Trusting People Has Ended

I’m sure some of you have bad stories about guests or friends killing the wrong deer but I had a cluster screw ball mess over Thanksgiving with family coming to hunt and I learned my lesson doing that, or so I thought I let a long time friend that has hunted his entire life take his kid hunting this morning to go after a specific 8 point and he called to say they can’t find him so I go down and help them look for it. Guess what, they mistook the 8 point at 40 yards for a 12 point that I had showed him pictures of to watch out for since he shows up daily. I was beyond pissed off but I acted happy for the sake of the kids hunt and told him I was proud of him but I took dad aside afterwards and it wasn’t a pleasant conversation. I’m even more pissed off he put me in that situation, the days of letting anyone hunt without me in the stand with them are 100% over and I’m not getting in the blind with anyone so the gigs up. Rant Over

I don't blame you. People suck nowadays. Try to be nice & people take advantage of you.

If he'll do that on you, think what else he is willing to do?

Man it is unbelievable someone would do that to you. I've had the same thing happen to me, and it was no accident.

Sure hate to hear this.

Sorry to hear that. Don't know you from Adam but pretty kind to congratulate the kid. That sucks for sure though.

Had similar experiences in the past. No guest deer hunt on my ranch without me in the stand with them. In fact there's only one guest I'll allow to hunt and he still has to be with me.

Sorry to hear that. But I my WAG on my part..... is that it was not a mistake but the Dad wanting that particular buck for his son. He pics of the buck not to shoot.

Bad deal all the way around - we never let anyone sit by themselves unless they are a paying member

WOW mistaking a 12 point for an 8 point at 40 yards is pretty damn special!! That really does suck, when ever I am given the green on certain deer I make sure I have trail cam photos sent to me and sometimes I will take a pic and send it off before squeezing that trigger. Personally for me that is one thing that I worry about, because it's not worth it to ruin a life long friendship over a deer.

Sorry to hear that, especially if you warned him about the other buck. At the same time, I can see the kid being excited and cajoling the Dad into letting him shoot it, and putting pressure on him that way. Some parents will do anything to satisfy their kids!!

I have had the same thing happen to me before. I know exactly how you feel.

I feel bad for you for sure. We encourage guests but absolutely they must be with a member at all times. It sounds like in this case that even if he was a paying member he would of done the same thing. Of course the repercussions may of been to get kicked off so maybe he wouldnt of done same.

Hearing stories like this is why I've taken a guest hunting just once during the 40+ years that I've been on hunting leases. It's not so much the impact their actions could have on me but more so on my fellow lease members.

FYI...It wasn't an accident.

"Sports don't build character. They reveal it."

I had the ranch owner I lease from take his 14yr old son out this morning to find him a cull buck and we have some great deer this yr on 14k acres. I texted him to what they were seeing he said 4 young 10 points and one mature 10 sent me the picture of the buck at 15yds I surveyed the deer and he was a high 140s-150 very mature 6yr or so. This boy lives in town with his mom and stepdad and doesn't get to the ranch very often. I told him let that boy shoot that buck. He didn't have the potential to make a 170+ ever in my mind.
That smile of him holding his best buck ever was worth it to me! Especially for a mexican boy that lives in a border town and doesn't get to see his dad that often. My ranch owner would not have let that happen, because he told his son that they were looking for mature 8 points if I hadn't give the green light. But I agree with the original poster a 12 at 40yds with pictures is uncalled for. I had passed a young buck about 4 yrs ago that was a 15 point 4 yr old at best several times and told everyone don't shoot this deer, well one of my best friends didn't like the talk, but he is the same guy that took me mule deer hunting when I was 14 like 34 yrs ago and we have been hunting every yr since so I didn't raise to much cane over a mistake on a 178 young buck, no deer is worth losing a lifetime friend, mistake or no mistake.

Integrity. I think it was a little clip I read about Warren Buffett the other day. He said the number one thing they look for in hiring is Integrity. I say the same thing about picking lease members. If you have that then usually other things will fall into place. I think the same thing would apply to picking what guests you allow to hunt alone. You likely thought you had done that, but in this case it just didnt work. Lifes not always fair and you know that. This too will pass, although Im sure you will adjust as you said you would.

Nobody hunts alone on this place, other than me, but the one grandson. The oldest granddaughter’s boyfriend might ask to hunt at Christmas, but the answer will be no.

I have a lack of trust these days myself.

Been there. Been burned. Can show you numbers of pic's of young immature bucks that were off limits that got shot anyway. Some people can make some stuuuuppppiiiidddd decisions in the heat of the moment. Had a hunter ask one time if he could shoot pig's on our place (he had paid for a mule deer hunt and already taken one earlier that day). Told him he could shoot one from the blind, but that our fields were too muddy and we couldn't go out and hunt them with the UTV. So.. he shoots a pig from his blind and just wings it. Jumps out of his blind and goes tearing across the muddy field in his 4x4 truck trying to finish it off. The 3 legged pig crosses our fence line onto a neighbors property and he empties his magazine shooting across the fence. Right in front of the shocked (now pissed) neighbor. His excuse? "I just got lost in the heat of the moment". He was asked to leave, and was never invited back.

