience he must have had.


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## MagicMarker

Bluegillin' said:


> I grew up in Coshocton County and given the great reports, people came from all over the state and beyond to hunt. Due to the idiots that came, the farmers that had llamas had to either spray paint orange on them or put a vest on them so that they did not get shot.
> 
> I also had a summer job in a factory there, one day a manager walks in the lunch room and a guy starts making donkey sounds. Everybody laughed and the manager stormed out. Being the new guy, I said what's that about. Well, as you can guess by this thread, that guy had supposedly shot someone's donkey thinking it was a deer. (Field dressed, I think the donkey came in at about 650 pounds LOL.)


 worked with a guy once that shot a farmers jersey calf


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## Bluegillin'

MagicMarker said:


> worked with a guy once that shot a farmers jersey calf


Hmm....This deer taste like beef


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## TheRealEyeCatcher

Back where my family lives in NY we used to have members of a certain “traditional living” group on our posted private land every fall. Many confrontations with them and the DEC not really doing jack about it. Eventually a neighboring landowner (whose family had owned the land for 150+ years) who was in his late 70s got tired of competing with them for deer on his own land and started shooting at them whenever he saw them trespassing. Never hit one but the town eventually became too suburban and they moved further out into the sticks to poach someone else’s deer I assume


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## chadwimc

TheRealEyeCatcher said:


> certain “traditional living” group on our posted private land every fall. Many confrontations with them


Ruh roh, Shaggy...Now ya did it...


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## TheRealEyeCatcher

chadwimc said:


> Ruh roh, Shaggy...Now ya did it...


Not saying they’re all that way by any means but just saying my experiences with idiots in the woods. Both them and the neighbor could qualify


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## ezbite

I was hunting a cut field at mosquito probably my 2nd or 3rd year of hunting alone (30 years ago?), I set up on the edge, sat at the base of a big tree. there were several cars in the parking lot too. it was still pitch black out and all of a sudden across the field from me I see a flash, then it happens, must of been 10-15 quick shots in the dark, I heard something go thru the tree tops a little down from me, I'm sure it was a slug. I ducked behind the tree I was leaning on. after a few minutes I pack up and got the hell outta there. once back at the parking lot there was another guy who was doing as I, getting outta there. he said a guy in a group of guys think they saw a deer walking out in the field and they all opened up.. ah, public land hunting.


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## ducknut141

I have ran into more idiots duck hunting than I can list hear. I have had them set up 25 yards in front and both sides of me. Seen people shoot swans, commerants and other illegal birds. Had guys set up in farmers fields without permission because they saw me hunting. That one was good because the farmer told them if they come back he would knock the windows out of their truck and unload the manure spreader in it. The list is long and at times very funny watching them fall into the water etc.


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## chadwimc

TheRealEyeCatcher said:


> Not saying they’re all that way by any means but just saying my experiences with idiots in the woods. Both them and the neighbor could qualify


Poachers and trespassers in my experience. But that seems not to be kosher here for some reason...


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## razu

Lucky enough to not need to hunt public land but was at wilds one year during gun and saw some pretty crazy things but what got me most was people standing in the middle of the woods around a campfire warming up
So two of these that day. 



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## c. j. stone

Hunting with my two boys at Berlin when they were grade schoolers. We were in a long field working two Britts and leaving all shooting at pheasants to the kids. They both missed a wildly flushed bird that flew in the direction of a wooded edge. Worked the dogs in that direction, got a point at least 60 yds from the woodline. Older son walks up, flushes the bird and makes a great shot on the bird flying in the direction of the woods. Bird collapses in mid-flight. Drops straight down, THEN a shot from inside the woods "three seconds after" the bird falls! Old man rushes into the field and grabs the bird!! yelling "I got it, I got it"!-before my son could get to it! I got there pretty quickly and told him "my son shot that bird"! He stuffs it into his jacket and says, "No, he missed"! then says "my 12 gauge says I got it"! and starts walking back to the woods! I told him I hope he "goes home, cooks the bird, and 'CHOKES' on it" for stealing my son's bird! He keeps mumbling "I" Got It"! as he returns to the woods!! Variations of this scenario has happened on Public Land over the years, but this was the "winner"!


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## ducknut141

I run into more idiots going to and from hunting (on the roadways) these days.


