Wow..

[Nikanit]

My husband and I came back from an elk hunt in Grande Prairie and had a pretty negative experience.

I have problems walking distance because of arthritis. We had found a nice hay field that was good for me to hunt in, so we found the land owners, a real lovely elderly couple, and asked permission, and it was granted. We left a hunter courtesy card with them with all pertinent information and thanked them heavily (will be bringing them cookies next year).

So we then leave and drive off and pull over to look over the field to figure out where I will be, and this guy in a big lifted truck comes roaring down the road, pulls up beside us and states "NO HUNTING IS ALLOWED THERE!". We then tell him that we just obtained permission from the land owners, then he hollers at us that this land is HIS baby, and those folks are his parents. He then says yeah right, then guns his truck and sprays gravel and mud all over us.

He drives down the road, then stops and starts backing up. My husband is ready to do battle when buddy pulls up and apologized. I think he probably phoned mom and dad and realized we were telling the truth.

He then tells us about people disrespecting the land and such, but I tell him "Look man, we are both almost senior citizens here...do we look like criminals to you? I get that people do stupid stuff all over here (seen a deer on side of road with head cut off, wasted the meat), but please don't judge all of us, stop spraying effin gravel, and at least try to talk to people first man! I told him that I am disabled and looking for easy access fields. I told him I'm not an idiot with a gun, and I can certainly tell cattle from game. He was kinda subdued after that.

We talked to lots of other lease/land owners and they were nice to us. Just a few were a bit growly but I killed them with kindness. Elk shaped cookies to the kind ones next year.

[Twisted Canuck]

Unfortunate response (initially), but I have to sympathize a bit. There is a real problem with trespassing, poaching,and slob hunting in general around here. I have access to two sections of private land on Wapitit, with a big heavy locked steel gate that I have key too. It is heavily posted No Trespassing....its right there by the gates, where the quads all bypass gate to get by and then tear things up on the way to river. We had paid to put heavy concrete barriers on either side of gate, with more signage. Figured that might get the message across. They were winched out of the way twice, and we gave up. Now we have some acreage developments that have sprung up in the area, and people come to walk their dogs and ride horses there. Or trespass. Last night I was in my stand seeing if I could have any luck calling in a moose, I called in two dogs people were walking (and they were making so much noise). I've all but given up. Where we have seen elk, moose, white tail and muley deer in the same fields all at once, this year I have seen a couple of wt does with fawns. That's it. Did find evidence of at least two poached animals so far. Don't be too hard on land owners, this happens everywhere around here. There is a really disgusting attitude of disrespect and entitlement around here that I can't stand. I won't expound on my theory of why, it will just get things stirred up and those with the same attitude that inhabit this forum will just pile on.

[last minute]

Originally Posted by Nikanit

My husband and I came back from an elk hunt in Grande Prairie and had a pretty negative experience.

I have problems walking distance because of arthritis. We had found a nice hay field that was good for me to hunt in, so we found the land owners, a real lovely elderly couple, and asked permission, and it was granted. We left a hunter courtesy card with them with all pertinent information and thanked them heavily (will be bringing them cookies next year).

So we then leave and drive off and pull over to look over the field to figure out where I will be, and this guy in a big lifted truck comes roaring down the road, pulls up beside us and states "NO HUNTING IS ALLOWED THERE!". We then tell him that we just obtained permission from the land owners, then he hollers at us that this land is HIS baby, and those folks are his parents. He then says yeah right, then guns his truck and sprays gravel and mud all over us.

He drives down the road, then stops and starts backing up. My husband is ready to do battle when buddy pulls up and apologized. I think he probably phoned mom and dad and realized we were telling the truth.

He then tells us about people disrespecting the land and such, but I tell him "Look man, we are both almost senior citizens here...do we look like criminals to you? I get that people do stupid stuff all over here (seen a deer on side of road with head cut off, wasted the meat), but please don't judge all of us, stop spraying effin gravel, and at least try to talk to people first man! I told him that I am disabled and looking for easy access fields. I told him I'm not an idiot with a gun, and I can certainly tell cattle from game. He was kinda subdued after that.

