On public land in Pennsylvania there is no such thing as hunting etiquette....
...or so it seems on many occasions during the year.
Case in point, last season I got in early and went up a tree that is about 50 yards from where I normally sit. I did this to gain a shot opportunity that I would not have had from my original stand. One of the other guys that hunts the area regularly walked in with me and set up his stand about 60 yards uphill from where I was located but on another trail.
About a half hour before daylight I see a light bouncing down the local logging road about 200 yards off. It gets closer and closer...crosses the creek and proceeds to head up the trail I am sitting on. When it gets within 40 or 50 yards I shine my flashlight at the hunter to let him know that I am there. What happens next just floors me.
His light goes out and I do not hear or see anything further. I assume that he turned around and I could not see the light because his back was towards me. As it got light out I begin scanning the area for game and end up turning around to check behind me. Lo and behold less than twenty yards away is the same guy but up a tree in a climber almost exactly where I last saw the flashlight beam in the morning.
There was a very large and fresh scrape near to where I had positioned the treestand and he must have noticed it the day before.
Now that is what I call respect for your fellow hunters.
On the other hand, this past Monday I took off from work to take advantage of the first few days of our archery season. I had spotted a nice area to hang a stand in the day before. Two nice trails converged at one point before crossing a creek. There were also several respectable deer rubs on the various trees. I marked one of the trees with some cats eyes the day before with the hopes of hunting the spot the next morning.
The next morning I walked into the area and was immediately hit with two flashlight beams about 50 yards away from the tree I had planned on sitting in....and down the trail closer to the bedding area. Instead of being a jerk and just setting up shop where I wanted to I kept right on walking to my "usual stand" instead.
As it turns out I shot a nice doe from my regular stand but one of the guys whose flashlights I saw ended up shooting a dandy 10 pointer that morning as well. Was I upset? Heck no, that is how the game is played on state land in PA. First come....first serve.....and just deal with all of the inconsiderate people that choose to ignore that simple rule.
Sorry for rambling but this type of behavior is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to hunting where I do.
Nice screen name by the way....