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## bustedrod

shot a deer during gun season and dropped it , but it slid down a very steep bank and i couldnt see it, but i was on private bordering on public, my deer went down the public side and bam bam bam bam ....some ass hat said he shot him , with 3 of his buds all standing around lookin at my deer ....shot full of holes. those guys drilled that deer ( a buck ) as it slid down that steep hill. shook my head and walked away , hope there wasnt enough meat to make a sandwich....


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## mike hunt

You have to wonder where they all come from


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## bustedrod

i saved this one ,,,,,gun season ...salt fork , i have a orange vest that says dont shoot im a man, hahah and while standig behind a large tree looking up hill ( hearing noises ) , i was using my 44 mag so i didnt really stick out, well a buck runs down the hill and i couldnt get a shot because orange sprang up like mushrooms. suddenly BLAM THE BARK EXPLODED ON THE TREE . someone launched a slug that hit the tree shredding bark on me. packed my chit and went home, later picked bark out of my hat....w t f? the best one is hunting grand river and took a stray 22 in the leg ....leaves a big scar..


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## ZoomRagingBassMan

privateer said:


> "sound shots" wow. guess that is the reason they don't let you Ohio guys hunt with rifles...
> 
> when i saw "sound shots" i thought you were referring to something we have done before - like the time on a youth antlerless rifle hunt with my son and two of the biggest bucks i have ever seen - did i say ever... - sauntered by us while we were in open woods, wearing full blaze orange, sitting on the ground 20-yds away. so close that we could see their skin quiver as they shook the light rain from their coats. my son raised his rifle, aimed, and said "bang" -- you know, a "sound" shot... the deer just continued walking on by.
> 
> to complete the story. we saw a guy go in archery hunting to a tree stand in the direction the bucks walked that morning. when we walked out, that guy was at his truck too. i asked if he saw the bucks. he said, yup saw them and was so startled by them, dropped his bow from the tree stand... did i say they were big deer - how big? i have taken a 225-lb field dressed buck from that woods before. PA farm fed!


It’s not just guys in Ohio. Not real nice, polite of you to group every hunter in Ohio to be like that. There are crazy hunters like that in every state. People who are new to hunting. Go out with no consideration to other hunters or the capabilities of their hunting device. I’ve hunted several states. Yes I had a situation in Ohio once when I was on a several thousand acre public hunting tract of land when because of the shotgun shots I was hearing around me I kept myself backed against a big tree and hoped for the best. When I did move I did plenty of yelling to hope that any nuts in the area would know it was a human even though I was in blaze hunter orange. I was in a different state one time though. A public hunting area. Part of it was closed to hunting. One day there was a lot of excitement going on. I went to see what had happened. It was a photographer taking pictures in this area that was posted no hunting but a hunter had went in and put up a tree stand. This was bow hunting season. This photographer got shot in the ass by this idiot breaking the law hunting in a no hunting area. Only yards away and shot this photographer with his bow. That was the worst hunting mishap I’ve seen. Rifles are not allowed in Ohio because of the flat terrain. Bullet can travel way past your line of sight. Anyway it’s not just Ohio you can read about these kinds of crazy hunting accidents across this country.


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## TomC

trespassers, guy currently running deer with side by side( visually seen for the last 3 weeks) a guy putting up his stand 30yrds from mine, guys setting up stands a week before hunting season, then moving their stands multiple times during season then pulling their stands a week before gun week.

Which leads me to a post I was going to create, hunter harassment 

So 4 weeks ago, I was out hunting the property I have permission to hunt. the neighbor to the west has two dogs, once being a highly aggressive boxer that has cornered me and backed me up three times. On the fourth time I almost shot the dog. After throwing a large rock at it the dog backed down and ran off.

After the incident, I went to the owner of the dog and introduced myself, who am Im, what I do, and just info how long ive hunter out there and what I had recently encountered with his dog. I said what had occurred and that I had almost shot his dog due to its actions, how aggressive it was acting and how it wouldn't back down. The dog owners response "OK". That's all he said. 

Two days later I saw the guys wife and she stopped to talk to me. She apologized for her husbands response and action towards the situation and said that hes sorta anti social and a Dic$!. She said that she wasn't aware of the dog being aggressive and told me that it wasn't. I told her everything that had occurred and how the dog has acted towards me. She appoligized and asked me not to shoot the dog if it became aggressive again.

I explained to her that the dog was on another property that didn't belong to them and it was highly aggressive, she said she under stood and would do her best to keep the dogs on their property. 

