# Do any of you feel the same?



## muddydogs (Oct 7, 2007)

There have been a couple posts on here about fathers looking to get there sons into an elk this year on the youth hunt. I read these posts thinking I could put them in an area where they would see elk and most likely chase a screaming bull but in the back of my mind I'm thinking no don't do it because there will be one more person hunting the area and who knows how many friends they will end up taking to the area over the next few years. My areas are by no means private or secrete but anymore I just don't even like to give a general hunting area out or even talk about what hunting season I hunt for fear that the area will see even more hunters then it already does.

Kind of sucks thinking this way and I could be missing an opportunity to make a hunting buddy which I only have a couple of but in the end I tend to keep my mouth shut.

Anyone else ponder these same feelings about helping?


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Oh yea, I once took a friend to a chucker spot. About 3 weeks later he told me he took his whole family +relatives out there during thanksgiving and had a big old shoot. What a douche. Never shared another spot with him or invited him ever again. That spot has never recovered either. 30 years has past and I've never seen a chucker on that ridge since.


-DallanC


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

This is definitely a tricky subject. I've been taken to spots before and given info on where to hunt. I make it a practice to never hunt in someone else's spot that they've taken me to without their permission. Unfortunately I think we've all encountered the "occasional hunter" who will abuse a spot. It really is a dilemma.


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## Airborne (May 29, 2009)

I can't count how many times I have typed up helpful responses and then deleted everything and not posting it. I want to be helpful but honestly why? How many folks come on this forum and ask for help, get some good info, and are never heard from again.

I am way more willing to help a regular forum participant as I have been helped out several times. Just look at my anterless moose thread--I will take any info people are willing to share. The funny thing with that is that over on Monster Muleys I actually see more help given with phone numbers being offered than I see here--its interesting as that site has a reputation of being more abrasive than this one. Not to say that I haven't been sent a PM or two with good info here because I have. 

I feel like I have helped some folks out with general info and I will throw the door open when it comes to LE or OIL tags but hotspotting general season and upland game--No Way

I do find it a little interesting that we never get an actual 'youth' on here asking for help with the general any bull hunts--always the dads. With kids being into social media now a days you would think the opposite. When I was a kid I was the one dragging my father into the mountains, not the other way around.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

On the flip side... I will say I have shared info with good UWN folk about specific things I would never share with most other people. Specifically Kokanee hotspots and whatnot, I've shared with people here who I know are tight-lipped and wont blab and have shared their own info back.

This is one reason hunting / fishing websites are hard to run, people don't want to talk about spots and techniques due to hotspotting which ruins a area. 

But, being a productive member of a site, getting a good rep, paying it forward etc will reward you 100x down the road when you draw that special tag and need help. No-one really wants to help the guy with 1 post asking where he can kill a 380 bull. But a fun member with +1k posts surely will not only get tips and suggestions, but guys wanting to come along and help with the hunt.

Thats my plan for when I draw my moose tag anyway... I'm going to be begging / bribing / hiring all kinds of info and help from people :mrgreen:

-DallanC


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

It is up to you if you feel like sharing. There will be those who don't abuse, then there will be those who do. I kind of keep my dove spot close to my heart, but have tried to reciprocate to the person who first took me there. Tough call.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I'll give out general information on a area but try not to be too specific. 

I too have been burned by taking someone to a fantastic spot only to have them return either later or the next year with everyone that they know. 

I had a nice little spot that had a small herd of around 30 elk in it just about all year long. I took a young man in his early 20's up to it so that he could shoot his first bull. The next year I saw him and around a dozen of his family and friends. 20 years later that small herd is almost back to what it once was.


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

Sharing info through the forum or a PM and taking someone to a spot are two completely different things. I don't mind sharing specific information to guys that contribute to the forum. Don't ask me where should I hunt on Vernon? But feel free to ask me about a specific canyon in Vernon and what and where I saw deer. 

I won't take anyone to my best hunting spots, unless I have hunted with them for many years and know that I can completely trust them. I don't even take some of my own family members. I have spots that are well known by many that I will take people to occasionally.

