There is a recent thread on this in the “General” section.

Posting a link to the DNR hunting page is not a bad idea.

All I can say is don’t worry about it. You can’t help other’s ignorance. Most public hunting lands that I have encountered are clearly marked with signs stating so with some exceptions. I have never had any problems after running into hunters. A cacher has the same rights to be there as anyone else does. It sounds like you did what you could on your end. If anybody truly has a concern about being in a hunting area, they can always wear an orange hat. This person might not be upset with you at all, but misplacing their anger with you for their ignorance.

Ya see, up “Nort” ya, 95% of dem caches are on hunting land. Wedder it be county, state or fed. If ya goin’ in da woods around’dere, ya had bedder be thinkin’ it be a huntin’ ground.

Dem nobrothergoodinlaws from Illinois can stay in Illinois!

We came up from Saint Charles Illinois to visit Paul’s Tree Farm and grab a few caches on the way home.We picked a few caches that sounded interesting and posed a bit of a challenge.We COULDN’T WAIT TO DO THIS ONE both for the challenge and to grab the GeoCoins that it holds!! It took us awhile to find Ruben’s Cave Drive!!We parked right there read the dinky little sign about “public hunting grounds”no dates,no times,debated wether to go in or not,decided to go,NEVER thinking we would find what we did.We get about 1,000ft. in and there’s a sniper sitting up in a tree!!This is REALLY STRANGE to us out-of-towner’s cuz where we come from,when parks/preserves are open for hunting,you can’t go in as a hiker and there are WARNING SIGNS ALL OVER THE PLACE that clearly state the dates~times that hunting is allowed.This place is INSANE !You just can’t have hikers and hunters mixin’ in the same preserve at the same time! We could’ve gone in never seeing this guy and him not seeing us,next thing you know he mistakes us for a deer comin’ outta the woods and it’s goodbye Charlie ! The owner of this cache needs to be EXPLICIT in his description and state “ENTER THIS PRESERVE AT YOUR OWN RISK BECAUSE HUNTERS MAY OR MAY NOT BE PERCHED UP IN TREES WITH RIFLES AND YOU MAY OR MAY NOT GET YOUR HEAD BLOWN OFF”.You gotta be a little clearer with us Illinois people cuz we do things differently.No offense to anyone but this whole thing needs to be explained to people who don’t live in Wisconsin.

We were TOTALLY BUMMED that we didn’t get to do this cache.It sounds really awesome and we were ready for the challenge!!We had just come from doing Spelunking in Magnolia and it was GREAT,WE LOVED IT!! The plan is to come back in the spring.There’s no hunting in the spring right???? Well,thanks anyway,maybe next time.TSAWSF…Carl & Kimberly 🙁

Well, not to offend anyone but, when you come into our state, or any state for that matter, it is your responsibility to find out how things work there. Things should not have to be explained unless you ask first.
When you come back in spring, all of the snipers will be sitting on the ground as there is a hunting season then as well.

@Team Deejay wrote:

…. there is zero chance that anybody is going to get mistaken for a squirrel or a goose (or even a deer) and get shot.

Unless the geocacher is wearing feathers during pheasant hunting season 😳

@gotta run wrote:

My suggestion for safety is to go caching with kids. They don’t know the meaning of stealth. “Why don’t we ever see any animals in the woods, dad?” Well gee, it could be ’cause you’re b******g at each other since the moment we leave the car?…not that I’m bitter or anything….

LOL. I cache both with other folks sometimes, and alone sometimes, and this is so true. While I enjoy sharing the trails with good friends caching, there is something special about caching alone, or with just a good dog. You see so much more wildlife caching alone.

Yesterday, I spotted a large black owl (dont know what kind of owl it was, but may look it up, unless one of the resident ornithologists knows.) For me, owls are a rare sight, so when I saw this big black guy perched in a tree 40 feet off the trail, I had to walk towards him. I got to within 20 feet for a good look, and he just sat there, turning his head around to look at me.

Also, caching with a couple dogs today increased the number of rabbits I saw. I have started taking Robin’s dog Sally with me sometimes, and while Jesse ignores critters for the most part, Sally loves to clean out all the brush of the hiding rabbits, and chase em off for me.

zuma

I am a hunter and a cacher. I chose not to hunt this year because of my lack of a vehicle during the gun hunt season.

I hunted public land last year in the navarino area where I know there are caches.

Some bits of “wisdom” regarding hunting public land as it relates to caching: (from the hunters perspective here..)

1. Other people are bound to walk by you while you are posted. This is expected! If a hunter doesn’t want this, they should consider owning some private hunting land.

2. Even hunters can miss seeing other hunters. Imagine spending all day posted somewhere to find out there was another hunter less than 500 yards away and down the hill just a smidgen and in the direction you expected deer to come from! You need to make sure other’s know you are there…

3. Blaze orange is REALLY easy to spot. Especially when it’s moving around and you walk on known trails. If you are caching during the gun deer hunt, wear blaze orange and keep an eye out for blaze orange yourself as well.

4. Hunters have been hunting those lands longer than geocachers have been caching on them. This does not mean they “own” the area but if you understand this it might help you understand their reaction when you try to explain why you just walked across the field they were hunting. I think you are best served to make sure they understand your presence and where you are headed and how long you might be in that area and when you may return through. This would be the same type of information two hunters might share when they cross paths in the woods.

5. Hunters on the land might just know a thing or two about the layout of the land, where trails go, etc. It might be to your benefit to make yourself known and just ask them for some friendly advice rather than “trying to ignore them and see if they ignore you”. This might make for a much better conversation and it will give them a chance to direct you in a way that might better their odds of seeing a deer and save you from walking by other hunters or through an area that’s tougher to cross.

6. I can gaurantee you that cachers make much more noise than hunters and deer combined. Humans make a lot of noise in the woods! You rarely hear a deer movin around. A hunter probably heard you approaching. If they have mistaken you for a deer, than it’s not my fault that they are an idiot with a gun in the woods 😀

7. Did I mention blaze orange is pretty easy to see?

8. In the case of this cache posting, the hunter (sniper?) was posted in a tree stand or up high it sounds like. The cacher saw them and I am sure the hunter saw the cacher. If I was in this circumstance, I would stick to the trail and walk by making sure they know you are there. That is the most important part of public land during hunting season is making sure hunters know you are present.

Considering how many people enter the wisconsin woods over those 9 days with a loaded weapon, it’s amazingly safe! We need to remember that most hunting accidents are related to falling out of trees and hunting party members forgetting where the other person is during a “drive”.

Now setting aside my blaze orange…

Just like when a cacher enters any area, they should be aware of their surroundings. There is no excuse for cachers who do not read the attributes and cache page details.