Just saw a guy walk out of the woods...

[J0HN_R1]

With a RIFLE, on Crown Land !!!

OMG, what should I do ?







So yesterday I went shooting gophers & placing trail-cams at a spot I recently "found" at the end of a gravel road in K-country.

As I'm unloading & packing my gun into my truck, another truck comes around the corner with 2 occupants (man & woman).

Just as he's coming to a stop, he rolls his window down and says "Hey, what are you doing ?".
At the same time, the wife is poking her head around the driver & mimics, "Yeah, what are you doing ?".

I immediately got the vibe that I was being interogated by the Gustapo, and replied "Why do you ask ?".

him - Well, I see a guy walk out of the woods with a rifle so...
me - Yeah... And that's any of your concern because...? This is Crown Land.
him - Well, I just wanted to know if I need to report you. Hunting season is closed right now.
me - Oh...? Well I guess that depends on WHAT you're hunting... Not that it's any of your business.
him - Ahhh, well, ummm... (bewildered look on his face)
me - Gophers, bud... Gophers.
him - (turns & makes snide comment under his breath to wifey, then drives away)

* the whole time the wife is perched on the edge of her seat, basically repeating everything the driver says/asks (like a parrot)...

My immediate thought was that I should've asked him, "If you think I'm in here poaching animals, do you REALLY think it's a good idea to roll-up & question me like you're a cop (you're clearly not), when I have a loaded gun in my hand and you're 5 kms / 15 minutes from cell service with no-one else around?"



I just can't stand when people go out of their way to stick their nose into someone else's business, when that person is minding their own business & doing nothing illegal.

/rant

[fish_e_o]

on hiking trips both me and the gf will be carrying rifles.

i think you just ran into a weirdo

[backyard]

did you know it is illegal for some one to disrupt your hunting actives if you are doing it legally...

[Okotokian]

Agree, though to be fair, guy wasn't an anti. He wasn't freaked out that you had a gun. He was wondering if you were hunting illegally. Not like he would get a straight answer if you were. Not a real useful strategy on his part.

[fish_e_o]

could have been rabbit hunting. i thought lots of people did that

[Redfrog]

Did you ask him if the woman was his wife, sister, GF,cousin, kidnappee or hooker and what did have planned exactly?

[J0HN_R1]

Originally Posted by fish_e_o

on hiking trips both me and the gf will be carrying rifles.

i think you just ran into a nosy weirdo

Fixed, and I agree... And that's another scenario, what if it was just for protection ?

Originally Posted by rpm360

Did you know it is illegal for some one to disrupt your hunting actives if you are doing it legally...

Yes, thank you.

Originally Posted by Okotokian

Agree, though to be fair, guy wasn't an anti. He wasn't freaked out that you had a gun.

He was wondering if you were hunting illegally. Not like he would get a straight answer if you were. Not a real useful strategy on his part.

He's perfectly entitled to "wonder"...

That doesn't mean he should go ask every Joe-blow walking out of the woods with a rifle during June/July/August what they're doing !

Now if he drove up and I was loading a deer/bear/etc. carcass into the bed of my truck...

Then stop & ask, or do the responsible thing & call RCMP or Conservation.

Otherwise, mind your own business. Or risk confrontation with an armed individual...

[elkdump]

You should of offered the guy a Cracker for his parrot .

[drake]

Originally Posted by J0HN_R1

Fixed, and I agree... And that's another scenario, what if it was just for protection ?



Yes, thank you.



He's perfectly entitled to "wonder"...

That doesn't mean he should go ask every Joe-blow walking out of the woods with a rifle during June/July/August what they're doing !

Now if he drove up and I was loading a deer/bear/etc. carcass into the bed of my truck...

Then stop & ask, or do the responsible thing & call RCMP or Conservation.

Otherwise, mind your own business. Or risk confrontation with an armed individual...

you have a bad attitude....im embarassed to be classed as a "hunter" with you. Think about the impression you left on those people.

"or risk a confrontation with an armed individual...." you realize that a threat with a gun equals jail time right?.

I cant believe people are supporting you....lol

[raab]

Is it not illegal to hunt on crown land if theres no open season for anything?

Edit: NVM just checked the regs. It's for Coyote, and Wolf.

[wwbirds]

Otherwise, mind your own business. Or risk confrontation with an armed individual...

Hmmmm,....

[Mulehahn]

granted the guy and his wife could of handled it better, I would much rather have people that stop and ask rather than just keep driving and either report you when they return to cell coverage or just turn a blind eye to everything they ever see. For the few seconds it will take to talk to them to clear it up I don't think any harm was done.

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by raab

Is it not illegal to hunt on crown land if theres no open season for anything?

Edit: NVM just checked the regs. It's for Coyote, and Wolf.

you can still hunt for raabit

a couple other things too...

[albertadeer]

Originally Posted by raab

Is it not illegal to hunt on crown land if theres no open season for anything?

Edit: NVM just checked the regs. It's for Coyote, and Wolf.

Thankfully in Alberta we can walk around with a gun on crown land at all times of the year.
Hunting or not hunting

[livinthedream]

I think most people would ask, "Hey, how ya doing, what are you up to?" Any time of the year.

[expmler]

Poachers rely on people being afraid or indifferent to get away with their illegal activities.

It was a farmer who confronted those Meechance brothers when they shot a bull elk that led to them being convicted.

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by livinthedream

I think most people would ask, "Hey, how ya doing, what are you up to?" Any time of the year.

if i'm in an area with a lot of traffic i don't bother.

the sleepy little areas i'll stop if i see someone walking. more often than not there's nothing wrong. sometimes their car is broken down and no body has driven by in an hour.

generally though if someone is on crown land i just ignore it completely. so many people go in and out it's not worth my time trying to "keep track"

[WildernessWanderer]

He asked some questions ie; curious, and you were a bit of a dick based on your own summation of the encounter.

