Just a couple of things. "You can get more with a smile and a gun than you can with just a gun." By all means, be friendly when inquiring why someone is someplace you think they shouldn't be (it's entirely possible, in some cases, that you're the one who is in the wrong place) but, regardless, it's important to understand you're dealing with a stranger who has a firearm.

And for what it's worth, I've hunted with an SKS. I had a synthetic stock put on mine. It's light, handy, and 7.62x39mm ammunition is the ballistic equivalent to .30-30 Winchester ammunition. I don't see people ragging on the .30-30 Winchester.

Personally, I never blame guns for crime. I would get no satisfaction putting a gun in an electric chair or a gas chamber. I'm responsible for what I do with my guns and I expect others to be responsible with theirs. Period.

When I was a kid growing up, there were always the occasional story about some hunter or farmer encountering an escaped prisoner or, usually, an escaped mental patient. The rarest of these encounters went... "badly." My Dad explained why he was carrying slugs in his pocket when we'd go squirrel hunting or rabbit hunting or quail hunting, and it made sense to me. As an adult, I take "a little something extra" with me when I'm in the woods hunting, and I don't mean shotgun slugs. I grew up in the '60s and the number of wackos one can encounter in the darnedest of places has gone up exponentially.

I'm all for being polite ("an armed society is a polite society") when addressing someone occupying a hunting station that doesn't belong to them or to which they don't have the rights to use, but I'd never forget that they're armed. There are ways to carry firearms and be somewhat "ready" without presenting yourself as a threat. I do feel, however, it's just plain stupid to address someone in such a situation with a rifle or shotgun hanging over your shoulder.

It's just smart to be mindful of all the possible scenarios one can encounter in today's woods and fields.

This is a sad situation, this Wisconsin shooting, but there will be lessons come out of it and it's up to us to learn them or ignore them.

Godspeed.

Russ

The recent shooting of eight hunters has saddened me and I want to discuss ways of avoiding conflicts. One could surmise if the parties involved had acted in a different way that the results would have been better.

I have been confronted by hostile people and it seemed common sense to me not to anger them when they have a weapon for cripes sakes! This is not a lot different than confronting a man who is far larger and more physical than you.

Here is a site that covers some of the topic. Perhaps someone has other information? difficult people

Someone was in my stand opening day. I said to him "your in my stand" he did not answer. I was not certain if he was drunk or sleeping to be honest but he was gripping a Rem 760. I came back an hour later and he was gone.

I get along well there and I intend to continue doing so.

I've been an elected official for 14 years, so dealing with difficult people is a frequent event. I thank God these people aren't armed when tensions escalate. I've attended seminars about dealing with difficult people. What's really amazing is that some of the same people that I find to be difficult to deal with attended the same seminar, and "didn't get anything out of it." The toughest part of the problem is that difficult people often do not realize that they are the very ones that others view as difficult!!!!

It's been said that those who know the least about a topic or have the least skill at a task have the most confidence that they are right.

It's best to start out a conversation in a non threatening manner.

Well said.

I have had people in my tree stand on many occasions but I hunt on public property and even if I don't like it they have as much right to hunt as I do even if his/her sorry arse is in my tree stand. Hunting is a privilege and I enjoy hunting with my father and friends in the great outdoors if I harvest any game or not.

Sad indeed that this " " hole has given the anti gun people more ammunition to take our guns away. It's bad enough the criminals are killing each other and others, now hunters are in the spotlight as killing each other over something as trivial as a tree stand. The smart thing to do would not have been to argue and gone and got a conservation officer if it was on private property. If it was on public property and not his own tree stand it is anybodys to use. If it was his own then that is where the conservation officer could have possibly intervened.

People can be pretty unpredictable. And hostile. I think it is shamefull when people get to fighting over who shot what and start getting itchy trigger fingers. No deer is worth that, best to just do whatever you can to diffuse the situation and get back to enjoying the hunt.

Good thread S-99.