Question for any hunters on the list

I've never hunted but I have no issues with hunting. I do have one question for you though, why do you go after road signs? We live in a rural area and every road sign is peppered with bullet holes. Our neighbours mailbox was targeted last night. The hunters don't take the signs with them they just leave them behind. I've searched for recipes that are based on road signs but so far I've come up empty. No road sign sausage or stir fry suggestions. Please help me understand.

There was an old quarry near my uncle's house with a "No Firearms" sign out front. 
 

It had about a four inch hole through the center from a shotgun blast. 

Self defense. Those signs are dangerous, they'll take your arm off if you're not paying attention. 

Why would you assume hunters are shooting your road signs?

Very unlikely to be hunters. 

Racebrick said:

Why would you assume hunters are shooting your road signs?

I think, that hunters are not the problem, here. 

I'm in sales.  

I'm a hunter.  

I haven't shot at any signs.  

Signs of game, like tracks and droppings are integral to a hunt. Checking for signs, reading signs and understanding signs are very important to a successful hunt.

The hunters are probably destroying signs to throw other hunters off.

True hunters have an appreciation of the sacrifice they are asking their prey to make.  They would take the entire sign and make use of all its constituent parts, eg. rendering the plate down into floorboards for project cars, cutting the post up and repurposing it into a tripod for longer-distance accuracy in their next hunt, taking the hunk of concrete at the base and breaking it up to add to the gravel on trails so other members of the sign-hunting tribe who may not be as capable off pavement can get further into the signs' migratory grounds and participate better in community hunts.

Unfortunately, there are those members, even in the most environmentally- conscious hunting tribes, for whom the hunt is not the pinnacle of their interaction with nature and the DOT.  They see it as a social obligation to be dispensed with as swiftly as possible.  To them it is just a means of remaining within the tribe.   Rather than honoring their prey, they will make a spectacle of it.  While a skilled and experienced hunter can take down the largest signs with little more than a pellet gun and a small adjustable wrench,  this particular brand of miscreant braggarts will unload on a sign with the largest caliber weaponry they can afford.  The waste of resources is how they try to signal their value to potential mates.

No. Rifle rounds are expensive.

LOL, a common misconception. The truth is that many years ago, an alien race attempted to make first contact, but mistook a road sign for the leader of the free world. They were insulted by the lack of response to their greeting, and declared war on the "citizens" of Earth. They have bern coming down and shooting our signs ever since. Interestingly, it takes a 10mm bolt to put up a new road sign, so they also steal those to prevent our race from propagating. 

Kids in rural areas shoot at road signs for fun.  Mostly with .22's.    I have seen them do it.   I guess they are bored because they live in a rural area without much to do.   

You can tell if its from a .22 if there is a dent with no hole.   With a hole its from something more powerful.  

In reply to jharry3 :

A lifetime ago I moved to a small rural town in the south. I asked a local what there is to do and the answer was: "drink, leave, or get married". 

I supposed they should have added, shoot at inanimate objects while drinking because that was a popular hobby.

Yeah, hunters are generally a very safe and conscientious group.  There are some bad apples, of course, but in most states you can't get a license without passing a pretty rigorous hunting safety course which includes a gun safety portion.  My guess is that the holes in signs is a function of "I live in Podunk and there is nothing else to do when I have a Meth hangover" more than it has anything to do with hunters.

Hunters would specifically be thwarting their efforts by firing a round during a hunt.  The whole point is to NOT scare away the game with needless explosions.  Plus, as has been mentioned, ammo isn't cheap.  I fire my hunting rifle about once a year.  I shoot a target to make sure the scope is still accurate, then I spend three weeks in the woods waiting for a deer that never shows up.

Yeah, not hunters.  Hunters hunt, signs aren't enough of a challenge.  Besides, where's the meat?

Another reason, at least in my neck of the woods growing up, was to deter theft.  A township maintenance supervisor where I grew up got fed up with signs being stolen on back roads, especially stop signs, so he went out and took a shot gun to signs so that thieves would be less likely to steal them, since they were no longer pristine.

914Driver said:

Yeah, not hunters.  Hunters hunt, signs aren't enough of a challenge.  Besides, where's the meat?

Kinda unsportsmanlike, too. Since they're driven into the ground, and can't move!

Engineering Study on Road Sign Vandalism. (somewhat dated)

https://publications.iowa.gov/13439/1/hr246.pdf

Nearly 75% of affected signs are either stolen or broken, only 11% are shot.  

I will sleep more soundly tonight knowing that serious minds are at work to solve this challenge.

PS - while I'm sure there are many responsible hunters, judging by the number of armed, drunken trespassers I've confronted on my own (posted) property... 

Another vote for likely not hunters, but idiots with guns, some of whom may hunt.

Kind of like calling the idiots who do burnouts and donuts on public streets drag racers.

stuart in mn said:

Kind of like calling the idiots who do burnouts and donuts on public streets drag racers.

Yep. 

Some are more big game hunters and don't go after a measly road sign:

travellering said:

True hunters have an appreciation of the sacrifice they are asking their prey to make.  They would take the entire sign and make use of all its constituent parts, eg. rendering the plate down into floorboards for project cars, cutting the post up and repurposing it into a tripod for longer-distance accuracy in their next hunt, taking the hunk of concrete at the base and breaking it up to add to the gravel on trails so other members of the sign-hunting tribe who may not be as capable off pavement can get further into the signs' migratory grounds and participate better in community hunts.

Unfortunately, there are those members, even in the most environmentally- conscious hunting tribes, for whom the hunt is not the pinnacle of their interaction with nature and the DOT.  They see it as a social obligation to be dispensed with as swiftly as possible.  To them it is just a means of remaining within the tribe.   Rather than honoring their prey, they will make a spectacle of it.  While a skilled and experienced hunter can take down the largest signs with little more than a pellet gun and a small adjustable wrench,  this particular brand of miscreant braggarts will unload on a sign with the largest caliber weaponry they can afford.  The waste of resources is how they try to signal their value to potential mates.

In my opinion, this is a hall of fame caliber reply. Just the right mix of sarcasm and tongue in cheek.

 I know everyone is saying it isn't hunters doing this because....reasons but I do find it coincidental that when turkey season opens most of the damage is from birdshot. Once deer season opens it'll be mostly 30-06 sized holes. Since I live in Canada "some idiot with a gun" is sorta the exception to the rule and may end up with said idiot spending time as a guest of the Crown.

 I've had to ask four hunters to leave my posted lot so far this Turkey season. I don't think any of them would've passed a blood alcohol test.  I understand that the majority of hunters are respectful and safe.