Since then the husband constantly from 6 to 640 almost every night, gets on his side by side and rides his property, rides property to the north of him, on the property I hunt and to the property to the north of where I hunt. On numerous occasions I have captured this individual trespassing on the properties with trail cameras. He's been visually seen running and chasing deer with his side by side when he does this. He only rides the properties for about 15 to 20 min but runs the deer when he does it. 

What actions if any do I have?


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## squid_1

I know what I would do but posting it is not such a great idea.


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## Eye Dr

Roofing nails on his trail.


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## TomC

I did make contact with odnr but im currently waiting a call back.


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## ZoomRagingBassMan

I’ve had similar but not dangerous situations fishing. I was anchored off fishing a ledge catching walleye. My wife and I were bringing them in cast after cast. Biggest share of them were only about 15” or in that neighborhood so we were throwing them back. Only keeping the 18” or little bigger. Water was rough. Needs to drop anchor quite a few yards away to hold spot. Some guy in a Lund boat drifting by seen us bringing in these walleye. He decided he was going to anchor and fish the same area. Public lake so that’s fine but guys in his new boat. Didn’t have any idea how far from where he wanted his boat to hold the spot. Almost drifted into my boat several times. Starting his motor and moving


TomC said:


> trespassers, guy currently running deer with side by side( visually seen for the last 3 weeks) a guy putting up his stand 30yrds from mine, guys setting up stands a week before hunting season, then moving their stands multiple times during season then pulling their stands a week before gun week.
> 
> Which leads me to a post I was going to create, hunter harassment
> 
> So 4 weeks ago, I was out hunting the property I have permission to hunt. the neighbor to the west has two dogs, once being a highly aggressive boxer that has cornered me and backed me up three times. On the fourth time I almost shot the dog. After throwing a large rock at it the dog backed down and ran off.
> 
> After the incident, I went to the owner of the dog and introduced myself, who am Im, what I do, and just info how long ive hunter out there and what I had recently encountered with his dog. I said what had occurred and that I had almost shot his dog due to its actions, how aggressive it was acting and how it wouldn't back down. The dog owners response "OK". That's all he said.
> 
> Two days later I saw the guys wife and she stopped to talk to me. She apologized for her husbands response and action towards the situation and said that hes sorta anti social and a Dic$!. She said that she wasn't aware of the dog being aggressive and told me that it wasn't. I told her everything that had occurred and how the dog has acted towards me. She appoligized and asked me not to shoot the dog if it became aggressive again.
> 
> I explained to her that the dog was on another property that didn't belong to them and it was highly aggressive, she said she under stood and would do her best to keep the dogs on their property.
> 
> Since then the husband constantly from 6 to 640 almost every night, gets on his side by side and rides his property, rides property to the north of him, on the property I hunt and to the property to the north of where I hunt. On numerous occasions I have captured this individual trespassing on the properties with trail cameras. He's been visually seen running and chasing deer with his side by side when he does this. He only rides the properties for about 15 to 20 min but runs the deer when he does it.
> 
> What actions if any do I have?


TomC
I had a very similar incident. I was hunting a mans property that just happened to work for me. He knew I was a big time bow hunter. Lived for it. Not capable anymore after an accident that made hunting with a compound bow almost impossible. Only way I could I would have to hope the deer walked exactly a certain path. Anyway first time back in my stand that I had scouted the area and set up. I got into my stand and this boxer I had seen quite some way behind me had tracked me and was sitting at base of my tree going crazy. I knew I wasn’t going to see any deer the way he was carrying on. I knew I wasn’t going to climb down either with him there. I had been attacked by a dog once when younger and ended up with 23 stitches in my arm. Doctor said if dog hadn’t had his jaw around my forearm bone he would have torn my arm up worse. I was close to shooting him also. I thought how easy it would be to put an arrow through him. He did finally leave. When I found out who’s dog it was and approached him about the problem he took the same attitude. That was until the land owner said he would have the dog taken care of. Never seen him after that. I guess he didn’t want to lose his dog. The land owner in fact told me I should have shot him. I just didn’t want to unless absolutely necessary.


