Speckmisser

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There are a couple of folks here who are fairly new to big game hunting, and to the Internet discussions. With that in mind, let me throw a couple of things out there. What you do with them is up to you.

First of all, nothing personal to anyone, but it's something of a breach of etiquette to ask any hunter where their "honey hole" is located. Not a crime or anything, but a little rude. Usually, all you'll do is let yourself in for some ribbing, but some folks really take it personally. If someone wants to share a spot, they'll do it voluntarily... and more than likely, any sharing will be done privately, not on the Internet.

Sharing hunting spots, especially public land spots, is a dangerous gamble. This is the source of multiple hot topics on this forum and many others, but the bottom line is, once you annouce the location of a good hunting area, then you can count on a big influx of hunters. When you make that announcement on a public forum on the World Wide Web, then you've just told the whole world about your honey hole. That can, and often does, spell the end of a good spot. This is not hypothetical justification, by the way; it's a fact that many of us have experienced.

Remember that in addition to the ten or fifteen people actively posting on a thread, there are many more people out there reading it... many of whom are not even members of JHO. They're all looking for that next, hot hunting spot, and when they read about it, they will go there. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, because the power of the Internet is the availability of information. Most of us initially came to JHO because we were looking for information, and most of us continue to read through posts like this one in hopes of learning a little bit more.

There are people here who don't know this, and some who don't care, and they will post details about hunting locations. Others will offer general locations without detail. All of this is good and fine, although one should keep in mind that other folks may have been relying on those honey holes too. If you publicise your spot, you are probably opening the door on someone else's spot as well. Some folks will not take that well.

None of this is meant to tell anyone what they may or may not post. If you want to share details about a hunting location, then no one here will stop you. And if you want to ask about locations, go for it. But there are very good and valid reasons why a lot of people will not share even the remotest detail.

I would suggest that if you are asking about places to hunt, make sure the email address in your profile is up-to-date. A lot of people, myself included, will share some info privately through email, that we will not post on the public forum. At the same time, though, do NOT abuse the email links to send unsolicited queries to strangers asking about where they shot a hog.

This has all been discussed before on JHO, but in light of some recent comments and questions, I thought it might be worth bringing it back up again.
 

Lurediver

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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Arrowslinger @ Jan 5 2009, 08:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Great comments Phil and spot on.[/b]


AS I am your friend so why is it still necessary that I be blindfolded and all my navigation systems be left at home when you take me to your
honey hole?
 

map

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Hi Spec,

Good write-up. While we are on the subject of, "breach of etiquette" I would like to add a few comments of my own. First, I enjoy helping these new hunters who are young enough to be my grand children. Sometimes, I even volunteer to make maps for them. However, I would like to move this topic out to the field where the boots of etiquette hit the ground.

There seems to be a lot of socializing (hunters gathered in small groups) in TA29 of Fort Hunter Liggett. This has lead up to other hunters wandering right in front of me while I was hunting. Let me give you one example:

My boy and I got up early one morning to sneak out to the back corner of 29 before the others got there. We were thinking that the other hunters would not mill around in front of us while we were in plain sight dressed in blaze orange. We were the first ones there, and had clay banks staked-out. Well, sure enough, with my boy and I up there on the hill in plain sight, each small group of hunters (all morning long) entered the area directly below us, which was within 100 yards. I don't know if modern etiquette as change, but hunters didn't do that during the good ole days.

Another pain in the butt, is to park your vehicle and start walking down a jeep road, only to have a someone pass you in a their four wheel drive. I can remember the day when a vehicle parked meant that the road was taken.


Just a few thoughts from an old man:



Richard
 

easymoney

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Great post Mr. misser...
This could apply to all areas of outdoor activities. There are many who actually consider it an honor to be thrown a freebie bone and use the info given wisely. I always like to help newbies yet feel there are too many who expect a free handout rather than looking at hunting as a challenge which requires a certain amount of self detective work.
And also being from the old school, I see many examples of very questionable "etiquitte" behavior that would not have been tolerated in the old days. Especially on public refuges...
 

XDHUNTER

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Good post Phil.
<
 

MikenSoCo

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<
Hey Phil... Having hunted Lake Sonoma Waaaaaayyy back, at the hunts inception, and living close by, I had learned alot about the area through boot leather. I for one enjoy other hunters being successful, as I know how tough it is to bag a hog on public land with a bow. It felt especially good to me when info I passed on was instrumental in anothers success. Hell, I even invited perfect strangers to my private spot in hopes I'd see them bag a boar.
I do admit, being a tech idiot, I under estimated the pressure I put on the spots I learned of for other guys who used the same spot. I apologize to any here who were affected. BDB brought this to my attention in such a kind way not too long ago.
To anybody out there looking for good spots, this is what worked for me.... Get the topo, find the largest tract inaccessible to the faint of heart, and get the wind in your face. Remember, 1 mile from the road/trail loses 90% of the hunters
<
 

easymoney

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"To anybody out there looking for good spots, this is what worked for me.... Get the topo, find the largest tract inaccessible to the faint of heart, and get the wind in your face. Remember, 1 mile from the road/trail loses 90% of the hunters "
Some of the best and most truthful info ever posted...
 

