Ever do all the work only to have your buddy show up and kill something??

[KimberRich]

Let's hear the stories about how you did all the work or scouting and someone showed up and killed something.. 

Here's mine.

So a couple years back I scouted a new area a bunch pre-season and figured it out and cut some trails and made some blinds out of logging slash and was ready for the season.  My hunting partner of many years had recently had his first kid and wasn't able to do any scouting pre-season so being a nice guy I let him hike in with me opening weekend and showed him the areas.  I hunted hard the first 7 days of the season and saw a bunch of deer and passed on a tiny spike.  I had to work the second saturday of the season and he decided to drag his fat lazy Dad out to my spot where he, of course, shot a nice buck.  Sat a total of 15 minutes after daylight.. 

I got pretty hot with him and said that I didn't work my butt off for a month so his Dad could show up and shoot a deer..  If it would have been him I would have been ok with it but bringing someone else into an area like that is just not right.  I wouldn't do that to anyone.

[MtnMuley]

I am thankful that my friends and I respect each others areas, and always discuss issues that might be of concern.   Sorry to hear about your hunt KimberRich.

[bobcat]

I've had that happen with a duck hunting spot. I'd taken a couple friends into a spot that only I and maybe one other person knew about, that we had found and learned how to hunt. Then one time during the week when I was working I just happened to be in the area and decided to drive by and see if there were any ducks around, because we planned on hunting it again on the weekend. Well you guessed it, my friends who I had just shown "my" spot the weekend before were parked there. They had never mentioned anything to me that they wanted to hunt there during the week. Probably because they knew I wanted to let the spot rest so it would be full of ducks for our hunt on Saturday. This was a public spot but nobody else ever hunted it that I know of. Oh well, that was 20 years ago, now you can't really hunt it because of the new houses around there. It did take me quite a while to get over the fact that I couldn't trust my friends. It wouldn't have been so bad if they had said something to me first about going and hunting it during the week. Of course I would have said no, wait till Saturday when I can go, and I'm sure they knew that...

[wapiti hunter2]

Sort of.  Years ago when I lived in Nevada my best friend drew a coveted Nevada desert bighorn tag.  It was for a unit in southern Nevada northeast of Las Vegas that I knew fairly well from doing a lot of geology in the area.  I knew that there were some good rams in the area.  We started scouting and spent many days and many, many hours looking through spotting scopes and hiking ridges.  We located one absolutely huge ram.  Easy record book.  He lived on a ridge that was isolated, steep but accessable if we were willing to do the effort.  We were jazzed, his tag but you know how it is, partnership hunt, time with your best friend, blah, blah.  We planned a four day hunt beginning on a Saturday.  I was a student at UNLV and couldn't start till the weekend.  On Friday morning he calls me up and says 'I got one".   I'm disbelieving, "You did not, did you go alone? Lots of questions.  Turns out he was going back out to scout on Thurs. evening and saw a barley legal ram right off the highway (like 200 yards) and decided to shoot it.  It was legal by like 4 points and I almost felt embarrassed for being involved at all. He said he just wanted to get one and didn't care how big.  Why didn't he say so in the first place.  All that time spent..........I was so pissed I couldn't talk to him for weeks.   

[bobcat]

Oh man, after that I'm not sure I would have EVER talked to him again!

What the hell was he thinking    

[markts]

I dont blame you for being pi$$ed. That would end a friendship for me if he didnt ask about it first.Mark

[huntnphool]

 Over the years I have done lots of hiking, scouting, research, planning, spent thousands and been fortunate enough to tag some trophies. Anymore I get just as much fun and joy out of helping my kids, brother and friends get their tags filled as myself, even though they have not put the same effort into it. Sometimes circumstances don't allow them the same free time or abilities, I don't mind sharing in these situations.

