# Plenty of folks in blackwater.



## kdawg.84 (Oct 8, 2007)

Has anyone else noticed a huge increase in bowhunters out at blackwater this year.Never had a problem in years past,always saw a few people on the weekend but not to many and hardly ever more than a couple during the week.This years it's been swamped weekend or after work. Maybe it's just the area I'm hunting. What is everyone else's thoughts.


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## bigbulls (Mar 12, 2008)

Where I have been hunting it's actually been lighter traffic than in years past.


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## MULLET HUNTER (Oct 3, 2007)

Just like fishing every fella with a job now is an offshore angler. That's why I only care for blue water fishing keeps you away from the nubes.....


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## kdawg.84 (Oct 8, 2007)

*Yeah*

I hunt not far from town so it may be a gas saving thing.I know that's why I have been hunting there for years.looks like I need to relocate.


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## Grassflatsfisher (Oct 3, 2007)

It's getting to expensive to lease land. A lot of people are giving up and headed to blackwater.


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## James Fink (Oct 2, 2007)

Definitely more...and by driving down closed roads pissing me off.


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## bigbulls (Mar 12, 2008)

> and by driving down closed roads pissing me off.


Ditto. 

At least where I hunt they are starting to take thousands of pounds of stumps and logs and barricading the roads closed. Glad they are doing it.


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## kdawg.84 (Oct 8, 2007)

*Yep*

My brother had a doe at 15 yards about 45 min. Ago. He was trying to let her calm down because she was so spooky when a truck comes down the road he is hunting off of and after passing his truck spins out in every mud hole he goes thru. Needless to say the doe hauled ass lol.It happens when hunting near a road i know,But it's something you didn't have to worry about much in years past during bow season.


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## James Fink (Oct 2, 2007)

I know of an incident that happened opening morning. Guy got beat to the area he wanted to hunt so drove around honking his horn and peeling out around the whole section. Getting pretty stupid the way people are acting nowadays. Not just in the woods but it is definitely happening up there more and more. Sorry to hear about it happening to y'all also.


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## Tomslick66 (Mar 16, 2011)

Last Saturday we had a jeep with Virginia plates and a couple of young dudes with high and tights blaring their music come to the end of a dead end trail about 45 minutes before sundown. When they saw my truck, they turned around and left just as loud as they came in! Watched the whole trip from my treestand wishing I was holding my .270 instead of the bow...


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## stapes24 (Nov 20, 2011)

Tomslick66 said:


> Last Saturday we had a jeep with Virginia plates and a couple of young dudes with high and tights blaring their music come to the end of a dead end trail about 45 minutes before sundown. When they saw my truck, they turned around and left just as loud as they came in! Watched the whole trip from my treestand wishing I was holding my .270 instead of the bow...


If this was on public land I do not see Ur gripe...


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## deersniper270 (Apr 29, 2009)

Had a guy drive by honking his horn 4 times last year when I was hunting a spot. Never seen that truck in my life and I had already hunted there 5+ times. He was cussing something fierce too. I'm a level headed person, but I could have hit his truck no problem at 300yds. Surprised nobody gets shot doing that crap. And I've had people drive down a closed road I was on. Hunted there because it was a long haul in and nobody else was walking it. Pissed me off...


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## BLACKWATER_BOUNTY (May 9, 2012)

Always a crowd where I hunt in Blackwater. You never know what kind of crazies you're going to run into from hunt to hunt. So far I've heard them riding through with their stereos wide open at prime time. Hell don't let there be any "mud hole" turns into "muddin on the weekend". Dumping trash all through out the area. The best has yet to come gun season....Driving an hour to get to your spot. Being in a tree an hour before sunrise. All set up ready to go 7:00am rolls around and what is that you hear? People? Yelling? Hollering? Yep that's right groups of them doing man drives in a Wildlife Management STILL HUNT AREA!!! Not so much STILL HUNT when all that goes on. No respect at all. Sad but true. Not so surprising any more after eight years of hunting the same area. Just saying......


