A couple of weeks back I had the pleasure of hunting on a beautiful Island off of our coast line. While walking down a road I was amazed at the amount of cigarette butts I came across. The smoke swilling Butt Heads were tossing them off the wagons as they carried the hunters in and out. Smokers are some of the most inconsiderate individuals I've ever seen when it comes to tossing out thier trash and blowing smoke into my personal space. Keep your butts to your self please!

Smokers are typically the biggest litterbugs on this planet. What makes you think it's ok to flick that thing out the window? It's plastic you idiots.

I had my first cigarette when I was 6 and my last one when I was 12. Everyone else in the family smoked. Several died horrible drawn-out deaths from lung cancer. My mom and remaining aunt quit cold turkey after watching what my dad went through. Ever met anyone with advanced emphysema? Horrible. Haven't knowingly dated a smoker since I was 19. Will not hire another person that smokes - the lost time and the smoke and mess of butts around customer entry ways - bad for business, attitudes, and health insurance costs.

After all that, why don't I mind the occasional (not habitual) cigar? First time I saw a girl with a cigar my knees shook. Even though cigars decay, the butts probably contain more toxins than cigarettes. At least they decay but sounds like we should not be dropping them into streams. I had to laugh when some girls got disgusted when a bunch of guys lit up cigars. They moved to another table ... and lit up cigarettes. Sorry, no sympathy ladies.

yes I smoke no I do not litter I put my butts in a zippy bag in my jacket just for that purpose it really frosts my cupcake to think you non-smokers lump me into a category because of my personal habit. what about the starbucks cups floating in virgin creeks, the slim jim wrappers in the marshes etc? Everyone has a habit and some of those people are jerks don't lump them all together please.

Cigarette butts are the best example of small things becoming a huge problem. I don't even think that butt droppers realize that they are littering sometimes.

Robert, that's a reasonable question. I'm not sure if I have the best answer, but I can tell you what I've done, both with clients and with strangers.

When I see a butt hit the ground, I don't yell and scream (much as I'd like to). I pick it up, and put it in an old 35mm film canister. Then I give the canister to the smoker and suggest that they use that instead of the ground. I've occasionally gone as far as lecturing about the long-term impacts of cig butts, and the fact that they never biodegrade.

I don't know if it makes a long-term impact, but those folks don't throw another butt on the ground in my presence.

I don't know what else you can do short of direct confrontation... which isn't totally uncalled for.

Working in parks and rec, it astounds me the number of butts I find in the park areas. I find a lot in the garbage can too, so there are responsible smokers, but I do tire of the inconsiderate slouches that leave a disgusting variety of garbage anywhere they wander.
Personally, I despise the habit, but I do not give people a hard time about it if they can smoke without affecting others with their cloud or their litter.

One of my biggest pet peeves, and guaranteed to take my anger level from 0 to 100 in less than a second!

I don't care if folks want to kill themselves with cigarettes. That's none of my business (although I do take issue with folks dying slowly on the taxpayer dime due to consequences of a choice they couldn't afford).

But dumping your butts all over the place... that torques me off to no end... it's just plain lack of consideration for anyone else, not to mention the health of the habitat and the other critters we share the place with. And add to that the idiots who toss their butts out in the woods and highways here in the West. From July to November we see grassfires almost every day due to the blockheads who can't figure out how to use an ashtray.

It's just stupid. If you don't want to carry around those butts, then don't smoke! Or at least smoke un-filtered and grind the butt when you're done.

Pardon me for living in your frickin' ash tray!

i keep hearing the same thing: pack it in, pack it out. the majority of smokers do this and don't litter. it's the few that do that gives everyone a bad rap. this blog is starting to look like Hunt the Smokers mission. now, back to the discussion of fishing and hunting please.

when I did smoke I made sure those butts made it to the garbage. now and then it doesn't bother me when some one smokes around me, but it always bothered me when someone littered.

It has been 12 years since I quit,the last 3 years of my habit ,I rolled my own.So for 25 years I contributed to the problem.Although I had a conscience and a lot of ashtray fires.
That in mind,we have ice fishing coming up and I would like to know how would someone like me could tell someone like you [if you smoke]to leave the butts off the ice?
How would I sell it to you?

Altoids tins work great too... but in a pinch, a water bottle or beer can is just as good. The bottom line is, anything to get the butt off the ground and make it easy to pack out, right? The reason people don't just put them in their pockets is because they're messy (and hot). Offer an alternative and get them thinking about what they were doing... it's really all you can do, short of kicking them out of camp.

I'm GUILTY!!!
I will admit that I am a smoker and I've been a fishing butthead! After reading the article I have come to the conclusion that I need to change my ways. I promise that from now on I will no longer flick my butts in the water when fishing (or around any body of water) and will dispose of them in the trash. Chad Love can take satisfaction that his article made a difference for at least one person.

Sorry jamesti, i'm not buying that it's the minority of smokers doing all that littering. If you don't litter your butts, good for you but you're the minority.