[markts]

  If it would have been him I would have been ok with it but bringing someone else into an area like that is just not right.  I wouldn't do that to anyone. Nuff said. Mark
[/quote]

[monster]

Never show a friend your hot spot. Because they will always bring someone and that person will bring someone and so on. Years ago i showed a coworker/friend a hunting spot and the next year he had a camp set up with 4 other hunters.Never again, I always hunt by myself.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

This season I am showing some guys a new area.
I hunted area alone last year and would only hike in 3 miles because I had no help if I got an elk.
I want help when I get an animal down, the same as I help my friends when they get an animal down.
I am too impatient to hunt from a stand myself, I like to explore and when I get an animal it requires more work on the recovery, so it evens out.
So I will be building blinds/stands for them to use this upcoming season.
My freinds wont go hunt the area unless I am there, so it doesn't worry me.
And with 3 different gates to walk in, with multiple roads behind the gates and plans for building 3 Stands near well used trails.
I dont mind doing a lot of work and having someone else reap the benifits.
I count animals hung in camp, and the high spirits and comraderie successful hunts provide.
Also, 2 of the guys I want to come along cannot walk very far (one older hunter and one with leg problems), so I have to make allowances.

If it is Elk season and I am not there, I hope they have a memorial service because I am dead!
So I wont worry about them abusing my efforts.

[MAVsled]

similar situation happened to me over 14 years ago, I've never forgotten it....and have never made that mistake again.

an area we hunted for years, I had scouted an area for muleys for the past 2 weekends prior to the rifle season, a 6 hour drive each way to do so.
Opening weekend; I had gone over early to set camp, cut wood for stove etc on Thursday b4 opener. Friday eve, My usual hunting partner showed up in camp with his friend from work...I'd never met the friend before. Not wanting to be rude, I didn't say much as he tagged along for the 4 day trip. At least he had his own tent to stay in.

3rd day: A muley I'd spotted scouting pre season showed himself on "my" ridge, 170+ class Twisp buck. As I waited for the buck to clear some brush for a clear shot, a shot rings out right above me. And then another shot as I watch the now wounded buck run down the ravine and a 3rd shot the buck falls over flopping and soon dies. Whoops of celebration followed as the friend had followed me up the ridge without my knowledge, shot the buck right out from under me. His first shot hit the buck dead center in the paunch, 2nd shot hit in the rear quarter and miracle 3rd shot (270 yds) hits in the ribcage. he later claimed that after seeing nothing for 2 days, he decided; "to follow you since you appear to know your sh_ _".

I had a pretty serious talk with my usual hunting partner after that trip! We talk about it now and laugh but wasn't so funny that first year of his friend, who never hunted with him again but...
The next season this guy shows up with 3 other friends, geesh there goes "my" area. After 2 seasons of getting blanked, they never came back. But they did get plenty drunk those 2 seasons. At least they camped across the road from us.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Strangers in camp can cause problems, I guess I am lucky that most of the guys that my friends have are not jerks like that.
We are a bunch of Trad Archers and we dont bring guys up that aren't willing to spend a little time getting to know the group before hunting with us.

[383man]

So when I was younger I used to go backcountry elk hunting with my dad in the selway unit in idaho where i grew up. pack back on horses about 20 miles. well on this trip my much older cousin wanted to go so we brought him along, no biggy. well we got onto elk the first day at my dads favorite spot to bugle, the bull was coming in as fast as it could and we were just waiting to see him pop out of the trees so I could shoot my first bull. well when he got closer to us the crashing in the timber stopped and you couldn't hear him anymore. well my cousin was unable to sit still and was moving around a lot trying to see the bull, it spotted him, and rolled out.  not the end of the world since there was still a week ahead but still very frustrating. The next morning he decided he wanted to get back to that spot, and me and dad decided we didn't want him to step on our toes all day so we let him have dads hot spot and we took off in a differant direction, only to hear shots ring out soon after. He shot a bull, which i suspect was the same bull from the previous day, in no time after getting to our usual spot. not impressed, and I ended up not getting a bull that year.  oh well, such is life ehh...

[Shootmoore]

I have no friends so no problem!  

I did take a supervisor from my old job one time to a nice quail and chucker spot I had been hunting since I was knee high to a grasshopper.  It was landlocked by private land and I had been carefull to make sure the flocks in the area were not over hunted.  I caught him on the spot tresspassing across the private ground.  A discussion on the difficulty of hunting when castrated took care of that issue.  Since I would no longer take him hunting anymore the lazy bum gave up bird hunting a couple years later.

