Inconsiderate Hunters

Do you think it is inconsiderate for other hunters to call coyotes on opening weekend after filling their tag. We had this happen to us last year on the first 2 weekends. They were using an electronic call and playing it over and over within a few hundred yards of our lease from about 4:30 pm till dark. I understand that they have every right to do it, but that is just not something I would ever do. It also makes it hard to be friendly when you meet them on the county road when you get back to your truck. The same group of hunters put up a pop up blind 60 feet from the road and 40 feet from our property line fence and actually wave at us(inside the blind) when we drive by on the way to hunt. I believe some people just don't get it or just don`t care.

Blind thing is 100% their right as long as not shooting directionally your way, the coyote calling is an entirely different thing. Most varmint calling improves in the later hours of night, very early morning. Did they successfully shoot any to your knowledge?

At least they're friendly, if clueless about perspective of anyone else but themselves! I've walked by other hunters on a trail on public land in Colorado, said "Hello" and not received so much as a grunt or wave. Some guys are just idiots.

I see both sides of coin. The guy/s tagged out and want to continue hunting so they switch to yotes. They are on their property, abiding to law (I assume), and you are twisted because they got to close to your fence? Buy more property, these guys have done nothing wrong. Some guys invest a lot into their hunt and when they have limited time to do so, they are entitled to use that time fully.

It's their right, but definitely inconsiderate on opening weekend. Don't blame you for being frustrated with inconsiderate neighbors. Our hunting neighbors have a feeder sitting on my fence-line, with our property being the only shooting lane from their blind. Our fence is used as one of the feeder barriers to keep their cows out. Thought about building a barn in front of it.

The OP's question and concern is not about following the law or what the others are 'entitled' to. It concerns consideration and respect for neighboring hunters.

Strictly speaking you would be 'entitled' to:

1. Put up a stand as close to a property line as you like.
2. Run game calls anytime of the day or night.
3. Go on 'night runs' for varmints and hogs.
4. Play loud music and party back at camp.
5. Shoot rifles/pistols for several hours mid-day to pass the time.
6. Let the 'kids' race ATV's up and down the roads on the property to keep them entertained and occupied.
7. Etc....Etc........

The question remains: On small properties with neighbors that also hunt....is it 'inconsiderate' (especially on opening weekend) to engage in activities (outside of deer hunting) that have a high probability of affecting your neighbors?

It is my personal opinion...that on opening weekend and the weekend after that...the 'primary' focus should be on Deer Hunting and every effort made not to disturb things on your property or neighboring properties. It's just common courtesy...and in the past it was nothing that had to be discussed.

But increasingly....it seems, folks (especially on leased property) do have limited time...and by God they are going to cram in every activity they can while there.

Legal? You bet! Entitled to do so? Check! Inconsiderate? Depends on the situation......

I can just hear the other hunters now...
"There we were, in our blind, waiting for this big buck we had on camera and and here comes Bubba, chugging up close enough to OUR fence line, disturbing our hunt, without any care in the world except for himself. He didn't have to drive that close to the fence. I gave him a quick wave, letting him know I knew what he was doing. I believe some people just don't get it or just don't care."

Personally, I don't know why you are complaining. Try looking at it from another perspective. They filled their tags and very generously drove the deer off their property by coyote calling so that other hunters would have more opportunity to fill their tags. Sounds like they did you a solid the last 2 years. You should be taking a couple 6 packs over to those other hunters.

As gary noted, if you want to control what happens on that property, you need to buy or lease it. Otherwise, they have ever bit as much right to fully utilize it as they want to as long as what they are doing is legal.

Of course, you could actually try talking to the other hunters and working something out with them. They might be amicable to that. Doesn't sound like you tried, however.

I think they are oblivious to your perspective.

Best thing you can do is get to know your neighbors and make friends with them. I bet they are good people and would be more considerate if they knew you and could reflect on a conversation between freinds vs starting an adversarial relstionship with a neighbor, based on a conversation with a stranger about being more considerate.

Being a good hunting neighbor is just like being a good next door neighbor. You have the right to do a lot of things, but out of consideration you don't. Give them the benefit of the doubt, since they're friendly talk it up with them. Make some suggestions and see how they respond. If they're a-- holes, it will be obvious. Then you have to take another approach.

