Anyone else have their Unit 59A hunt ruined by the USFS?

[airsix]

Planned for months
Trained for months
Drove 700 miles.
Set up base camp at 10pm
Identified 5 bulls by midnight
Had a herd walk into camp and bark at me at 2am
Was within 100 yards of a herd of 9 before sunrise
Then it all went down the toilet
By mid-morning a USFS-supervised contractor was running a diesel cat, a side-by-side, pair of 4-wheelers, and a crew of men swinging sledge hammers on steel fence posts running a fence line right up the ridge and through the saddle we had pre-determined to be "the spot". 3-5 herds in the vicinity were driven deep into the back country beyond reach.

Plan B crowded us (and others) into a higher pressure area. There were elk, but it was too little too late.

Came home and sent an email to key people in USFS and Idaho F&G.
Response from USFS was exactly what you'd expect from a fed who isn't accountable to you and has no concept of rut timing.

Grrrr...

[Wapitibob]

Expecting a big game tag to entitle you to exclusive use of the forest ?

[ElkNut1]

Yep, I'd have to agree. The USFS doesn't owe any of us an explanation. It does suck when our plans are interfered with that's why we recommend plan B-C-D-E-etc. Not good to put all ones eggs in a single basket! Good Luck!

ElkNut1

[airsix]

Bob, no I definitely don't expect exclusive use, but it was highly inconsiderate of them to conduct this project on the specific days of peak public use of the area. It looked to be about a 3-5 day project and they did it on the peak days of the rut. It was like having the city resurface Main Street the day of the July 4th parade. They said they didn't want to interfere with the rifle hunt and didn't care about "a few bow hunters". I sent them the stats showing rifle hunters were fewer than 5% of the hunters in that unit last year. Archery hunters were nearly 80%. I just wish those trustees of the public resources would remember they are managed for the benefit of the public. That area is used by the public in mid-Sept more than any other week of the year.

[mjblowers]

Airsix, I'm with you in thinking that it would be NICE of them to think about that. Thinking about things like that makes me feel like our state is special. While I was scouting I noticed a lot of signs of USFS moving in and doing stuff in early August so I called and asked. I even asked about a USFS contractor camped at a spot for a month and he assured me he told the guy to be out by archery opening day. Sounds like you drew the short straw.

Unfortunately... what the other guys said...

[Lefty]

I cant imagine they effected that much area

Other than a goose hunting setup I generally am willing to move a hunt a mile, 5, or twenty away.
As a kid I realized I had 4 Am till about 8:00 AM to not be interrupted by water-skiers
Things happen and they have a job

[elk.addict]

Another reason to hunt deeper in the woods.