On the flip side, I will never share a spot that someone else has shown me, ever. If I ever go back, I talk to whomever showed me the spot and coordinate hunting it together. I had a friend ask me for a special favor to show him a good spot so his son could get into some ducks. I took them out and we had a great shoot. I went back a week later and it was horrible, when I mentioned it the friend, he said he and his son had hunted it everyday for the past week. I asked why he didn't at least let me know and he said "I just wanted it to be a father and son thing." I am having a hard time letting this one go, still bothers me to this day.


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## Airborne (May 29, 2009)

DallanC said:


> But a fun member with +1k posts surely will not only get tips and suggestions, but guys wanting to come along and help with the hunt.


Dang! I need to get my post count up I guess! I may qualify under the 'quality over quantity' clause...maybe, after all, Karl got up over 1k posts pretty quickly :grin:


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## bowhunt3r4l1f3 (Jan 12, 2011)

Agreed Airborne. I'm always far more willing to share free info with regular forum members. I hate replying to guys who have one or two posts on here. Usually I will never see another post from them. I've met up with over 10 guys on this forum for fishing and hunting, made some true friends along the way. There's definitely a good group of regular posters on here! The other guys....well.....-O,-


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

*generalizations are fine*



Critter said:


> I'll give out general information on a area but try not to be too specific.
> 
> I too have been burned by taking someone to a fantastic spot only to have them return either later or the next year with everyone that they know.
> 
> .....................................................


Yeah, I'm kinda that way with my ptarmigan hot spots. Not too specific; goes like this:

"I hunt ptarmigan above treeline on the North and South slopes of the Uinta Mountains. Don't bother with the East or West slopes of the Uintas"

I spell "Unitas" correctly so everyone can find my hotspots on Google Earth quickly.

Lastly, I recommend putting your post up on the top of the page where more members will see it and you can get off of the original subject cause no one's gonna go back and look on the thread's previous pages, especially on a cell phone.

You're welcome.

.


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## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

I once took a friend to a spot on the north slope that at one time held a decent amount of elk. He watched me harvest a 6x6 that year. The following year his uncles cousins brothers were all over the area. Live and learn


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

I usually don't post much in the way of specifics on the open forum, but sometimes I share more through PMs. There are just too many people who read the forums-- a guy might feel like he is answering one person's question, but 1,000+ people is who he answered. I also try to remember that every spot is someone's spot. 

And the Youth Anybull questions are tough. Everyone wants to help youth, but then the rest of the hunting party can show up 10 days later and hunt the area on a General Season tag. Or an out of state guy posts the area in his success story on the net and 1,000+ people read it. 

I'm more tight now with OIL and LE too-- I've been burned a couple times by sharing on the forum. Guides posing as hunters. Hunters taking others into areas and thumping a bachelor moose herd. Hunters taking their guides into areas. Beware when you share.

..


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## derekp1999 (Nov 17, 2011)

I have both given and asked for help. I have also been taken by a friend to a spot and taken friends to my spots. I am up front with my friends when it comes to hunting spots... if a friend takes me to his spot I commit to him that I will not go there unless it's with him out of respect for him.

I have an internal struggle every year around the holidays... at family parties my cousin's husband often corners me and starts talking hunting. He always starts by saying he wants to just pick my brain and of course I'm more than happy to oblige and enter in to such a conversation. He knows the area that I hunt quite well on our family property... when his wife (my cousin) draws the rifle deer tag for the area which is every couple years he goes up there so he's not completely unfamiliar with the area... but it always feels like he's pumping me for information. When I feel that the discussion is getting towards information that is more detailed than I am comfortable giving I offer to have him come with me on a scouting trip the following summer, check a couple of my trail cameras with me, and then go to a nice vantage point to glass for a couple hours in the evening and show him rather than tell him. I have yet to have him take me up on my offer.

I think any info or spots you share you do so at your own risk... obviously we all would like to think that those we share with would recognize and respect the time and effort that went into gaining the knowledge that we are now sharing but we all know that's not always the case.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Airborne said:


> I can't count how many times I have typed up helpful responses and then deleted everything and not posting it. I want to be helpful but honestly why? How many folks come on this forum and ask for help, get some good info, and are never heard from again.