They played a call a few hundred yards from the fenceline? How close to it are you hunting? Sounds like they would be plenty far away unless you are hunting the fenceline as well....

it happens, don't dwell on it. never had the problem, BUT once when fishing, I was trolling up along the bank casting, another boater pulls in 40yds ahead of me, I told him for what, did not faze him one bit. things like this can ruin your day, if you let.

Some people are jerks and only think about them selves.

I was told years ago you have to lower your expectations of your fellow man.

I’d like to know the acreages involved.

Sounds like a small acreage problem. Too many people, not enough space, the new Texas way.

Yep. Reminds me of our neighbors on a previous lease that were pissed off that I used a road along our fence line every morning after they setup a blind/feeder within 100 yrds of it.

I take a mouth call with me every where I go on the lease, no matter what season it is.

If you saw them on the road and it bothered you that much why didn’t you say something to them instead of complaining about it on the internet?

YEP!!!! Always try to have a call with me! Yote runs by when deer hunting and need to stop it!!! Hit the call and boom..... Hell my brother was with me and the kiddo last year about this time and he shot the yote right up the rear opening..... Made for a fun morning..


TGT

No need for a mouth call to 'stop' yotes. Just a short, flat, alarm bark. Locks them up more times than not.

People have different priorities. I've killed enough deer and may not ever shoot one again. I prefer the challenge of hunting predators over prey and so may the folks next to you.

I have some non hunting, liberal, anti hunting neighbors, Not unusual for them to start shooting early mornings and late afternoons on weekends during deer season.. It's their land and they can do as they damn well please. Irritating but nothing I can do about it. After awhile it doesn't seem to have a major effect.

It started when I shot one of their dogs about 20 years or so ago. It was in my yard and snarling at my Grandson who was still in diapers. I talked to them about it and bluntly told them to keep their dogs at home. They didn't so I took care of the problem.

So they're trying to kill yotes. an animal which practically every deer hunter complains about? Deer hunters constantly complain about predators... don't want people "ruining" their hunt by legally hunting them. Complain about coons ruining feeders... don't want people running coon dogs at night. Complain about hogs, yadda yadda yadda. Stop putting deer on a pedestal and relax about the dumb things. Opening day isn't some holy day where its a sin to make noise outside (except of course to shoot a gun at deer, because somehow shooting a gun at an actual deer doesn't spook them and ruin someone's else's hunt).

Deer hunting has become like some sort of crazy cult! You got your own social rules and sacrifice way too much money and time doing deer cult things. I bet its super rare for any deer hunter to say he's not going to hunt on opening day of duck, Fall turkey, quail, woodcock, etc seasons because it would be inconsiderate to people that hunt those critters. However the rest of us are expected to give ya'll the courtesy you won't extend to us? I do stay home on your opening day though, simply because I don't want to go to prison for decapitating some retarded deer cultist that shoots my dog while I'm legally bird or small game hunting.

I don't think it can be said better than that.

There's 7 blinds just out side of my fence, in one case the feeder pen is part of the fence and another I can reach over and touch two of the legs on his blind. All have feeders and blinds within 100 yards of the fence You can't see a blind or feeder anywhere on my place and none of my feeding areas is closer than 250 yards to he fence. Sorry folks but it feels like having a new 8 ft fence built in your back yard and your neighbor builds a platform next to it just to look in. My opinion! Nothing says i'm going to be a bad neighbor more than blinds on the fence line.

Whenever someone makes the claim that anything that's legal is also ethical, I reply that it must be ethical then for a man to sleep with another man's wife.

A hunter on a neighboring lease set up a stand with senderos parallel to the fence line. There was a feeder 60 yards away from our fence. I asked around camp about what to do, got lots of advice and then just drove over to the neighboring camp. The 1st guy I spoke with indicated he had told the hunter not to put the feeder so close. I am guessing a lot of work went into it and there was an immediate inflexibility to see it my way when the hunter in question was "presented" with my displeasure. I indicated it was 60 yards and that was too close. He thought it was 100 yards away. I cried BS because I had ranged it. I persisted. Some in the camp wanted me to settle down. I did let him know he could keep the feeder there, but I would park there, make loud sounds call coyotes at the fence line and leave gut piles right there. The feeder was moved that very weekend.

