How Secretive are you about your hunting areas?

[xtreme]

I enjoy helping others find a good place to hunt. Most of the places I have hunted now require so many points that I will never get to hunt there again. Over the counter tags are a little different and the orange guys have already found my favorite places. I can still hunt those places but its not the same kind of hunting. Most of them eat their tags, the elk go to their hidey holes, so I have to hunt the hidey holes. Its not all bad sometimes it is even easier. A year or two ago I told my friend to hunt one and told him there is no fresh elk sign in there but don't quit it. He calls me at 0930 with bull elk down. The answer might be different if I was younger and better able to hunt.

 

[sambo3006]

I have perhaps half a dozen friends that I hunt with from time to time, some more than others. I freely share my spots with them and they with me. But we all agree that it is between us. If it is someone I don't know, I generally don't get too specific but I do tell them about areas they may not have known are public land. Here in Missouri most of the public hunting areas are only a couple thousand acres so I'm not going to give up my spot that I have worked for years to learn. All tags in Missouri are over the counter.

If it is someone from out of state on one of the hunting forums I am on, I would be willing to take them to one of my spots with the understanding that they don't divulge the location. If they wanted to hunt the spot in the future they would be welcome to (I hunt mostly public land) but I would appreciate it if they let me know when they were coming so that we could either meet up to hunt some more or not interfere with each others plans to hunt the area.

I've done quite a few western state hunts over the years, exclusively DIY with the exception of a couple of Canadian bear hunts. I've made a few friends along the way who have shared some info with me but I have met all of them on the mountain. I have not disclosed any of the information they gave me out of respect for their generosity.