I have done the same thing many times.

Its interesting to think how much time people put into learning these things for themselves compared to how many want hints or even locations. I have even seen people on various forums ask for GPS coordinates. Its crazy.

I think everyone on this forum wants to be helpful, but that help comes at a potential risk.

Some time ago I went hunting with another forum member who wanted help packing his elk out and I couldn't believe how many elk came pouring off the mountain in his area. It would honestly be an amazing area to hunt, but it isn't my area and I'd feel weird hunting it without letting him know or even asking his permission (yeah, its public land but he showed it to me).

I guess my point is that its hard to give the advice because a) many of us have worked very hard to learn what we have learned, b) you don't want to lose your spot to added pressure and competition, c) a little gratitude goes a long ways. It would be nice to hear back from the hunter and hear how it went.

I'm no expert big game hunter, but I am figuring things out. A lot of my knowledge has come through simple work and reading up on behaviors. But I am proud to say that I have not hunted another guy's "spot" that I didn't find for myself.

Question (and this is not meant to be antagonistic): why are guys putting in for tags to take their kid hunting if they don't know anything about the hunt themselves? I can respect the guy that wants to learn to hunt with his kid and puts in the time and effort to scout their own areas, but when a guy just tries to wing it with his kid, it seems counter productive to me.


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

You know, I can see where a lot of these posts are coming from and to each their own I guess. Personally, I think there is more value in fostering cooperation rather than competition in hunting. Sure, in the short term it might come back and bite you and you'll have to find a "new" spot (odds are it is already somebody else's honey hole and you are now the one ruining it). But if it gives a casual or new hunter a great set of experiences and helps to develop the love of the sport, that is a small price to pay I think. It's why I always try to help people out on the mountain and like to chat a bit as we pass each other on the trail/road/etc. Heck, I even had my guide last November on my LE elk hunt call up another tag holder we'd seen earlier in the hunt to tell them exactly where a group of bulls was that I wasn't interested in, but were still great bulls. I was very happy to hear he shot a nice 6pt out of that herd especially as he had been saying the day before he was just looking for anything at that point since he couldn't hunt the whole season. 

Sure, I've been burned by giving info. But I've also made some great friendships and prank calls by giving people on this forum info. I've received a great deal of help myself, and am grateful to those who've shared with me. I always try to report back on whether I made it out there, and if so how it went. I also like to ask that person's "permission" before going to "their" spot again and continue to do so until they tell me there's no need to ask. And again, I like to share a report back to them. 

So many times I'll see somebody with 1 or only a handful of posts asking for help for x,y,z. Sometimes its grouse, or LE elk, or just a cow hunt. And then I'll spend a good deal of time typing up a long response only to...click send. I cannot remember ever just deleting it. Admittedly, I am much more prone to giving details in a pm as opposed to the open forum, but I don't see the problem in that. I get a number of pms each year based on people who've searched in the forum history and seen prior comments, and I always try to help with what I can. 

Admittedly, I have a hierarchy of the spots I give out for most species, and keep what I think are "the best" spots very, very close. But, occasionally I've seen something on these forums that just strikes me right and I've even given up those details from time to time. Luckily, I haven't been burned on those spots yet and I don't foresee being burned on them either. But when it boils down to it, I've never sent somebody info that I haven't used successfully myself. Even the spots that I'll post up publicly to someone with 1 post are places that I know I can have a good chance at filling that tag based on experience. Helping people is just good karma, and I need to rack up as much of that as I can before the next CC mania season hits! 

I think there is too much jealously and self interest in hunting these days, and I think we'd all be happier and better off if we'd just "play nice" and help each other out more.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

LostLouisianian said:


> This is definitely a tricky subject. I've been taken to spots before and given info on where to hunt. I make it a practice to never hunt in someone else's spot that they've taken me to without their permission. Unfortunately I think we've all encountered the "occasional hunter" who will abuse a spot. It really is a dilemma.