Now we got a guy who has put up a new blind set up with a feeder 60 yards from our fence in fairly open country. With his back to a high fence, it is an obvious attempt draw deer out of our pasture. What's worse, this fence line is a major exterior perimeter thoroughfare for us and this guy's set up means to shoot at anything under his feeder, he shoots directly into our pasture. if that feeder were parallel with the fence line instead of perpendicular to it, all would be good. The way it is, I just don't like it, but this one ain't on my fence line and is not my call.

Added - I think STX or someone indicated you don't see blinds or feeder set ups from their fence line. That is pretty much the truth with our place also. With about two miles of low fence, this is the only blind which has a set up in such close proximity to us. I guess it could be worse. You just cannot ever expect others to treat you like, you would treat them. You'll get punked far too often.

I’m mostly surrounded by national forest but have one private neighbor (really just close landowner because not adjacent to me). They do a lot of shooting and even have pretty big get-togethers to shoot. But they shut all that down from Oct.-Dec. IDK if they deer hunt too or are just being considerate, but I’m grateful.

It is every bit as inconsiderate for a deer hunter to think he has priority over another persons actions on a different property that is hunting any other legal game, or controlling predators or feral pigs.
Actually doing whatever he wants on his own property as long as it isnt purposely harassing hunters.

Noisy neighbors benefit me, deer naturally move to areas with less human sounds & activity they see as unusual.
Meaning a whole bunch of them come over & hang around on our place.

The fence line thing has been going on since the very first blind or feeder hit the ground anywhere in the state.

There is always an interwebz Billy bob, trespass on a neighboring property with intent to do bodily harm to someone on it.
Sounds so cool if you're 14 or watch too many movies, equal chance your ignorant actions make it so you don't leave the property under your own power.

A simple stop & visit leaving any BA attitude at the gate could help, may not, that's just the way it goes.

I HAD a bad neighbor, I ended up moving...

I even spoke w them a few times about the issue

Eventually I had to be a bad neighbor to them, I could have been worse and it ranged near came to that

What pizzed me off the most was I had helped them get their cattle back prob 3 times in 2 years from my side.

Help them and they still turn out turds

They were clueless ding dongs

Yep reminds me of Some Other property owners near us.

I can’t have sympathy for the small acreage guys who complain about their other, often smaller acreage neighbors.

It’s like people who move to an apartment & then complain about the neighbors making racket.

If it’s their land and they are breaking no laws, ya just have to deal with it. To think others are, or must do things the way you believe is very immature.

This has rings of a thread in the fishing forum where people actually said people who are fishing a tournament on public waters should have preference to fishing spots simply because they fish for a living. Some seriously said that.
To be so self absorbed is quiet humorous.

I'm afraid your right! There are no laws on the books to keep a person from being an absolute jerk nor do I want there to be.

It's a joke dummies

The trouble here is that some folks have difficulty separating what is 'lawful' from that which is 'considerate/courteous'. I thought the OP made it pretty plain he was asking opinions about other hunters being 'inconsiderate' under a very strict set of circumstances (opening weekend of Deer Season).

Everyone recognizes and concedes that another person is within their rights to conduct any 'lawful' activity they want on their own property at anytime. This however does not address the question of whether or not that would be considerate to your neighbors.

This is NOT a question for the courts...it is simply one that might affect your neighbor. So...it could also be argued that it is "immature" to selfishly regard ONLY your wants/interests over those of others (it works both ways). Yes, you can be dogmatic about 'It's MY property and I'll damn well do what I please', but I think you'll find you won't get along well with your neighbors.

The concept of being 'considerate/courteous' (not required by LAW) is based on respect for your fellow man and often times requires some relenting or sacrifice on your part.

Opening Weekend of Deer Season is a HUGE event in most parts of the country and certainly in Texas. It has a long history of being such. That doesn't mean the rest of the world has to stop what they are doing to accommodate hunters...but there are certain Social Norms and traditions in society that most of us try to adhere to. One of those being the acceptance of large/annual Statewide events and a general reluctance to interfere with the same .

