Hiding sign

[Brokenarrow1980]

Let me ask this question on here and see if I'm out of line, I have a buddy who carrys around a machete and will scrape up big rub lines to make it look like a person hacked at it and will step in all tracks at a scrape and kick leaves over it. I told him on multiple occasions he's nuts and borderline unethical doing this but he swears by it and says since he started doing this people pressure went way down. He does kill bucks but I'm really unsure if this tactic is necessary or even ethical. Am I wrong thinking this?

[Trail]

Whether it's ethical or not will vary from hunter to hunter. I've never stepped in tracks before to purposefully hide them but I know a lot of people that do, especially ones in snow. All of the sign I try to hide is my own.

I can easily see why someone thinks messing with rubs and scrapes is unethical. It's something I'd never do, both because it seems untethical to me, and because in my opinion you're disrupting the forest enough to where a mature buck would become more apprehensive to return to that area than usual.

[hunting_dad]

I usually don’t comment much because I’ve learned to just keep my mouth shut and observe. With that said, is this where we really are as hunters? How about we just go hunting and use our skills to figure out the animal and how to kill it? Now we’re altering sign to keep people away?

This is why I don’t comment much. That’s all I have.

[Dewey]

I’ve kicked leaves over scrapes to see if they’re still active by bucks when checking a few days later. Has nothing to do with fooling other hunters or ruining sign. Don’t see that as being unethical at all. Leaves fall from trees covering scrapes all season.

Marking up trees or destroying other vegetation to remove sign is a different story. Not only unethical but also illegal on most public lands.

[Hawthorne]

If that didn’t work and someone else still killed the big buck then what would be the next step? Maybe some dummie stands. No I’ve never altered sign. No time for those games for me. Season is short enough

[Ghost Hunter]

I am more worried someone knowing I was there. I try to make it where nobody knows I was there. I walk edge of roads in grass instead of down middle of road. Park a distance away from my entrance etc.

[3531usmc]

I am more worried someone knowing I was there. I try to make it where nobody knows I was there. I walk edge of roads in grass instead of down middle of road. Park a distance away from my entrance etc.

Same here!! I just started parking a distance from my entrance this year I think it will really make a difference. The deer around me watch the parking lots. So parking in a different area and accessing in a different area might help fool people and the deer.

[backstraps]

I usually don’t comment much because I’ve learned to just keep my mouth shut and observe. With that said, is this where we really are as hunters? How about we just go hunting and use our skills to figure out the animal and how to kill it? Now we’re altering sign to keep people away?

This is why I don’t comment much. That’s all I have.

[Andr3wxmma]

I found where some rubs had been cut by a saw this spring. They weren’t even big rubs but you can bet I’ll hunt in there to figure out what he was trying to hide.

I’ll stomp out tracks in the snow crossing a road we used to just leave initials if we’re coming back after dropping someone off or parking but some don’t honor it anymore when searching for a buck track when tracking in Maine but that’s the only sign I’ve ever removed.

[Tennhunter3]

Never messed with sign.
90 percent of the time I don't hunt near sign anyway so much of it is night based. Those that do usually only see small bucks.

I'm only in a area 2-3 times a year anyway.

Usually if I'm hunting sign its a scrape next to bedding and I only know of a handful of those. They aren't too common..

[Ghost Hunter]

I am more worried someone knowing I was there. I try to make it where nobody knows I was there. I walk edge of roads in grass instead of down middle of road. Park a distance away from my entrance etc.

Same here!! I just started parking a distance from my entrance this year I think it will really make a difference. The deer around me watch the parking lots. So parking in a different area and accessing in a different area might help fool people and the deer.

Sometimes by listening to others comments of questions. I almost feel like I'm being hunted. When I'm in an area I don't want others to know about I move slow and watch for others. If I see someone I well take cover and just watch them.

[UncleBuck3268]

I won’t mess around with rubs at all, but if I see large tracks I will step in them mostly because the deer trail in most scenarios is the easier route to take when in thick cover. I won’t go look for sign to tamper with. With that being said I would agree taking a machete to rubs is a bit of a stretch.

[greenhorndave]

I am more worried someone knowing I was there. I try to make it where nobody knows I was there. I walk edge of roads in grass instead of down middle of road. Park a distance away from my entrance etc.

Same here!! I just started parking a distance from my entrance this year I think it will really make a difference. The deer around me watch the parking lots. So parking in a different area and accessing in a different area might help fool people and the deer.

Sometimes by listening to others comments of questions. I almost feel like I'm being hunted. When I'm in an area I don't want others to know about I move slow and watch for others. If I see someone I well take cover and just watch them.

I'd rather be a ghost too.

[Brokenarrow1980]

This guy is an in law about 2 hours from me so we don't cross paths hunting much but on occasion we will hunt the same woods. The only reason I don't report him is the backlash I will get from my wife. To be quite honest he is a little annoying and I'm glad there's distance between us lol. I just thought this would be an interesting topic here.

[Ghost Hunter]

Wait to get in your late 50's. You will find a lot of people annoying. For most part.