Too bad this isn't a topic that is taught in Hunter's Safety (at least it wasn't taught in my class eons ago). It should be common practice and common courtesy not to hunt another guy's spot (even if it is public land) if you didn't discover it for yourself.


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## rojo (Sep 8, 2008)

"Oh yea, I once took a friend to a chucker spot. About 3 weeks later he told me he took his whole family +relatives out there during thanksgiving and had a big old shoot. What a douche. Never shared another spot with him or invited him ever again. That spot has never recovered either. 30 years has past and I've never seen a chucker on that ridge since.

Dallan C "
-O,-



Sounds like my chukar spot from about 40 years ago!


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

johnnycake said:


> But I've also made some great friendships and PRANK CALLS by giving people on this forum info.


I love you too man!! -#&#*!-


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

I tend to be "easy" when it comes to my hunting spots. I cant count the times I have socialized with random hunters I have come across in the field and given up way too much info. Often times I get a lecture from my bro afterwards if he doesn't give me a sharp elbow or tell me to shut the hell up while I am talking to someone. 

I agree that general elk spots are sacred and those of us that have them do what we can to keep them secret. 

For OIL and LE hunts I think sharing info is fine. These are super rare opportunities and while I would probably come up short of giving GPS coordinates I always want to help on here where I can. I am learning to watch out for the 1 or 2 post guys that you never hear from again. That is lame, and has happened to me more than once on this site. At least let me know via a pm how it went and if my info paid off for you or not. Sheesh.

I have received great info from members on here without even asking for it. I sure wish I was a member on here for my 2013 South Cache Early Rifle tag. I would probably not still be trying to rinse the taste of that tag soup out of my mouth 4 years later...


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

I have had more than one duck hunting spot over-ran by folks I have taken along, that have shared with others or just hunted it a ton, etc. It sucks, but it's a risk you take. There are certain types of information I would keep very close to the vest with hunting and fishing, but I also try to help people out as much as I can without ruining a spot. Especially when it comes to fishing, there are just places that can't take the pressure, so it's best that lots of people do not know about them. But the flip side of that is I didn't really discover any of those entirely on my own either. So...

I usually will not post specifics openly on forum threads, but I will send PMs with some help when I'm able to give it. I'm way more specific in my help for LE situations, for what I assume is obvious reasons. Directly to the topic at hand, with the youth hunt areas, with the limited number of tags and the extremely limited chance of people drawing the tags, I would think this information is easier to hand out. Maybe I'm off there, since I've never participated in a youth hunt as the hunter or helper. But the chances of the youth drawing, let alone multiple youth in the family drawing are pretty slim. It is not like they can go and just over-run the place hunting it every year. 

I will say that I have been on the receiving end of so much good information on this forum. I have asked questions both openly and to specific individual forum members in PMs. You guys have been awesome! One thing I always try and do is get back to the people that help with a report of either success, or not, based upon the information they gave me. If any of you have ever helped out, and I did not do that, I apologize. It's just something I've tried to do, but may not be perfect at it. We can bicker back and forth at times, but I come here every day because this is a cool place to hang out and it has also helped me. So thanks to everyone that makes this a good place to be! 

I was going to start naming people that have helped me a ton, but they probably don't want to be named, and I would undoubtedly forget someone. So I'll just say thanks to everyone again that has given me information. I do appreciate it! And yes, when I finally draw my premium elk tag, I do want your honey holes.


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## NVDuckin (Apr 18, 2016)

I can see both sides of it and I have a love/hate relationship with this forum. A handful of members are genuinely helpful, and I hope to be able to help them in return if the opportunity arises. Most times though I get a lot more help from other hunting forums. I feel like this site is more for Utah hunting and fishing news than actual hunting and fishing just because of how vague and secret everyone is. 

I really can't blame anyone who doesn't want to offer tips/locations because of the way someone can abuse it. But at the same time, after having moved here early last year, it's tough to find hunting success without having family or friends to at least point you in the right direction. I'm just trying to not go a second year getting skunked in this state.