Sadly...but increasingly...there is less thought given to how your actions (legal as they may be) may affect others, than is given to a persons own desires. I don't know if it thoughtlessness or is owing to a swing in self importance (its all about me). The issue of conflicting activities on neighboring properties is not something that will be solved anytime soon. The 'human' element will not allow for it, it seems.

And I'm sure it is wasted time to ask everyone to always be mindful of your actions....if those actions are likely to have an adverse effect on others.

While this subject (being inconsiderate of others) has always existed....I can tell you that it was much less common a problem when I was growing up, than it has become today. And I can't imagine it will get better. What does that say about us?

I’m as old school as they come. And I hate the stupid “If it’s legal it’s ethical” argument so many who can’t think for themselves throw out on various topics. And I have been an avid deer hunter for almost 50 years. And I own my own place. And it would cause me some dismay if I had a neighbor who chose to call varmints on the opening morning of deer season.

All that said, if I am being honest and fair, there is no objective reason why it’s “inconsiderate” for one man to hunt what he prefers on his own land while at the same time another man hunts what he prefers on his own land. Neighbors or not doesn’t matter. Opening day or not doesn’t matter. Some prefer the 2nd or 3rd week of season or Thanksgiving to opening day (I do.) Does he need to check with you every time he wants to varmint hunt so as to not offend?

If you actually follow the logic out it’s ridiculous.

Would the same argument apply to shooting pigs or even turkeys on opening day?

If they were a few hundred yards in their place it really wouldn’t bother me. I don’t hunt feeders so if they’re being loud in one area I have several spots I could move to if I think it’s affecting my hunting. NP made a good point. MLD, bow, youth weekend, rifle opener, are they supposed to check with you each time? You have two+ months to hunt, life goes on. I can understand and forgive it even more if they’re leasers and cant be there at off times so they’re using their little free time to do what they enjoy.

Inconsiderate: not thinking or worrying about other people or their feelings. - Cambridge Dictionary

The vast majority of every action that each of us takes on a daily basis is taken without "...thinking or worrying about other people or their feelings". Not saying that every action we take has any direct or meaningful impact on another person that should be considered - just pointing out that we all exist in our own little worlds and that being inconsiderate is our natural state. It's obviously nice when someone is considerate but it shouldn't ever be expected. People tend to be the least inconsiderate around family or friends and even still are mostly inconsiderate.

Also noteworthy that in the specific instance being addressed in this thread - it's very possible the neighbor actually did consider the effect of their actions on the OP and determined that their actions wouldn't affect the OP; OR determined their actions would effect the OP and did it anyways. But as long as they actually considered the effect of their actions on the OP, their actions weren't inconsiderate.

Perhaps the better question would have been to ask whether the neighbor was being an a$$hole. A$$hole: "a stupid, irritating, or contemptible person."

With that said - I otherwise agree with the spirit of what NP stated.

I fail to follow the logic in that?

IF being inconsiderate is of no real concern then why should being an A-hole bother anyone, since one usually precedes the other and BOTH are legal and well within your 'rights'?

Regardless of all the other posts...

If it bothers you enough, speak with them

Go from there.

If that don’t work, up your game...legally of course.

Playing beside ding dongs sucks.

Those aren't my words - I said nothing that could even kind of be interpreted as that. I simply said that being inconsiderate is the natural state of people - that is very different than saying it's "of no real concern".

And then, concerning the specific OP question - noted that the OPs neighbor may not have been inconsiderate at all (impossible to know whether he considered how his actions would affect the OP, without asking him) and I then implied that he may just be an a$$hole.



I would offer that being inconsiderate and being an a$$hole are not as closely related as you suggest. Certainly an inconsiderate person CAN be an a$$hole, but so can a person who is not inconsiderate. In the current example, if the OP's neighbor considered how his actions might effect the OP, then he is certainly NOT inconsiderate (because he thought/worried about the OP and how they would feel about their actions). Now, if after considering how his actions might effect the OP, he came to the determination that his actions wouldn't negatively effect the OP or that the OP wouldn't mind (whether he was right or wrong), then he also isn't intentionally being an a$$hole. Now, if after considering how his actions might effect the OP, he came to the determination that his actions would negatively effect the OP and took those actions anyway, then he is intentionlly being an a$$hole.

