Why you dont hunt with some people anymore

[ND2506AI]

Hunt with people u like and won’t tell everyone about your spots. Loose lips sink ships ! Nothing worse than friends of friends showing up at your spots .

 

[KHNC]

I have two buddys that i hunt with regularly. I have quite a few friends I have hunted with over the years. Most of them get tired of me i guess. At least I still have two!

 

[KHNC]

Took a flatlander backpacking for whitetail. Had a good time and killed a deer. He tried to repay the favor after deer season with inviting me to his family farm to shoot geese with lead buckshot out of season. Said we can pile them high, no limit. What led him to believe that was my style...? Told him plainly how I felt about that proposition and have not been hunting together since.

Buddy who works with him has since heard him bragging about his mountain hunting abilities and name dropping my area. Flatlanders, right?

You must live 20 mins from me. lol. I live on Hwy 25 at NC/SC state line. Mountains

 

[Tony Blundetto]

One dude almost blew my brains out one time. I should have never let it slide, but I he was a beginner so I gave him a second chance. The next week we were duck hunting and he refused to unload his gun before casing it when we were loading up the canoe. He actually wanted to argue what was objectively safer, instead of just unloading his gun.

I used to go on out of state trips waterfowl hunting trips with a group of dudes. At the end of the day when the sun went down, instead of just relaxing and gearing up the the next day, maybe having a few drinks and a nice meal in town, they would drive around and shoot any animal unlucky enough to get caught in their headlights, including deer. I don't hunt with those dudes anymore either.

 

[Loggerdude]

It’s my happy time, looks like some have went through a lot before sxxxcanning turds. Others want your success, but have to many issues to make it.
Good luck next year and do yourself a favor, make good choices on hunting it’s your happy time.

 

[Jeffro1991]

Used to drive deer with a group but it seemed like every time I was the one walking and all the young guys were standing

 

[Ike Carlson]

My brother used to drive for a bunch of guys. There was a lot of illegal activity from what I heard and he quit going with them. He got a deer this year while hunting on family land by himself. His first deer and he had no help to show him how to gut it. He did pretty dang good at it though. We went out together the next day but it was howling wind and trees were coming down in the wind so we left. Hoping to go together next year. We love squirrel hunting together.

 

[roosiebull]

the reasons i don't hunt with others much is because finding that person who is always on the same page and selfless who isn't held back on day 1 or 15 by physical ability and always maintains a good attitude is harder to find than a good wife, and i used up all of that luck with my wife.

i also like solitude, and enjoy hunting alone more... the pros severely outweigh the cons to me.

the people i hunted with when i was younger, the one i would still hunt with today moved, and the rest just weren't dedicated, didn't shoot much, never in the woods in the off season, and had less appreciation for spots, thinking it wasn't a big deal to always disclose locations.... those are big hurdles, and i don't expect that of anyone.... but also another list of reasons to hunt alone.

i have never hunted with someone that i felt like increased my odds in the woods, more like the exact opposite, because you have to split encounters to be a good hunting partner, and that will never pencil out in my brain.

a couple extra heavy loads out of the woods solo is very much worth hunting alone to me. i understand some like sharing the experience with others as much as the hunting itself, but i get plenty of that, i take others more days total than i hunt myself (or as much) which is very fun for me, and i don't have to worry about them being selfish, i want them to be, it's all them.

 

[Bear Lake Hunter]

Good grief! I am new here and do not want to sound out of line but many of you, it sounds like, need new hunting partners . I have had a few issues with people but after reading some of these stories I feel a bit better.
I usually hunt with my son's or my dad (he is winding down his hunting career). The family hunts usually seem to go the best.

I did take a cousin pheasant hunting one year. The very next year I showed up to the same place and he was there. His dad (my uncle) did the same thing to my dad years earlier. My dad invited him (my uncle) to go deer hunting to same spot they hunted the previous year. He would never get back to my dad. We went to the place hunting and sure enough, there was my uncle. I spoke to my dad and then tried talking to me. I just ignored him (I was young and should have been better about it). It took a lot of years to heal that relationship (he was not happy with me).

I have learned that one needs to take caution in who he hunts with. Problems can certainly escalate and have long lasting impacts.

 

[bozeman]

Ive got a few turkey hunting partners where we hunt out of state each year........been going strong since 2007....

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Lessons learned that a good friend outside of hunting may not be someone you want to hunt with.

One of my best friends is new to hunting. His first season (2020) I helped him kill a nice forked horn black tail deer on public land in A zone of California. If you don’t know that hunt, it’s not exactly easy to do, but can be done if you’ve hunted it your whole life like I have. He was stoked, the meat was good, and now he’s all about hunting. Great!

Fast forward to October 2020 and I helped him kill another deer, a muley hybrid in D zone high Sierras the same season. As I’m hunting with him on his first backpacking trip of his life, I’m realizing that he just doesn’t listen and doesn’t realize that the only reason he killed two deer was because of the help he had been getting. I’ve backpacked and hunted for over 30 years now, and he was giving me “advice” because he got his nice mulie and I didn’t kill one. I don’t shoot immature deer in California anymore. The buck has to be a certain class for me to kill him.