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## whitepd01 (Aug 26, 2014)

I suppose I'm "the guy" that started this thread. I see both sides. I don't feel the need to defend my asking for help. Nor do I have a problem with those who think I'm an idiot. Yeah I haven't posted here a ton, but I personally try to help as many people as I can and I have tried to share a few things here. Clearly I don't have the time that other members do. However on another forum I have 1000's of post trying to help other people.

A few things about me. I'm a Hunters Education Instructor for the state of Utah. I am actively involved in YHEC. My kids were both state champions this year for anyone that knows what that means. I do everything I can to help kids love hunting. They are the future of our sport. So to the guys that suggested we should teach in Hunters Education to not ask for help, that's pretty lame. In hunters ed we teach about the different stages hunters go through. Right now I happen to be in the stage where I want to help and teach others. I'm not really in it for myself, other than for the thrill I get when I see my kids be successful. In hunters ed we teach about sharing our experience and expertise with others. We teach hunters to respect others. We teach all that stuff.

I don't have the time others do to scout and spend days and days in the field. I own several business and work a ton. I try to spend every minute outside of working with my kids. And we try to spend as many of those minutes hunting and shooting as we can. In fact I just took a few extra minutes at lunch to make sure 3 of my boys and I had our bows sighted in for the Total Archery Challenge tomorrow.

We love to hunt. I have put my oldest son in for the youth any bull hunt for a couple years now. I have done it knowing full good and well I don't really know how to hunt elk. I've read a lot about it. I've talked to lots of friends about how to do it. I am excited to learn firsthand how to do it. I knew that the year one of my kids drew this tag we would have to learn how to do it. So I guess for the guy wondering why in the world I would put in for that tag... it comes down to its the best way to learn.

I suppose right now I am just like many others here were before they learned how to hunt elk. I'm wanting to learn and starting on the first steps to figuring it out. I have help tons of people learn to turkey hunt. I've taken them to my "spots". Others I haven't. However the one thing I know about hunting is the spot is only a small percentage of the battle. The spot doesn't matter if you don't get out there and go for it. And animals move around. So I totally get not wanting to share. I also get the side of sharing. And I tried to make that clear.

So to those that think I'm an idiot and jerk for asking for some help, that's fine. I understand why you don't want to help. For those who have given advice, especially in the older threads, THANK YOU!

And for the poor sucker who thinks he owns his little section of the public land out there, when I show up unknowingly in his "spot" please take a deep breath and realize that I have every bit as much right to hunt as you do. No matter what I do or where I go I'm sure some jerk is going to think I'm taking his spot. I've pulled up to my "spots" before and found others hunting there and simply smiled and hoped they were successful and simply came back another day. Or found another "spot." When I know others are hunting and area, I try to stay clear.

So maybe I'm just the dumb dad that comes asking for help hoping to have a good fun hunt with his son. This will be our last year hunting together before he leaves home and heads out on his own. By the way, he has been doing as much research and asking for help as he can too. Just not on this forum. So sit back and judge, but remember you all were just like me one day. Maybe it was before the internet existed, but at the end of the day we all start somewhere. I apologize to those who think my asking for help was inappropriate. Either way I'm heading out with my son and we are going to give it our best. And I really do appreciate those who have given advice. Thanks again!


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

Don't take it personally. Some guys that get all stressed about people asking for advice tend forget where they came from. Of course, there are some people that truly are "self-made men," so to say. But for almost all of us, we had a dad, grandfather, uncle, brother, friend, neighbor, DWR biologist, forum member, random dude at the sporting goods store, etc., etc., etc. assist us along the way to help us get the knowledge, experience, and yes---hunting locations that we have. Some of these places are sacred to people and should not be shared. I get that. Not saying you have to give GPS coordinates to everyone that asks (except for when I ask, then yes, you should do just that), but paying it forward and helping another hunter when appropriate brings good karma.


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

After some more thought, no public land spot is "mine", but my information is mine. I don't mind seeing others afield as it means it is hunting season. So this is how I tend to look at a situation if I want to give someone info on a place I hunt.