So essentially, being inconsiderate does not = being an a$$hole. And not being inconsiderate does not = not being an a$$hole.

I would actually propose that half of the a$$holes out there are not inconsiderate - they very much consider the feelings of other people and how their actions will effect those feelings and then choose their actions for the sole purpose of being an A$$hole.

Lol I think your logic is technically sound. The rub is that most people equate being “inconsiderate” to connote more than simply not considering something, but to also carry with it negative intent/being an a** hole. That’s the context/implication the word almost carries when used.

LOL, I know, I was intentionally having a "Spock" moment and playing on a technical definition (with full awareness of common usage). Glad someone got it

Well, you sure gave me my brain exercise for the day anyway.

Yes, and it added so much to the conversation.

A practiced lawyer could have done no better if trying to confound a jury.

Allow to me present a real world example of what I would consider being 'inconsiderate':

Bear with me as I set the stage.

Most of the properties where I live (Deep East Texas) are modest sized farms/ranches. Most around 500 acres in size some larger....but few over 1,000 acres (small properties by most accounts). The majority of land owners here live on the property they own (me included). Most properties are owned by families (or decedents) that have been in this area for many years (making neighbor relationships important).

Each year (sometimes more than once) I hold a shooting event at my place and ask all participants to donate money to be given to a pre-chosen charity ( a family in need, women's shelter, animal rescue, etc..). I have my own shooting range with various steel targets, IDPA cardboard targets and so on. We also are set up to shoot skeet. The event typically lasts the better part of a day and generates a good amount of noise as you might expect.

I have the range set up as far away as possible from my neighbors property lines and homes. I hold the event in the early summer for a variety of reasons. It is generally HOT when we do this. A MUCH better time to hold it would be in the cooler months. So lets imagine a scenario where I chose to make things easy on myself.

Say for instance...instead of having the shoot in the summer (hot weather) I chose instead to have it the first week of November (coinciding with the opener of deer season). Much cooler weather and I can invite certain of the group to just stay and go hunting as well. And then say instead of setting up targets on my range, I decide it would be so much more convenient to do it closer to my home. That way we have the house available with A/C, Heat, Bathrooms, etc... all right there. Yeah, it's close the road, and yes it's the closest point to two of my neighbors, but what the heck....it's MY property, I'll do what I want.

Never-mind they have been preparing all summer (some all year) for the opening of deer season. Never-mind that most places the first couple of weeks in November also sees bucks in pre-rut/rut. It shouldn't concern me that MANY folks (relatives or others) have traveled many miles, taken off work, made plans, changed schedules for this special yearly event. It's MY property and if I want to shoot right next to the property line the whole damn day I will......, right?

I don't do this because I recognize it would certainly disturb the activities of others. And I consider their time sensitive activity to be more important than something I can do later. I also predator hunt from time to time as do some of my neighbors. None of us do it during the first two weeks of deer season. On a larger property..it wouldn't be an issue. We don't have folks shooting guns all during the mid-day back in camp, we don't have kids racing ATV's up and down the ranch roads. We generally do everything we can to NOT disturb/disrupt the wildlife at least the first two weeks.

This doesn't mean nothing but deer can be hunted at this time (less it be deemed inconsiderate), but it does mean some careful thought should given to HOW you conduct a chosen activity so that you minimize the possibility of disturbing your neighbor (anytime of the year). It doesn't require any protracted stretching and twisting of words (semantics). We aren't making Taffy. We all know (or should know) when someone is being inconsiderate. Don't be knowingly inconsiderate.

Exactly. It’s as if deer hunters put themselves above other hunters. Surely not.....

You followed a statement with a question mark, therefore, your argument is null and void.

That’s all well and good flintknapper and I grew up in east TX and my place is in east TX also and I also think just like you do and would do all I could to not mess up deer hunting for my neighbors. Just like you do. I have been a deer hunter all my life and take it pretty damn seriously on my place. Always have.