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## ZoomRagingBassMan

ZoomRagingBassMan said:


> I’ve had similar but not dangerous situations fishing. I was anchored off fishing a ledge catching walleye. My wife and I were bringing them in cast after cast. Biggest share of them were only about 15” or in that neighborhood so we were throwing them back. Only keeping the 18” or little bigger. Water was rough. Needs to drop anchor quite a few yards away to hold spot. Some guy in a Lund boat drifting by seen us bringing in these walleye. He decided he was going to anchor and fish the same area. Public lake so that’s fine but guys in his new boat. Didn’t have any idea how far from where he wanted his boat to hold the spot. Almost drifted into my boat several times. Starting his motor and moving
> 
> TomC
> I had a very similar incident. I was hunting a mans property that just happened to work for me. He knew I was a big time bow hunter. Lived for it. Not capable anymore after an accident that made hunting with a compound bow almost impossible. Only way I could I would have to hope the deer walked exactly a certain path. Anyway first time back in my stand that I had scouted the area and set up. I got into my stand and this boxer I had seen quite some way behind me had tracked me and was sitting at base of my tree going crazy. I knew I wasn’t going to see any deer the way he was carrying on. I knew I wasn’t going to climb down either with him there. I had been attacked by a dog once when younger and ended up with 23 stitches in my arm. Doctor said if dog hadn’t had his jaw around my forearm bone he would have torn my arm up worse. I was close to shooting him also. I thought how easy it would be to put an arrow through him. He did finally leave. When I found out who’s dog it was and approached him about the problem he took the same attitude. That was until the land owner said he would have the dog taken care of. Never seen him after that. I guess he didn’t want to lose his dog. The land owner in fact told me I should have shot him. I just didn’t want to unless absolutely necessary.


Don’t know how the incident about the fishing got here. Made a mistake someway. It was supposed to be on a different post.


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## TomC

they have two dogs the aggressive boxer and this short fat white bulldog. The bulldog will run up right on you and roll over wanting to play. The boxer, just shows teeth growls and barks and is highly aggressive. I own two boxers myself one that's like a 110years old and one that's 3 and both of them have never acted like this one does. I guess I don't understand the mentality of hey im gona let my dogs go all over other peoples property and drive all over others property as well. 

I don't go onto his land, and the only time I do have permission to go onto it,his wife gave me, and its to recover a downed deer.


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## privateer

TomC said:


> trespassers, guy currently running deer with side by side( visually seen for the last 3 weeks) a guy putting up his stand 30yrds from mine, guys setting up stands a week before hunting season, then moving their stands multiple times during season then pulling their stands a week before gun week.
> 
> Which leads me to a post I was going to create, hunter harassment
> 
> So 4 weeks ago, I was out hunting the property I have permission to hunt. the neighbor to the west has two dogs, once being a highly aggressive boxer that has cornered me and backed me up three times. On the fourth time I almost shot the dog. After throwing a large rock at it the dog backed down and ran off.
> 
> After the incident, I went to the owner of the dog and introduced myself, who am Im, what I do, and just info how long ive hunter out there and what I had recently encountered with his dog. I said what had occurred and that I had almost shot his dog due to its actions, how aggressive it was acting and how it wouldn't back down. The dog owners response "OK". That's all he said.
> 
> Two days later I saw the guys wife and she stopped to talk to me. She apologized for her husbands response and action towards the situation and said that hes sorta anti social and a Dic$!. She said that she wasn't aware of the dog being aggressive and told me that it wasn't. I told her everything that had occurred and how the dog has acted towards me. She appoligized and asked me not to shoot the dog if it became aggressive again.
> 
> I explained to her that the dog was on another property that didn't belong to them and it was highly aggressive, she said she under stood and would do her best to keep the dogs on their property.
> 
> Since then the husband constantly from 6 to 640 almost every night, gets on his side by side and rides his property, rides property to the north of him, on the property I hunt and to the property to the north of where I hunt. On numerous occasions I have captured this individual trespassing on the properties with trail cameras. He's been visually seen running and chasing deer with his side by side when he does this. He only rides the properties for about 15 to 20 min but runs the deer when he does it.
> 
> What actions if any do I have?


if Ohio has a law against hindering a hunt - you could file charges. lots of states put these laws on the books to protect against animal rights protesting. of course you can use against an ass of a neighbor too if this is what is occurring. may be hard to prosecute unless you get him on video saying that is what is up.


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## Hatchetman

ezbite said:


> I was hunting a cut field at mosquito probably my 2nd or 3rd year of hunting alone (30 years ago?), I set up on the edge, sat at the base of a big tree. there were several cars in the parking lot too. it was still pitch black out and all of a sudden across the field from me I see a flash, then it happens, must of been 10-15 quick shots in the dark, I heard something go thru the tree tops a little down from me, I'm sure it was a slug. I ducked behind the tree I was leaning on. after a few minutes I pack up and got the hell outta there. once back at the parking lot there was another guy who was doing as I, getting outta there. he said a guy in a group of guys think they saw a deer walking out in the field and they all opened up.. ah, public land hunting.


