One of my closest friends invited a guest out to our hunting lease to introduce him to bowhunting and to show him the ropes. The guest shoots a 130" buck and my friend acts like it is the greatest thing in the world. I have personally hunted 20+ days, on the lease, and I have only seen two deer since Oct 1st. There are not very many deer where we hunt. The buck he shot is quite possibly the biggest deer on our lease. We can only shoot one buck per year, with a 13"spread or better, in the county that I hunt in, because there are not that many deer in the county. I have congratulated the guest and tried to be happy for him but honestly, I feel like he was inconsiderate and disrespectful by shooting the buck. My friend is clueless as to how I feel because I don't want to seem childish or jealous. He also shot an awesome 10 pointer, on the same lease, and it is his biggest buck of his life. So I think if the roles were reversed, and he hadn't shot his 10 ptr, and I had brought a guest, who shot the big buck, he would be pretty irritated like I am about it. How would you handle the situation?
If your buddy wants to bring a friend maybe it's time to set some rules. Have that guy pay his 1/3. Set a rule with your buddy for paying members only. Also did you approve that guy to go? Have you ever taken anyone before?
"yeah I will take you hunting and show you the ropes, just make sure you don't actually shoot anything or my buddy will be butt hurt"
i agree with sethf11. if you and your buddy have gone in together on this lease there should be some rules set. you can't be mad at the other guy for shooting that buck. what is he suppose to do. the point of hunting is to try and harvest a animal. i would take your time and think about what you want to say , but you need to talk with your buddy because otherwise this problem could continue. if he doesnt know that you dont want guest on the property he might just keep bringing them
To be honest, instead of being upset I would try figuring out what your buddy is doing that your not, because it seems to be working for him! In general, I have struggled with the same problem. In the last few years I have realized that if someone else shoots a great buck on our property I am happy for them because it shows that there are big bucks on the property and I can't blame someone for hunting and pulling the trigger on a big buck. I guess you must ask your self if you would rather him pass a 130" and a great memory being a new bowhunter? To me, that is pretty hard to ask someone to do. Now, if you set the ground rules ahead of time, it can make the situation easier. But be realistic in your rules, I dont think it would be a good idea to tell guys they can't shoot a buck that you would shoot. If that is what the rules will be, it may be better to not bring guests or have them pay their share. Either way, in the end remember that hunting is about sharing memories and time with friends and family. Try not to let this boil inside you. I suggest bringing it up to your buddy in a calm way just so it doesn't boil up and wreck a friendship. "Hey man, I'm happy for timmy and his 130", but I'm also having a hard time with it.." may be a good opener. Remember the goal of the conversation isn't to fight with your buddy about who can hunt, but to move on and get everyone on the same page and happy about the situation. I wish you the best and hope to hear how the situation ends up!
Thanks for the advice from everyone who posted a comment. I have congratulated the guest, I referred him to my taxidermist for the shoulder mount, and sent him to my deer processing place to get the meat processed. He's a cool guy and we even talked about getting on a separate lease, if one comes available, so there may be a good friendship out of it. My friend, who is on the lease with me, was in agreement that we shouldn't take any more guests out there and the conversation went well. Again, thanks for the advice, I appreciate it
I assuming that you guys already have some rules in place for guests since your buddy invited someone. If that's the case, then it really sounds like sour grapes on your part. Which is fine, that is a normal human reaction. But, the fact that you didn't let that reaction become your response shows a lot couth . So, kudos to you.
Well blade nothing I can say that hasn't already been said. And the fact that it sounds like it turned out not to bad, despite the fact of the loss of the deer for the leasees. But non the less. Hope things only get better for ya,
Did your buddy set any "ground rules" for the guest as far as what he was & wasn't suppose to shoot? If not I'd say you need to talk to your buddy. I've hunted spots with friends in the past & a few times there were certain bucks that were "off limits" if I happened to have an encounter with them. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
What sethf11 said, next year no guests, paid members only. Honestly you should have discussed guests beforehand. What does your lease say about guests?
He was invited a shot a shooter buck. As a lease owner myself I would expect a guest to take a trophy if the opportunity was there. I would be more upset if he came in and shot a young buck.. that's just me. The truth is I love hunting with other people for waterfowl, game birds, ect.. but when it comes to hunting bucks on one lease it's hard to have guests.
When someone comes into my office and wants to set up a Partnership, even if they're best friends(more so actually if they are,) I tell them to put everything in writing in their partnership agreement. Write everything in even if it starts to get stupid, because stupid things happen and now you have it in writing if it does. Leases/Hunt clubs are no different. Come to an agreement before season - such as a guest can only shoot does, pay a premium for a XX" buck or pay a penalty for an XX" buck. Plan for the unexpected and when it happens, the reaction won't be unexpected.
Good rules for guests are a must. These leases/property are hard to find and take a lot of work. If I bring a guest for even hogs it's bow only with in 25yds and no hogs over 150lb. I like hunting trophy hogs and if you want to shoot one I've been letting get big then you need to put your time in working the lease with me first.