BUT all that is a bonus.

There’s really no world in which all of that is required to not be called “inconsiderate”. If someone wants to hunt varmints on their own land IMO they should be able to do so whenever they want to. Guess what? It’s a big world. Not everyone thinks alike. The whole world doesn’t exist just for certain groups who think alike. They may love varmint hunting and think all those pesky deer hunters are messing up their varmint hunting. Is it a crime to prefer varmint hunting over deer hunting? At the end of the day, is there even anything remotely wrong with it?

There is a fine line between calling others “inconsiderate”, when it may be more themselves being myopic and/or even selfish.

P.S. You say you have a shooting range. It would probably annoy me if my neighbor had a shooting range and all that goes with that. Maybe even enough to get another place. But could I honestly say he was being “inconsiderate” to have one and be shooting all the time? No. All shooting ranges have to be somewhere.

It annoys the hell out of me when my neighbors do all their dang target shooting. But, again, we are 8 miles out in the country and it’s their land. What better place to do it? Should target shooting in the country be outlawed just because it bothers me? Should all that do it be called “inconsiderate”?

Way too much bitching and crying these days.

Well....there ya go. Wasted my time.

Actually I grew up in Austin, went to school there....spent my formative years all around Central Texas (until I was about 32 yrs. old).

I am a 'transplant' to East Texas (been here the last 33 yrs). Long enough to assimilate, but not long enough to not be that guy that moved here from Austin.

My wife's family is from these parts...so SHE is 'people' and I am 'married in'. That's how it works in Deep East Texas I have discovered.

That might also make my arguments null and void....I don't know.

I know what you mean and yes that’s the way it is. If you live long enough, the generations below you will assume you’ve always been there.

Most neighbors are not psychic and cannot telepathically read minds. In my experience, none are. If you have a disagreement with your neighbor, complaining about it online isn't going to do you any more good getting resolution than then previous two years of not talking to them about it. You can ask your neighbor to do anything. The neighbor doesn't have to agree or comply, but maybe he will understand your plight. Maybe he would be willing to hold off on coyote calling opening weekend or opening day.

One thing is certain. There is no reason to expect him to change the behavior you don't like if you don't bring it to his attention. How you breach the subject will matter greatly. Telling him that you think what he is legally doing is rude or inconsiderate is not going to win over your neighbor.

Today’s norms and not the norms many remember. Almost every situation is based on the I syndrome. I pay for the lease/land, I am not breaking any law, I know what I want to do, and how I want to enjoy my life. Most people are afflicted with tunnel vision in regards to their life. It’s the world we have created. Technology and gadgets allow us to be self serving constantly. Now society is a bunch of disjointed moments, ideas, situations, and interactions. Many based in the false world of social media where key board bravery rules. This further desensitizes us to others around us. Right or wrong, it’s the world we have created.

"We had this happen to us last year on the first 2 weekends. They were using an electronic call and playing it over and over within a few hundred yards of our lease from about 4:30 pm till dark."

If it bothers you, why not skip the first 2 weekends?

Since you are a lessor, why not go to your land owner and voice your concerns?

Deer hunting doesn't take precedent over any other type of hunting.

Agreed.

I'm more into hog/predator hunting personally. I still harvest a deer every now and then - only for meat though. I hunt my own property. I'd run a caller during deer season if I felt it was there was a good opportunity to call in a coyote. Certainly wouldn't blast the caller for hours, but if I saw some coyotes off in the distance and it was 4pm on a Saturday on opening weekend... I'd fire it up to try to draw them in.

I have a neighbor who lives in another state and leases his 50 acre plot to a couple of locals. I certainly wouldn't want to piss his hunters off, but I also wouldn't go out of my way to disrupt my own hunting activities. It's my land. I worked my [censored] off to acquire it. I live several hours away so anytime I get an opportunity to hunt - whatever it is - it's a treat.

That said... I also like to blast off a few (or more) rounds everytime I go out. I wouldn't do that during deer season out of respect for the hunters next door. I also wouldn't take my ATVs down the path near their property if I knew they were hunting. Essentially... I'd never want to ruin someone's hunt, but I wouldn't let someone's hunting interfere with my own

Great point.