We talked to lots of other lease/land owners and they were nice to us. Just a few were a bit growly but I killed them with kindness. Elk shaped cookies to the kind ones next year.

Doesn't sound all that bad sounds like he just didn't know you had already obtained permission to hunt.


You tell him to kick rocks next time especially if the parents still own the land and give you that permission

[Sooner]

Turned out good in the end and you may just have secured a spot and friends for next year.

I met a landowner last fall for my sons moose tag, we introduced ourselves and asked about permission and property lines(no fences). Last week we knocked on his door again and my son thanked him with a box of gourmet cookies and a thank you card with a Timmies card inside and this time I left my cell # in the card. Offered him some K&K made smokies and garlic sausage from the kids moose as well.

He called the next day to chat & thank me for the goodies. I think I have a new friend.

[greywolf]

Atleast what started out as a negative experience did not end up as a one.

[mattthegorby]

I am pretty empathetic with the guy considering all the stories I read here about yahoos. That being said, you seem like good folks and I bet he will appreciate your cookies and hopefully you can all laugh about it.

[Nikanit]

Originally Posted by last minute

Doesn't sound all that bad sounds like he just didn't know you had already obtained permission to hunt.

We did tell him and pointed over to the house. He still lost his mind and said "Yeah right", then proceeded to spray us

[hal53]

Not a very good experience for sure. But, as mentioned by others, all hunters should try living rural for one hunting season, it would certainly open your eyes as to what some of the shenanigans that land owners put up with, I am surprised that any of them still allow access truth be told. FWIW 90% of the hunters (?) I stopped and talked to when I was rural, pointed to the nearest residence and claimed the people that live there gave them permission, A lot of the times they were pointing at my house.

[Nikanit]

Originally Posted by hal53

Not a very good experience for sure. But, as mentioned by others, all hunters should try living rural for one hunting season, it would certainly open your eyes as to what some of the shenanigans that land owners put up with, I am surprised that any of them still allow access truth be told. FWIW 90% of the hunters (?) I stopped and talked to when I was rural, pointed to the nearest residence and claimed the people that live there gave them permission, A lot of the times they were pointing at my house.

We did tell him his parents last name and that we had left a courtesy card with them, then tried to give him one after he apologized.

I am a native Albertan and left home at 19 to live on the coast. When I came back home to red Deer 11 years ago I sure as H3ll noticed all the people here now because of the oilfields, as well as some real A hole young people around now, a lot of hard people. We had told the guy that it's people like this that create problems for us respectable hunters, I know.

[58thecat]

Oh well all ended on a good note

[Bub]

Pretty unfortunate. Trespassers or not, there is no excuse for being disrespectful to people you don’t know, especially spraying them with mud and gravel. I can understand lanowners’ frustration and anger, but treating people like that just because they happened to be overlooking your folks’ (not even your) property is pretty low class and I am sorry you had such an encounter.

I have had a fairly limited number of encounters with landowners because I happened to have plenty of opportunities to hunt on crown land not far from my residence and fortunate to be so far healthy to crawl the bush, but all of the encounters I had to this point were pretty great experiences and the landowners received Christmas cards and treats even though I never utilized on the permissions granted in any but one case.

[H380]

Originally Posted by Sooner

Turned out good in the end and you may just have secured a spot and friends for next year.

I met a landowner last fall for my sons moose tag, we introduced ourselves and asked about permission and property lines(no fences). Last week we knocked on his door again and my son thanked him with a box of gourmet cookies and a thank you card with a Timmies card inside and this time I left my cell # in the card. Offered him some K&K made smokies and garlic sausage from the kids moose as well.

He called the next day to chat & thank me for the goodies. I think I have a new friend.

Good on you for the generous gesture .. world needs more nice guys like you .. But be careful , there are likely some guys on here that will call that paid hunting..lol .