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## CHUMM BUCKET (Jul 2, 2008)

deersniper270 said:


> Had a guy drive by honking his horn 4 times last year when I was hunting a spot. Never seen that truck in my life and I had already hunted there 5+ times. He was cussing something fierce too. I'm a level headed person, but I could have hit his truck no problem at 300yds. Surprised nobody gets shot doing that crap. And I've had people drive down a closed road I was on. Hunted there because it was a long haul in and nobody else was walking it. Pissed me off...


This is just Some of the crap that makes it so easy for me to pay to hunt on private property


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## -WiRtH- (Feb 24, 2009)

Yesterday I went back to the area I had been hunting the past week. 4 trucks. 2 at one end of the small stretch, 2 at the other. I had been seeing a lot of deer. I don't know if I'll be seeing them now. The only time I had seen another vehicle was a couple people that went down a cut road going to their stands just as I had gotten up, not during any deer movement times. Except the one guy that broke down that day...


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## MULLET HUNTER (Oct 3, 2007)

Unless you have kids these days it's easier, and cheaper to fly out west shoot a stud pay your money and call it a season, if you have kids you have to teach hem on private land due to the number of people in the woods, just ain't safe for kids in blackwater anymore. Tough hunting on public land anywhere now days. It used to be fun, but its getting dangerous. Like I said earlier, too many people with no experience whatsoever ever buying them a rifle and a tree stand and a rifle and poof they are hunters... Just like fishing public wrecks.


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## lettheairout (Mar 11, 2008)

cant stand the man drives, love during gun season when u got guys riding through the woods with someone on the tailgate just shootin at anything they see.


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## stapes24 (Nov 20, 2011)

BLACKWATER_BOUNTY said:


> Always a crowd where I hunt in Blackwater. You never know what kind of crazies you're going to run into from hunt to hunt. So far I've heard them riding through with their stereos wide open at prime time. Hell don't let there be any "mud hole" turns into "muddin on the weekend". Dumping trash all through out the area. The best has yet to come gun season....Driving an hour to get to your spot. Being in a tree an hour before sunrise. All set up ready to go 7:00am rolls around and what is that you hear? People? Yelling? Hollering? Yep that's right groups of them doing man drives in a Wildlife Management STILL HUNT AREA!!! Not so much STILL HUNT when all that goes on. No respect at all. Sad but true. Not so surprising any more after eight years of hunting the same area. Just saying......


Still hunt area means no dogs...if you look at the definition of still hunt you will see that "stalking" is a part of it. Whether that be a drive or whatever...it's part of it. I am one that does drives...and really don't care what anyone says about it. I grew up in Wisconsin where everyone on public land does that in groups of 10-20 people.


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## jspooney (Oct 2, 2007)

This is about to get good...


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## wld1985 (Oct 2, 2007)

My dad hunts out at Blackwater, and had several stands up there and locked to the tree...He said he had a few stolen,and one or 2 someone just shot the locks off so they could have his good chain...


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## BLACKWATER_BOUNTY (May 9, 2012)

Like I said NO RESPECT! Typical yankee response.... Anyways I know how the Florida Management Area system works. I understand the drives are legal no doubt about it but when you see trucks in an area that are clearly around hunting why would you drive their sections. I've even killed some bucks while in the stand with the man drives going on. Felt kind of bad about it but knowing it wasn't a fair kill just more of the anger set in while it was going on


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## stapes24 (Nov 20, 2011)

That's the difference guy...we don't drive an area where there are people hunting. Why would we drive an area where someone else might get a shot at a deer we kick up...lol


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## -WiRtH- (Feb 24, 2009)

We have too many hunters around here to have a separate stalking and still hunt area unless they combined stalking and dog hunting, but then you run the risk of getting in trouble for shooting a deer on the way to a still hunt only stand. I don't really care. I generally just try to hunt during the week so I can miss all the weekend warriors.