--
Once you tell someone about your hunting spot it isn't yours any more. Once you tell someone about your shed hunting spot it isn't yours anymore. Once you tell someone about your fishing hole it isn't yours anymore. 
--

If I'm ok losing my spot to someone then I share specifics. If not, I don't. 

And any info shared on the web should be done by PM. Then the mods and the other person are the only ones who can read it. haha 

..


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Check your PM's.


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

Packout said:


> And any info shared on the web should be done by PM. Then the mods and the other person are the only ones who can read it. haha
> 
> ..


Ha! I now have a profound desire to...errr...help this community and volunteer as tribute to become a moderator!


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

I just keep my mouth shut and don't tell nobody nutthin


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

Bowgy, it's 2017 for Cthulhu's sake! You can come out about your lucky flattie!

I'd say this is a safe place, no judgment....but then I'd remember this is the interwebs and the 17th most popular Utah hunting site online, and then I'd reread some of the posts on this thread, and we'd all know I was lying!


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

I don't ask for spots because I enjoy finding them myself. I also don't mind other people asking, sharing, or refusing to share. Its all personal preference. 

Packout does speak words of wisdom. I am very careful what I put on the open forum. 

Another good strategy is to have difficult, steep, crappy hunting spots. I have taken 20+ guys to my Idaho whitetail "honey hole" over the years. I have told them all that I don't care if they come back or even bring buddies/family. I think maybe 4 have ever made a return trip. Too much work for a couple dinky whitetails I guess. I still go pretty much every year.------SS


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

So if a person were to ask me outright where I killed my 2015 giant buck and I told them it was on the face of timp. 
Is it reasonable for me to get upset if I saw that guy hunting up on the face of timp. the following year?
How about if I got so upset about the guy and his buddy being on that mountain, that I threatened them and to stay out of my area.
Is it reasonable to get that upset with the guy for hunting my spot because after all, I did tell him where I killed that buck. So he should have known to respect me and never hunt any areas that I have claimed to have hunted in the past.
It doesn't really matter that the guy had hunted there in the past, since I told him where I hunted, then he should stay out of those areas.:neutral:


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## muddydogs (Oct 7, 2007)

whitepd01 said:


> I suppose I'm "the guy" that started this thread.


As the guy that started this post I didn't mean it like that. I was getting at the struggle with sharing info. I lucked into the area I hunt and have spent 6 seasons learning the area plus many summer family camping trips, I would be happy to share its just the what if. If you showed up in the area I hunt I wouldn't know if you hunted it before or not and would be fine with it, I'm not the only one that hunts it anyway. If I told you about the area and showed you around this season then next season you showed up with a few guys hunting the spot I would be pissed at myself for sharing. I know it's public land and lots of people hunt it but now there's more people hunting it due to my sharing. It might sound silly or mean but I have spent a lot of time in this area.

I don't know what I would be like if I started hunting in this time of easy info, back when I started we had books and magazines. I also have a lot of years working in the woods so some of this hunting stuff is second nature and I don't have a lot of hunting questions.

I even thought about if I didn't have a WY antelope hunt the week of the youth hunt offering to help a father and son out by taking them to the area I hunt and showing them around.


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

whitepd01, you can PM me anytime and I'll give you some pointers.


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

CPAjeff said:


> Check your PM's.


Didn't get it. ;-)

And yes, I can relate to the struggle of wanting to share/not share information. There are plenty of reasons not to, which I think are obvious, but I also try to where possible because I've made some very good memories thanks to advice from others.

- If our neighbor hadn't told my Dad and I about the Plateau antelope unit, I'm not sure we ever would have made it down there. Now it's a favorite hunt of ours, and we try to get as many buck/doe antelope tags on it as we can get away with (we'll be down there in October for the doe hunt). It's always a good time.

- A forum member took me hunting in his boat, at a spot he discovered. That was fun. On top of that, though, he tipped me off to a spot I may have never found, where I was able to harvest a beautiful cinnamon teal drake in the winter. That was something I had been trying to do for 4 or 5 years.