Maybe they saw your Bills hat....


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## mas5588

ZoomRagingBassMan said:


> Rifles are not allowed in Ohio because of the flat terrain. Bullet can travel way past your line of sight.


not to nit pick or derail, but if that's the case why can you use any centerfire rifle in KS for deer? Lots of other flat midwest states are more flexible when it comes to firearm hunting choices. Anyways....


I don't hunt a ton, but my idiot story goes something like this...

Meet a buddy outside Lawrence, KS early one spring morning to do some turkey hunting on a public spot he's heard has birds. In KS we had WIHA areas (walk-in hunting area, which was private land leased to the state) and this is one of those spots. 

My buddy drives and we get there in the dark, park next to the gate (with WIHA signage), walk a field up to a tree line that runs up the side of a modest rise. 

Starting to get light at this point so we're calling and have a bird fired up at the top of this rise, through the trees. There's a dry creek bed running down the hill, so we walk up while paralleling that creek. Set up next to the creek bed hoping this bird will come down. Call and call and call, he won't budge. Still gobbling like crazy.

So we move up, find a game trail and setup near there. Call and call and call, bird is gobbling like crazy, but won't budge. Huh. 

I finally tell my buddy I'm going to get a look. So I belly crawl up to the crest of this ridge (without my shotgun, thankfully) and can see the turkey, but he's sort-of obscured by...a....

fence.

It was a penned, domesticated turkey. 

I slither back down the hill and tell my buddy what I saw. He looks a little confused and as we're walking back to the truck, he realizes we were on the wrong side of the road. 

So it was US who were the idiots on that day.


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## baitguy

c. j. stone said:


> Hunting with my two boys at Berlin when they were grade schoolers. Older son walks up, flushes the bird and makes a great shot on the bird flying in the direction of the woods. Bird collapses in mid-flight. Drops straight down, THEN a shot from inside the woods "three seconds after" the bird falls! Old man rushes into the field and grabs the bird!! yelling "I got it, I got it"!-before my son could get to it! I got there pretty quickly and told him "my son shot that bird"! He stuffs it into his jacket and says, "No, he missed"! then says "my 12 gauge says I got it"! and starts walking back to the woods! I told him I hope he "goes home, cooks the bird, and 'CHOKES' on it" for stealing my son's bird! He keeps mumbling "I" Got It"! as he returns to the woods!! Variations of this scenario has happened on Public Land over the years, but this was the "winner"!


years ago I was at a public area where they released some birds the day before ... me, my buddy and about 4 dozen others  somebody flushed a pheasant and it sounded like a firing range, must have been a dozen guys open up on this bird and feathers flew, it dropped like a rock ... probably from the 3 pounds of lead it just ingested  then of course a fight almost breaks out over who's bird it was .. I wouldn't have even wanted it, damn thing was so shot up you'd be eating more lead than meat ... it was about the last time I hunted on public land


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## 1MoreKast

I was bow hunting looking down a ridge with a dried up creek bed. Maybe 50 yards from the country road behind me. Private property with permission from the land owner. I hear a vehicle stop and a door slam. I heard footsteps of leaves crunching as someone is coming into the woods, and heading right for the large oak I'm under. A man in a white T shirt, jeans, suspenders and a long, gray beard stops to catch his breath. I speak to him "hey - what's going on?" and he about has a heart attack, drops the large garbage bag he has and claims "oh no...I'm in trouble aren't I?"

I claim maybe not if he can prove he has permission to be on the land. He doesn't answer me and starts asking me who I know and what I'm doing and if I'm the law.... I told him I have permission to hunt here and what he has permission to do? He just says, "well, I'm about to pick a lot of pot and you better not say anything..." 

I let him walk ahead and I leave the woods. I grab the land owner and as we make our way back to the road we see a mini van pull up, the old man throws a large garbage bag full of pot into the van and it takes off.

We later found a penned off chicken wire fence and small irrigation canals to a little weed farm this man had made in the woods. It was reported and destroyed. One of the wildest things that has happened to me in the woods.


