Shed Hunting Ethics

Lately I have been hearing more and more about bad experiences out shed hunting. I also have had some bad experiences and honestly am sick and tired of the people taking advantage of their ATV's to pursue sheds. I live in Nevada and currently there is no law regulating shed horns. Unfortunatly I have heard and can feel there is indeed a season on the way. It ias too bad for the shed hunters who actually get out ther and walk for the horns. Using ATV's to get shed horns also brings up another issue which affects your your overall deer population. When a doe who is preagnant is constantly pushed by ATV's on the winter range she will end up aborting the fawn and that is one less deer to the world. So what I'm asking is for those of us who actually care about the deer and the future of the mule deer to step up and take action against those who don't. These individuals are ruining a hobby which we love and personally I'm going to do everything I can to prevent this, and I'm asking you to do the same [-o<
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MuleyMadness
Welcome and +1
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I could not agree more about the out of control atv's, and i know fist hand that you nevada guys got it as bad as anyone cause most of the state is open to off road travel. But i do understand there is legislation in nevada to change that as we speak. Heck, I know guys from utah that go there just for that reason. This is my advise and what my buddies and i have been doing the last 2 years, when we see them their truck or camp is ussally close so we get the plate numbers, pics, and as much info as possible then turn them in. I even know some guys that confront them with an a_ _ kick'n and somethimes steal the ball and reciver from thier trucks.Thats a little extreme for me but at least thier doing something. Bottom line is even if the officials wanted to police these guys they dont have the man power, so everyone of us need to step it up and take the future of the sport into our hands and police them ourselves.
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And another thing is that i dont think there is a general area i know of that someone has not tried to ride, they dont get all of it and somethimes just a small part of it but they have tried any where they can. and if they are scared that they will get a ticket everywhere they go eventually the mind set about it will change and these days will be in the past, at least i hope so anyway.
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*ShedPredator*
+2 For sure, I know exactly how you feel and I feel the same. Here in Utah there is a law but truthfully it sing stop very many people from riding it everywhere still but I hope things change soon.
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personally I'm going to do everything I can to prevent this, and I'm asking you to do the same [-o<[/quote]
10sign: 10sign: 10sign: 10sign: :thumb
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Well thank you for the advice and believe me I like to shed horn hunt as much as the next guy but this is becoming riduclous. I have personally went down to the Biologist and game warden and talked to them about this and they tell me it will take a while to get a law passed because they don't have the man power. All the while these guys are running the deer and stressing them way more then they need to be.
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AntlersOutWest
I am an avid shed hunter and I can honestly say that I do agree and disagree with this situation.
In the fact that shed hunting is getting ridiculous, more people are getting out and greedier than ever, I have myself seen a ton of people harassing the deer, elk and moose and yes I do not agree with that at all. I will avoid the animals at all possible when I go out. Most people do but there are the few that ruin it for the rest of us.
I will admit I do use my dirt bike and ranger in the spring to get to some of my locations that are miles away but I do not go off road. I ride up the road, park and hike in from there..
You guys cannot assume that everyone on atv’s are out harassing the herds and think you need to take action in letting the air out of their tires, take plate numbers and post them on the internet, steal their ball receivers ect.. Man that’s low.. I would be pissed if that happened to me while I was out not doing a damn thing wrong..
As far as you know they are probably out having a good time with their families not doing anything wrong.. But Yes if you do see harassment get plate numbers, photos and turn them ..
Maybe im opening up a can of worms but Im half tempted to set up a game cam near my truck next time to catch the low life’s that think they need to serve justice because they are jealous when im on the hill. And no im not breaking the shed laws or out harassing anything..
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I'm not saying to use an ATV is wrong, believe me everyone who owns one would much rather beat those down the road then their pickup and I'm the same way. I will take my ATV on the road to where I want to hunt and then park it. The people I'm refering to are those who are running the ridges and grid lining the flats where deer or elk winter.
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First off, I am 100% pro ATV use as long as they are used in the proper way and people ride them were they are allowed to be ridin. I have hiked easy over 250 miles just this year, I have used my ATV to get me to the places I want to go. As soon as the road ends or I have driven to were I want to go, I will pull off the side of the road and hike from there. I have probably only seen two spots that have had no ATV any were around.
I agree on taking action, pictures, writing down their info, etc but the problem is just this. I have turned a few poachers in with nothing ever done to them. So the same in my mind will be on these law breakers. Dont get me wrong, I will try and do it but at the same time if I run into them then my own actions may be taken towards the issue. (???)