The 3 hour drive home he was telling me about all these “tactics” he had read online that helped him. I’m sitting there like, I took you to spots that I took literal decades to find by scouting, backpacking and hunting those areas. You follow me and I put you on a deer and you pull the trigger on the first decent buck we found and suddenly he’s the expert. Fair enough.

I never said anything to him and didn’t want to discourage him as a hunter. Fast forward to this season and I don’t hunt with him in CA because I moved down to AZ and surprise surprise, he doesn’t fill either of his two CA deer tags. Back in December 2020 we had both got tags for Idaho and planned a trip together. He gets an OTC mulie tag and I grab a bull elk tag for the same unit where he can deer hunt.

I went and did some scouting in August and ended up finding both elk and mule deer. Come season this year for rifle some shit hit the fan at my new house we bought and my buddy came down to help me fix stuff. This only left us with 3 days to hunt.

We beat butt for Idaho and drove straight through. First evening I took us to a travel hip I found where I had seen deer moving up and down feeding. Only does and fawns so I left him there and backtracked to a drainage close by where I had glassed up elk. No elk there and didn’t hear any shots so we met back at base. Next morning I take him to where I think he’s going to have the best chance a mulie crossing that hip. Sure enough, a nice legal mule deer buck cruises by at 200 yards. He put a good shot on him and got his buck. Heck yeah!

I’m now shifting into full on elk mode as I only have 1.5 days to try and find some bulls. In the snow. In an area I’ve only scouted once. That evening I went to a larger drainage where I had seen some bulls over the summer. Glassed up deer (including a bigger buck than he killed) and a black bear but no elk. Next morning I go back to that drainage but glass the clear cuts on the opposite side. No elk. Cross the drainage and get to a 10K foot ridgeline where I can glass up an even larger drainage to the south. All of this hiking in the snow up to my knees. Finally find a group of bulls across the huge drainage and moving through a rock slide on a mountain side on the complete opposite side. They were up at about 11K feet. I needed to drop down 3,000 feet cross a 3 mile wide drainage and then back up to 11K where the elk were. I only had a couple hours of daylight left. Not gonna happen. Ended up still hunting back to the ATV at base and then headed for the truck and home.

Again, my buddy who I basically gift wrapped another deer for, continues to tell me how I need to hunt next time to get an elk. Long story short. I love the guy as a friend and I’ll help him with whatever projects come up over the years, as long as that project isn’t hunting.

 

[Shraggs]

^^^. It literally stuns me when friends take credit for something you showed. Worse yet it is telling you as if…. Real insecurity or narcissism I think. A few like above in my circle. Fishing I let it roll off, but not hunting.

Took 2 good friends first time elk on a trip like this. Easy as in not a backpack gig. All year too, bought Ammo? Need help sighting in, got a pack, boots, etc etc. yep, and at camp one decided he’s in charge…

Omg.

 

[MJB]

I put together an elk hunt for 4 of us this year. We were to take 2 trucks for the 13hr ride and split the cost. On the way out all good and ready for opening day.
The next day we all score and have a good dinner and some drinks.
Next morning one guy decided to take my cooler out of his truck and leave it in the hotel lobby. Even though I told him put it in the other truck if it doesn't fit with your crap. Sure enough I don't see the cooler we drive to the skinning shed half hour away ask him Where's my cooler he said it's in the lobby.
So I turn around and spend another hour and 10 minutes round trip to pick up my cooler. I get to the skinning shed he's all done and says he's going to leave He's got to be home tonight....... WTF all three of us we shocked

So one less numbnut I've got to help learn how to hunt, shoot and how to be a good person. F him!

 

[Buck197]

When I hunt, I want to hunt. And I get agitated, but keep it to myself especially. So many people move through the woods like a herd of danged elephants, Make way to much noise, and just clueless to hunting. They just want to hop out of the pickup, stumble to a stand 10 yards away, kill a 180 class buck, and go drink a case of beer and sleep til noon...
I have no issues with people learning and making mistakes, he'll I do, but I don't have patience for people ruining my truest time of year with a bunch of crap. When I hunt, it's my escape, it is such a tradition to me, it's the biggest thing my father left me, it's my religion..so I don't hunt with jackasses that don't put in effort and hunt..

 

[Pony Soldier]

I spent my 20s hunting with friends now ex-friends. I supplied the horses, camp, location, and at times even the food. They split my elk with me or allowed me to pack out their game and eveny brought their friends to my invite. When I needed help to pull camp, retrieve my elk or cut trails they were too busy. By 30 I hunted with my family, and one friend (50 years). I won't even take outside people on my scouting trips.