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## Junebug2320

I moved back to the area i grew up after the service. It was great, rural land, just open the beagle’s kennels and we ran rabbits all day. A few years ago i asked permission to hunt a small strip of property and got the okay. Two properties to the south one of the owners gifted his daughter some of his property. She’s an “animal lover” so much so that she works for the trash company and when they find varmints in the trucks, she takes them home and releases them (yes against the law). I was sitting there and i hear yelling. Here comes this broad and her daughter calling for their “lost cat”. I stop them to chat, introduce myself and she remembers me. Says she loves animals and saw me getting hunter gear on when she drove by. Lost cat my a$$. 


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## Lil' Rob

I was hunting a big public land back in the late 90's and had hung a stand way back in the thick stuff prior to bow season, pretty tough to get to this area. I took a doe late October from that stand. The platform was maybe 10-12' off the ground. Come shotgun season, I shot a doe on opening day Monday and gutted her about 70 yards behind the stand. Tuesday rolls around, I am back in the stand, seen a few deer moving through the general area. About 9AM, I hear something behind me. There is a guy pissing on the gut pile from the previous day. He makes his way towards me. I am in a full orange jacket, now turned around in the stand facing him. He walks the small trail 10 yards next me and past me. Never sees me. I am turning in the stand to make sure I am facing him. Still doesn't see me. Finally, he's 15 yards in front of stand where the trail meets a bigger trail, and I call out to him. I thought he pooped himself as he almost dropped his gun and jumped out of his boots. He had no idea where he was in relation to where his buddies were or knew where they parked! No phone, no radio, not even a phone number to call one of his buddies. I offered to help him by walking him out to the nearest road, but he insisted he was good, and kept walking. About 5 hours later, he comes through again! Passes the same gut pile and walks past me again without seeing me. Scared him again! Still had no clue, hadn't found his buddies yet, and didn't realize he'd already been through there. I told him I was leaving (I surely wasn't going to see any deer that day) and offered to drive him around until we found where they parked. Still didn't want help. He walked off in another direction as I was packing up and getting down from the stand. I watched him moving down the hill, crashing through the thick stuff...just like 5 hours earlier.


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## Skyler Hooper

Here just to read these. Gotta go back in to work but I'll be back to continue reading these great story's 

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## garhtr

I've hunted on public land a lot and haven't seen anything toooo outrageous but I sure saw a lot of idiots on a 200 mile drive up I-75 in the rain, I was far more concerned driving than I've ever been in the woods, certainly more fools on the highway than in the great outdoors  
Pretty safe out there Imo
Good luck and good hunting


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## milkdud

Years ago we were hunting a farm where the landowner let a friend of his grandson hunt one year. While talking to him at the end of the day I watched him place the butt of his slug gun on his boot and lean the barrel back into his stomach so he could use both hands to cup his lighter to light a cigarette! So glad he never came back!


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## Skyler Hooper

Hahahah this story made me laugh so loud I woke my son up 

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## c. j. stone

baitguy said:


> years ago I was at a public area where they released some birds the day before ... me, my buddy and about 4 dozen others  somebody flushed a pheasant and it sounded like a firing range, must have been a dozen guys open up on this bird and feathers flew, it dropped like a rock ... probably from the 3 pounds of lead it just ingested  then of course a fight almost breaks out over who's bird it was .. I wouldn't have even wanted it, damn thing was so shot up you'd be eating more lead than meat ... it was about the last time I hunted on public land


I've seen this so many times on public, stocked land so many times, I considered it "normal"! I once saw it on private land during deer gun season where a bunch of "sportsmen" were dropped off on the woodline and the driver went several hundred yards up the road, dropped off a few blockers and parked on the edge of a mowed hayfield. Three of us had permission(the only ones with permission)! We'd all seen an old, immaciated, grey haired buck with a broken, scragly rack who literally was on his last legs(could barely walk!) that we decided wasn't worth the price of a tag the day before. Well the "sportsmen" drive that woods and at the fence, had the old buck cornered(he couldn't jump over)! They shot him so full of(maybe 20) holes , it looked like "blood red swiss cheese"! Then they proceed to argue who "killed" the old boy. All observed by my buddy who had "retreated" into the open field when he saw the "drive" developing and didn't want to be "down range" of any running deer being shot at.


