Why you dont hunt with some people anymore

[Forest_Ghost]

Am I outta line in thinking this asshat should be kicked to the proverbial curb or would you let it slide?

No I would not let that slide, screw that guy, sounds like he should have been sent home sooner.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Oh, I also flat out will not hunt with super fit, go-getters. The kinda guy who insists on hiking 6 miles, when there's a much easier, half mile route. Nothing against em, but i'm a fat bastard & the only thing I hate more than someone spoiling my vibe, is the thought of me spoiling someone else's.

This makes sense but also works in reverse, Hunting with out of shape people can suck when they can't really be of any help packing carrying a moose to the boat or spending all day in a raft.

 

[Rich M]

Gun safety is No. 1

Be a team - you hunt together

Inability to function as a team
There are a lot of guys who don't have the ability to follow along as well as lead. Its like fishing with the guy who takes the best cast every time and then brags about catching more fish.
If we are to hunt together, we need to be able to not shoot a critter so your buddy can.
You don't have to be first - or last all the time.

Do what you say, say what you do
Had a guy abandon me in WY as he went road hunting - we were supposed to meet up and he never showed until just before dark after he had gotten his critter. Was a total shit show.

Help w chores - obvious things like cooking, dishes, splitting wood, rinsing cleaning station, etc. Sure, but otherwise ask what needs to get done & how do you want it done.

Pay your fair share

Be on time

Keep the pace - slow or fast, keep up or be left behind and meet up later.

Check the attitude at the door - we're here to have fun and hunt. Let folks try what they think is gonna work.

 

[justinspicher]

I am generally the guy who tags along and helps out. I enjoy hunting, but not the stress of hunting. I’d rather go with a guy and help spot and pack out than hunt myself.

With that being said, I have got up and left the woods in the middle of a hunt due to the guys I was with being turds.

 

[PVHunter]

Just when I thought that this would be the year I'd try to find a hunting partner I stumbled into this thread. I think that I'll remain solo.

 

[Jxferg7]

I have one hunting buddy I go with...had a couple third party hunters not shake out so now we have compiled a LONG of do’s and don’t and pretty much no one will even make it to committee vote.

 

[roadrunner]

Several years ago a guy worked for me that was also my hunting buddy. I had to fire him for job performance. I figured I didn't want to be out in the woods with him and his gun after that. Didn't want to be the victim of an "accidental discharge".

That is why I never mixed work with off hours fun with people that reported to me.

Don't do stuff with co-workers either for the reasons of one day you, or they, will be the supervisor of the other...

 

[FLAK]

I only hunt with my son.
Gave up on everybody else years ago.
Mostly cause they were no shows or always late.

 

[Billinsd]

Most people I don't hunt with anymore is either because they got real frustrated with me or vicsa versa. Hunting is extremely personal to me and I started out with my dad and brother, then good buddies. Also, since it is so difficult, far, and time consuming to hunt I don't want to go on a trip with someone I won't get along with, or that is verbally abuse me, when they are annoyed with me. Life is too short. Now with Cell, Satellite phones and text messengers there is more reason than ever to hunt solo!!

 

[Moserkr]

Glad Im not alone! All good posts, keep em coming. Im lucky that I have family I hunt with, as well as a few close friends. I also hunt solo a lot just for peace of mind and test of will.

But when it comes to elk hunting, having my one ride or die buddy is great, but I feel like 2 groups of 2 would be even better. Cover more ground and pack out easier. Good hunting buddies are hard to find.

 

[backcountry_hunter]

stopped hunting with 2 different groups... both were pushing legal limits and I respectfully backed out. Still friends with some of them but not worth it to be afield with them.

 

[redbarn]

stopped hunting with 2 different groups... both were pushing legal limits and I respectfully backed out. Still friends with some of them but not worth it to be afield with them.

Took a new guy first time hunting. Fidgety guy. Put him in a safe place where he is shooting down into dirt if he sees a deer. 2 hours in- kaboom. I can see what he can see and there was no deer. I asked him what happened. "Wasn't much room behind the trigger compared to my pistol, tried to open up the action but had to turn off safety, pulled trigger to see if the firearm had a problem because almost no space behind the trigger" OK so you you turned off the safety and pulled the trigger! I don't know if he ever hunted again. I hope not.

 

[Hoghead]

Back in camp I am enjoying an afternoon smoke, a fine cigar given to me as a gift by my father-in-law. I don’t often burn a $50. cigar but this seemed like a special occasion. Santa asks me if he can buy one off of me and I give him one just to be friendly (I still don't know him at this point). Not long after, my bud comes out of the tent and joins us outside, and notices the wrapper of this guy’s cigar tossed on the ground. So he mentions it and Santa comes back with a, “…Yeah yeah, I just set it there for now…” with major attitude. It’s like he thinks, he is the top dog and no one tells him what to do! REALLY. Long story short, Santa just leaves it there and goes on the late afternoon hunt. Would a normal person get pissy when asked to bend over and pick a piece of their litter, much less leave it to get blown to another part of the ranch. It was made very clear that the owners can't stand litter and would likely terminate my bud’s hunting privileges on this ranch for such a violation.

