Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

I hunt public land,
8 years ago I could go out opening day of muzzle loader (thursday) on Pat river park, and see almost no one out there, in 3 years had 1 hunter walk by at mid day, there where hunter out there, but they where hard core hunters. Then Basspro opened, they had pallets of "bubble packed" muzzle loaders for $69.00, these kits had everything in them and claimed to be sighted in. That year I got to Howard chapel rd (Pat Rive park) at 5:00AM, it looked like opeing day of shot gun ! I hiked in and got in My climber, Had guys walking in on Me even at 8:00Am, had one guy walk in carrying the "bubble pak and a ladder stand still in the cardboard box at 7:30 AM. He was ripping open the boxes "building the stand" and try to figure out how to load the gun. Ever since then early muzzle loader has become a zoo in MD.

Same thing seems to be happening with Bow season, I have seen a doubling of "Bow hunter" signing in on public land the last 2 years.
But I am not seeing seasoned hunters, ALOT of guys signing in at 6:00 pm walking around the woods, smoking, talking on the phone, THEN signing out by 7:30pm ??? A few years back the bow hunter seemed to be the "hardcore of the hardcore", now I am seeing a lot of "slob" hunters with bows.

I was in Basspro 2 days before bow season and they where selling bow packages "all set up" as fast as the guy could hand them over the counter !
one guy was pushing 2 carts loaded with sacks of corn, a crossbow, camo, blind, boots, etc.

This year it took the deer 2 days to go completely nocturnal on the public land.

Slack

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

crazy,,the guy building the stand is nuts..i would have left..

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

It could play a very small role I guess. I hunt in Cecil county and have no problems at all on public land.I may be the city thing. They just aren't taught how to hunt and may be on there own to learn. I really feel for you to have to deal with all that crap.

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

Just way too many people on too little public land. All the private land is either developed, in the process of getting developed, or leased by those with very deep pockets. It will never get any better in Maryland. I have watched Frederick County go from being the best place to live and hunt to just a huge suburb of Washington DC and Baltimore. I will be retiring in just over two years and, as soon as I can, I plan to relocate out of the peoples republic of Maryland.

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

Public land anymore is starting to look likea pumpkin patch during gun season.

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

Yeah, I see a lot of guys buying bows and guns a couple of days before the season opens. I took a few months to get familiar with my gear before I even thought about using it for hunting.

One way to look at it is that these guys will get bored of hunting real quick if they expect to bag a deer without putting in much thought or effortbeforehand. After a couple of times out without seeing anything they will hang it up (hopefully). One way to avoid the crowds is togo deep.

-Rick C.

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

I have to say I find this post interesting. I never really thought about the negative impact of the big chain stores and their "ready to hunt packages". I do alot of hunting on public land in MD and I have to say my feelings are mixed. On one hand, I like the idea of new blood coming into hunting. I know the more hunters we have, the bigger the voice we have in protecting our rights. And of course I see the other side of the arguement about new hunters not being courteous and ruining spots that have been good producing spots for years. The only thing I can say about that is this,a guy who doesn't scout, comes in in new clothes with a new, unsighted gun after first light, he's probably not hunting far from the parking lot. All that is going to make me do is scout harder, find those out of the way spots that aren't easy to get to and let those slob hunters push the deer to me. Sure, it takes more time to walk into an out of the way spot and it creates more work getting a deer out a spot that takes you 1/2 hour to walk to, but it is what it is. There's a piece of public land that I hunt a good bit that gets pounded, but with some scouting, looking over maps and comparing notes with other guys I know who hunt the area, it is very much possible to get away from the pumpkin patch.

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

Very interesting post. I agree with others that the reason why public land is getting more crowded, centers around the availability... or lack of...private land to hunt due to developement and big money hunting clubs. Also consider this, shouldn'twe blame the manufactuer'sand technology for creating the "instant hunter" instead of the big chain stores like Bass Pro and Cabela's? I mean, how many guys do you know would still bowhunt were it not for the compound bow, and how many would hunt with the muzzle loader if they didn't have their in-line? Not many I suppose.

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

Don’t forget that we all were new hunters at one point. Perhaps these new hunters never had a father or family member teach them how to hunt or what proper hunting etiquette is. We as experienced hunters should help and not criticize these new hunters.

I think it’s great that more and more people are taking up hunting. The more hunters we have the stronger our voice will be. We need to stop fighting amongst ourselves and realize we are in this fight together.

Instead of being thankful we even have public hunting areas all I hear is hunters complaining about how crowded it is.

As for basspro shops I’m thankful we have one in MD because I can get quality products at an affordable price.

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

Heck, I don't think we can blame a store for such a thing. As someone else said we were all beginners at one point. The MAJOR problem with hunting today in many if not all states is access to land. We surely can't all hunt on public land, especially in the crowded northeast. Private land is getting harder and harder to find. Not many large parcels of open land left, plus many don't want hunters on their land and the ones who do are starting to ask big dollars for the right to hunt the land. This all adds up to BIG problems for hunters and hunting in the future. I know more hunters are giving up hunting because of a lack of places to hunt than anything else. There may be more game to hunt, but it won't do us much good if we don't have places to hunt at least for a reasonable fee if not for free. The public spots will surely NOT be getting any better any time soon because of this also.

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

I agree 100% with the above!

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

Its a double edged sword for places like MD. More hunters you have enjoying the sport, more votes, and stronger MD Sportsman Ass is. But you have to share. Less hunters, less votes, less land, and one day in a place like MD, no hunting at all. We can't win.

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

appears as tho 50000 of your commrade from across the river decided to do that into MY home... now it's trashed....