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## mike hunt

c. j. stone said:


> I've seen this so many times on public, stocked land so many times, I considered it "normal"! I once saw it on private land during deer gunn season where a moini-busload of "sportsmen" were dropped off on the woodline and the driver went several hundred yards up the road and parked on the edge of a mowed hayfield. Three of us had permission(the only ones with permission)! We'd all seen an old, immaciated, grey haired buck with a broken, scragly rack who literally was on his last legs(could barely walk!) that we decided wasn't worth shooting the day before. Well the "sportsmen" drive that woods and at the fence, had the old buck cornered(he couldn't jump over)! They shot him so full of maybe 20 holes , it looked like "blood red swiss cheese"! Then they proceed to argue who "killed" the old boy. All observed by my buddy who had "retreated" into the open field when he saw the "drive" developing!!



Sportsmen!


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## bdawg

I haven't run into any idiots in the woods, but did get shot while duck hunting opening day at Metzger Marsh. A group of hunters set up about 100 yds from us on the other side of some tall reeds. We were all shooting at mostly coots all morning. One time they shot and a bb hit my neck, the only exposed skin I had! It didn't break skin, but it stung! I yelled that they had shot me loud enough so they could hear, but they didn't respond.


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## stormfront

I could fill a few pages on this thread with hunters who I came across and should never have been allowed to own a gun but the scariest happened at Mosquito Lake about 35 years ago. I was in a blind, by myself, along the NW shore when I saw another hunter coming down the shoreline towards me. He had a gun and a camo jacket but no dekes and maybe no waders (it's been a long time), As he approached the blind I stood up so he'd know someone was there. He continued right up to the blind and went into a tirade, complaining how the government and the ODNR were keeping all the ducks and geese in the refuge. The talk got crazier as he went on and I said nothing (for the first time in my life). I really felt that something bad was going to happen and soon. And just like that he grumbled his last, turned and walked away. I watched as he went back the way he came and disappeared, sat down, poured a cup of coffee and thanked God for the ending that was had.


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## OrangeMilk

Insert every moment of Dove hunting public land here.


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## c. j. stone

Interesting abt the duck blind. We drew one for Mogadore once. After we were set up, dekes out in front up to ~50 yds, two fishermen show up rowing up to our decoys and anchor just at daylight! My buddy who was Not a tolerant guy, yells at them that they're "supposed" to stay clear of duck blinds on hunting days! Picture this, two "duck nuts" with shotguns, and they're yelling "profanities" and "they have as much right to use the lake as us"! from less than 50 yds away! As luck would have it, a diver duck comes low over the decoys, friend gets a bead on it, and just about 20 yrds before the boat, he fires dropping the duck "not far from the boat!( also spraying shot on the water, albeit a "safe distance" from them! You never saw two guys pull an anchor so fast and start rowing away like a rowing team making white-water!, and all the while "calling us everything but human beings"!!


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## ironman172

I quit hunting for a few years due to what some have posted, kinda scary on public land , go in , in the dark and when it's light see your not alone.... so many orange coats around , I just left.... if something was seen and most saw and shot at it.... would be a fight who actually killed it..... not worth it to me then, so quit deer gun hunting on public land


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## UNCLEMIKE

ironman172 said:


> I quit hunting for a few years due to what some have posted, kinda scary on public land , go in , in the dark and when it's light see your not alone.... so many orange coats around , I just left.... if something was seen and most saw and shot at it.... would be a fight who actually killed it..... not worth it to me then, so quit deer gun hunting on public land


You might want to give it another chance. Things have changed over time. Depends on the area you hunt. There are areas that see reasonable pressure. Those close to population centers get hit hard. I avoid N.E. Ohio area as there are too few acres of land for the volume of hunters. Sounds like lots of Wayne National Forest is over pressured as well. Some of the areas I hunt now days have too little gun season pressure to get the deer moving. Everyone sits like they were bow hunting and there is little action as a result. After the first day I have the land to myself till the weekend.


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## ironman172

UNCLEMIKE said:


> You might want to give it another chance. Things have changed over time. Depends on the area you hunt. There are areas that see reasonable pressure. Those close to population centers get hit hard. I avoid N.E. Ohio area as there are too few acres of land for the volume of hunters. Sounds like lots of Wayne National Forest is over pressured as well. Some of the areas I hunt now days have too little gun season pressure to get the deer moving. Everyone sits like they were bow hunting and there is little action as a result. After the first day I have the land to myself till the weekend.


Oh I still hunt just not public, own land now for some years and before that hunted a relatives once the deer ate all her flowers and plants ..... if ever wanting a head, I would hunt there.... great place , beside a sanctuary and beyond that public hunting with cliffs in between..... loaded with deer that get pushed there.... but hard to leave my place ....

