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I've been hunting this piece of private land for years and years. My father has hunted it his whole life and I've bow hunted it for the last few years. Long story short. Put my cameras out early every season, another hunter hunts the land and has slowly been making his way towards where we hunt. Last season he turned my camera around and have him on camera. This morning I go to check my camera and he's on it again realizes it and turns it once again and puts his stand in the tree next to my camera and 30 yards from my stand. Last year I was going to leave a polite note on his stand but decided against it and got a 7 pointer the next morning... I figured good karma but this time moving my camera and putting his stand on top of it is a little too much right?
Hard to believe theirs idiots like that out there. I have found with the hunting class you either have good guys or the biggest pricks you ever met no in between.
This is a tough one; as you and he are both beholden to the landowner for permission from a purely technical standpoint neither has claims to any spot over the other.
Now what should happen, and this is where good hunting ethics come into play is the second guy to the party should defer to the first, provided of course the first hasn't put a stand up in every single productive spot on the property.
From what you've written it seems like you've just got the one spot so the obvious question is "how big is the property?" If it's under 10 acres you may want to speak to the other hunter and work out a rotation schedule.
If it's a few hundred or more acres than he should be able to put some time in and find his own honey hole, assuming of course that there are other productive spots that hold deer.
From a purely personal perspective if its a small property I'm asking for a permit on I always ask the landowner if there are other hunters on the property. If the answers yes I thank the person for their time and move on. Too many situations like the one you're describing can happen and it's not worth it to me to take a chance on major aggravation.
Good luck working this out.
Go to the landowner first, the guy may be related and that means he may get preferential treatment. If he's just another hunter, ask the landowner if he could set up some ground rules, like he's hunts one side and you hunt the other,....for safety reasons. I think the landowner will definitely want both of you to be safe and it's the best way to approach a touchy situation.
Let us know what happens, and good luck.
Just go find new property. It's not worth it.
You'll be in your tree and this guy will come in half way through a hunt. You won't know what he did the day before. You'll constantly be paranoid in your tree. You'll walk in on him on day. I went through this. Just cut your losses and go hunt elsewhere. Hunting should be stress free.
That's just bad manners, lack of respect and inconsiderate, it's one thing to be on camera scouting an area, that can't be avoided and is completely understandable. But to touch your camera, that's going too far, and, to top it all off, he puts a stand within site of the camera. I honestly don't know what I'd do, just wishing you the best of luck and it's hard to believe people do stupid stuff like set up on top of another hunter.
Common sense ain't that common!!! One of my favorite sayings.
How big is the property? How many people have permission to hunt it? How long have the other peoploe hunted it? Have you met the other people?
Ithink there are a lot of details we don't know to answer your question.
Just make Shure you in your stand before he gets there .
If I ran into the guy in the woods I would politely tell him that what he did was perfectly legal, but highly unethical. I'd ask him why he decided to place his stand where he did, when it was so obvious that other's had already placed their stand there. If he became hostile, I'd go directly to the landowner, tell him I'm not hunting the property anymore, and warn him that he now has someone on his property who will cause him to have problems.
Now, there is a possibility that that guy has been hunting that spot longer than wilcox. Unless there are more details, you can assume things. You know what happens when you do that.
Tyler,
wanna give more details?
If you cannot come to an understanding with the other hunter, I would find a new place to hunt.
I would not go to the landowner and start whining about it. I doubt he or she has any interest in being in the middle of a pissing match.
toonces
didn't say to whine, just said to say "I will no longer be hunting here and I would caution you to keep an eye on the new hunter because he may cause you some problems." Thank them and leave.
Napalm and claymores..it's a beautiful thing
take crap in his stand and blame a coon
The owner has multiple properties, this is our bow hunting area we hunt. My dad has hunted there for 25+ years and I've rifled hunted his land For 12 years and bow hunted here 3 years since football in Hs and college ruined bow seasons for me while I was younger. Landowner has allowed this other hunter for 2 years to my knowledge but has made his way closer and closer to the area my dad and I have hunted every season. Yes we've gotten our fair share but that was through years of scouting and hunts to really understand the area. I understand it is legal but it's very unethical to A touch my cameras two years in a row and B put a stand in the tree right next to my camera and stand. Where the runs and sign are is a small flat so there isn't much room to place a stand in the right spots and now this hunter is on top of us with no regards to my property (cameras).
Wilcox28 I really didn't need anymore detail, the fact that he touched your "property" was enough to tell me all I needed to know about this jerk. As BBB said, what he's doing isn't illegal, but it is unethical and I can assure you that if the shoe was on the other foot, that jerk would be just as pissed.
With this additional information I will say that you SHOULD IN NO WAY leave. After 25 years hunting there, your father should have a good relationship with the land owner. Have you father talk to the land owner and have the new guy thrown out or have landowner set the ground rules. You guys should talk to him before season starts.
Sounds like he's trying to slowly squeeze you out..25yrs should have some weight
The new information certainly puts a new spin on this; with multiple properties you would think the new guy could scout a few and find his own honey-hole.
His behavior seems more in line with the "instant gratification" crowd, and not just in bowhunting. Too many people today don't want to put in the time, energy and effort to master whatever activity they participate in. Shortcuts are the preferred vehicle to the end result and the first casualty is often respect for others.
While I agree with the views about the 25-year relationship your dad has with the landowner I would still try to avoid bringing him into this affair for now. What I'd try if it were me is to talk to the new guy and give him an opportunity to clean up his act. Do I expect he will? No, and though there's always that possibility his behavior doesn't seem to indicate a change for the better is likely.
Talking to him first though will show the landowner you didn't just figuratively "run to Daddy" with your troubles; you did your best to have a man-to-man talk and work out your differences. When the new guy balks then it should be a big red flag to the landowner that this guy is trouble; not a question of if, just when, and no landowner needs that grief.
Above all, don't touch any of his stuff or leave any presents. I know it's human nature and it's easy to get frustrated with clowns like him; stay on the high road and don't compromise your ethics.
Again, good luck with sorting this out.
Put a stand on the same tree. I don't go easy .
I like Mike's comments. (I dont dislike others, his just echo the thoughts I had)
The only hope is that this guy is a newbie who doesn't get it. In that case, killing with kindness is the best first mmove - leave a note, nicely, asking to chat (phone) to make sure you are on the same page and helping, not hurting each others hunts. You may end up with more intel, a new perspective you guys have not thought of, and a fellow hunter who makes better choices.
The fact he's touched your stuff and set stands so close to you... He's either new or something of a ding bat.
If he's the latter, I'd still kill him with kindness - you dont need someone stealing stuff. But I'd work to set up a schedule or something. Or at least ask the guy to set up out of sight.
Spike is right on in my experience. Regrettably. Seems like you have salt of the earth or total A-Holes out there some times... Thankfully Bowsite is full of the salt of the earth :)