My late hunting partner once said there are two types of hunters. The successful hunter (labled as a game hog, on a watch list for the local game warden, and a target for every hunting freeloader) or a pathetic piss poor hunter (known for lack of success, wastes his time, never kills anything). I have dedicated myself to filling the last slot. My success is no ones business. I live quietly in my shame. I haven"t taken a picture of a dead elk since the 80s.

 

[Moserkr]

OP here. If you re-read my very first post in this thread that started it all, you will see that my group is still friends with the guy that did the list of $&!@ I posted. Not only that, he has now started asking to go hunt with us again. Im opening up a can of worms here…

On one hand all that stuff was 5+ years ago. People do change. He got married, has a kid, and is generally more responsible.

On the other hand, how do we ever forgive any of that stuff??? Hes actually a solid, committed hunter (as in pulls his weight, is a good hunter), but the gun safety and stupidness weighs extremely heavy. Every time I want to say yea sure, I literally cant. I know the instinct saying no is right.

Ive contemplated having a serious talk with him about this thread and making him read it. He would take it in stride and would agree with it - hes that kind of guy. Could say yes, lay down the rules and if any are broken thats it, no hunting and probably throw out friendship with it.

I hunt solo a lot and love it so I dont need hunting friends. I have a few and its plenty. At the same time if I say no, may kill being friends anyway, which maybe is past due then. I dont feel like thats the case. I hate even having to say these words - feel, forgive, serious talk - makes saying no seem even easier.

Discussed it with my ride or die friend/hunter in the small group of us 4, hunt with him 99% of the time im not solo. Hes along the same lines as me. Lost trust, still friends. We have other friends outside this circle we hunt with too. 2 in particular that are becoming good hunting partners. I thought about how I would ever introduce them to this other friend we stopped hunting with - do I attach a warning label???

Clearing my mind. Thanks. Let er rip. Tell me Im stupid and should easily say no, or maybe give the guy a second chance. For the record, Im not very forgiving, and maybe I should be? Its why Im asking for opinions. Right now, I cant say yes, and its a hard no.

 

[440Gordy]

People that don't pull their weight is my number one pet peeve. Whether it's camp chores such as getting wood or general cleanliness of camp etc.

The other is instant experts and know it all. Prime example is a good buddy of mine I gifted an old rifle I had sitting in my safe because his old lady wouldn't let him buy one. First season he shoots a fork buck and now is an expert hunter that knows more than anyone else

 

[RS3579]

OP here. If you re-read my very first post in this thread that started it all, you will see that my group is still friends with the guy that did the list of $&!@ I posted. Not only that, he has now started asking to go hunt with us again. Im opening up a can of worms here…

On one hand all that stuff was 5+ years ago. People do change. He got married, has a kid, and is generally more responsible.

On the other hand, how do we ever forgive any of that stuff??? Hes actually a solid, committed hunter (as in pulls his weight, is a good hunter), but the gun safety and stupidness weighs extremely heavy. Every time I want to say yea sure, I literally cant. I know the instinct saying no is right.

Ive contemplated having a serious talk with him about this thread and making him read it. He would take it in stride and would agree with it - hes that kind of guy. Could say yes, lay down the rules and if any are broken thats it, no hunting and probably throw out friendship with it.

I hunt solo a lot and love it so I dont need hunting friends. I have a few and its plenty. At the same time if I say no, may kill being friends anyway, which maybe is past due then. I dont feel like thats the case. I hate even having to say these words - feel, forgive, serious talk - makes saying no seem even easier.

Discussed it with my ride or die friend/hunter in the small group of us 4, hunt with him 99% of the time im not solo. Hes along the same lines as me. Lost trust, still friends. We have other friends outside this circle we hunt with too. 2 in particular that are becoming good hunting partners. I thought about how I would ever introduce them to this other friend we stopped hunting with - do I attach a warning label???

Clearing my mind. Thanks. Let er rip. Tell me Im stupid and should easily say no, or maybe give the guy a second chance. For the record, Im not very forgiving, and maybe I should be? Its why Im asking for opinions. Right now, I cant say yes, and its a hard no.

The next discharge might be fatal! A NO is the only answer

 

[Scoot]

I'm with RS on this one-- some mistakes are not ones I care to relive. That's too big of a deal for me to overlook and give another chance. Maybe I'm a grudge holder (well... I am), but the next shot could kill you. Even worse, it could kill someone else and you would likely feel responsible for that (and IMO partially would be). No chance for me on this one.

 

[TSAMP]

I went back and re-read the OP. I saw your comment about "having a serious talk" with the individual. If there was no talk after the 30 acre forest fire and camp desk pops, i think the moment has passed for that avenue. I view the other items on your list as discussion worthy, and likely could be resolved in order to hunt again.

To me, if you guys addressed the issue in that moment, He would likely know better than to ask to hunt again, or at the very least have demonstrated how he changed in some meaningful way over the last year if he had any desire to join the group again. But i am applying logic where there might not be. Perhaps he is so dense you already lectured him and it did not matter as he doesnt see the issue. Without knowing the individual its so difficult to assess, but based on the facts i see. I would not invite the person to hunt with me.