Ethics

Is it ethical to place a deer stand 15 feet from property line and across from neighbors feeder which is 25 yards from fence (feeds deer but does not hunt deer). There is also a verbal agreement (on both sides) not to hunt deer on either place until deer population gets up, but while checking fence came across hunter in stand and he stated we was hunting deer (one legal Buck has shown up and two doe). Each place has over 150 acres so there is plenty of room to place stand elsewhere. Am I wrong to think this is not being a good neighbor or ethical hunter?

If it is legal and its his land then I don't see the problem.

It may be legal but dang sure is not the right thing to do, so if that is unethical, there you go !!

If you don't like it buy him out.

It has generally been my experience when a verbal agreement is in place, it is akin to no agreement in place.

Their land and they can do what they want. If it were my land I would move the feeder. Even if temporarily to see what happens to said stand.

A lot of people getting worked up about what goes on the other side of their fence...

Sounds like both are on the fence

Wait, he stated YOU were hunting deer? Or that HE was hunting deer? Also, are you on the land that has the feeder 25 yards from the fence line, but no one on your land is hunting?

Why are you feeding at all if you aren't hunting? And why did you put a feeder so close to the fence since you have 150 acres?

Go talk to the other landowner or leaser and ask if they are hunting or not.

Lying is unethical, the rest of it is semantics.

The feeder is on me, placed before actual boundary line known or fence built and yes it is too close to fence and I am moving. The nonbinding gentlemen's agreement was for both parties to refrain from hunting until numbers increased (one legal Buck is not what I was thinking), Nothing illegal being done, just not how I would conduct myself and was wondering if I was wrong for thinking it unethical to hunt a fence line directly across from neighbors feeder when you have an (again, nonbinding) agreement not to hunt until numbers increase. I have no intention to take any action as it is his "right" to do what he is doing. Just because you have the "right" to do something does not make it the right thing to do...My question better stated is, was this the right thing to do?

It doesn't sound like they did the right thing, but your agreement as to when to start hunting was kind of vague. I guess they thought the numbers had increased enough. Go talk to them.

Coupla thoughts

I own my own land and it is long and skinny. Of course my feeders are close to the fences. Neighbors have never had a problem and neither have I.

I do as I damn well please on my place and and expect the neighbors to do the same. Occasionally one neighbor has friends out that do a LOT of shooting on weekends; even in deer season. One neighbor is anti hunting and starts shooting on weekend afternoons during deer season. I wish these things didn't happen but it's their land and I'm not about to complain about what they want to do. They know better than to ask to borrow my tractors or equipment. Others feel free to call and ask for my help.

Looks like you are both hunting the fence line

It boils down to whether or not one hunter is trying to leverage or "leech" the benefits and efforts of another. If there is good deer holding habitat on both sides of the fence, then I see no problem. But if one side of the fence is open pasture, and the other is heavily wooded, lines have been crossed if the one with a pasture sets up a feeder next to the fence. In such a case, it is obvious the intention is to draw deer from the neighbor's property.

The first problem in this scenario is that the feeder is only 25 yds. from the fence and of coarse, the second is the guy hunting the feeder from the other side. A peaceful solution would be to move the feeder out of sight of the fence line. The hunter is actually hunting his own deer that the feeder is pulling from his place. The situation is not right on either part.

this

Not really, but it isn't illegal either so not much you can do except have a conversation with the guy and attempt to work out some sort of resolution.

your going to confuse them

I wouldn't confuse ethics/morality with personal choice. As long as someone is not breaking the laws, there's nothing I can do about a guy putting a blind and feeder on his property. I can only hope that he pushes deer to more stay on my property than his. If I ultimately didn't like it, I'd probably sell the property or high fence it before moaning/groaning about something I cannot control or impact.

Yes