What is your Pet Peeve when hunting with others?

I was reminded about hunting with others recently. Others always ask if they can hunt with me and I was reminded to not let someone come with me because of the way the hunt.

Obviously, safety is number one priority. Some hunters don't pay attention to beyond the animal and where their bullet will end up, even if the hit the animal.

But, my personal Pet Peeve, is spending the time to get hunters on their game, within their range and then they Lolly-Gag in getting themselves or their weapons ready to fire and take a shot. The animals go bye-bye and they expect you to do it over and over again. After the 3rd time I don't try as hard... Nothing like getting to see the game, getting them close enough to shoot; and having them say, "Wait, while I have a cigarette first."... as the animals walk off.

Another is someone in a group that doesn't care but the others are trying. I once was low crawling up on a herd of Pronghorn, with 3 guys. I am getting stickers in my knees as well as the 2 guys directly behind me. I look back to tell them how far out we are, and the last guy is standing up, with his head kinda hunched over. I throw him some visual daggers and he says, "What?" Never got close enough to shoot with that group until the standing guy left without a filled tag.

I had a knowing smile as I read your post. A few more...

Too lazy or out of shape to get off the roads and actually hunt.

The guy who comes with $3K of accessories, but spent no time on the range learning how to shoot.

"Can we stop at the range so I can zero my new rifle?"

The guy that I have to wait on at the meeting spot in the morning. I hate that guy. If you're late once, O.K., late twice, you'll be looking for a new hunting partner real quick. Why is it that some people are never on time? Drives me nuts. The other one that I hate is the guy that can't hit squat, or wounds them when he does hit them.

The ones that peeved me back in the day was the ones who thought a hunting trip was a drinking trip.

I only hunt with very close friends and family.

I was up elk hunting with a large group once. My brother in law's father in law was put in charge of keeping the fire stoked in the stove on the first night. It was probably in the teens that night and he had been adding logs to the fire like crazy. At one point in the middle of the night we were all awake, on top of our sleeping bags, in our underwear, and sweating our butts off. He had done such a good job of keeping the fire going it must have been a hundred degrees in the tent. Everyone was cursing him and telling him to let the fire die out. I was lifting the bottom of the tent near my cot to let cool air in. It was miserable. He did a much better job the next several nights.

Sorry your dad did such a good job Ray.

I've not hunted before, and am ripe to make mistakes that will piss people off. I will be reading this thread intently and taking notes.

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Originally Posted by Irving

Sorry your dad did such a good job Ray.

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Ha. Wasn't my dad.

It was my wife's brother's wife's dad. Lol.

(Complicated, I know.)

Now hunting with people who leave camp at dawn and come back at 9 for breakfast, then leave again an hour before sundown. Too much time and planning fur me not to be out all day.

Go go hunt with someone and find out hunting means driving the roads at dawn and dusk.

Spotting a herd, laying in the snow waiting for a shot and fellow hunters kid walks through them with his head down.

This is could go on for a while.

Haven't had this issue when hunting, but when I do ATV rides with groups of people they like to get up, drag out a bunch of cooking stuff, make and eat breakfast, clean up their mess, and then get ready to hit the trails. Usually means we aren't heading out of camp until 8:30 or 9:00. Then they act all disappointed when we don't have enough time to cover as much distance that day before we have to start heading back. I don't mind waking up and having a little breakfast before we head out but they could save us about an hour if they just had cereal or whatever instead of cooking eggs, bacon and whatever.

Got to have bacon and eggs...I just precook the bacon and hardboil the eggs when I am hunting, ATVing or backpacking.

They need to make bacon flavored pop tarts or something.

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Originally Posted by newracer

I only hunt with very close friends and family.

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This. ^^^^^

I always take a trip or two for camping/fishing/scouting with new hunting partners(friends or relatives), before heading up for tagged hunt.

