Learned my lesson: Spot Burning

[Njdiverdan]

Well, need to vent a bit and also looking for some advice. This is only my 4th year elk hunting since moving to Idaho. My first year out, my neighbor graciously offered to take me hunting where he had been hunting for a few years (he is also relatively new to bow hunting for elk). That first season, we got into elk on a few of the days we were out, but I had to end my season early due to a knee injury. My neighbor also has a buddy who comes out every year to hunt with him, so my injury did not end my neighbors season at all. No elk were taken that year by any of us.

Well, making a long story longer, the next year, I had buddies from NJ coming out to hunt with me so I felt it necessary to find a new hunting area as not to encroach or blow out my neighbors spot. I did tons of map / google earth research and found a new spot. I scouted the spot several times and found many elk and few hunters. Although I and my buddies were in elk every day, our newness to hunting elk prevented us from harvesting. But I had found a new spot that I thought was excellent. My neighbor and his buddy did harvest a 5 point in his area that season.

Over the winter I spoke about my spot with my neighbor as friends will do. I offered for him to hunt with me if he wanted (not realizing that his buddy was coming too). So last season, he and his buddy were hunting the same drainage as I and we were tripping over each other constantly. His buddies attitude is "I see elk, I am chasing elk" regardless if someone else is hunting that same herd or area. Both my neighbor and his buddy are in excellent shape (one retired and one still active Marines), and can beat me up the mountain easily. After one week of this the drainage was blown out of elk. The area went from being a chorus of bugles to barely a peep and only at around 3-4am. A week later, after everything had shut down, my neighbors buddy connected on a small 5 point bull at the very end of the season.

I spoke with my neighbor about the crowding and tripping over each other. I also told him that I had two buddies from NJ that were coming out to hunt with me. He and his buddy were out a week or so ago to try to scout some new spots. Well, they went to "my" spot first and saw so many elk that they decided to not bother checking out any new areas. Also this year, my neighbors buddies brother is also coming out to hunt....

So...Spot burned.

The way I see it after all this long ramble is I have two choices, one, try to discuss with my neighbor about managing hunting the area, but I know that his buddy will just charge around where ever he wants, and if they see or hear elk in an area they will be on them regardless of where I am. Or two, find a new spot and NEVER tell anyone about it ever.

Sorry for the rant...but any advice is appreciated.

-dan

[Pop-r]

#2 is ALWAYS your best bet! You can go with #3! (Southern hospitality) Which personally would be dictated by him or his buddies attitude & mouth.

[tvbrewster]

I think you already know what to do. You found a great spot once now do it again.

Oh BTW get up early and beat them to the spot you found. Use them to your advantage by getting to an area where they will push the elk to you. Think outside of the box and make it happen with your pals from NJ.

Good Luck and have fun.

[the weasel]

Been here done this!!
#2 is what I've done. My old camp went from 3 to 5 to 8 to 9...... now back to 3, possibly 4 if one of them decides to start hunting again. And we as a group sat down at the beginning of our new spot/camp adventure and made it WELL KNOWN TO ALL that IF.... anyone was to be "brought in" it was voted on by the entire group, majority rules! And IF someone broke this rule you were out......... plain and simple. (We have had 3 bucks taken out of mine or my Dads stands when we were gone.)

[Elkduds]

You could go hunt your buddy's 1st place while he is hunting "yours." Or you could chase the elk out of "your" spot b4 season, hoping that the other guys will abandon the spot and go back to their old place, never to return. Or you could figure out where the elk went when they left "your" spot and hunt there. Public land hunting is a moving target. You learned lesson 1, which is if you tell, others will come.

[Swede]

It is obvious that you found a better place to hunt than your neighbor took you to. Now it is your neighbor's spot. He is one of those hunters that only cares about himself. There is no profit in trying to ruin the new area. As mentioned above, find new grounds to hunt and keep it to yourself. Fortunately a new area may be fairly close to the one you found. Consider the experience a part of your elk hunting education.

[Njdiverdan]

Thanks for the feedback. Headed out to check out a new spot on Saturday. My biggest fear for any new area is other hunters. The area I am looking into is 30-40 miles from my original spot and in a different elk zone. I have found water and cover so hopefully I will find elk (well at least elk sign). I've only got this Saturday and one other weekend to get out before the season starts but with opening day on Sunday, I could also use that weekend for mostly scouting.

Wish me luck....

-dan

[Pop-r]

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[elkaholic]

^^^^^^^^ Always. I'd move on. It's unfortunate folks don't follow the hunters code which leads to situations like this...

[Njdiverdan]

Well it appears that friendship has prevailed. I spoke with my neighbor tonight. After some conversation he decided that he and his buddies will hunt a different drainage that they had quickly checked out during their scouting trip. Now just hoping the decision sticks after he tells his buddies.

Good thing too as the area I scouted this morning did have elk, but not in the numbers as my current spot.

[elkaholic]

Great news! Sounds like your neighbor isn't a terrible guy to deal with. Glad he came around.

[Pop-r]

Yeah he must be a pretty decent guy.

[Njdiverdan]

He is. Really a stand up guy. I found out that he really want to scout other places but his buddy wanted to stay in "my" area after they spotted some nice Bulls.

[ElkNut1]

Dan, sounds good! Hope it all works out & the friendship remains intact! Keep YOUR spots under your hat from now on! (grin)

ElkNut1

[powderhogg01]

I have found that being new to an area, its difficult to get people to hunt with because of this very fact. Some people are just rude and inconsiderate. I have had one hell of a time getting hunting buddies, in the 5 years I have lived in colorado I have had 1 opportunity to go with someone else who has hunted here longer. I promised I would not share his secret lair, and to this day remain faithful to that.
The problem is not many people out there want to trust the new guy, even if they are like me and are respectful and likely wont even return to that spot with out that person there. It is assumed that the new guy will blow a spot out.. so if we can trust no one.. then how do the rituals and secret spots get passed down?