Trail Riding Etiquette

Skipsfirstspike · 02-26-2012, 12:42 PM

Like gunslinger, I too tend to change my riding plans during hunting season. We have certain large woodlots where we have permission to ride, but I always keep my eyes open for trucks parked next to these lots, or to see if a gate is open, implying that a vehicle has entered. At such times I will skirt the bush, not entering.
Even though I have permission, I respect that the hunters have a short season, while I can ride year round. No reason for me to scare away the deer if I can help it.
It so happened that one year I was riding in a bush where, unbeknownst to me, the owner had also given permission to someone to hunt it. So here I am trotting along, oblivious to any noise I was making. When I saw the hunter in the tree blind, I was mortified. I knew the guy, and he was very friendly about it. After all, neither of us knew the other had permission, the owner was just a nice old man who liked the fact that others were enjoying his woods.
So no hard feelings, but I felt bad that he had probably been up there a few hours, and now I had chased away any potential deer for the next few hours.
Now I always make it a point to know if others have use of the woods along with myself, and do my best to respect the hobbies of others.

Celeste · 02-26-2012, 01:16 PM

Bird shot raining down is not that likely to hurt you...........

Lockwood · 02-26-2012, 01:25 PM

The hole in the side of my house was not from bird shot. I guess the hunter didn't read the bird hunting manual.

Forgot to mention in my rant that my property, along with most other farms around here are surrounded by public lands. Public lands here are deemed multi-purpose lands for trail riding, hunting, walking, biking...etc.

For those of us who wish to ride close to home or to ride over to the neighboring horse farm, these are what we have to choose from. Riding on the roads here is even more dangerous and there isn't really much set up for the horse sectors here for safe trail riding without having to haul some distance.

Most of the deaths I mentioned occur when someone on a public trail or land doesn't pay attention to the projection of their bullets, which mostly end up on private propery.
I think trail ettiquette for public lands should apply to all who use them, not just the horse folks.

Joe4d · 02-26-2012, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lockwood

The hole in the side of my house was not from bird shot. I guess the hunter didn't read the bird hunting manual.

Forgot to mention in my rant that my property, along with most other farms around here are surrounded by public lands. Public lands here are deemed multi-purpose lands for trail riding, hunting, walking, biking...etc.

For those of us who wish to ride close to home or to ride over to the neighboring horse farm, these are what we have to choose from. Riding on the roads here is even more dangerous and there isn't really much set up for the horse sectors here for safe trail riding without having to haul some distance.

Most of the deaths I mentioned occur when someone on a public trail or land doesn't pay attention to the projection of their bullets, which mostly end up on private propery.
I think trail ettiquette for public lands should apply to all who use them, not just the horse folks.

PA is also involved in keeping Sunday hunting bans in place , just like in VA, for just such a reason. We stay home on Saturdays, ride on Sundays, the hunters do the opposite. Pretty fair way of sharing the woods.

trailhorserider · 02-26-2012, 02:44 PM

I refuse to quite riding for hunting season. If I did that, just for elk/deer season alone, I would not be able to ride from the end of August into December. So hunters are something we have to live with. If I know it's hunting season, say elk for example, I will dress in hunter orange and dress my chestnut horse up in hunter orange as well. (Hopefully the white horse does not look like a game animal.)

We sometimes hear of cows getting shot, but luckily I never really hear about people/horses getting shot. It is a BIG national forest. But we run into hunters all the time. We usually say hello and ride on. They are usually pretty friendly. Often times they are hiding in blinds or up in tree stands so you can't often avoid them if you don't see them until you are in their space.

Anyway, I dress in orange because I don't want me or my horses to get shot. I don't care if it looks silly. I sure don't want someone to think my horse is an elk, especially because we ride in wooded areas and it may not be easy to identify the animal at first.

Lockwood · 02-26-2012, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe4d

PA is also involved in keeping Sunday hunting bans in place , just like in VA, for just such a reason. We stay home on Saturdays, ride on Sundays, the hunters do the opposite. Pretty fair way of sharing the woods.