- My grandpa took me to his best fishing spot at Strawberry reservoir, which had taken him several years to find, where I caught a tagged fish.

- Etc.

- Etc.

- Etc.

So, I try to help where I can, although it does depend on the situation. If someone wanted to know where to get a cinnamon teal, I wouldn't feel like I could tell them where I shot mine, since I didn't discover that spot in the first place. I won't tell you where my grandpa's best fishing spot is, either.

On the other hand, I would be happy to give people some places to start looking for antelope on the Plateau unit. I have a few particular locations on the unit I'm a little more tight-lipped about, but I don't mind getting people started.

Rules I live by:

1. Don't lend something you can't stand to lose.
2. Don't tell someone about a hunting spot you can't stand to share.
3. If you can't stand to share a hunting spot, either buy some land for yourself or get over it.
4. What goes around comes around.


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

Here's the way I look at it when it come to giving away a spot or sharing on a one time basis.
*hypothetical, *
what if I was filling up my truck at the local Maverik in Grantsville and a guy pulls up with a really big buck in the back of the truck. I tell him congrats and ask where he found the big buck. If he points up at the Stansburys and says "a got it up in South Willow and I saw several other bucks up there by the lake too". At that point, I wouldn't have a problem at all going and looking around the lake myself to see what I can find and the guy should *NOT *get upset if I did.

Now if he says, " the area where I shot my buck holds several other good bucks and I can take you up there and help you find one of them", then I shouldn't tell anyone else about the spot and respect the guys honey hole.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

If your a regular poster and contributer I'm pretty willing to share information. If I'm told about a spot and the person telling me about a spot wants to keep it a secret that's fine. I won't say anything to anyone about it. 
I have a problem with new posters asking for handouts though. 

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## weaversamuel76 (Feb 16, 2017)

I'm a member of a few forums and in general I find utahans more tight lipped than members in other states. Not sure why maybe our limited tags and that everyone here takes 5 or 6 guys out with them when they finally draw. 
That said I've pmd a bunch of guys on here and have been treated very well even being a new guy. Thanks guys

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## 35whelen (Jul 3, 2012)

I get overly excited when I have success or find cool spots and share way too much. I found a bunch of elk shed during a spring bear hunt in an area you cant access by vehicle and told a friend all about it, answering all his specific follow up questions. a friend with waaaay more free time than me and horses. I don't think I'll ever find a shed there again.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

*I don't have a clue anymore*



johnnycake said:


> .........................................
> .............................but then I'd remember this is the interwebs and the 17th most popular Utah hunting site online,..............................


17th? Are you sure? Have you seen the latest poll?

Last I knew we were 11th, back when Karl was here, before Lonetree changed his username.

.


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## Bucksnort (Nov 15, 2007)

If you share it, you will have company period. So just be willing to accept that. I have a really good buddy that will not tell anyone where he killed a big buck. I thought he was joking at first but he's wasn't and still doesn't talk. I respect him for it.

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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

I have people asking me all the time where I hunt and see all the big deer and elk that I do. I simple tell them "in the mountains and sometimes in the desert"
They usually will respond by saying "You can tell me or don't worry about me, I don't even hunt anymore or have no plans on hunting there"
At that point I usually just say "so there's no need for further details then"


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

wyogoob said:


> Last I knew we were 11th, back when Karl was here, before Lonetree changed his username.
> 
> .


Dang it! I'm always the last one to know! Lone tree changed his user name?


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## 35whelen (Jul 3, 2012)

im happy to help folks though. I do keep my some of my favorite spots to myself or tell my brothers but make them swear not to bring anyone else there. Im not really successful enough that people are dying for my advice. if it's a limited entry hunt that i may not draw for another 5 yrs then im not worried about sharing where i hunted or filled a tag. if it's a once in a lifetime tag i will likely never draw and i saw a lot of moose or something in a spot, i'll absolutely share my info. i don't think i really ever hunt any areas where i don't see other hunters though, unless it's such an awful miserable hike to get to that no one with any brains would go anyway. 
I never offer intentionally bad advice, but sometimes I find little spots I keep to myself for a few seasons until i find a new spot I delude myself into thinking is a secret or underhunted. I always give general pointers to new hunters. General advice being the bulk of my own hunting knowledge and skill. sometimes i get to talking to someone who has information to share back and it's an exciting conversation for both of us, which i guess is the point of the forum. i will always always listen to advice too.


