Imagine quietly hiking along a mountain ridge or sitting in a duck blind when an angry anti-hunter confronts you. What would you do?

Every state has hunter harassment written within its laws, yet confrontations still happen. And yes, there are repercussions for perpetrators.

One of the most recent incidents happened in January 2026 when a duck hunter and a partner in Washington posted what became a viral video of a woman who approached to deliver a profanity-laced tirade. While berating them and throwing rocks at their decoys, she screamed, “This is public property!” The hunter’s response, “Exactly my point!”

Hunting on public property is often legal and is highly regulated by rules, seasons and quotas, as determined by state wildlife agencies. The fact is most people in the United States approve of hunting. A 2024 survey shows 76 percent of Americans approve while 11 percent are indifferent. Those who hunt are protected from harassment. It is not known if the Washington duck hunters reported the harasser.

 While the specific statutes vary from state to state, it is generally against the law for anyone to intentionally interfere with hunters, block access to public land, scare away wildlife and other similar actions. Depending on the severity of the incident, punishments may include misdemeanor or felony charges, fines, jail time, probation, suspension, loss of hunting/fishing/trapping privileges and civil lawsuits with possible punitive damages and criminal penalties.

The Washington incident is not an isolated one. In late 2025, as reported by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, a hunter harassment case took place in the state’s Upper Peninsula:

Conservation Officer (CO) John Kamps and Sgt. Mark Leadman followed up on an ongoing hunter harassment complaint. They arrived at the scene and shortly after observed a subject drive his vehicle up to another person’s deer blind and park right behind their bait. Sgt. Leadman and CO Kamps contacted the suspect and conducted an interview. The suspect confessed that he was out there to “be a pain” and interfere with the complainant’s hunt. Charges will be filed with the Marquette County Prosecutor’s Office for hunter harassment and for the malicious destruction of a blind that occurred earlier in the deer season. The suspect had received a citation earlier in the year from COs Kamps and Jackson Kelly for hunting without a license and for having a loaded gun in a motor vehicle. (Note, baiting was permitted by state law at the time.)

In December 2025, officers with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (NHFGD) called a tactical team to detain a man for threatening another resident who was lawfully hunting deer on a neighboring NHFGD wildlife management area. The perpetrator faced charges of felony-level criminal threatening with a firearm, felony-level reckless conduct with a firearm and violation-level hunter harassment.

In October 2024, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries cited a man who admitted to agents he shot his shotgun and revved his ATV over multiple days to try to keep deer away from his neighbor while he was hunting. 

Wildlife officials urge those affected to note the evidence, have a description of the harassers, including vehicle information, and report the incident as soon as possible. They also urge hunters to remain calm and avoid doing anything to escalate the situation.

About Hunt 2 Conserve 

Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org. 

(Photo credit: Brett Winegarden)