I guess it would be if the hunters respected the "No hunting on Sundays" rule. The hunters here are not as polite as they are in VA.

Some sneak in bagging animals on Sunday because things are done primarily on the honor system and there are not enough people to enforce the rules. In addition, many people travel up from the city to drink and "target" practice on Sundays.

Personally, I think that having Sunday as the only deemed "safe" day is not fair since hunters already get the other 6 as it is. People hunt during the week just as much as on Saturday here, and many of us have to ride during the week for job/family reasons, so safety is just as much of an issue as on Saturdays.
I read in my local paper recently that the Sunday hunting ban here is on the table for consideration of being lifted.

mildot · 02-26-2012, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lockwood

By diesel63: "now im in the usa were I have to ware bright colour so the hunters wont shot! Oh the great outdoors."

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How is this rude, ignorant, and bigoted?

I've lived and ridden in many places in the USA. Some places/states were heavy into hunting (as in guns, bang bang) areas, some very restricted hunting allowed, and some were heavy into fox hunting.
In places where riders have to contend with year around hunting, there is a very real danger of being shot... riding or not.

I'm not from PA, but I currently live here in a heavy hunting area and during the heaviest activity seasons my child cannot even play out side for fear of being killed. Every single year a child or person gets killed by a "stray" bullet.
I can't even recount the dealth tolls on the local livestock by the sober hunters, let alone the drunk ones.
Several years ago while I was on the driveway waiting for the bus to drop off my son from school, a hunter shot my house. He was too busy trying to get the bird he was aiming at and didn't even pay attention to the fact that my house was on the other side of the road. Yup, he missed the bird.
The track of the bullet missed me by about 25 to 30 feet.

During the various hunting seasons I cannot even walk to the mailbox without having to wear a bright orange hat and coat, let alone ride anywhere else on my OWN property. I really don't appreciate having to buy those items since I do not hunt animals in any way, however I like getting shot less.

Every year I also have to run off illegal hunters on the backside of my property. The same ones who are incredibly shoot happy and don't care that they are tresspassing and hunting in my pastures, next to my livestock and equines. They certainly don't stop to think about what they hit when the bullet misses the deer, quail, turkey...etc.

For some of us in the good "ol US of A, the threat from hunters is very real. Doesn't matter if we were born here or not.

I put zero credibility on someone who thinks birds are hunted with bullets.

Plus I don't need you to tell me what it is like to ride "In places where riders have to contend with year around hunting". I already know because I live in a place like that, with Sunday hunting even. So your rant is lost on me.

Sweeney Road · 02-26-2012, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mildot

I put zero credibility on someone who thinks birds are hunted with bullets.

Until around the year 2000, it was legal to shoot grouse with a modern high-powered rifle (during modern rifle deer season) in the state of Washington.

mildot · 02-26-2012, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweeney Road

Until around the year 2000, it was legal to shoot grouse with a modern high-powered rifle (during modern rifle deer season) in the state of Washington.

Isolated exceptions don't count.

99.99999% of bird hunting in this country is done with shotguns and very small shot.

Lockwood · 02-26-2012, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mildot

Isolated exceptions don't count.

99.99999% of bird hunting in this country is done with shotguns and very small shot.

So now we are a bird hunting expert?

Mildot Quote: I put zero credibility on someone who thinks birds are hunted with bullets.

Like I mentioned, I don't hunt. Period.

It was the State Police who responded and apprehended the hunter. It was the Sate Police that took the hunter's gun that was shooting those real regular bullets. Um, the same bullet that damaged my house. You know... from that gun that was not a bird shot type of gun. The one that a few minutes later could have ripped a hole through my 6 year old.
Around here some folks hunt with anything that will shoot. Legal or not. In season or not.

I may not hunt, but I am smart enough to know that bird shot, unless fired at very close range, will generally not damage a house much less punch a hole in it.

Again, my question though...
How was Diesel63's comment rude, ignorant, and bigoted?
Unless of course you don't wish to respond to a completely logical question.

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