Road Hunters

[tag-a-long]

This is a RANT...


This is to the guys who decided it was a good idea to sit below my bear stand on Sunday morning... Not a good Idea. Your license plate was turned to OSP. I watched you three thru binocs. The passenger, the portly fellow with the rifle sticking out the window.. Brilliant. I hope to see you guys up there in the coming weeks. I sit on top of a rock bank, about 700 yards from the road. You dingbats driving the roads back and forth tend to scare off the game. I know it isn't against the law, just against hunter ethics.. What ever happened to fair chase?


"Hey dude, lets go drive in the hills and see if we can spot a bear in the road... I have my shorts on and I am ready to go. There is never anyone up there..."

Jerks.

I sit this stand for hours at a time waiting to get a look at the bear I have been listening to for an hour. Along comes dufus and partners and stop at the bottom of the hill to glass up there. Bear hears it and runs back to the timber. Thanks...........



"Nuf said. Thanks for letting me rant. I am done now..

[Radke]

So, why did you give their license numer of OSP, is it against the law to sit in a vehicle with a weapon? Did they shoot out of it, or across the road, or from the road, or were they just sitting there?

And if you were sitting 700 yards up the hill on a rock pile, why would they even know you were there?

It could be that they were taking their best shot at getting a critter, and didn't know you were there.

Unless I'm mistaken, the woods are open to more than just you.

[ICHTHYDEMON]

So, why did you give their license numer of OSP, is it against the law to sit in a vehicle with a weapon? Did they shoot out of it, or across the road, or from the road, or were they just sitting there?

And if you were sitting 700 yards up the hill on a rock pile, why would they even know you were there?

It could be that they were taking their best shot at getting a critter, and didn't know you were there.

Unless I'm mistaken, the woods are open to more than just you.

I'm kinda thinkin' the same thing. How do you know these guys didn't have a condition that prevents them from hunting in the way you do?

[wife&3kids]

I can understand both sides to this one. Have been on both sides of this fence. I know the frustration, but I have to say, that I could be on occasion, accused of road hunting. It is fun sometimes during rifle season (which I don't do anymore) to check out as many clearcuts as you can, get out, look for sign as opposed to just parking and going in deep. How do you know that they weren't just checking the cut?I have found beds from far away ridges with a spotting scope, but I dont think that disturbs the game any. These elk and deer learn to avoid these areas. The spots I have been hunting and the spot I hunted last night I have been down into 4 times total and I found it far away from a road. It looked good, probably beacuse it had 5 bulls in it the wednesday before opener last year. This spot is deep and there is no human sign whatsoever. I can tell you I will have a chance at an animal this year in there..
I would have never found it if I hadn;t have driven in on the road.
For the road bear hunter, my guess is this would be a good way to initially locate a bear, especially since all the roads that are closed in rifle season are open. A person could look at 100 cuts in a day.

[native]

AAAH, The joys of hunting public land.

[McBaine]

Just a couple points, as bad as it looks, having the muzzle pointing out the window is a bit safer then having it in the floor board pointing at the transmition. Second that person could very easily have a disabilities permit and so they are legally able to hunt and shoot from a parked vehicle. Even still, just stopping to glass a clear cut from a truck isn't illegal by any means. If it was, EVERYONE would be guilty of doing it. Even still, it gets my blood boiling too being on a stand and having someone bust everything out within a quarter mile.

[blacktail519]

Just a couple points, as bad as it looks, having the muzzle pointing out the window is a bit safer then having it in the floor board pointing at the transmition

Not to get off the point, but what you said above may be true if your driving around with your weapon loaded with one in the chamber(Very stupid by all means)Do you do that?. Theres no reasons to have your barrel hanging out the truck if your being smart and safe. A loaded gun with one in the chamber is the cause of many many accidents and fatalities in hunting. I guess i just learned my lesson the hard way about 13 years ago when a guy i was hunting with was getting in the rig and i was on the passenger side getting ready to open the door,a nd his gun went off and blew a hole through the door i was getting ready to open, only missing me by inches Always take the round out of the chamber before you even get in the rig folks.

[McBaine]

Absolutly I don't have my gun loaded when it's in the truck. Fully agree with taking a round out of the chamber before getting into the truck. I'm thinking more or less abour those times when we have our 'senior' moments. It happens to everyone. Muzzle control is very important either way. By no means is any one way the right way or only way.