:thumb
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MuleyMadness
You guys cannot assume that everyone on atv’s are out harassing the herds and think you need to take action in letting the air out of their tires, take plate numbers and post them on the internet, steal their ball receivers ect.. Man that’s low.. I would be pissed if that happened to me while I was out not doing a dang thing wrong..
As far as you know they are probably out having a good time with their families not doing anything wrong..
Well said, agree 100%

Good points made by all.
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I too use my atv, and enjoy it very much, where it is allowed and legal. What really gets my goat is when i find wheelers or tracks of atv's in areas where there is NO established trail, zig zagging the side of the mountain every twenty feet! For those individuals, if ya get turned in or if something happens, in my opinion you got it coming! Come on people, use common sense, most of us are born with it. However, with what i have seen this year, not everyone was lucky enough to recieve it.
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I think antlersoutwest misunderstood what i was talk'n bout, i also have an atv and i also use it the RIGHT WAY on the roads and would hate to have them banned everywhere just because of some people who cannot stay on the roads. I really enjoy my atv. The ones that every shed hunter who spends very much time out and bou is talk'n bout is the ones that pick an area and grid it out. And i agree with wildantlerman cause i have also turned in poachers and nothing happened. I'm not just going round pick'n out random truck/trailer set ups and point'n fingers. It's not that hard to tell if the truck/trailer and guy doing it are the same, you can usually track them right to their truck/trailer. And if ur not doing anything wrong then what ya got to worry bout? If anyone wants to take a pick of me when there the one doing something wrong I'll do them one better and leave my name and info and if they dare find me their even dumber than i thought.
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I am appauled by those people that break the law and take there ATV's off roads and established trails. I to am also going to do my part in protecting our wild life and also not to metion our habitat. The less habitat, the less wildlife. This makes our land look disgusting with all the people that disrespect our lands. Everywhere I go shed hunting there are trails from wheelers, motor bikes, and in this picture I am posting,.... I dont know what it is but it is a huge machine like a snow cat or a bull dozer. This just sickens me!! Just think what the land would look like in just a few years if this continues to happen? This machine was everywhere and it just ran down anything in their way, even full grown trees. I hope everyone that also beleives this is wrong, to do your part in protecting our land and wildlife and take names, pictures, video or whatever it takes to get these people that are breaking the law to STOP!!!
This is a big machine like a snow cat or a bull dozer.
This is a big machine like a snow cat or a bull dozer.
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Here is another pic.
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Another tree down!
And another
And another
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killerbee
holy*&% even with all the talk, i would have never imagined THAT kind of destruction. that is amazing how someone would be o.k. with doing that.
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Well as much as the local officials in the ares this is happening would like it to stop they just dont have the man power or resources, we all know this. Really how many BLM and DWR guys do you see when ur out? A few for sure but they cannot be everywhere at once, and they rely on sportsman to take care of the places and things they are privlidged to enjoy. If ur to lazy to take care of it then ur a very poor sportsman. Report or stop these guys if it's within ur power, for real.
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BIG R
I dont think many if ANY people take there snow cats or personel dozers out for your daily shed hunt.
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Check out the post for "I now understand the need for an ethics course" and get the facts. This is real!!!
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BIG R
This is real what? Jibberish!
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BIG R
I guess these guys figured it out finally.They took something with tracks on it and no trailer so you couldnt let the air out of the tires or take there reciever. :))
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Maybe so but where there is a will there is a way, and if they decide to bring that thing shed hunt'n to my back yard and i can catch them i'll find a way. lol
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I too was in the area where buckfeverhunter took these pictures and it was shocking too see the destruction it caused, this used to be an area where 20-30 bull elk wintered every year and not to my suprise I only seen one elk in this area and it was obvious that whoever was in this machine was looking for something, it was obvious they were shed hunting they just happened to drive past every rub and it was obvious they were following elk tracks so im pretty much 100% sure that they were looking for something and it definetely wasnt a road they were looking for so what else would they be doing :-k they didnt just go in a straight line they grid tracked the whole area just like the four wheelers do without a care in the world plowing down anything in the way! the destruction covered a ton of area, it just sickens me too see what people are willing to do to find a shed, oh and big R this isnt jibberish this was as real as it gets, you would have to see it to believe it, it was bad!! :>/
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BIG R
I saw the pics and I agree it looks real bad.I just cant see anybody going out in a piece of equiptment like this to shed hunt.It seems odd that somebody would take something like this out knowing its big and not capable of out running somebody especially in an area where it sounds like alot of people shed hunt.I dont know anybody dumb enough or willing to go to that extremefor some bone.It could have been many things like the forestry dept or a survey crew.
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Big R, I thought the same thing when i first heard about it but when I actually seen it I believed it, the time of year when this person was in there there were probably not many people in this area and I dont think that trucks, or four wheelers could have got into this area ,and maybe thats why they brought in the big stuff, I wish i was wrong about this but I really do think somebody actually got away with it and I am assuming it was someone from a ranch that is close to there because I cant see anybody going too far with a big machine like that, BTW I have been running heavy equipment for about 10 years and from the looks of the tracks it looked like it was from a front end loader or something like that, not a snow cat, I can just imagine how easy it would be to shed hunt in something like that you could see over every cedar its just too bad they got away with it. It is very hard to believe, Im not one to be easily convinced, and id bet if you actually seen it and seen the path they took you would believe it, as dumb as it sounds .Its sad that people are stooping to these levels to pick up sheds :>/
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NONYA
Idiots will do anything,but even the most idiotic snow cat doesnt leave damage like that,nice to see someone who knows what they are talking about and saw the tracks come foward and set the story straight.We own a d2 cat and those tracks look exactly like a d2 or 4 cat leaves behind. :thumb
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