sancho

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yea.

i wonder how many googled, "dill pickle" canyon.

great stuff. i am a new guy, and building my own list of secret spots. i have a great rifle area, but i dont shoot bullets at hogs anymore. either way, great thread, it needed sayin.
 

forkehornreggie

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Yes, Speck, great thread. The only thing I might not agree with is that if you wanted to share some info from your own experiences on "Honey Holes" that is up to you and nobody else.
 

XDHUNTER

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Here's one of my "honey holes"

corner of Hellman and chandler in Corona
<
 

Speckmisser

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Hey Reggie, I think I said that... but absolutely, if you want to go ahead and share a spot, knowing the possible consequences of doing so, then go for it. But it's one thing to share that info knowing the possible outcomes, and another to do so obliviously.

The point I was hoping to make... two points, actually... is/are aimed at new folks to the sport and the forums.

First of all, don't ask someone where their honey-hole is because it's a little rude and it makes you look a little foolish. There's a reason hunters refer to places by "code names" like DP Canyon, Kokopelli Valley, or (one my favorites), the Triple Nipple Spot. If we wanted everyone to know where these spots are located, we'd use real names.

Secondly, I want new folks to understand why so many people are so protective of their "honey holes" on the Internet, and why this can be such a hot topic. Many of us have learned the hard way what happens when you share too much information about a good spot, and honestly, good hog hunting on private land is a real treasure. Productive areas can become unproductive real quickly when pressure picks up.

None of this is meant to suggest that there's anything wrong with asking for general information or with sharing it. That IS part of the reason this site exists. I don't condone the folks who slam newbies for asking for places to hunt, but I also don't blame the folks who want to keep info to themselves. It's a fine edge, I guess.

Personally, I've shared a good bit of info on general hunting areas on the forums, and in private email I've directed some folks with a lot more detail. I think several others here have done the same thing, both on and off the forums. But knowing what you're doing and doing something without knowing are two different things. Let's put the cards on the table and let folks make educated decisions. That's all I'm going for.
 

huntingbret

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Alrighty then. I guess everyone's fingers are pointing at me now since I did asked what DP Canyon was. And no, I did not googled Dead Pig or Dill Pickle or Dog Poop etc....on the web. I just didn't realize I would be crawling up anyone's sleeves by asking. I'm just still looking for my first pig after 3 years of hunting. I'm sure whatever DP was, it would have been a big place and finding that particular "honey hole" of arrowslinger's would have been a long shot. Oh well!
 

Lurediver

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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (huntingbret @ Jan 5 2009, 01:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Alrighty then. I guess everyone's fingers are pointing at me now since I did asked what DP Canyon was. And no, I did not googled Dead Pig or Dill Pickle or Dog Poop etc....on the web. I just didn't realize I would be crawling up anyone's sleeves by asking. I'm just still looking for my first pig after 3 years of hunting. I'm sure whatever DP was, it would have been a big place and finding that particular "honey hole" of arrowslinger's would have been a long shot. Oh well![/b]

I don't think you were crawling up anyone's sleeves.
Do you mainly hunt down by Fresno? I have a couple public-land spots I could point you to if you hunt up north.
 

Speckmisser

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Bret,

You aren't the only one... only the most recent which made you the lucky winner... the straw that tipped the camel over or something like that. Nothing personal against you, because you can't be guilty if you don't know you're doing anything wrong.

The thing to understand is that, at least on public land, hot spots usually are NOT "big places", and they're usually fairly short-lived. That's why someone might direct you to Laguna Mountain or Coalinga Mineral Springs, but not tell you the "right spot" at either of those places... although I can tell you that there are "right spots" in both areas. If you find it yourself, you're ahead in the game. But after hunting some of those big places without success, you should realize how rare a consistently productive spot can be. And the reason the spots are consistent is usually because hunting pressure has been light. Telling strangers where these spots are is not the way to keep that pressure to a minimum.

There are also some public land areas that are not very large at all. They can be productive because they're generally overlooked. Someone might stumble across hog sign while quail hunting, or scouting for deer on one of these places. It's amazing what you can find by "accident" or through a little detective work.
 

hank4elk

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Great one Speck... I guess I should not mention what zones I hunt and such online as I have been warned by you,Easy, and others... I am new to internet crap on the whole and as such should be cautious . Some one posted my house as theirs on google... they live 1 mile away. I guess my point is , take it all with a grain of salt... I don't think there is a honeyhole left in CA. Anymore with internet.
 
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