Taking out the trash!!!

Doesn't it upset you? Getting all geared up to hunt and heading to your favorite spot only to see evidence that someone before you has trashed the parking area with bottles, wrappers, napkins, etc. I have forever been disgusted and ashamed by the actions of some of my fellow sportsman. There are some instances that stick out in my mind. I grew up hunting on Maryland's eastern shore. My Grandfather owned some pretty big properties that we hunted deer on. He also leased some of the properties to waterfowlers. I can remember numerous times rolling up to hunt and finding empty shell boxes, soda cans, and candy bar wrappers. It infuriated me...Not only because this was our land but because.........This Planet is "Our Land"!!!

This brings me to some of the other times I have been appalled at the sight of litter... I was in Sedona Arizona hiking a while back and was blown away by the amount of litter I came across as I traversed some of the most breathtaking scenery I have been fortunate enough to see. As I looked around I saw lots of notes and pictures stuffed in bags and tucked in the rocks. I know this place has special meaning and power for some so I kind of understood this, but besides all of these things there were tons of water bottles and wrappers from beef jerky and granola bars. I put as many items as I could in my pockets and walked them out myself. It wasn't that much of an inconvenience. This really doesn't have anything to do with sportsman but it brings me to some other multi use public places where we as hunters end up looking like a bunch of losers from the mess left behind.

Trash at the Seneca Creek parking area this morning.

I remember when Seneca Creek opened up to bowhunting a few years back. The battle was fought to get hunters in to this heavily over browsed park to control the deer. It was a tough enough battle to win over the public enough to get us in there so do we really need to have a bunch of slobs leaving litter at the parking areas? I remember pulling in there for the first time to scout being greeted with piles of garbage and it wasn't even actually hunting season yet. Was this all from hunters? Maybe not... but it did not take much effort to throw some of it in the bed of my truck to throw out the next time I got gas.

After taking a few pics of the trash I picked it up and put it in a bucket to take home to the trash can.

I guess what pushed me over the edge was the amount of trash I found while hiking some public parks this past spring looking for Morel Mushrooms. I mean...I would get into a little patch where I could tell other mushroom hunters had been and it wasn't only from their leaf scrapings or stems of shrooms left behind. It was the large amount of beer cans and soda/water bottles that these folks carried all the way in but could not carry out...even though they are carrying bags of mushrooms out....

This is the trash by the parking lot found after mushroom hunting.....

I hear stories every season about guys losing prime hunting spots for one reason or another. Bad public image is one that could cost us some of the great public hunting we have right now and it definitely wont help us get any new doors opened. If the property you are hunting is private...wouldn't the Landowner be happy to know that the guy or group that he is letting use his property was taking it upon themselves to not only remove their own trash but others as well. It may be something that could save you down the rd. If someone else causes an issue for the landowner that he/she knows that it could not be his responsible permitee because that does not fit your profile.

In recent seasons I have become increasingly more involved in hunting in suburban areas. Homeowners are more likely to see trash left behind in their yards than say a busy Farmer would in the woods surrounding his fields.

I am going to make an effort to remove trash every time I go in the woods this season starting with the next time I head out scouting. I mean how hard is it to carry a small empty bag in with me in my backpack or pocket. In the suburban areas that I frequent it is shocking how much waste I see in the woods and parking area. It will not be that big of an ordeal for me to pick up a few items after a morning hunt as I walk to the truck. I know it does not sound like much but figuring that I will probably spend around 50 or 60 days in the woods this season it will add up. Just think...1 bottle a day will fill up a giant hefty bag by the end of the season. I am going to ask all my Overkill boys to join me in this effort. We always try to stay in good graces with our Landowners and have a great relationship as it is so this can only solidify our place on their land for the future.

Imagine running into a landowner and having them ask "what's in the bag"?
I can promise they will feel like they made the right decision in letting you hunt their property.


I challenge every one of my fellow sportsman to take the time to take out the trash on your next hunt. It's a small step but a step in the right direction to giving hunters a cleaner image.