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

Man we've hunted blackwater a bunch the past week and seen a few trucks but nothing crazy. The 5 times I've been this year up there I've sat in an oak thicket that I've never been to before... never even scouted and seen deer every sit! Google earth is all you need... I don't understand what all the fuss is about. You don't have to scout a spot for 2 weeks like Jim shockey , just go sit near some oak trees and wait.

Sent from my LG G2X using Forum Runner


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## jspooney (Oct 2, 2007)

I wonder if there are any legitimate studies on the number of people that actually hunt Blackwater. Almost 200,000 acres is a lot of land.


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## archer-1 (Feb 4, 2009)

For those of us that grew up there....its become insane and somewhat unsafe. When I hunt there I wait till the end of bow season before I do so all of the others have time to get board and turn their attention to gun season....The woods and wildlife change about Oct. 1st due to all the increased "scouting" activity.


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## kandv2000 (May 10, 2012)

when you see trucks in an area that are clearly around hunting why would you drive their sections. 


This is the typical response hunting or fishing PUBLIC areas. What is an ok stand off when you see a truck.. Considering someone truly hunting would walk 300 yards or so to their stands in an unknown direction. How far in each direction does a hunter clain as his very own from his truck on PUBLIC land. 

This is a sincere question as it has been years since I hunted PUBLIC land and may have to in the future if the economy does not improve.


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## jross31455 (Aug 11, 2011)

im hunting blackwater off of hwy 4 and i have never seen a single person, i guess im lucky!!!


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

Tomslick66 said:


> Watched the whole trip from my treestand wishing I was holding my .270 instead of the bow...


That's the scariest thing about people in BW, folks that think just like you.:whistling: So you have a rifle and someone drives down a road you are hunting, you plan on shooting at them-shooting at their truck-shooting a warning shot in the ground/air? Get a grip, if you hunt BW, you hunt it w/ the understanding there are yahoo's like this driving around acting a fool. It doesn't look good when you post your own foolish "cure" fer the situation.:shifty:


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## whitetail187 (Mar 3, 2012)

it's pretty sad that "it's legal" has been substituted for respecting other hunters. There are some good people hunting out in blackwater too. Me and a buddy of mine ran into a couple guys while we were heading to our stands in the afternoon and they were about to quail hunt. They were cool enough to hunt somewhere else since my stand was a ladder stand. Didn't even ask them to. I was actually going to sit on a "closed to traffic road" after we saw them. there's too much land out there to be jerk about it. Just glad I have some place to hunt. There are just some people who didn't have parents like mine I guess.


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## welldoya (Oct 5, 2007)

Like somebody said earlier, just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
That's why I quit hunting Champion WMA 25 years ago. There were truckloads of jerks driving around man-driving every head on the place. They didn't care if your truck was parked there and they knew you were hunting right there, they would drive it.
I wrote the game commission about it and they said there was nothing they could do BUT, I picked up a Champion brochure a couple of years later and saw that they started restricting man-drives between the hours of 10:00 - 2:00.
One of these days hopefully some people will realize that the world doesn't revolve around them.


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## stapes24 (Nov 20, 2011)

welldoya said:


> Like somebody said earlier, just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
> That's why I quit hunting Champion WMA 25 years ago. There were truckloads of jerks driving around man-driving every head on the place. They didn't care if your truck was parked there and they knew you were hunting right there, they would drive it.
> I wrote the game commission about it and they said there was nothing they could do BUT, I picked up a Champion brochure a couple of years later and saw that they started restricting man-drives between the hours of 10:00 - 2:00.
> One of these days hopefully some people will realize that the world doesn't revolve around them.


If people are that upset about it they should probably go hunt private land. It's not gonna stop...just part of it. There is a reason it's called public hunting land. Anyone that wants to hunt can...