Also no sweat at work, I think he knew better than to muck around with my job.  

Shootmoore

[Sneaky]

In 06 I shot a nice 5x6 muley in a spot I hadn't scouted, just been hunting the general area for years. The buck came over the hill, Boom, dropped it. I went over to check it out and two dudes came down the hill right where the deer had come down. They yelled across the canyon, "is it a 3 or a 4?" I yelled back "4" (it was a 4-point frame). The guy yelled "oh...." and turned and left.  I guess he bird dogged it right to me.

[sisu]

Wow...I guess either I pick the right people for friends or I get picked by the right people to be their friend. Not one of my friends has ever taken additional people along, done stuff behind my back etc.
I guess we just know not to do that or we are lucky to have met each other.

I went goose hunting with a fella on this site. He asked me not to blab where we went, & I didn't nor would I feel right about hunting his stomping grounds without him. It's just the way I am.

[DOUBLELUNG]

I met a few of my hunting buddy's coworkers 1,000 miles from home in Wyoming.  They had taken the few details from his story of his first trip there (and the 178" buck he killed), applied their investigative skills, and figured out where he hunted.  Friggin' cops ...

[KimberRich]

Over the years I have done lots of hiking, scouting, research, planning, spent thousands and been fortunate enough to tag some trophies. Anymore I get just as much fun and joy out of helping my kids, brother and friends get their tags filled as myself, even though they have not put the same effort into it. Sometimes circumstances don't allow them the same free time or abilities, I don't mind sharing in these situations.

I agree with you completely and felt fine letting my buddy hunt the area as he has scouted some areas for me in the past..  But for him to start bringing other people into the area is against the rules in my opinion. 

[hirshey]

Took a friend this year to an area that is near and dear to me... found a legal buck within 5 minutes of glassing and he shot a really impressive, massy 4x4 with beautiful eye guards.

He's already talking about heading back there next season with his family... kinda makes you cringe a little bit. But what can you do?

[MtnMuley]

Took a friend this year to an area that is near and dear to me... found a legal buck within 5 minutes of glassing and he shot a really impressive, massy 4x4 with beautiful eye guards.

He's already talking about heading back there next season with his family... kinda makes you cringe a little bit. But what can you do?

You tell him how you feel about it.  Set the bar straight right now.  If this spot is near and dear, I wouldn't hesitate.

[firecrotch]

thats why i switched to archery. not much of a story to it other than two summers in a row scouting and patterning real nice mule deer bucks. 170 class and roughly 160 class. well to put a long story short my uncle knew where i was scouting and two years in a row went in deep to check out my spots and he told me that thats where him and my little cousins were going. frustrating!

[whacker1]

If you guys don't want people friends and acquantances going after your spots, quit taking them to spots that you have scouted.  If you take them to the spots that won't produce, then they won't have any interest in going with you...  Just look at my trips, I can hardly get anyone to go with me anymore, because we never see much....

[hirshey]

Took a friend this year to an area that is near and dear to me... found a legal buck within 5 minutes of glassing and he shot a really impressive, massy 4x4 with beautiful eye guards.

He's already talking about heading back there next season with his family... kinda makes you cringe a little bit. But what can you do?

You tell him how you feel about it.  Set the bar straight right now.  If this spot is near and dear, I wouldn't hesitate.

Yeah, I told him I'd prefer if he didn't take anyone else in there.. and not go without me, but really its public land; I can't really do much about it if he really feels strongly about going back there.

Its just a cool day 5 through last-weekend-of-the-season kind of spot.. always find bucks there. My fault for sharing.

