Hunter Harassment
 

On Sunday evening around 5:30 or so, I was hunting on State Land and I kept hearing coyote calls, a periodic turkey call, and then more coyote calls. I thought it was strange because the calls were evenly spaced and IDENTICAL each time, but then thought to brush it off. I heard a women’s voice once from the area of where I heard the calls (coming from the state land), which also I thought was strange. When I was done hunting (didn’t see a hide) I cut across my friends property (which adjoins the state game area) and I told her about the noises. She and her friends (other hunters) told me that her neighbor doesn’t like people hunting behind their property on the state land and that others have heard these “predator calls” before. I cannot verify that they did do this, but after hearing this, it does make sense because I was sure it sounded like a recording while I was in my tree stand.

Needless to say, I really don’t want to go back there and hunt, and to bad too, because last time I hunted this area (2004 and 2005) I was very successful at spotting and getting my early season buck. What should I do? I did email a friend of mine who is a Conservation Officer in Northern Michigan about this but should I report it to a local Conservation Officer as well? Should I waste another day and try to hunt it, only to hear the dang calls again? Or should I do nothing and just hunt another area?


On top of all that, the "other friends" of my friend, didnt come out to hunt until 5:00pm on Sunday and parked there truck about 100 yards from the tree I was in and then just pranced through the woods, urghh!! I had been in the tree by then for over 2 hours...

There I vented....

If he is playing predator calls from his property then he is guilty of being a a-hole, but not breaking the law. The only real recourse I could think of is if there is a noise ordenance in the area.

Sounds to me like you just need to record a few noises of your own and go play them from 1am-5am. Maybe cat mating calls or something.

no it sounded like the calls were coming from the state land, but again I couldnt confirm it.

That raises an interesting question. If someone is making that type of noise on their own property, but to knowingly harass nearby hunters, are they subject to some of the laws that protect against harassment of hunters?

I would report it to the local CO. Worse case, there's nothing he can do, best case, he pays a visit.

MI has a hunter harassment law. Call the local officer. Perhaps even a visit to them reminding them that it is against the law to purposely scare game from hunters is all it will take to make them stop.

I'd hunt the area, if you hear the predator calls again call the WCO. With hunter harassment laws its a ticket, mandatory court appearance and a fine. Maybe after it hits tehm in the pocket they'll change their tune. It don't matter if they are on their property or not, harassing is harassing.

Anti-hunters who disrupt legal hunting and angling activities are breaking the law. It is hunter harassment and it is illegal in all fifty states.
Report the incident to the authorities as soon as possible

Have an accurate description of the protestor, license plate number and vehicle identification

Remain calm and rational

Be prepared to file harassment charges

Remember that any law officer can enforce this law
If you have additional questions about hunter harassment laws in your state, please contact the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance at (614) 888-4868 or [email protected].

Hey keep us posted on what happens if you do go back.

simple solution....win the lotto and buy lots of private land for yourself....haha.

oh and then invite me to help hunt it with ya....

It does not matter if the sounds eminate from private property. If they are intended to harass a hunter - it is a violation. Call your local CO and inform him or her of what is going on. They may give you a phone number to cantact them if it happens again when you are out and it is happening so that they might get by there.

And yes keep us posted.

i have seen coyotes walk right through a field of deer, lol not a field but 3 lol, a field to me hehe, the deer just looked at it and the coyote kept going, neither missed a beat...i see turkeys with deer all the time, like 1-5 deer with 20+ turkeys, and when i scout i take a turkey call and crack it now and then..
there-for i think the deer will be used to the sounds after awhile anyways. they have probably walked up to the tape player or whatever it is, just to check it out.

law works as far as that goes.
and well your buddies rollin in on ya, well what are buddies for lol

and i have seen deer run out right behind 4 wheelers going by. have takin a buck that way.

dont be discouraged, keep on keepin on and gl

:lolabove:
Then maybe they will be glad someones hunting back there!!

Few years back i was hunting the back edge of my uncles property that bordered a nutjob anti hunters property.... he would watch the hedge rows for me to go in and then charge up the hill in his 4 wheeler and patrole the field edge for hours .Early that morning i hung an old orange vest in a tree about 50 yards in the woods and walked the rest of the way up the hill ....few hundred yards ..to my stand and wated.... as the nut job came rushing up the hill he pushed all the deer off the field past my stand allowing me to tag a doe and a dandy buck with my shotgun.Sent him a thank you note explaining to him how his actions helped me out...:s4:

Get a case of shells and go predator hunting.......:D

I think I would atleast get the co informed so he knows what is poteniall going on and then maybe he can listen in and catch them pestering you.

I didn't find this funny.

To me your problem is proving harasment. Perhaps they are simply playing the recording to keep the deer out of their garden. I'm sure they're just being @$$holes, but your gonna have a heck of a time proving harasment.

They have no garden and the sounds were emminating from the state land. My friend had told me that the neighbor even told her that he doesnt like people hunting the state land behind their property and will do what he needs to do to deter it. I have emailed a friend of mine who is a CO and am awaiting his response. Honestly, I dont want confrontation, just my right to be able to hunt on a given piece of land with the actual chance of seeing a deer. Maybe if I get one though, I will leave the testicles in his driveway!! couldnt prove it was me!

If its a recording, and coming from state land, then go find the speakers and take care of them. No confrontation. Just remove the noise from the area. Well, thats what I would do anyways. Good luck

on saturday i hunted a piece of property and right about the time the deer started to move the guy next to this property drove his truck down as close as he could get to my stand and blew the horn atleast 100 times. he then came up in the woods near my stand and made all kinds of banging noises to run the deer away. i guess he had watched me go into my stand and decided to stop me from killing his deer. its a good thing i was bow hunting,cause i'da scared him to death if i had a rifle. i got down and drove right up his driveway and ask him if he had a problem with me hunting ,he said he wasn't trying to mess me up but had no real reason for doing what he did. i called him a a-hole and left. turns out the guy was shot in the leg by a fellow hunter about 20yrs ago while turkey hunting and now he hates all hunting. all because of HIS friends stupity.

Actually the DNR isn't a stranger to DNA testing. Ain't saying that they would - but they could.

So, what's the difference between deer nuts and beer nuts?

beer nuts are a buck fifty and deer nuts are under a buck...lol

UPDATE - I spoke with a Local CO and he indicated that he couldnt do anything unless he witnessed it. However, he told me to go back out there and see if it happened again. I went last sunday and no calls were heard (I dont think they were home), but I still had some jackass hunters walk by my tree at 5:35 so I will not be going there this weekend.

Anyways, I gave the CO the neighbor's information and he said he was going to do some digging around to see if there was ever any other complaints about them. If anything else developes I will repost.