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## Kill'em Dead (Jul 21, 2009)

I hunt blackwater and could complain about a lot of the stuff I see and the night hunting that goes on in that place and the man drives but its right for my wallet so you kinda have to deal with it, so just hunt it smart and as safe ad you possibly can, and let the idiots be idiots


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## deersniper270 (Apr 29, 2009)

Jason said:


> That's the scariest thing about people in BW, folks that think just like you.:whistling: So you have a rifle and someone drives down a road you are hunting, you plan on shooting at them-shooting at their truck-shooting a warning shot in the ground/air? Get a grip, if you hunt BW, you hunt it w/ the understanding there are yahoo's like this driving around acting a fool. It doesn't look good when you post your own foolish "cure" fer the situation.:shifty:


I agree. People can be crazy. That's why I'm surprised more people don't get shot acting a fool in BW. I have been hunting a spot for 3 years now that produced well. This year I've seen about 5 new people trying to hunt that spot now since they took down the road closed sign. I just scratched that off my spot list and moved else where. It's just not worth hunting there and taking the chance that they claim they've been there all season even though I've hunted it for 3 years and getting shot at. 

Another thing that happened last year was we were sitting a spot and I heard my dad about 200 yards away yelp at me from his tree. Heard something coming to me from him and got ready. Turned out to be one of those survey teams just walking thought the woods wearing no orange and clothed in brown and white. How retarded can you be?! They actually parked right next to our truck and walked straight into where we were at 7am on a Sunday. I couldn't believe it.


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## Downtime2 (Sep 27, 2007)

Been a while since I hunted in Blackwater. I do still work there and have for over 28 years. The deer around the nursery ought to be easy pickins as the should all have cataracts on thier eyes from all the shining they see. I still have to come out here for callouts now, alot of time it will be late pm/early am. There always is someone shining. Yes, it is crowded around here. If you can hunt safely in somewhat congested woods, have at it. If not, you may want to find somewhere else. Lots of folks up here.


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## Tomslick66 (Mar 16, 2011)

Jason said:


> That's the scariest thing about people in BW, folks that think just like you.:whistling: So you have a rifle and someone drives down a road you are hunting, you plan on shooting at them-shooting at their truck-shooting a warning shot in the ground/air? Get a grip, if you hunt BW, you hunt it w/ the understanding there are yahoo's like this driving around acting a fool. It doesn't look good when you post your own foolish "cure" fer the situation.:shifty:


I guess mutual respect means I respect them and that's the end of it? Why would you ride down a dead end road with your radio blaring party music during hunting season just before sunset? Those idiots were heading to a summer teenager's party spot, Virginia plates (ie. Navy) with no concern for hunter's rights! It is illegal to interfere with legitimate hunting activities in the state of Florida. My foolish cure for their foolish disregard for legal hunters is my choice not yours (as long as I do not break the law), . Make your own decisions for dealing with jerks around you then wonder why someone doesn't do something about it. "Bend over and take it" is not how I was raised! Maybe you would have them over for tea and discuss how their behavior made you feel?


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## stapes24 (Nov 20, 2011)

Tomslick66 said:


> I guess mutual respect means I respect them and that's the end of it? Why would you ride down a dead end road with your radio blaring party music during hunting season just before sunset? Those idiots were heading to a summer teenager's party spot, Virginia plates (ie. Navy) with no concern for hunter's rights! It is illegal to interfere with legitimate hunting activities in the state of Florida. My foolish cure for their foolish disregard for legal hunters is my choice not yours (as long as I do not break the law), . Make your own decisions for dealing with jerks around you then wonder why someone doesn't do something about it. "Bend over and take it" is not how I was raised! Maybe you would have them over for tea and discuss how their behavior made you feel?


As crazy as this sounds...not everyone knows or cares about hunting seasons.


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## Tomslick66 (Mar 16, 2011)

stapes24 said:


> As crazy as this sounds...not everyone knows or cares about hunting seasons.