Just before the next evening hunt, Santa asks my bud if he thinks it will be cold that evening and my bud tells him straight up, “Yeah! We have clouds and moisture moving in, it will be downright cold.” This guy responds, “I don't think so” (why would he even ask then), and leaves without a jacket and wearing tennis shoes instead of boots. Guess what? My bud and I remained hunting until last shooting light, while this guy made the shivering walk of shame and was sitting in camp well before the sun went down. What can you say to a guy who ignores the obvious and returns to camp wearing shoes that are soaked and full of foxtails. I just shook my head. WTF? How cold was it? This cold:

[video=youtube;L7iJl3d0FlY]

Santa’s coffee cup had been left in camp from a previous trip and inside was a science experiment as he doesn’t do dishes or much policing after himself. So Santa just set's his disgusting cup down and picks up one our gracious host has there. Looking inside his old cup we’re thinking…that’s alien! Does he wash it this trip? Nope… not the new one either, not a single dish the whole trip. The alien is still growing inside it. There are numerous little things like this that by themselves are small but as they begin to stack up each tiny thing becomes increasingly annoying; and I am only highlighting a few of the things I noticed.. At the root of the problem is the whole absence of respect. Hear you are, on prime pig property free, with only the obligation to help out with a few ranch chores, and you’re pissing off your host and endangering his access to the ranch. WTF?!

Now the general idea is that in exchange for trespassing rights (given formally in writing) there are chores to be done. Santa was supposed to provide a gardening hose this trip…oops, forgot to get one. Really? Really dude?

Sunday night I’m smoking my last cigar (I packed 3 for the weekend) and Santa asks if he can bum another one off me. He got a definitive no. So now it’s our last night and we’re sitting in a circle discussing plans for the next morning…do we get up early and hunt or relax instead?. My friend & I decide to indulge our weariness and sleep in, it’s a long drive home and there are chores to be done in the morning…this third guy is on board with that, at least at this time. So we all hit the sack. I don't know exactly what time it was, but discussing it with my buddy on the ride home, we were awakened no later than 5:30 a.m. by a thundering sound coming from the tent next to ours. Gear being tossed back and forth, dropped, slammed, and then something with wheels being rolled across uneven ground and everything inside slamming against walls. No kidding, it was like thunder right outside the tent. Then car doors opening and being slammed shut, then the next trip... and finally this douche starts his truck. This douche didn't bother to try to keep the ruckus down at all, it’s like he was trying to be loud; no in reality, it's obvious he was trying to be loud. While he was treated with nothing but kindness and respect, I starting to hate him. My buddy has a whole list of things that need to be done before leaving the ranch and this guy walks up announcing that he is packed and ready to leave, well NO ############ING KIDDING. I know my buddy is beyond pissed, FINALLY! He doesn't even bother to turn around and look at Bad Santa, he just tells him, "Bye." I could not do that much…I just spit a mouthful of Scope at his feet.

So this guy is out the gate early to beat the holiday rush hour traffic at our expense. We are there going through the departure list and working our asses off to try and hit the road at a decent hour. There’s a lot of chores to break down camp, clean up the area and secure everything that requires attention on this property. My bud gives me a few things to do, and he checks the septic tank as it can be problematic. It’s literally a shitty job and he nets out some solid debris (by hand) that might clog it up. Then checks the inflow to be sure there are no clogs. Meanwhile I learned that this buddy of mine is keeping secrets from me, he has a hazmat cert to boot, behind all his other credentials; and he can sling shit with the best of them, literally speaking of course. During this disgusting little exercise in which I assisted, we discover that Bad Santa has put the wheel barrel away full of dried blood, fat and chunks of meat. Needless to say that after drying all weekend long, by this time it is rock hard.



We filled the wheel barrel with water and let it soak while we completed other chores. After a couple hours of soaking, it still took a ton of scrubbing to get it clean. Can you imagine the owners’ faces if they went to pull that wheel barrel outta the shed looking like that? Or found his bloody gloves left in the yard with the extension cord to the light used to process his kill left on the lawn? He didn’t even police his brass in the blind. I found a 30-06 cartridge smack in the center of the damn thing. Slob hunters upset me. I got no time for em. This could have resulted in an instant ban from the ranch for my bud. To top it off, on the ride home, my buddy tells me this was not the first time this douchebag had bailed early leaving him to do all the wrap-up work before being able to leave. We got a late start as a result and just as we are leaving Santa sends a text saying he’s already home…missed the traffic. Well lucky you! We can’t…we had to do your chores. Now all this time the food we’ve been eating were brought by my friend (he got the meals, I got the gas) and Santa said he brought grub too (which he put in the freezer and went untouched) but guess what…he took it all home when he left! So apparently slobs eat free too. I know my buddy would never post this or complain but HOLY BUCKETS, isn’t he being taken advantage of? I was so pissed I could spit…and I did. I don’t understand some people. Both guys post here from time to time and I think they should read some feedback from others. Am I outta line in thinking this asshat should be kicked to the proverbial curb or would you let it slide?