[MuleySniper]

The saying goes... Loose lips sink ships. Had it happen with an old good buddy of mine. He basically "showed up" for the hunt. Killed a nice 24" heavy 4 point muley. His first deer. He was/is a volunteer fire fighter so he's one of those guys that could wear out a pair of knee pads a month trying to get hired on with the FD. Anyway, he began telling his ff buddies about the general area. What pissed me off, Ive known the guy since middle school and he is the type that would give the shirt off his back to anyone in the fire department in a heartbeat but then sell it to me. Generous only when he might have something to gain.  One thing led to another. Basically, the area we used to hunt, my dad and I don't anymore. He still goes there since it is basically the only place he know about since he doesn't like doing his own leg work. He's killed one more buck in the area since then. I don't hunt with him anymore. The next year we hunted Idaho, the night before the opener I pinned down a nice 4 point in a draw about a mile or two from camp. We weren't seeing very many numbers of deer but I mentioned how I planned on hunting that buck in the morning. Long story short, I basically found myself in a foot race with him and one of my dads buddies back to the spot I originally found. My dads buddy ended up shooting the buck. I learned a lot that trip.
MS

[MtnMuley]

Took a friend this year to an area that is near and dear to me... found a legal buck within 5 minutes of glassing and he shot a really impressive, massy 4x4 with beautiful eye guards.

He's already talking about heading back there next season with his family... kinda makes you cringe a little bit. But what can you do?

You tell him how you feel about it.  Set the bar straight right now.  If this spot is near and dear, I wouldn't hesitate.

Yeah, I told him I'd prefer if he didn't take anyone else in there.. and not go without me, but really its public land; I can't really do much about it if he really feels strongly about going back there.

Its just a cool day 5 through last-weekend-of-the-season kind of spot.. always find bucks there. My fault for sharing.

Tough situation you are in.  Public land or not, a good friend in my opinion, would respect your words.  Me, being the hardhead that I am, would demand that respect, or my buddy would be blackballed.  That's just me though, and how serious I am about my hunting.

[KillBilly]

I have on several instances bought a new bow and a new gun and loaned them out only to have the folks who borrowed them take game with them before I did...

[MtnMuley]

I have on several instances bought a new bow and a new gun and loaned them out only to have the folks who borrowed them take game with them before I did...

So is this good or bad?  Are you saying that you've helped others with their success and are happy about it, or that you've been bit by loaning out equipment that has damaged your success.?

[NWBREW]

I have on several instances bought a new bow and a new gun and loaned them out only to have the folks who borrowed them take game with them before I did...

I think it's just funny. No offence KillBilly.

[bullchaser]

Tough one you want to take your friends and family you just hope they dont hose you. lately i have only been taking freinds that are willing to contribute scouting time. If they will take a day and go check out a drainage without me then they are commmited to the group result and i am ok with them hunting my spots.

[hirshey]

Tough situation you are in.  Public land or not, a good friend in my opinion, would respect your words.  Me, being the hardhead that I am, would demand that respect, or my buddy would be blackballed.  That's just me though, and how serious I am about my hunting.

Yes, if he ends up hunting the same area next year without me, there will be no more generosity in helping him fill his tag in future situations. I'm pretty sure he knows how I feel by now, will be interesting to see what comes of if this next season... the funny thing is... its a pretty difficult area to hunt if you don't know what you're doing; its pretty easy to overlook the smallest folds that hold the animals. Maybe he'll go back there without me next year and find its not so easy to pull animals out of that location. Only time will tell. Lesson learned in any case.

[ICEMAN]

I have on several instances bought a new bow and a new gun and loaned them out only to have the folks who borrowed them take game with them before I did...

So is this good or bad?  Are you saying that you've helped others with their success and are happy about it, or that you've been bit by loaning out equipment that has damaged your success.?

What he is saying is that someone else got first blood, and it really sucks when that happens. Killbilly will help anyone hunt, but losing first dibs on the gun is the crappy deal... At least that is my take...

[rosscrazyelk]

I know a guy who was working out of state and was getting updates from his buddies about a big buck.. When he showed up a week after season opened and his buddies could not close the deal on the monster buck. He decided to go meet them one morning. This was his first day home after being gone for 5 months. Dismissed the wife and went hunting and on his way there the monster showed up in front of him . He closed the deal. His friends were pissed

[high country]

my pard asked to bring his buddy steve with us on a early bowhunt for elk. we were 3 hours into the first day when steve (from now on "the *censored*" or td) shoots a "monster buck". there is blood and we track it. td says he already tried and it has not been killed. well, 300yds later pard stumbles on td's "monster buck".....a yearling doe, with an arrow stuck in her arse. td gives up this BS story that she must have jumped in front of the buck. I wanted to feed td his teeth, but pard calmed me down. we elected to cut it short and haul td out before he learned our hole. that was 10 years ago and remembering it still pisses me off.