As any judge will be glad to tell you, ignorance of the law is no excuse!
I expect to have hunters bumping me in public land, I even came close to peeing myself from a treestand once when a guy walked directly below my stand. I waited until he was about 50 yards away and hit my grunt call. He dropped the climbing stand he was carrying and went on "full alert". His head was bobbing and turning back and forth like a gobbler trying to find that hot hen he keeps hearing! I waited until he resumed his stroll through the woods and hit my grunt again...he looked like Barney Fife meets Rambo the way he locked that rifle across his chest and tried to lock on to where the "buck" was calling from. HILARIOUS!!

That's expected and part of the public hunting experience.

But blowing someone's day because you're ignorant, apathetic or just a jerk doesn't get you a pass in my book. Do you think I would impress them more with the reality of hunting rights awareness by walking up to the road and explaining to them the time I put into scouting, the importance of spending time in God's great creation, and the true Zen of becoming part of the cycle of life by actually harvesting the meat I consume instead of just playing the role of scavenger by eating something killed by a factory...or would their learning curve be a little steeper when they heard a center fire rifle blast with 75 yards of their little party cruise through the woods and had to clean their shorts as they discussed alternate locations to drink a case of Cheap Lite and try to pick up teenage girls?


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## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

> It is illegal to interfere with legitimate hunting activities in the state of Florida.


You left out the most important part. "Intentionally" interfere. Accidental interference is not illegal.


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## stapes24 (Nov 20, 2011)

MrFish said:


> You left out the most important part. "Intentionally" interfere. Accidental interference is not illegal.


That's what I was trying to get at. I work with a bunch of dudes that know nothing about hunting. They don't even think there is a hunting season down here cuz it is Florida and there are only beaches down here.


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## Tomslick66 (Mar 16, 2011)

So letting someone stomp all over your rights because they didn't know you had rights is ok? Where do guys like you come from?


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## stapes24 (Nov 20, 2011)

Yea...so why not take a pop shot at someone's vehicle...keep it classy. If you're this butt hurt over hunting on public land maybe it's time for you to join a club.


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## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

Tomslick66 said:


> So letting someone stomp all over your rights because they didn't know you had rights is ok? Where do guys like you come from?


So...you are the only one with rights to be in a PUBLIC forest? If you don't want to deal with this, then get a freaking lease.


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## Tomslick66 (Mar 16, 2011)

stapes24 said:


> Yea...so why not take a pop shot at someone's vehicle...keep it classy. If you're this butt hurt over hunting on public land maybe it's time for you to join a club.


You jump to unsupported conclusions faster than a Democrat at election time!


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## Tomslick66 (Mar 16, 2011)

MrFish said:


> So...you are the only one with rights to be in a PUBLIC forest? If you don't want to deal with this, then get a freaking lease.


I don't spit in your face and say you're violating my rights when you tell me to stop. I don't assert my way over others and I don't let them do it to me. If that is objectionable to you don't hang out with me. If I see someone fishing a hole, I move on. I guess you think it's rude to yell at boats that swamp someone while they're fishing too?


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## stapes24 (Nov 20, 2011)

Tomslick66 said:


> You jump to unsupported conclusions faster than a Democrat at election time!


What exactly is unsupported about that??? You are angry some punk military guys rode around BW with their music loud...in which case you wished u had Ur .270. Please explain that one to me.


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## Tomslick66 (Mar 16, 2011)

stapes24 said:


> What exactly is unsupported about that??? You are angry some punk military guys rode around BW with their music loud...in which case you wished u had Ur .270. Please explain that one to me.


"pop shot at their vehicle"?


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## Kill'em Dead (Jul 21, 2009)

I had one around the Boy Scout camp, this guy and girl in a green/teal z71 straight pipes sounded like crap, come through there doggin it on a dead end road I could here them talkin because the music was up so they were yelling and she said Stop!Stop!Stop! There's Sombody hunting here there's their truck and the guy said I don't give a F!! Loudly and then he found out he had to turn around so I guess he felt he had to whip it around in the middle of the road and stay in the gas till he got all the way to the highway, just makes you wanna go askin him what he was thinkin doin that at 5:30 on a Saturday afternoon, opening weekend!!


