Dear Abby, a good friend is offering my blinds to friends, should I shoot him?

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

If they knew anything about hunting, they wouldn't have done it. Teaching them and holding them accountable for their actions (IMO) is the best solution. If it happens again...that's another story for Dear Abby.

@BeeMaa
The arseholes who shafted need go zero chances and he knew better.
Bob

 

[Cervus elaphus]

A liberal sprinkling of these along the access trail should assist.
View attachment 401980

or one of these at the blind entrance to keep the Turkeys out. They are sneaky like Leopards.
View attachment 401981


It appears the Dick has assumed you have taken your quota of Turkeys. Using your blind without asking is not kosher.
When you get to Deer camp in the fall and he drops a deer just help him out by loading it into your vehicle. See if he objects when you drop it off at your butcher. LOL

Since you don't have exclusive hunting rights to the Turkey ranch you are screwed. You will have to play nice, which I know you will.

Good luck with your Turkey hunt.

Punji sticks and claymores - I like it.

 

[Cervus elaphus]

Good point. I should make sure there is documentation of "use at your own risk" if he uses my blind!



Dick is a fellow who means well but can be blind to how his exuberance is grinding gears. I agree that it is good to assume the best intentions until proved wrong.

I ended up having a good exchange with the proposed hunter, and he is not going out this weekend. I offered to take him out if he wanted. I will probably take my blinds down if my boy gets his bird even if I don't get another one. If not, I will post a waiver of liability in it!

It would be a bitter pill to have to remove your blinds to stop this unacceptable behaviour but I wouldn't want to be held liable if anything bad happened. The fallback position is to find another property and keep it to yourself. I took a friend fishing once and taught him to take a couple for the pot and leave the big ones for breeding. He came back the following weekend with mates and cleaned that part of the river out. Since then I've been very selective.

 

[Sika98k]

From where I’m looking at this “friend” Dick has a pair like a jockeys bollocks. You did the hard work,obtained the permission, did the groundwork of setting up blinds and monitoring the game with trail cameras. He presumes to rock up with a stranger, to you, and merrily hunt !
Hmm, not on my watch as they say.. Still, without knowing the exact circumstances of friendship its difficult to be judgemental.

 

[Pheroze]

From where I’m looking at this “friend” Dick has a pair like a jockeys bollocks. You did the hard work,obtained the permission, did the groundwork of setting up blinds and monitoring the game with trail cameras. He presumes to rock up with a stranger, to you, and merrily hunt !
Hmm, not on my watch as they say.. Still, without knowing the exact circumstances of friendship its difficult to be judgemental.

Dick is actually a very well-meaning guy. Every day is a party and everyone is invited! So, he gets involved, which is helpful, but then assumes things and figures it's his project anyway, so he will just include other people, if you know what I mean.....

Anyway, it is being organized with the hunter so maybe it works out in the end

 

[friendswoodmatt]

You would be amazed how often this sort of thing happens. I have buddies that want to shoot an axis, we get a trip planned out here to my place and I start sending pics, they get excited and talk around the water cooler,golf course etc.
Next thing you know— they are calling me “Hey can I bring a couple of friends? I was talking about it the other day to XYZ and they have never seen an axis, much less hunted one, or they could just shoot pigs — I mean you got them running all over the place — what do you think?” Now, I am on the split as it were.
Sometimes I say yes and sometimes I say no — if I say yes and the people are jerks, drunks, inconsiderate or treat me like the help — It happens, then there is a very real possibility the buddy wont be coming back. I have even gone so far as to have these new guys just tell me they want to bring their friends out and shoot more — I dont know them at all.
One time we had a guy out here who was my buddie’s doctor— he shot a super nice Axis Buck — drank my wiskey, didnt even carry his plate to the sink, we went to lunch and I picked up the tab for everyone as well — he never even offered, was pretty obnoxious in front of me wife as well.
Started pontificating one night about how he loved it out here and he could live like this — he was going to go ahead and bring his 2 son-in laws (also dermatologists) out and get them some monster bucks now that he had a buddy with a ranch, and when would be a good time. At first I tried to be evasive about it, I told him we were traveling and I’d let him know. He said if that was the case, then I could just feed hard, and I didnt even need to be here— he would just stay in one of my guest houses and get it done without me and it would be fine. Told the wife— she came up with an idea. So...
I suggested to him I had a number of people at our church who could not afford health care and he and his crew could just go ahead and bring all their supplies from work and we could set up a medical screening day or 3 for some of the less fortunate in our community and make it a working week, to everyone’s benefit. They could hunt in the morning and evening and we would screen people in town during the day for skin cancer etc.
It died right there—he told me “I am not here to work, I do this for relaxation.” I suggested he book a guide service and a motel in town in the future, then told both he and my former friend the should
“Go ye forth and multiply ... Alone”

 

[Pheroze]

I suggested to him I had a number of people at our church who could not afford health care and he and his crew could just go ahead and bring all their supplies from work and we could set up a medical screening day or 3 for some of the less fortunate in our community and make it a working week, to everyone’s benefit. They could hunt in the morning and evening and we would screen people in town during the day for skin cancer etc.
It died right there—

that is the best! And is actually an awesome idea

 

[Vintageguy]

The only fair thing and is Biblical too, is to inform him of his mistake and he will either apologize and all is well or he won’t and will get prickly. Otherwise there’s little hope he won’t reoffend. Lots of people raised without manners, let alone hunting etiquette.
If he won’t cease that behavior, dig a deep pit on a completely different property and take him pig hunting at night. Last suggestion, not Biblical so much.

 

[Ike85123]

I voted to talk to the friends.
But i figured they would talk to you first ?
As a respect issue.
Personally i would have a talk to him, as he os a new hunter?
I believe the first transgression is mostly a mistake. If this is a occurrence, then punch him in the mouth!

 

[Randy F]

Dick is actually a very well-meaning guy. Every day is a party and everyone is invited! So, he gets involved, which is helpful, but then assumes things and figures it's his project anyway, so he will just include other people, if you know what I mean.....

Anyway, it is being organized with the hunter so maybe it works out in the end

For your sake I hope it does get worked out this time.

However, explaining to him all the reasons it's not ok to do what he did this time will prevent a next time. He put you in a predicament that I'm sure if the tables were turned, he wouldn't much appreciate either. If he is a true friend he'll get that. This time it's his fault. Unfortunately, if you don't let him know the errors of his ways, the next time is your own fault. He may mean well but that's the harsh reality he stuck you with.

Best of luck. I do not envy your position.