Hikers During Hunting Season

[Rokwiia]

Hunting season has opened or is opening soon. It's also a time that hikers are out in the woods, mostly on known trails.

Do hikers being out in the woods during hunting season create an issue by making noise and scaring away prey? What do you say to hikers you may encounter while hunting?

 

[robtattoo]

In my experience, not at all.
The critters are there year round. The hikers are there year round. If you're hunting an area that's popular with hikers, it's actually quite a good tactic to act like them!

 

[Wapiti1]

If there is a super high volume, like during leaf peeping season, it will change animal behavior. Timing of the hiking also changes animal behavior. Hiking usually happens after light. Animals pattern to this.

If all of a sudden all the "hikers" are moving an hour or two before daylight, that will goof things up.

Game will pattern to the pattern of the activity.

Jeremy

 

[tntrker]

I hunt public land with hikers and horses year round. I've watched deer continue to lay still or feed and watch them come and go. If by chance they do "spook", it's not a dash to the next ridge for them, but rather just creating a lil buffer of a few added yards between them..

 

[303TrophyHusband]

I've killed elk within sight of heavily hiked trails, the hikers never even know you're there

 

[Rokwiia]

Do you expect that hikers should stay out of the woods during hunting season? If not, what precautions are taken, if any, to make sure an errant shot doesn't cross a hiking trail?

 

[Chevyman]

I’ve never had a problem with hikers. In the National Forest here there is allot more people Mountain biking and have had some issues with that. Mountain biking has become hugely popular here. It’s not a problem there is just allot more than in years past.

 

[Wrench]

Washington has a deer season September 15-25th in select wilderness locations. Ive hunted all but a couple of these and 100% see more mature deer at least one ridge away from the trail. We don't have Colorado density, but we do alright.

Getting away only helps......but it boils down to where is food, water and escapement.

 

[Michael Rankin]

Hunting season has opened or is opening soon. It's also a time that hikers are out in the woods, mostly on known trails.

Do hikers being out in the woods during hunting season create an issue by making noise and scaring away prey? What do you say to hikers you may encounter while hunting?

In my experience in multiple different areas it’s a complete non issue. In most areas there are people starting to use trails as soon as the snow melts in late spring early/summer. 99 percent of the time people just out for a hike aren’t out hiking at first light/last light when animals are more likely to be moving. I use the trails to get from place to place, but focus my scouting/hunting on areas away from the trails.

When I see someone on the trail I always strike up a conversation. If the people look a little apprehensive, have a big smile on your face and just ask how there hike is, inquire about where they went or are going.
I don’t ask about them seeing animals, and don’t really bring up hunting. We are both just people enjoying a hike in the outdoors.
In my experience nearly all the hunters I have met on a trail are really nice people, and all the hikers/backpackers are really nice people. Basically just keep the conversation about what you guys have in common, a shared passion for the outdoors. On rare occasions after a little chit chat they may give you a great tip on a spot to check out!

 

[Maki35]

I've hunted on public land. A couple of times I've ran into hikers... once it was an elderly couple in their late 70's, walking on a trail through the woods. I greeted them and let them know hunting season recently opened and to be careful walking through the woods without wearing orange because there were a lot of hunters (with guns) in the area. They turned around and left. lol
Another time, I came across a guy walking his dog in the woods (no leash.) First I heard the dog running, then i saw what I thought was a coyote at a distance. As I waited for a shot I realized it was a dog. The dog came up to me and the owner was trailing 6-8 mins behind it. I advise the owner that it was hunting season. He replied he always walks his dog in the woods. I told him there were a lot of hunters in the woods and someone may mistake his dog for a coyote. He looked at my rifle and realized it was not safe to walk around aimlessly when there are other hunters with guns in the woods. lol

 

[303TrophyHusband]

Do you expect that hikers should stay out of the woods during hunting season? If not, what precautions are taken, if any, to make sure an errant shot doesn't cross a hiking trail?

Basic Hunter Ed, be sure of your shot and what's in front and beyond, I'd never shoot back toward a hiking trail if I was close to it

 

[wyosam]

Do you expect that hikers should stay out of the woods during hunting season? If not, what precautions are taken, if any, to make sure an errant shot doesn't cross a hiking trail?

The normal precautions you should be taking when you pull the trigger. You should know where that bullet is going to stop. Is that not a thing anymore?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Poser]

Even if hikers do spook game, what are you going to do about it? In CO, I would never assume that there aren’t hikers out.

I was at a CPW meeting and there was a line of complaints, one after another, from hunters about hikers and Mtn bikers spooking all of the game away. Listening to these guys complain, I was thinking about all of the time I’ve spooked game while hunting -even blown entire herds out of basins that lack formal trail access. What’s the difference?