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## stapes24 (Nov 20, 2011)

Tomslick66 said:


> But blowing someone's day because you're ignorant, apathetic or just a jerk doesn't get you a pass in my book. Do you think I would impress them more with the reality of hunting rights awareness by walking up to the road and explaining to them the time I put into scouting, the importance of spending time in God's great creation, and the true Zen of becoming part of the cycle of life by actually harvesting the meat I consume instead of just playing the role of scavenger by eating something killed by a factory...or would their learning curve be a little steeper when they heard a center fire rifle blast with 75 yards of their little party cruise through the woods and had to clean their shorts as they discussed alternate locations to drink a case of Cheap Lite and try to pick up teenage girls?


I rest my case. I said good day!!


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## Tomslick66 (Mar 16, 2011)

stapes24 said:


> I rest my case. I said good day!!


Your case is rested, good night.


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## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

Tomslick66 said:


> I don't spit in your face and say you're violating my rights when you tell me to stop. I don't assert my way over others and I don't let them do it to me. If that is objectionable to you don't hang out with me. If I see someone fishing a hole, I move on. I guess you think it's rude to yell at boats that swamp someone while they're fishing too?


No, I don't think it's rude. I never said they weren't being shit heads, I just said they weren't doing anything illegal unless they were doing it intentionally. I would be pissed too, but it's public land. Every time I have been on public land, you run the risk of running into these types.


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## Tomslick66 (Mar 16, 2011)

This has been fun kids but it's time this old man went to bed. No hard feelings unless you're mad at me, then pththpphthppthpthhpthhp!!!!! (It's the sound of a raspberry, you know, tongue between lips and blow) 'night all!!


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## welldoya (Oct 5, 2007)

stapes24 said:


> If people are that upset about it they should probably go hunt private land. It's not gonna stop...just part of it. There is a reason it's called public hunting land. Anyone that wants to hunt can...


I enjoyed hunting St. Regis/Champion WMA for many years and never had a problem until the man-drivers showed up. That and the time I was in Blackwater and the guy was explaining to me about how he took a "sound shot" were the catalysts for me joining a lease. Been in the same one for 25 years and the day I can't afford it is the day I will just switch to bird hunting only.


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## bowfisher91 (Feb 19, 2008)

MULLET HUNTER said:


> Unless you have kids these days it's easier, and cheaper to fly out west shoot a stud pay your money and call it a season, if you have kids you have to teach hem on private land due to the number of people in the woods, just ain't safe for kids in blackwater anymore. Tough hunting on public land anywhere now days. It used to be fun, but its getting dangerous. Like I said earlier, too many people with no experience whatsoever ever buying them a rifle and a tree stand and a rifle and poof they are hunters... Just like fishing public wrecks.


It makes me cringe when I hear that. Buying a "stud" is not hunting.


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## gkmac54 (Dec 11, 2011)

*High and tights*



Tomslick66 said:


> couple of young dudes with high and tights. When they saw my truck, they turned around and left just as loud as they came in! Watched the whole trip from my treestand wishing I was holding my .270 instead.
> 
> These young dudes likely have put more on the line than you have ever dared. They also have or will endure more danger than you could impose with your .270. May the deer avoid your hunting position for the rest of your days.
> 
> ...


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## Tomslick66 (Mar 16, 2011)

Done my time on the line too, but thanks for your ill-informed comment. May you enjoy all the ill you wish on others...then again, I hope you enjoy all the blessings you pray others get too. If you're lucky the balance will be in your favor.

Those guys were being jerks. I vented, and I'm the bad guy...welcome to the new attitude shaping our country. You guys have fun with this one. I feel like I've been a conservative guest on "The View".


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