I've been questioned a few times on crown land during hunting season and 2 of the 3 times it turned into a worthwhile conversation, educating 2 groups that had no clue.

Just imagine if you took the 5 minutes and engaged them in a conversation- you could have had someone that was on the fence about firearms and hunting on your side, maybe, but you didn't try..

Oh- and if you were shooting ground squirrels in a Wildland Park you were breaking the law.

[Talking moose]

Unce upon a time a man with a rifle met another man without a rifle in the bush and were rude to each other and then left. The end.

[reddeerhunter]

Originally Posted by fish_e_o

on hiking trips both me and the gf will be carrying rifles.

i think you just ran into a weirdo

You are one heck of a funny guy. That's mint!!!!!!

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by WildernessWanderer

I've been questioned a few times on crown land during hunting season and 2 of the 3 times it turned into a worthwhile conversation, educating 2 groups that had no clue.

I usually do that. But the last couple times I just didn't feel like it so hid from them behind some trees. Probably saw me and high-tailed it out of there... creepy guy in camo hiding in the bush LOL

[beaver hunter]

It depends on they're demeanor when they started questioning, if they started out being dinks they are obviously like that all the time and deserve to be told to **** off IMO.

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by WildernessWanderer

He asked some questions ie; curious, and you were a bit of a dick based on your own summation of the encounter.

it's hard to comment on tone, posturing, or other things that were happening.

if they started off with a snarky tone.
or they boxed in his truck.
or general rude stuff like that then i'd say he was nicer than he should have been

but if it was casual conversation thats another story

[Okotokian]

Reminds me of the old two-step one often does during hunting season. Stop the truck, feel out the other guy, whether he really has permission or not (because you do and you know the owner), but no one wants to ask directly. I've been on the giving and receiving end of those conversations many times. Just take it as part of the game. I don't do it on public land, but I do if I'm hunting private land, and I don't get offended if I get quizzed.

[WildernessWanderer]

Originally Posted by fish_e_o

it's hard to comment on tone, posturing, or other things that were happening.

if they started off with a snarky tone.
or they boxed in his truck.
or general rude stuff like that then i'd say he was nicer than he should have been

but if it was casual conversation thats another story

Think of it from the perspective of some city dude out for the weekend picnic or drive and they see someone with a gun. Most weekend folk in K Country think its a big park anyhow. Throw in all the anti-gun bias from the media and they surely think you're a law breaker as they have zero clue of the regulations and the legalities of responsible firearm ownership.

I always take the high road in these situations- if you try and you fail, oh well at least you tried.

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by WildernessWanderer

Think of it from the perspective of some city dude out for the weekend picnic or drive and they see someone with a gun. Most weekend folk in K Country think its a big park anyhow. Throw in all the anti-gun bias from the media and they surely think you're a law breaker as they have zero clue of the regulations and the legalities of responsible firearm ownership.

I always take the high road in these situations- if you try and you fail, oh well at least you tried.

i guess i was thinking about my own personal area. there aren't many city people going a few miles off pavement for a quiet little drive full of washboard roads.

k country that's a different scenario. i bet 90% of city people don't even think you can hunt anywhere around there, they could probably use some education on the matter.

[purgatory.sv]

Say hello, and then see how it plays out?

Sometimes this greeting may make them think?

It doesn’t always work but if they hear what you have said they could adjust?

[aulrich]

X2

Got the same sort comments hauling a shotgun up for birds , the answer I gave they was, why yes, there is hunting permitted in a wild land park. Yes the season opened last week.

[J0HN_R1]

Originally Posted by drake

you have a bad attitude....im embarassed to be classed as a "hunter" with you. Think about the impression you left on those people.

"or risk a confrontation with an armed individual...." you realize that a threat with a gun equals jail time right?.

I cant believe people are supporting you....lol

Originally Posted by wwbirds

Hmmmm,....

Seriously...? You're acting like the same pretentious goof that started grilling me !

It was the tone & manner in which the questioning took place, like he caught me doing something illegal.

As for the "threat"... Did I make that statement in the first-person ? No...

Take it how you will, but it wouldn't necessarily have to be me this guy decided to interrogate.

I was generalizing, and more importantly pointing out "what if the next guy does more than just 'humor' the nosy pr!ck ?"

Again, unless there's just cause/reasonable grounds to believe I committed or are committing a crime... Mind your own business !

Or else choose different methods of (and lose the self-righteous attitude when) approaching people with guns, if you want to know what they're doing...

Some people aren't as civil as I am, when it comes to strangers questioning them.

[JD848]

Originally Posted by J0HN_R1

Seriously...? You're acting like the same pretentious goof that started grilling me !

It was the tone & manner in which the questioning took place, like he caught me doing something illegal.

As for the "threat"... Did I make that statement in the first-person ? No...

Take it how you will, but it wouldn't necessarily have to be me this guy decided to interrogate.

I was generalizing, and more importantly pointing out "what if the next guy does more than just 'humor' the nosy pr!ck ?"

Again, unless there's just cause/reasonable grounds to believe I committed or are committing a crime... Mind your own business !

Or else choose different methods of (and lose the self-righteous attitude when) approaching people with guns, if you want to know what they're doing...

Some people aren't as civil as I am, when it comes to strangers questioning them.

Sounds like you a big bag of wind who is a little bit to paranoid when you started thinking of your weapon if they asked more questions.I wouldn't say another word if your caring a firearm and can't be civil when approached by someone asking a few harmless questions,someone may start asking more serious questions and you will have no choice but to answer or call your lawyer.