No mistake. Too bad on the Dad but you handled it well for the boy. Just another example of poor judgment by people that really IMO knew better.

Big deer will make people do stupid things.

It's too bad that people out there do these things. Not all people are like that. Thumper, don't forget that there are good people out there. I don't own the land I hunt in OK, but after hunting up there for 20ish years, the LO allowed me to build a little shack to stay in up there, and I have been hunting there for a really long time. The LO up there allows quite a few people to hunt up there as I do. Over the years, he has had to ask a few to not come back, and he has had to change the locks a few times too. I try to follow all the LO rules to a "T", and try to help him out with anything that I am able to as well. I also try to leave his property in better shape than it was when I showed up. I am grateful that he didn't kick everyone off when a few screwed him. If you find the right people it can be beneficial to you as well.

Roger that.

Wrong deer shot twice in one season? That’s just terrible.

Deer make people do stupid stuff, this was a 3 year old 145” deer that would have been a great deer in a few years. My cousins shot 2 other bucks during the Thanksgiving Cull Hunt that were big non shooters for them so Im done with anyone hunting here ever again unless I have the time to spend with them. The deer will simply die of old age if me, my wife or dad doesn’t shoot them. I normally take a few kids hunting every year myself but it’s been a screwey season and I haven't had time so I made the very poor decision to let some cousins take out a few deer that needed to go that didn’t work out and now this. I’ll never be making this years mistakes again.. Trust none when it comes to deer,

Big reason why invited guests on our lease hunted without harvest restriction as to certain bucks, etc. They were only encouraged to shoot mature bucks but beyond that they had freedom to shoot as large as they desired. That said, we had a unique hunting arrangement with the landowner that is very, very hard to impossible to find nowadays, especially in deep South Texas. Our thinking was if you invite guests, let them fully enjoy the experience; again, unique situation and we really only averaged 1-3 guests seasonally. We encouraged guests and non-guests to shoot the biggest booner possible. Not in that situation, I can fully understand the loss of trust with your friend.

A newbe making an honest mistake is one thing, but purposely shooting a deer that you know is off limits is another thing entirely.

Truth.

"People do stupid things." Fify

It’s just a deer. Not worth losing a friend over.

The flip side to this coin is shooting the deer was worth losing you as a friend to them. Not sure a their definition and your definition of "friend" is the same.

I would no longer be able to trust the guy. Inside the circle or out. Cross the line and you cross the line.

This!
one thing an honest mistake ,another to pull stuff like this. Would be hard not to call warden & file on him.

Had a close friend (was in my wedding) ask to take his wife to my ranch over the weekend. He’s done so in the past and took good care of the place. Said sure. He ended up shooting three deer (he was allowed 1….maybe 2) and brought 4 guests out when he said it was just gonna be him and his wife. He deleted all my game Trail cameras while he was there - except I always keep some that only I know about…caught him and his “guests” on camera. Asked him multiple times to tell me who he brought out. “Just me and the wife”. Right. I said I know you are not telling the truth. No man - just me and the lady.

He also dumped the bones and guts 35 yards from my neighbors front door instead of at the dump site in the middle of the property to hide the evidence. 🤦‍♂️

Keys were sent back the next week and he hasn’t been back since. Seen him once since that time in the last 5 years. He said he was sorry he got caught. Never apologized. Character revealed. Good riddance. Too old for that kind of “friendship”.

Once 40 years of trust Is broken he won’t be getting it back anytime soon,, not saying we wont be friends but not the same as it was prior to today.

DUFVR,, no way I’d ever even thinking about calling the warden with a kid involved like this. It wasn’t his fault and I wouldn’t want to put that memory in his head. He was bouncing off the walls excited which was a rewarding and sad moment for me.

I don't want the friend who would go for me to doing that to him.

You're a good man for not ruining the kids experience, but dad crossed the line. I hope you don't lose total trust in humanity, but I understand why you might.

How's the ol' saying go? "With friends like that, who needs enemies?"

I am just concerned with how whatever was told to the son was told to him. This could all be even worser than you guys are imagining. Apples don't fall far from a tree and there are many reasons for it.

the only people you can let hunt your ranch are the people that don't need to......motto I abide by.

bet your bottom dollar it wasn't an accident and he did it out of greed. Can't stand people like that.

I agree 100% with the kid being involved. You handled it great.
Sure would like to take dad behind the woodpile & have to tell the son, he fell down & got a few bruises getting wood. Next he will be complaining he has no where to hunt.