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Originally Posted by ray1970

Haven't had this issue when hunting, but when I do ATV rides with groups of people they like to get up, drag out a bunch of cooking stuff, make and eat breakfast, clean up their mess, and then get ready to hit the trails. Usually means we aren't heading out of camp until 8:30 or 9:00. Then they act all disappointed when we don't have enough time to cover as much distance that day before we have to start heading back. I don't mind waking up and having a little breakfast before we head out but they could save us about an hour if they just had cereal or whatever instead of cooking eggs, bacon and whatever.

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They can still have eggs and bacon. I can have breakfast cooked and cleaned up by 7.

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Originally Posted by Irving

Sorry your dad did such a good job Ray.

I've not hunted before, and am ripe to make mistakes that will piss people off. I will be reading this thread intently and taking notes.

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I havent hunted before either. We should get up scouting together. Gotta start someplace, and I know not a lot of people like taking newbs like us out.

Probably nearly everything that's been said prior to and following my post.

People that I have to put my foot in their ass to get them going in the morning. If we are not well settled in on point by first light, I am pissed.

P.S. NOBODY should be smoking out in the field. If anyone smokes around me (ex smoker) I'd be pissed to be out there smelling like an ashtray. Thankfully, we don't have any cig smokers in the crew. maybe a cigar in the evening, but then we're out of the hunting gear and always outside.

I took a buddy and a couple of his friends from Ohio elk hunting. They had all just recently got out of the military and hunt whitetail at home. I get the first guy in on his first bull, he makes a nice off hand shot at 100 yards, bull drops within 50 yards, all is going great so far. We get ready to start cutting up the bull and out of 4 of us I was the only one who had knives. So the guy who shot the bull and I get to work and I send the other two guys to the truck to get pack frames. When they get back they had brought my pack frame and two day packs. I asked where their frames where and their response "oh we needed to bring our big packs". So no gear or the wrong gear is my big complaint

I love the guy who brings his son, who needless to say, is hyperactive and the kid spends all day talking and throwing an axe into trees.
To top it off they both tell you all day and night how great they are in the woods and could shoot the pecker off a mosquito then when they actually get a shot they spend the whole time asking you what they should do....needless to say I told my brother-in-law not to invite them EVER AGAIN!

I have an extremely limited group I hunt with. The friends who think a hunting trip is also a drinking trip don't come on my hunts. If I have a little time and want to get out, I'll go with them with the intention to go camping and drinking, if we make it out to hunt then it is just a bonus.

I grew up in hunting and fishing in Michigan. My 2 biggest pet peeves were those who did not show up on time. An those who were not prepared with the equipment they should have.
There's more I can add, but I am having difficulty getting my computer to print what I am typing.

Would love to go sometime... like Stu, taking notes..... Keep 'em coming.

For new guys, know your limits. There are guys out there who are like mountain goats and go up and over mountains with ease. Let whoever you go with know your limits. That doesn't mean don't try to get in hunting shape though. Go on hikes with a pack on your back, and isn't as big of a deal for us locals who are acclimated to higher elevations already. The guys I've seen struggle are from out of state at low elevations.

The out of shape guy who walks down hill from camp and shoots something in the deepest canyon, then has you go pack it out because he can barely get himself out alive.
The guy who strays out of his predetermined hunting area into yours because he didn't see anything on his side of the mountain.
The guy who doesn't lift a finger around camp.
The guy who sleeps in and then walks or rides his ATV through your hunting area around 9 AM to get to his area.
The guy who lobs multiple rounds at 400 yards instead of stalking in closer for a better shot.
The guy who pisses upwind and not far from the tent.

With the exception of only a few days, I've hunted solo for the past 30 years. It's more effective (in spot and stalk big game hunting) because you avoid the additional exposure, errors and miscommunication that inevitably happens when two or more hunters move together. Most hunters are not very aware and move poorly in the woods. I'm an experienced, confident outdoorsman with no fear of being alone in the wilderness. I'm serious about hunting and serious about taking home the game, so why handicap myself with someone who is less serious or less capable?

Certainly there are advantages to hunting with others, safety in the event of an accident being #1, but for me it doesn't outweigh the disadvantages.