IMHO. If they are predator calling and stayed "a few hundred yards" away, it is possible they are being considerate by not predator calling at the popup 60 yards from your fenceline. IMHO from over 40 years hunting experience "A few hundred yards" should not disturb your deer any more than someone "a few hundred yards" away driving an ATV, Ranchers Truck driving roads, Oil well pumper running, Tractor working, Rancher calling cows with siren, someone running a chainsaw, hunters slamming truck doors, storms making thunder, etc. Predators kill stuff, dying animals cry and scream, Coyotes sing with joy of the kill. It is as natural a sound in the country as the others listed. Deer don't pay attention to those sounds when those sounds are "a few hundred yards" away from them. I don't either.

I can hear my neighboring hunters talking at their camp 600 yards across a valley from our camp. If there is no wind, I can make out some of what they are saying and I don't hear very well. It is also possible your predator caller was farther away than you thought he was. Sound carries a surprising distance when there is no background road and city noise to drown it out.

I tend to agree, but I also doubt that any noise they make calling isn't something that the deer hear on a regular basis so I would be curious how much impact this would actually have on a deer hunt

To add to this - I've watched on several occasions where a group of deer was unphased when a pack of coyotes was yipping and yelping nearby. Loud of enough to make me nervous, but didn't seem to bother the deer.

just me- i get more unhappy about those that do the "new glock field test and magazine dump"
on opening morning. i worry about some pinhead sending a few my direction.

hopefully a new big thing/fad will come along, and all those "hunters" that can't tolerate small
discomforts will go do something else and stay out of the woods.

there's always fishing to do in areas where the "pros" won't take their new boats for fear of a scratch

I think that for some deer hunters, hunting is something of a virtual religion. Opening day might as well be full blown Easter services. They have all sorts of taboos, supernatural beliefs, traditions, etc. Some get bent out of shape when something is perceived to be an affront to their religious beliefs about how and what deer hunting should be. I am going to guess that they only go to deer church a few times a year and want the full Fátima experience. Failure of the full experience can be attributed to the sacrilegious practices being conducted in the surrounding area, breaking of taboos, etc.



I have a buddy who refuses to hunt opening weekend. For him, it has been some of the worst hunting. In his estimation, there are too many people in the woods, too much shooting, too many ATVs, creating too much commotion and it creeps out a lot of the deer. He usually tries to hunt middle of the first week of deer season when all the noisy weekend warriors have gone home and the deer have relaxed a bit. He says it is much more peaceful and the hunting is better.

Deer church, that's funny.

I own a small piece of land in East Texas and used to be a regular deer hunter. I have grown to let them be (usually) and have shifted to hogs. Obviously, I'm hunting at night now. The neighbors I know don't hunt so I don't have this dilemma. Even if they did hunt deer, I can't say I'm not going to kill pigs on my place because of it. In fact, I might find it inconsiderate that someone would expect me not to kill pigs at night because they intend to hunt deer. I only get in those woods once a month or so, I intend to do on my place as I darn well please when I'm there unless provided good reason not to. Seems maybe some need to take a look in the mirror after deer church. What I think I hear is, "don't you hunt while I'm hunting because your hunting disrupts my hunting".

^^^^^

Most properties this would be correct. Also, by the second weekend...a lot of deer movement doesn't even begin until after 9:00 a.m. when for some reason a lot of deer hunters go back to camp/home.

On a still, quiet morning....I can literally hear truck doors slamming, people talking, ATV noise, etc....for miles. The deer quickly pattern those hunters (where I am) and I literally laugh to myself each year as I hear them leave the woods just as the deer are coming out. Maybe other demands on their time dictate it...but for the life of me I can't understand why some folks 'religiously' hunt from 7-9 p.m. and then leave. Come back at 3:30 and leave again at sundown.

After the first couple of weeks....I don't even go to my stand until 10 a.m. then hunt mid-day to dark (the heat of rut being the exception). I see a lot deer other folks miss that way. It helps that I don't give damn about football too...so rarely is there a reason for me to be at home mid-day. To each his own...however.