P3FE

Friday morning my son and I are set up to watch a small clearing using a decoy. He shot a bird there last year. As morning breaks a very short distance behind me I hear a hen. It is obviously another hunter. I know beyond a doubt I was there first. So I cut loose with a string of calls that sure to let him know there is already another hunter here. This guys stays put and calls like he's putting on an opera,totally screwing up my position. He refuses to move and he calls like @%*&! After I get up to leave I discover that he is about 80 yds behind me facing me. Because of the blowdowns and brush there was little chance of being hit if he shot, but thats not the point ,the guy was being a real jerk. When I left, I walked thru his set up speaking loudly and returning the favor. My son told me later that I should have a trunk monkey to deal with guys like him. I live for the very short term in SE Pa.I have never ran into a bigger bunch of inconsiderate hunters than in this area.I have also met some great hunters here. I can truly understand why everyone in this are post their land. I've hunted from Florida to Maine and this area takes the cake.

Jollyarcher

Man, I feel your frustration. I've lived in PA since birth and must agree that this HAS to be one of the worst states for inconsiderate hunters.

I've had so-called hunters this year alone, one week into the season, come in late and see my setup disregarding it completely, come into my calls at mid morning, walk in late right through my dekes to a bird I'm working, while others have walked into the woods after I wave them off at sunrise and blow birds from the roost. I've experienced hunters that move in - within sight of me while I worked a bird to actually shoot it as it came up the ridge, and just last Saturday, pull in behind me as I'm getting out of the truck and act like I'm not there to hunt the same Tom... the horror stories go on and on.

Makes me wonder what the heck burning up an entire weeks vacation was worth, not to mention getting up everyday at 0330 just to go out and get screwed up by the masses.

I used to throw stones at those guys on TV who paid to hunt this ranch or this game farm, but now I'm not so sure they are the ones I should be throwing rocks at. [:@]

PositiveBo

Sorry to hear, I assume you were on public land? Regardless, perhaps he was just one of the many turkey hunters who read/watch the experts discuss aggressively calling to vocal hens to prompt them to bring a gobbler in...dunno.

Again, sorry to hear about your bad experience.

P3FE

It was on public land. How much the guy calls is his own business. What peeved me was how inconsiderate he was. I may not have many rules to hunting but being considerate of others is at the top of the list.

frostybear

Oh I feel your pain. My husband and I got up early and even took 2 vehicles as a sign to others that this area was being hunted. We set up our blind and are having a great day even though it is rainy. About 0830 the turkeys are returning from feeding headed my way. I have 2 hens about 15 feet from my blind and we are just waiting for big Tom to come over this ridge in the field. My husband looks out and sees 2 young guys walking hunched over right through the middle of the field. The look at us and drop a decoy 75 yards in front of us then of all things lay down in a small shallow right next to their decoy. I was ripped. We couldn't call without a Tom walking to them. Shooting was out of the question given their position. We broke down the set up and I walked into the middle of the field and let them know what I thought of their behavior. Small town I will speak to mommy and daddy about this great hunter they are raising....never mind he could be killed if anyone shot their decoy. Their truck was right next to my husbands, had to know we were there. Day before it sounded like I'd won a calling contest over a young Tom when all of a sudden the other hunter fires twice, gets in his truck and leaves. I'm talking about hunting in Maine and I agree most are really considerate but lately the idiots seem to be taking over. Our local firing range was destroyed a few weeks ago by idiots. I can sure see why others post their land.

PositiveBo

I think you missed my point P3FE, I'll try again. It's possible that he mistook your calling for that of a real hen...just a thought.

PA GOBBLER

i also am a public land hunter from PA.. and its really bad.. its funny when you walk miles into the woods and there are a ton of hunters all over the place.. i think the best is when you hear 12 owls in the morning.. or u start working a bird and they try to sneak in between you and him, and let you call him in to them.. or when you got 6 hunters calling to one bird.. and you gotta love when they go crashing through the woods w/ a big giant flashlight bumping birds off roost i too wonder why i waste a week vac. to go out the first week.. i think next year im taking the 2nd week off.. but by that time they are so spooked u cant even call too them.. but i guess thats why they call it hunting...

Hacimsaalk

i hunt in pa, but i cant really speak for public land turkey hunting. i hunt private land. i, in the past have hunted on public land, and it really sucked. people hammering on calls, people hootin, and calling on crow calls. no matter where you go, someone always screws you up. i dont think i will ever go back to it again, for turkeys. even for deer hunting though, some people are still rude.

max the dog

I've seen crap like that deer hunting in the UP of Michigan. During opening week the place is a madhouse with morons shooting at shadows and stands getting stolen. Of course that's all part of public land hunting. They have as much right to be there as you do even if they are a bunch of moronic inconsiderate jerks.

rybohunter

First, what is a trunk monkey?

2nd rudeness and morons in the turkey woods are not limited to public land, which makes it worse when it happens on private land, cause then they are tresspassing AND doing messed up things in the turkey woods.