I worked for an outfitter in the Flat Tops for 9 years and still camp near them. They pack out my meat when far from camp. In the evenings, I enjoy the camaraderie with the outfitter and guides, and enjoy talking with other hunters in the field, but complicating my hunt with someone else's issues is just not worth it.

I can't stand people with bad manners. That can spoil a good hunting trip quicker than anything.

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Originally Posted by tmjohnson

I can't stand people with bad manners. That can spoil a good hunting trip quicker than anything.

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Well, I say Buffy, would you pass me the grey poupon! I usually have trouble deciding which fork to use on the baked beans.

Last year a fellow hunting buddy brought a guy with him who had promised he wouldn't tell anyone about our spot. After we left camp a few days later he returned with some guy he knew the next day, then proceded to tell us about it. [facepalm] Lesson learned. Luckily we're going to a new unit this year.

I don't like it when people point guns at me.

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Originally Posted by yz9890

I don't like it when people point guns at me.

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Bam. Winner winner chicken dinner. I forgot about all the muzzle sweeps.

I hate it when I take family members with me to help with spotting and they won't shut up. They are talking out loud, cracking jokes and laughing, then wonder why they haven't seen a single animal in 2 hours. Frecking Genius! [facepalm]

Another pet peeve: those who whine about not getting an elk. Hay Zeus, I think the success rate is about 20% or so (average), so don't get all but hurt if you didn't get one after 2 hours in he woods while hung over, stinking like bacon.

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Originally Posted by yz9890

I don't like it when people point guns at me.

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My brother in law found a new hunting/shooting buddy. They went out on the prairie to sight in their rifles when new hunting buddy picked his rifle off the hood of BILs Chevy truck and blew a hole through said hood and out the front grille, taking out the radiator along the way.

Booger hook on the bang switch. [facepalm]


Well, that partnership didn't last much longer and my brother in law was so pissed about the bullet hole in the hood that he sold the truck instead of fixing it.

[fudd]

During elk archery season when the guy that doesnt wear a sidearm wants to be your shadow because a couple if bears walked by. Ditto for turkey season.

So geeked up about the hunt they shoot hens and miss the roosters cause they shoot at the tails. Need more range time.

Muzzle awareness in the field.

Unload shotgun before putting away.

If you shoot over my dog at least let the bird rise enough you don't hit my pup. Thankfully that has never been an issue.

After the day is done help with cleaning birds or make dinner, unload gear, care for dogs. Plenty of work to go around and we are all tired but not as much as our dogs and they need care and feeding.

Meat hogs who consistantly put themselves in the best shooting position not taking into account others in the party especially those with kids.

+1 for the hunting buddy being late and people that dont know what stealth is.

Noisy people. I hate spending my day sneaking through the woods tracking elk and having someone with me that steps on every stick, scraping against branches and kicking every rock jutting out of the ground.

I don't mind guys that want to turn a hunting into a drinking trip. I hunt with three guys and four days into a 10 day trip they are usually ready to start drinking. They stay in camp and have a good time while I hunt. That just gives me more time in the woods alone which I prefer.

I don't hunt with any smokers, but I do know a guy that hunts that way. He takes a tripod chair, a gun, a six pack, and menthol cigs into the woods and gets an elk every year. Don't ask me how he does it but I am impressed by it.

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Originally Posted by SamuraiCO

So geeked up about the hunt they shoot hens and miss the roosters cause they shoot at the tails. Need more range time.

Muzzle awareness in the field.

Unload shotgun before putting away.

If you shoot over my dog at least let the bird rise enough you don't hit my pup. Thankfully that has never been an issue.

After the day is done help with cleaning birds or make dinner, unload gear, care for dogs. Plenty of work to go around and we are all tired but not as much as our dogs and they need care and feeding.

Meat hogs who consistantly put themselves in the best shooting position not taking into account others in the party especially those with kids.

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add to this, no shooting bastards who take the edges of a line and folks who can't hold a line while pushing birds.

Guys who stop walking fifty yards short of a corner you've walked half a mile to funnel the birds into.

Shooting at rabbits when dogs are working.