I’ve always thought the biggest problem with this area around my home is that being so close to town, we get a lot of wannabee hunters. Hunters that don’t really know how to hunt...They go out to a place close, for one day, during the afternoon, and just shoot at anything that moves. We’ve had them before.
The guy next door that is obviously a real “hunter” I don’t worry so much about him. During the week days he’s at work except during rifle season. I think he takes that time off, because I hear him leaving early early in the morning everyday on his 4wheeler then.
He’s told me he doesn’t mind my riding thru there...gets the deer use to seeing horses and people there...am I bait:)? Even so tho, I won’t go back there during rifle season. The trees can be good shelter, but also can obscure the view, and then, you’re right, the missed shots have a slight risk.
I don’t know, hunting season rather pisses me off...this is after all a housing area, lots of kids run around out there. I’m not against hunting, I just don’t think for most of the hunters this is really a very safe area, altho there are a lot of deer and they do need to be thinned out...there is definitely two sides to it. I just get really aggravated when during hunting season the weather is great, but I can’t ride because of fear of getting shot:). I’m rather territorial about this area...this is “my” mountain, I spend more time out there then anyone around here...they should have to come and get my permission:)
Becky
I understand! It’s made difficult that it’s not really an area whose use is defined. On public land like Capital forest, there’s a trailhead and warnings and rules. People are told it’s hunting season and when to wear orange, they’re also warned to look out for other users. Your place, it’s not defined at all. More and more people come in and do what they want, but who owns it?
Then they are UP in the trees, shooting DOWN, so that if they do miss, the bullet will travel quickly and harmlessly into the ground. THE most dangerous situation is where the hunter is down in a draw and shoots at a deer silhouetted on the skyline. If he misses, that darn bullet could go ANYwhere (another rule, 'know your backstop', that's more honored in the breach than the observance.)