[oregonoutdoors]

I know it isn't against the law, just against hunter ethics

Then why turn them into OSP? I would be [petunias!] if someone turned me into OSP and I didn't do anythig illegal, just unknowingly [petunias!] them off. Do you rifle hunt for bears? If so I should turn you into OSP because people who are in the woods with rifles during bow season [petunias!] me off. :shocked:
If road hunters simply driving the roads and glassing is enough to spook the game that you are "hard core hunting" then you are obviously to close to the road for your comfort level. We have all been screwed a time or two by some lazy hunter, if you hunt public land that is just part of the game. Turning someone into OSP for doing nothing illegal, now thats against hunter ethics.

[tag-a-long]

If they are doing nothing wrong, why would they be petunias... You guys evidentally don't hunt an area pleagued by people who shoot at the first thing they see moving in the brush. Ever had a round whizz past you? You as ethical hunters know it is illeagal to shoot from an improved road. These bozos are glassing uphill. There is not a shot they could have made from there or anywhere within 200 yards either way of them going uphill unless they shoot from the road. I hope to see each of you that feel there is nothing wrong with road hunting, have a group of guys pull in on you someday...

[sandman]

oh ya,I've been shot at before, luckily the guy was drunk!I haven't hunted there again.Why do you go back the the same place if there alot of road hunters?I do feel your pain

[Swamp Puppy]

most "serious" hunters i know welcome road hunters to a small extent. the people who make the effort to get away from the high traffic areas are usually the ones who benefit from the road warriors pushing animals into those less used areas.

700 yards away? 700yds X 3ft in a yard = 2100feet.

with 5280ft in a mile..you were, by your estimations, almost .5 miles away and thought this had some impact on where you were hunting???

either you're a little touchy about this or you need a new rangefinder.

[GO-FASTER]

BETTER GET 7 MILES OFF THE ROAD IF YOU DONT WANT THIS TO HAPPEN

[Abalone]

Tag-a-long.

I am with you Bro. I hate road hunters. Idiots that drive up to a road and blow an Elk call from a truck etc. etc.

Shoot from a truck, hunt from a truck.

And there are laws.

You cannot shoot from a truck, So what are you going to do.
Open the door and jump out ? Good luck.

If you are too lazy to get out and Walk why not just stay home, sit on a couch with a beer in your hand and watch the hunting Channel ?

Yes I have road hunted. I have been with friends that road hunted. I seen them shoot from the window.
To me shooting an animal this way means nothing.

Tag,
It's not legal to shoot from the right of way, most roads it's 33' from the center of the road.
Road hunters suck!

[tag-a-long]

It wouldn't be bad, If I wasn't so close in a horizontal distance to the road. Up a hill at 700 yards, but only about 250-300 yds horizontal distance. I rely on my ears as much as a spotting scope. You guys who hate rifle hunters hunting bear during archery season... Too bad. I hope to be sighting in my guns while you are at full draw. I didn't start this post to be flamed. It stated at the top, it was a rant. I will continue to keep an eye out for road hunters. Give the local gamies something to keep their eyes out for. Like it or not, thats how it is...

[oregonoutdoors]

I don't hate rifle hunters hunting bears during archery season, I simply used that as an analogy to maybe help you see my pov.
[

[Swamp Puppy]

Give the local gamies something to keep their eyes out for.

good idea. they probably don't have enough on their plates already trying to find people who are poaching or othwise actually breaking the law.

[funfishin]

hey road hunting isnt all that bad....last year on the dear opener i had been sitting on a clearcut since an hour before light when some "really nice guy" comes flying up the same spur i was sitting on with his radio on and hollering at his buddy as they got out of their rig, i stand up and turn around and then they decide to take off making even more noise, just in time to spook a buck not 50 yards from me that ended up in my freezer.

thank you road hunters

[Swamp Puppy]

see...there ya have it. lol.

this whole rant just torques me. just becuase you took the 30 minutes to walk what started out as 700 yards, but is now down to about 250 or so yards off the side of the road you feel like you somehow exist on some higher ethical plane than the the guys on the road below you?

you are on PUBLIC land. like it or not it belongs to everyone. are you saying that if some damn hikers suddenly popped out of the woods a couple of hundred yards away that they are guilty of hunter harassment and you call the cops? maybe some weekend tourists are out driving around sightseeing and decide to stop and take a picture of the clouds over the ridgetop..are they inconsiderate for venturing out into the woods during one of the many hunting seasons we have?

personally, it is my opinion that people like you give hunters a far worse name than road hunters do.

there..that is MY rant.