You have a lot more patience than me.
Your buddy is crazy inviting him back that is kind d of on him. If he screwed him once
He should have never been invited back.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[WCB]

It takes me basically one discussion with someone to know if I will hunt with them or not. I have basically 4 people (3 buddies from college and a buddy from work) besides my wife and other members of my family that I do any semi serious hunting with.

1. If someone doesn't pull their weight that is an auto no go. Maybe you don't know how to quarter an animal but you best be holding a leg or holding a game bag ready for meat. Or maybe you don't run a chain saw but you better be stacking or collecting kindling.

2. Flaking out on hunts...I get priorities sometimes change plans but either you are going to that point or you aren't. One of my college buddies rides the line with this one. I have gotten to the point where I just say I'm going hunting here on these dates if you are coming let me know. He doesn't do the last minute duck out but he does have the tendency to kick the tires a bit. However, When he is hunting he is solid.

3. Obvious safety issues have caused me to uninvite or skip out on hunting before. I skipped out on some Snow Goose hunts in the past with a group of guys because one guy just made me way to nervous and I am pretty relaxed...but things like taking the safety off in your layout blind before the shot is called...or touching you're gun in said blind while guys are down range fixing decoys.

4. Game hogs...you know the guy that shoots every bird that drops. Not that I really care who shot it but I can't stand liars.

5. People that can't hunt/be alone. I rarely hunt side by side with someone unless one of us has our tag filled then we try to help the other one anyway we can. But sometimes that means staying and packing up camp while a guy goes out the last morning or maybe it means hiking a few miles and scouting for the other guy(s) in the group and not actually hunting with them.

 

[backcountry_hunter]

Took a new guy first time hunting. Fidgety guy. Put him in a safe place where he is shooting down into dirt if he sees a deer. 2 hours in- kaboom. I can see what he can see and there was no deer. I asked him what happened. "Wasn't much room behind the trigger compared to my pistol, tried to open up the action but had to turn off safety, pulled trigger to see if the firearm had a problem because almost no space behind the trigger" OK so you you turned off the safety and pulled the trigger! I don't know if ever hunted again. I hope not.

funny part is both of the mentioned groups I would go as far as saying were above avg when it came to safety, especially around firearms. But what they said and some of their actions were enough to make me uneasy to the point a trip wasn't very fun if you're spending time worrying about legal matters.

One of the two groups did end up getting pinched by the law a few years later on some petty'er charges. Nobody ever did anything grossly illegal while I was around but hunting laws aren't always black and white in every state and a few of the guys in that group ended up with some tickets. Pretty sure one had to take a year off also.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Even though I have guys to hunt with, I still go solo about 1/2 the time, that way I can do whatever I want and not have somebody elses plans interfere with mine.

 

[Wetwork]

One buddy I quit hunting with it was friendly and mutual. Together hunting or fishing it was always weird bad luck. Rig break down's (walking back to town), boat break down's (anchored wait for tow). Equipment failures. Sketchy weather out of the blue (caught in squall). No bites, no critters to be seen. Apart we did great. Stupid stuff only happened when we were together and we couldn't ever figure out how to break the bad mojo. We parted ways as far as hunting and fishing goes and would just celebrate after the return home.-WW

 

[Customweld]

I generally hunt with my brother or solo. I have a good friend that I will share camp with, but we do not hunt together .

 

[Decoy241]

Couple of guys I used to hunt with would really like to push the ethical question just to bag a few extra birds. For me hunting is relaxing and I just didn’t need the stress of it.

 

[Pramo]

I'm an eastern guy and have to travel to hunt western game and go solo 80+% of the time. I do have some friends out west that I will share a beer with and pack meat with but we all end up hunting alone at our own pace. I'm in excellent physical shape, can call elk, have all the fancy gear and only get a week or so a year hunting away from my wife and kids which I love more than anything in the world.

I've found spending my week or two off with others isn't worth the effort unless it's something like whitetail hunting where everyone is treestand hunting and bs-ing in the evenings. Going to the mountains is a crap shoot since some people can't handle the physical or mental stress. Frankly I'm not going to ruin my hunt and time off to be the guide, caller, gear provider, e-scouter, logistics expert etc. To make hunting with others successful it has to be with someone like skilled and like mindset and I do have a few guys that I match well with. I think of it like going skiing, no one who can tear up double blacks wants to hang out on the greens.

My only piece of advice is be up front with how you hunt, and hope the partner is honest about what they can do.