October 10, 2008 - Harding County

An interesting thing happened this year on the first day of rifle antelope season in Harding County. On two occasions, within 6 hours of each other, while stalking antelope on land held in trust by the Department of School and Public Lands (public land open to hunting), our hunt was interrupted by a commercial outfitter that operates on land situated near where we were hunting. 

Toting two paying out-of-state hunters, John Hight (pictured left), of Crooked Creek Outfitters approached one of our party as we were stalking a couple of does on school (public) land situated off JB Road in Harding County. Hight, who neither holds a lease to, nor owns the land we were hunting, pulled up to ask who we were and what we were doing. While we quietly attempted to ignore him, he relented. When we grounded the animals we were pursuing, he immediately injected himself (and his clients) into our hunt, forcefully driving out to retrieve the animals we had lawfully taken. We of course remained courteous, all the while suggesting that we were quite capable of field dressing and retrieving the animals ourselves. After we got the two does to the road, tagged them, and put them into the back of our truck, an officer from GF&P appeared for a game check. At that point, Hight moved down the road to "check" other hunters, nearby, on public land. Apparently, Hight had reported trespassers on his land . . . 

The officer was polite, neither asking who we were, what we were doing, and never questioning the land upon which we were  hunting. Despite our particular disdain for Hight's behavior, we shrugged it off and went on about our hunt.

Not 6 hours after the first encounter, and not far from our initial hunt site, Hight again approached us, while hunting on a mix of school (public) and private (with landowner permission) land. Just as before, he foolishly confronted us with the same questions, only this time, perhaps realizing his folly, quickly departed.

Now its not that we resented the fact that Hight was keeping a watchful eye, or that by some obscure measure he was trying to be helpful, or perhaps even trying to impress his high-ticket out-of-state hunters, but that he simply interfered with the legitimate right of other hunters. And, because he seemed to feel so free to interfere with our hunt, it is very likely that he does so with other hunters, as well. Accordingly, SDHRA is considering filing a complaint with the State regarding his actions, in an effort to coral the particular brand of harassment that Hight feels so free in handing out.