[fishncliff]

It is illegal to hunt from a vehicle. It is illegal to shoot from a vehicle.
The legal hunting distance from a road is minimum 100'.

With all the acknowledgements in this post of illegal activities why do any of you support road hunting and why aren't you all reporting license numbers of illegal hunters?

I myself have been shot at 3 times by road hunters, caught all but 1 of them. My mom's neighbor's son was shot by a road hunter, from the vehicle, on a paved road. He was hiking up from a gully.

It seems to me a public post like this would be a good place to exchange tips and methods of trying to stop this kind of activity, not encourage it.
Complacency feeds the fire of stupidity

[SalmonJeff]

You guys who hate rifle hunters hunting bear during archery season... Too bad. I hope to be sighting in my guns while you are at full draw.

you make it so easy to feel sorry for you. I hope to be driving down the road while you are listening to a bear 300 yards or more away. I geuss a guys gotta hope right.

You make this statements as if they knew you where there and tried to cut you off! If you dont like road hunters dont hunt right off the road. I am sure you are a very ethical hunter that would never pursue a bear that was walking down a road but the long and the short of it is I bet I see more bears driving to my elk spots then you would sitting on the side of the road. Bears are lazy and use roads more then you think. rather then calling out someone who did nothing wrong nothing at all try to talk to them and maybe they could give you a better idea on where to hunt to keep you off of the road but I am sure you wont do that since you proabbly are one of those guys that wont pack anything more then eye sight away. hence you hunting right over the road. that would be the only reason I can think of for a purist like you to hunt right on top of the road.

good luck filling yuou bear tag this year and rather then calling out all of those you call "road hunters" next time just rant about a crappy circumstance with someone happeing to drive right up to you rather then calling out a group for a crappy circumstance and calling them all un ethical.

[McBaine]

It is illegal to hunt from a vehicle. It is illegal to shoot from a vehicle.
The legal hunting distance from a road is minimum 100'.

In Oregon, if you have a Disabilities permit, all those would be legal. Even if you don't, there's no minimum distance you have to be off the road to legally shoot. All you have to do is step off.

[oregonoutdoors]

reason I can think of for a purist like you to hunt right on top of the road.

good luck filling yuou bear tag this year and rather then calling out all of those you call "road hunters" next time just rant about a crappy circumstance with someone happeing to drive right up to you rather then calling out a group for a crappy circumstance and calling them all un ethical.

I AGREE

You guys who hate rifle hunters hunting bear during archery season... Too bad. I hope to be sighting in my guns while you are at full draw

:smile:Not me, because I am not anywhere near that close to the road :smile:

[Fish Wheels]

A disabilities permit does not allow a person to shoot from the road. That is illegal no matter what permit you possess. It simply allows one to shoot from a vehicle after you have removed the vehilce from the road.

[gottafish]

You should have seen the drunk yahoos rideing around in the white dodge with the lawn chairs in the back and there bows. HAHAHA what a bunch of losers

[sunshinefisherman]

this whole rant just torques me. just becuase you took the you feel like you somehow exist on some higher ethical plane than the the guys on the road below you?

you are on PUBLIC land. like it or not it belongs to everyone.

personally, it is my opinion that people like you give hunters a far worse name than road hunters do.

there..that is MY rant.

YES! Well said.

someone needs to just get over it.

[Swamp Puppy]

It is illegal to hunt from a vehicle. It is illegal to shoot from a vehicle.
The legal hunting distance from a road is minimum 100'.

actually, there are no provisions in the general regs that state how far you have to be from a road...only that you cannot shoot from a roadway or across a roadway.

there is a 50' minimum distance from a road when shooting at pronghorn.

disabled hunters MAY apply for a permit to allow them to hunt from a roadway.

[sunshinefisherman]

I posed this question to the fish and game dept and got a very complicated answer. Boiled down, you cannot shoot from a road but the "road" can be considered the entire right-of-way for the road, ie 30' in some areas, 100 in others, it varies. Someone would have to want to ticket you real bad to hold you to this and the OSP officers that I have asked only require that you step off the road.
What I am not clear on is the legal definition of road but common sense says that it is one that is open to vehicular traffic. If a buck was standing in a grassed over skidder lane that I was walking on, I would shoot it.