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

"appears as tho 50000 of your commrade from across the river decided to do that into MY home... now it's trashed...."
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Uh, what commrade and what river are you talking about?

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

And since you don't list your state where are you talking about. Retiree's going to Pa or Va, nope don't see thathappening, WVa maybe but doughtful, Del, best of the surrounding states to Md. So where is it your talking about our 50000 commradesleaving Mdgoing?

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

I think he must be in WV which is undergoing a lot of growth in the Eastern panhandle. I was born and raised in WV but had to leave to find a job. I think the entire East coast is a victim of the over development that we are seeing here in MD. Demand has driven home prices so high that people are leaving for neighboring states where the cost of housing is lower, which in turn, is driving the cost of housing in those areas up and destroying wildlife habitat and hunting areas. I guess it is karma...what goes around comes around. If you are feeling the squeeze, Rem 1100, you can take some comfort in knowing that I won't be moving to the panhandle to add to the chaos.

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

The uncharitable acts of the newbies enabled by the Basspro’s here in MD are quite inconvenient. I am very thankful I don’t have to tolerate any of that. I do agree that we were all once there at that level and either someone brought us along quickly and/or we learned on our own. In that light, I think they need to be given some slack.

I can’t imagine sitting in my treestand and all the work I put into materializing my set up only to have some hunter set up mid morning unpacking store bought items consequently ruining my hunt. That would downright suck.

Again, I am sure I have made mistakes (not like that!) that have impacted others in the woods.

I don’t necessarily worry about or depend on the large influx of hunters helping support our sport. Hunting is NEVER going away here in MD!! Too much money being generated.

It’s like a health club membership with a lot of these bass pro enabled hunters. They keep selling other’s spots in their club because they know most people will never show up consistently.

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

I'm sure Rem is talking about WV, but he has his Senator Byrd to thank for that. Byrd has pulled alot of Gov't jobs into the Eastern Panhandle without taking the time to realize that the area didn't have the roads to handle the extra traffic, the schools to handle the extra kids, the police and fire and rescue to handle emergencies, ect. ect. The E.P. is a mess, but it's Byrds fault.

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

You guys are crazy... Md public land doesen't get that much hunting pressure... State like Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohioand Kansas get the real hunting pressure;)

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

More people starting the sport cannot be a bad thing. Sure there are those that either don't care or don't know any better than to do some stupid stuff in the woods. But at the same time, those people were always around. "Slob" hunters have always been around. Either way the large stores like Basspro that make it possible for more to join the sport, and increase access to kids to get into the outdoor sportsare a plus. Money spent on hunting stuff, even $69 muzzleloaders and box packages, goes towards conservation and the openning of morepublic landopportunities.And asmentioned before, if someone doesn't know any better you might as well teach 'em. I'd bet a lot of those guys would love to be betterhunters, but don't have the mentorship. You can't learn it all from watching Versus's outdoor programming.

In my experiences with public land it's all about looking at a map, doing the homework, and walking farther than the other guy. It seems like you could just go a little farther and work a little harder to get your deer. So what if you have to change the spot that's been historically yours. Just my $0.02.
-- B

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

THANK YOU..you're right... I live near Martinsburg(life-long) and have seen the mess take off...and yes, Byrd pulled many Gov't jobs here, but 9-11 was the killer..after the plane(s) hit, they flocked up here in droves,including the Gov't. (I'm a 22 yr employee @ VA Med Ctr,and have witness Govt growth)...I have always said the Byrd should have moved the IRS-Coast Guard-ATF to other counties that NEED the jobs, but we had the interstate @ our back door,that sealed the deal. I hate it for the animals, I really do...major loss of habitat to un-necessary growth, and 90% of it was un-necessary,IMHO. I can remember looking across the river @ Ft Fredrick/CO Canal, and hearing many gobblers over there..last few years.... natha.. it's effected there too....
and if you don't think we're being invaded, I challenge you to drive up Rt259 towards Wardensville/ Corridor H and COUNT the out-state cars any given day, especially Fridays... they out # us 10-1......

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

I personally don't see a Bass Pro Shops location as causing an increase in hunting. Even where I grew up in VA, the black powder seasons now see more pressure than rifle season...but it wasn't that way 10-15 years ago. It just didn't take people long to learn that you could add weeks if not a monthto your hunting season and take advantage of fewer folks in the woods (then) and during peak rut periods by getting into black powder (I did the same thing). But along with that....I think archery has grown, as has spring gobbler hunting. That....right or wrong, I attribute to the increased popularity of hunting shows on TV, andDVDs, especially the "how to" type. And in the case of turkey hunting....the hundreds of different calls on the market now that make things a lot more simple than they used to be.

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

" I attribute to the increased popularity of hunting shows on TV, andDVDs, especially the "how to" type."

I could not agree more mentoring some of these people would help if they would listenbut sometimes it dosen't. I have tried talking to a few before and they really think because they bought all the fancy gear and watched the showsthey have everything they need. The hunting shows allso make it look so easy when they squeeze weeks of scouting and hunting into a half an hour.

Technology has a part in thisas well things like inline muzzle loaders ( I have one so don't take this wrong) Have increased accuracy, pyrodex wafers, sabot slugs..... have made it easier to be sucessful.

RE: Has basspro ruined hunting in MD ??
 

I agree, it about marketing and technology. I bet if it was flintlock only, MD would have a 50% reduction in hunters during early and late ML. Maybe more. But now, they educate folks on a commercial on how easy it is, and how accurate they are. Constantly hearcased rifle accuracy with a scope. And now gun hunters are all over it.