[high country]

I was hunting with a buddy of mine close to my house when he spotted movement 350 yds across a brush choked reprod. we glassed it for hours and I thought I picked up a buck. as darkness fell pard got up......I spazzed! I could see the buck and he was walking to us. my pard thought I was joking. I had him in my leica's for an hour after dark and watched him wrk out on thi ridge and work a doe.
we returned the next day and pard went right back to where he saw him.....I went back to where I saw him. I shot the deer not 50 feet from where I saw him the night before. I did give him the satisfaction of "servicing" a doe before the end.

[NWBREW]

I really don't mind helping friends out. Only once did something happen that really struck a nerve with me. A group of us always hunt the late hunt for whitetails while staying at my cabin in stevens county. We go for a week so there is plenty of time to get a tag filled. About the forth day my dad (he was 76 at the time) and I were hunting a area I had scouted earlier. I killed a small 4x4 (my dad couldn't find him in the scope so I shot) but I knew there was a big 4x5 running around there. We hunted that evening and came back to camp...decided we would give that area a rest for a day then go back after the big boy. I wasn't worried about any one else hunting there...it was a little hidey hole. My other buddy showed up that night so we filled him in on what was going on. He knew the spot and knew we had planned on giving it a rest for a day and then have my dad get a chance at the big buck. Well he went right up there in the morning and shot the 4x5 and left the next day. I felt horrible for my dad as you could tell he was pretty bummed.

Say what you want but I feel a shot at that buck was taken away from my dad. We did all the work. Maybe we should have gone up there in the morning or not said anything about it at all. No one else at my camp even thought about going up there. Yes it rubbed me the wrong way and I let him know it. Others at my camp felt the same. He has not been back since. He has been invited but has not come. Everytime I think about it ...it still gets to me.

[bobcat]

NWBREW,  That would bother me too, a lot!  I'm surprised he was invited back.

[hirshey]

NWBREW,  That would bother me too, a lot!  I'm surprised he was invited back.

I'm sorry that you had to experience that... those kinds of things bother me, if for nothing other than trust and respect seems to be violated.

[Kowsrule30]

Wow.... Some of these stories are worth fighting over!!!!!      I've taken a few buddies hunting in some of my areas and vise versa.... We never had any issues but also communicate about what we plan on doing the next hunt before that hunt is even over....    If somone can't make it or has other commitments for hunts with family or friends... It all gets worked out.... He doesn't take anyone into my places (only his Mom... she's very hot)  ... I don't take anyone into his places except my Dad and Uncle... (he's hunted with a lot them) So we have never had any problems... On another note... It's been a very long time since my Uncle has killed a deer.... 20 years or so.... So I always try to get him into game and will set him up in my favorite spots and take the less desireable one.... And I either end up shooting a nice one or passing a small one that he would have loved to take....     So one time he tells me to go to my spot and he'll go to this one.... You guessed it.... Shot the biggest BT of my hunting career or anyone in my family...      Now he just does his own thing....     And almost got one last year.... 

[seansfire]

Got a buddy to go with me to Sequim to hunt this airport that was " over run " with deer. Only thing that place is over run with is pissed off homeowners who hate the idea of shooting the pet deer sleeping on the dam runway. Anyway , i get him hooked up so he can hunt with me there as we had to have written permission and were confined to a small area , and on our 2nd trip the guy shoots a doe cleans it , loads it and i don't hear a word from the guy for a couple months and he says the meat was great. Never offered a scrap.

[DOUBLELUNG]

If you pick your friends very carefully, you and one buddy MIGHT be able to keep a spot a secret, at least from people you know.  The only way three people keep a secret, is if two of them are dead.