The only idiot on my place might be me...


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## buckeyebowman

Oh lord! I've got a ton of stories, so I'll have to think about which one I'll tell first!


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## Buck-Eye

Back in the mid 80’s I was running a pheasant hunting club in central Ohio. The season lasted 6 months and this incident was in the spring of the year. I would “set” the birds before the hunters arrived and pick them up half way through the hunt to get a jump start on cleaning them. The group for that particular day consisted of two members and two guests. The guests were teen age boys. 
I heard quite a few shots by 10 am so decided to run out and pick up the birds. Hens and cocks were both legal on this preserve. As I approached on my Honda Big Red, complete with 8’ orange flag a woodcock flushed and flew off to the hunters side. One of the guests turned and fired, never looking to see what was in his way. He proceeded to shoot my way and hit me with a load of high brass #4’s from a 12 ga. It blew me off the bike. They all ran over and helped me up. I was a little out of it, but felt ok until I took my hand off my face and noticed it was bright red with blood. About passed out. My carharts took the brunt of it and those pellets only stung. The 3 wheeler had about $300. damage due to punctured lines and bent up parts. The only exposed part of my body was my face. The saving grace to being shot was it was at a slight angle. My face was hit by a few pellets, but one lodged in the corner of my eye socket. By the time I reached the emergency room my face had swelled up about two times. They elected to wait 2 weeks for the swelling to go down, otherwise the Dr told me he would tear up my face getting it out. After two weeks I came back and he was able to extract it without much difficulty. I could tell you it was going to rain for about a year based on how my face felt. No other damage and no loss of vision. The DNR did not charge anyone even though they did not have licenses. Said the only way they could press charges was if they would have killed me(?). The good news is I’m still hunting and fishing without any issues and until this thread appeared hadn’t given the incident much thought. I do vividly remember calling my wife from the hospital telling her Not to worry, but I was just shot! I’ve spent a lot of time in the woods and waters since this incident from 1985 without any other problems and consider myself very fortunate.


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## buckeyebowman

A long time ago I decided to try hunting the part of the Mosquito Creek Wildlife Area that had been opened to hunting during gun season. I went out scouting quite a few times, picked a tree to put my climber in, and marked my trail in with blazer tacks. I arrived well ahead of first light, walked in and got set up a good hour before sunrise. 

Just at grey light, 2 absolute bozos show up! Clanging and banging, crashing and bashing! Plus, they were shining what looked like million candlepower spotlights around, and yelling to each other! WHERE D'YOU WANNA GO? I DON'T KNOW, WHERE D'YOU WANNA GO?! They kept on stumbling around in there, making more noise than a company of Marines, and shining those lights around.

After enduring what seemed like an eternity of this I checked my watch, it was 5 minutes past sunrise, and I could still hear them making noise back in there! Fed up, I came down, packed up my stand and put it on my back. Just before walking out I turned and screamed at the top of my lungs, "HEY, A88HOLES! WHY DON'T YOU TRY MAKING MORE NOISE WHILE YOU'RE AT IT! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!


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## Nate167

Back when I was 18 a buddy and I were spring turkey hunting down in Noble county. We were sitting against a tree calling in a Tom when he roosted up in a tree right in front of us. It was mid morning and we knew it was weird for him to go up into a tree. We sat there watching him for a few minutes when all of the sudden someone shot him out of the tree. We both jumped up and yelled at the guy as he ran up to grab the bird and then ran off. We thought about chasing after him but didn’t think 3 guys in a confrontation all with guns to be a good idea.


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## OrangeMilk

I wont gun hunt public land during Deer gun season ever again.

Between too many people making way too much noise and being shot at once, never again.

I was hunting Delaware Wildlife Area and they have mowed a lot of criss crossing trails throughout. I decided to cut across two of these trails through brush on a game trail I found. I heard a shot that was very close by and it went through the tree branches above me. I hit the dirt and yelled. I then hear the sound of thrashing and crashing through the brush nearby and I moved along the game trail to the mowed trail to see what was going on. When I got to mowed trail I turned to see a guy at full sprint headed for the parking area a ways down the trail.


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## Lundy

TomC said:


> What actions if any do I have?


None, since you do not own the property, other than MAYBE hunter harassment and that would be really difficult to prove based upon the actions you describe.


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