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

I have only hunted general season and rifle so I am not likely to share where I have found deer/elk or great habitat. I would answer general questions about a unit and know fully well that others are hunting the same places (skulls from previous seasons, "prayer flags", ie unburied toilet paper, in stalking spots, etc) and would never be offended to stumble into other hunters. In fact, I shared information with folks I met after the elk bedded down last year and when I knew I was heading out of the field. 

I think I just tend to be more amenable to sharing information once I know someone has put in some effort, whether that is detailed analysis of maps and satellite imagery or days in the field. In other outdoor pursuits we often had a "show but don't tell" ethic about locations that required effort and discovery. All too often it seems we are shrinking and compressing our public lands with readily available information. But that comes from someone who prioritizes solitude and road less hunting. And clearly thats not black and white as Utah is a state with gigantic hunting units and it can be overwhelming to know even where to begin. I guess I just know myself and that I enjoyed the explorations and scouting last year as much as the hunt itself and cherish those memories. 

Units that I know from other experiences but can't currently hunt...I'll share away if I get a good general read on the person. Its often generic information but if it can help someone have a better experience than I am happy to try and help.

Clearly there a ton of different ways to approach hunting and how or what you share will be affected by those values. I would just hope folks wouldn't expect others to share more than they themselves would. 

On a side note....there are plenty of places that haven't seen much or any real use. I have had two experiences in life that it was clear either no one had been there before or they employed an extreme "leave no trace" ethic. There is nothing like the combination of excitement and uncertainty that experience creates for me. I am still fairly confident few or no people have been to one of them in the last fifteen years and I cherish the notion that someone else may stumble across something so pristine. On the other hand, after thoughtful debate, my buddy chose to expose the other location after weighing the merits of secrecy versus sharing. The place is extremely popular now and will never be the same or recover, tangibly or intangibly. Obviously other folks much enjoy its current state but its a place that no longer hold appeal for me. The only moral I can take from those experience is weigh the choices to share pristine locations with care. We need stewards of the land but a place is unlikely to ever be the same if enough people get wind of the information.


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## provider (Jan 17, 2011)

You don't owe anyone your hard earned info. 

I used to give general information as a pm. I'm not some super trophy hunter and I'm convinced there are no secrets so I don't mind giving general info about a unit that could save someone time. I don't give out my favorite places. Overall I've felt hosed by the guys on this website. There are a few exceptions. I had a boulder cow tag 3 seasons ago and was willing to reciprocate info. Hardly a response until I posted successful!!!. Then people warmed up really quick and were just shy of asking gps utms. I shared good data with the two guys who responded before I noted the success. 

I've also shared info as a pm just to watch it get broadcast publicly out to others. Now, I do little more than complain on here once in a while. Hopefully, I'll have some good photos to share this fall.


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## JC HUNTER (May 18, 2015)

I never ask for help because scouting for deer and finding new areas is part of the fun. I almost enjoy that more than harvesting an animal. I also don't want to hunt "your" honey hole because I know you're going to be there. As far as helping other hunters out.... I'm always dragging my dad along with me and he tells everyone we pass on the trail what kind of bucks we're seeing. I figure I'm contributing to other hunters by bringing him along.


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

I have enough "hotspots" that I don't mind sharing a few with people who have special hunts (with their aging dad, young son, first antelope, prior to a mission, etc.), but since I'm not a trophy hunter, I tell them so and they know they're not too likely to get a book animal. In fact, many times, I'll hunt with them even if I don't have a tag and we have a great time together. It was much better when we had statewide deer archery and regional rifle, but most of the units down here are pretty big and there is room enough for most of my and their hunts. (And I don't mind crowds, especially since they trounce around the mountain pushing the animals to me.)


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