[in 'em]

Quite frankly, every kind of hunter (road, rifle, bow, pistol, crossbow, spike campers, bivy outers, hikers, spot and stalk, sit and wait, tree stand, whitetail, muley, blacktail, rocky mtn, roosevelt, 4 wheeling, motorcycling, horsebacking, .........) could say something bad about any other kind of hunter! There are bad seeds in every group. If every type of hunter obeyed the law 100% of the time, noone would have any problem. Unfortunately, some 4 wheelers go into road closures, some road hunters poach and shoot from vehicles and roads, some campers litter, rifles too easy and cruel, bow hunters wound animals and its cruel.....the list could go on and on. This all sucks, but such does life! Just keep the good seeds a growin'!

[waterfowlin101]

actually, there are no provisions in the general regs that state how far you have to be from a road...only that you cannot shoot from a roadway or across a roadway.

there is a 50' minimum distance from a road when shooting at pronghorn.

disabled hunters MAY apply for a permit to allow them to hunt from a roadway.

I believe this is a correct statement. I have hunted pheasants over east on the highway right of way, not 10 yards from the main road. OSP pulled over, checked my plug, checked my license, and told me good luck. How do ya like them apples!! Killed a bunch of cockbirds that way too!!!

Jon

[Rank Amateur]

Then you throw in private timberland roads that are not public roadways and you can shoot from them. A two track over in E. oregon on national forest or blm is a public roadway. Its about the ownership of the land, more than anything.

[scubaseth]

I don't mind the road hunters that much. Except when they use their rifle scopes to look over a clearing. Because they see some flash or me trying to walk to my hunting spots. I don't care if the gun doesn't have one in the chamber or not! Do these guys even carry binoculars with them?

[Luckybill]

who GOTTAFISH, :whazzup: what the heck is wrong with a bow hunter using the back of his buddies truck to place his treestand? 'Takes less time to take er down and move it' :grin: now I thought this subject was about road hunters.. :lurk:

[Fishstix]

They are not TRUE road hunters without the case of cheap beer and a gun rack.

[baltz526]

every person that has posted on this thread is a road hunter. yes even the guy/girl in the tree stand that could see the road. and the bubbas in the truck. if a deer /elk crossed this opening, the road created, and the purist in the camo and treestand see's them, before coming up his game trail, he/she is a roadhunter.

[waterfowlin101]

every person that has posted on this thread is a road hunter. yes even the guy/girl in the tree stand that could see the road. and the bubbas in the truck. if a deer /elk crossed this opening, the road created, and the purist in the camo and treestand see's them, before coming up his game trail, he/she is a roadhunter.

Hi guys....my name is Jon....and I admit....I am a road hunter. The first time I ever road hunted I was four years old. There was this squirrel, close to the road, enjoying a peaceful nut. I could have ventured off the road, in search of a more sporting squirrel, but no. I ended his wonderful life right there from the asfault below my feet. Since that time, I've been fighting this addiction for years, but it is so hard to take that first step to recovery. To leave that comfortable crew cab and take just one step off the road it gives me shudders just thinking about it. Any help or advice would be appreciated :whazzup:.



Jon

[rimrock]

Who here hasn’t ever scouted from the road?

Who here hasn’t been looking for game on the drive in and out of the area their hunting?

Sure, we solely focus on the time spent still hunting in the woods or from a tree stand, but who here isn’t looking for game from their vehicle at some point? And who here wouldn’t get out of their vehicle to bag it?

Will the REAL hunters please stand-up! Oh, I guess we're all “Road Hunter”! Even though some won’t admit it because of self-pride; we always want to feel we’re “better” than someone else.

Let’s keep talking about them darn Road Hunters, I mean let’s keep talking about everyone here.

[stick flicker]

Hey Fishstix- Thats a pretty funny animation you have for an avatar. At first I couldn't figure out what the gas can was then I saw the little guy run out and <font color="red"> poff </font> !!LOL

[Jeremy]

If you are too lazy to get out and Walk why not just stay home, sit on a couch with a beer in your hand and watch the hunting Channel ?

Thats the whole point of road hunting, gun in one hand beer in the other!!! just joking