[spoiledsaskhunter]

Originally Posted by Twisted Canuck

Unfortunate response (initially), but I have to sympathize a bit. There is a real problem with trespassing, poaching,and slob hunting in general around here. I have access to two sections of private land on Wapitit, with a big heavy locked steel gate that I have key too. It is heavily posted No Trespassing....its right there by the gates, where the quads all bypass gate to get by and then tear things up on the way to river. We had paid to put heavy concrete barriers on either side of gate, with more signage. Figured that might get the message across. They were winched out of the way twice, and we gave up. Now we have some acreage developments that have sprung up in the area, and people come to walk their dogs and ride horses there. Or trespass. Last night I was in my stand seeing if I could have any luck calling in a moose, I called in two dogs people were walking (and they were making so much noise). I've all but given up. Where we have seen elk, moose, white tail and muley deer in the same fields all at once, this year I have seen a couple of wt does with fawns. That's it. Did find evidence of at least two poached animals so far. Don't be too hard on land owners, this happens everywhere around here. There is a really disgusting attitude of disrespect and entitlement around here that I can't stand. I won't expound on my theory of why, it will just get things stirred up and those with the same attitude that inhabit this forum will just pile on.

i hear you twisted, but if they were parked on the road looking at a map, there is not much excuse for this type of behaviour.

[kujoseto]

I wonder how much his panties will be in a knot when his folks pass the land on to a charity or sell it to a conservation organization because they didn’t want their immature child to be spoiled. Lmao.
Happening more and more frequently.

[KegRiver]

The guy says he owns the land and those folks are his parents, after he is told that the OP has permission.

That does not sound to me like something a frustrated land owner would say.
But maybe I'm wrong.

Odd though that he didn't phone "his parents" on the spot.

I wonder too, just how much time would it take to spray gravel on someone and then stop close enough to be able to back up to point of contact.

Could it be that he realized that the OP might phone the land owner and find out something the so called son did not want known?

I've had poachers claim they owned land they did not.

[Nikanit]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

The guy says he owns the land and those folks are his parents, after he is told that the OP has permission.

That does not sound to me like something a frustrated land owner would say.
But maybe I'm wrong.

Odd though that he didn't phone "his parents" on the spot.

I wonder too, just how much time would it take to spray gravel on someone and then stop close enough to be able to back up to point of contact.

Could it be that he realized that the OP might phone the land owner and find out something the so called son did not want known?

I've had poachers claim they owned land they did not.

I see your point but naw, he told us when he came back that he was the youngest in the family and kinda protective. He told us of guys driving into
the fields and damaging stuff. I am not sure if he phoned the parents, we just kinda guessed because of the sudden stop and backing up about 150 yards to apologize.

I think he was legit

[Yycadm]

My daughter & son-in-law bought an acreage earlier this year. Small (3 1/2 acres), but fairly remote. She had a trio show up early this week, young guys (she’s only 32, so I’m guessing early 20’s), wanting to know if they could “shoot there”...not hunt, shoot, followed by one of them saying something about wanting some fresh deer meat.

She’s a good judge of character; something smelled off about these guys, so she told them no, and explained they really only had a big yard, no real farm. She suggested they ask their neighbor, a 1/2km down the road. The guy that’d spoken first said “ yeah, him. We already asked him because we parked there last year! He’s being a dick this year and won’t let us”

While on one hand I applaud his brutal honesty. On the other hand, W.T.F.???
Their neighbor is a dick because he said no???

They left, and she talked to the neighbor later that day. These fellas had brass ones; two of them wound up getting arrested last year! They’d apparently gotten permission to hunt there, and announced their presence with two large, loud diesel pickups the year before at 6:30am, abandoned them in the driveway, went out and proceeded to drink themselves blind.

One thing led to another when they returned to their trucks, and the neighbor called the Police when they were going to try and drive.

These are the kind of people who make me nervous. I actually stopped hunting for close to a decade in the 1980’s because of similar stupid behaviour ( alcohol and guns don’t mix well). It’s almost like it’s coming full circle again...people doing dumb things, and winning dumb prizes