bear season is already open in maine
Hiked Signal Knob this past December. high was 14 that day i think... and it was s Monday. After coming off the knob itself, i still had on my black puffy and black down beanie. My buddy and I were not talking , not did we have poles making noise. Out of nowhere... we turned the corner on two dudes running dogs for bear... both were drawing their guns from their shoulders as I waved frantically and called out.
Ever hear a rattler .5 seconds too late and ur just hoping it won't bite? Same feeling. The hunters said they didn't realize people hiked in winter...
Takeaway? Wear orange. And talk.
Having experiencing a bullet whizzing just overhead while hunting as a teenager long ago, I still get a little nervous in the woods during certain hunting seasons. You can argue all of the statistics you want, but that distinct sound really sticks with you for quite a while.
When asked (and I paraphrase) "What exactly did you think you were shooting at?", the explanation from the so-called "hunters" who had made their way from the "big city" of Kansas City to rural Missouri:
"We thought we heard something."
And yes, I was wearing plenty of blaze orange...but that obviously doesn't help when people are willing to shoot without confirming their target,
TL;DR - People are terrifying. And stupid.
That TL;DR was brilliant.Originally Posted by jofjltncb6
As a fellow hunter I have to say that the vast majority of us are safe and respectful, but I've met at least one who I nearly punched in the face.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
Hunters are always encouraged to carry binoculars for this reason. Aiming a rifle or shotgun to use as a spotting scope is highly dangerous. Not saying all do. But we preach that here in New England. Furthermore, if someone aims a weapon at you, even if they're using it as a spotting scope, should be treated as a lethal threat towards you.
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From my experience on the AT & Florida Trail, you're more likely to run into a pack of hunt dogs than a hunter. But all my hunter encounters have been friendly. Most are just using hunting as an excuse to be outside like us and not really "hunting". I once had one hunter offer me an orange blaze jacket to wear when I forgot what time of the year it was. I offered to pay him something, but he refused to take a dime. Later that day while camping for the night beside a pond in Ocala NF, sitting on a log about to start dinner, a mama bear and cub walk out of the woods to have a drink of water about 50 yards from me. She did not care that I have an orange blaze draped over my back hanging on the tree.Oh, and yes, they do hunt on the trail (see photo).
P1000629-001.JPGStand.jpg
Rounding the corner @ 0600 just north of Dick's Dome Shelter in VA in October I came face to face with a couple of bow hunters who heard me coming and got ready. He was at the low ready thankfully.
I thought hunting directly on the AT was a no-no, as was dragging out one's kill. I didn't say anything of course.
Be Prepared
Hunting is legal on about half the A.T. it depends on the land owner and designation. I'm not sure if there would be any laws against standing directly on the trail, if so it would probably be a state law.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
Hunters generally don't like to go very far from their truck. If they do shoot something, getting it back to the truck can be a real problem if their more then 1/4 mile away. A lot of bear hunting is done by baiting. No sense trying to find a bear when you can get it to come to you.
So, the AT is generally pretty free of hunters. Lesser used trails off of some back woods dirt road would be more worry some, especially if you see a pickup with an empty gun rack in the rear window at the trail head. PA is a special case since the AT crosses state game lands.
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I remember when moose hunting was reopened here in Maine and all the horror stories of hunters trying to get a 1000 pound animal to the tagging stations. Skidder operators make a pretty good living haulung moose carcasses out of the woods during that one week in Sept.
Exactly. I thought the same. Nobody (except in wartime) should be using a rifle scope as a spotting scope. A rifle should only be pointed at something that you are willing to shoot. That, and binoculars are a lot better at spotting use anyway.
Time is but the stream I go afishin' in.
Thoreau
Oh, it's perfectly OK for spotting use -- if it's detached from the rifle. Few people trust their mount to maintain zero in such a case though.
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