Yep. Any halfway experienced hunter with a lick of sense would know better, and a real friend would never even consider pulling something like that.

I don't mean to step out of bounds here, but to me it sure sounds like Ol Thumper has both friends and some family members that don't have an issue taking advantage of his kindness.

Just curious what the charge would be?

Proud of the way you took care of the kid. Hope you ripped the Dad a new one.

He would not be a friend I would want to have around me or my family after pulling a stunt like this. It was a deer this time, no telling what it was in the past or what it would be the next time.

One of the main reasons I quit letting “friends” hunt my place. People flat have no respect and very little common sense these days. I pay for the feed, I mow, I fix fences, feeders, 4wheelers, ruts, etc…for some friend or family to expect an invitation? GTFO….

Never let someone hunt with restrictions. The state laws don't even keep people honest.

Firearms have their role in that as well. A firearm can sometimes produce the same effect as alcohol in terms of changing someone's personality and demeanor. Mixing all three together (big deer, firearms, and alcohol) in the wrong person can lead to very bad endings.

This entire thread saddens me beyond description….but this post takes the cake! The friend was specifically shown a picture of the deer NOT TO SHOOT with the deers habit of showing up daily and you want to defend the “friend” for asking if a deer is worth loosing a friend over….a “REAL FRIEND” who was “INVITED” to hunt for “FREE” and was given “VERY SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS” would be grateful for the opportunity and respectful of you by honoring your request. This friend took a blessing and turned it into something very ugly by being selfish and inconsiderate!

I’m with Txhunter65, I don’t need nor do I want “friends” like that….

Sorry brother! Some folks just like to play dumb and ask for forgiveness. Total lack of respect!

Like you, have lots of acquaintances, but very few "friends" that I want to be around for a reason.

Like Obie Juan mentioned, if this "friend" will do this as a guest....what else has he done or would he do in the future against your will.

No doubt this guy knew exactly what he was doing, and didn't GAF. NO respect. Good for the kiddo, but they'd never step foot on my place again. I've never understood people like this, and never will.

That stinks, sorry to hear this. I’ll probably sit with most ppl who hunt our place for that reason. My BIL who has never hunted to my knowledge wants to shoot a deer. He may not want to once he finds out I’ll be sitting next to him. And we will need to walk to the blind that’s about .5 mile away. He’s a big boy and I’m not sure if he’s gonna be excited about walking that distance in the dark across rocky terrain. We shall see. I’m not willing to let him go at it alone especially not knowing much about deer. We shall see if he’s still game once he gets the details.

I 100% agree, it is all about respect. I hunt on a close friends place and Will not take a shot without consent ( low fence fair chase). I know it is the State of Texas deer but I am on his property.

MUST BE RESPECTFUL.

You handled it with class with the kid. And I'm sorry you're experiencing issues with guests.
Once upon a time being a guest was my only option and only shooting what I was told, even just getting to go and enjoy camp was a privilege. So the concept of violating a friendship that way does not compute for me.
Having my own land I have opportunities to share with friends and it is something I'm happy to do. Especially those who cannot afford to go otherwise. I had one wound two doe the other day and I wasn't happy. Especially about the bad shooting or his lack of concept about the implications. The fact those were deer another person wouldn't get to shoot. And the fact he expected justvthe shoot another the next morning. Now I'm not saying he won't get an invite back but next time I'll be clear he gets one deer, and blood counts as that deer recovery or no.

Father typed up as set of rules and all guest hunters were required to read the rules prior to hunting.

That’s the kind of stuff that messes it up for everyone. I will say most folks know better and wouldn’t do that but just takes one genius.

Nobody shoots a gun on my ranch unless I'm there with them. I learned that a long time ago.

Very true. I only let one person hunt my place...my BIL. When he stops by to get the keys I usually give him a gas tank and tell him to put gas in my buggy and the price of admission is a few bags of corn in the feeders. Works out well and so far he has taken great care of the place when I'm not there, plus I feel like if he has a little skin in the game he will appreciate it a little more.

Wow, I would have said something in front of them all I don’t think I could have held off

Sorry man, that’s pretty sorry of him

This is no different than leaving your wallet out at camp and a "friend" taking its contents.

truth

When I had the youth hunt out here this year, the director of the program told me they once had a grandfather tell his grandson to shoot a nice buck, over the objections of the guide in the blind with them at the time. (It was a doe only hunt.) What's the poor kid going to do? He shot the buck. And, of course, they were immediately told to pack up there stuff and get off the ranch. The director said they have most of their problems with grandparents. I can't even imagine the arrogance of the sphincter grandfather. What a great example for the little boy.

Yeppers, spot on "I am just concerned with how whatever was told to the son was told to him. This could all be even worser than you guys are imagining. Apples don't fall far from a tree and there are many reasons for it."

I am interested on this as well.

Neither guns nor alcohol "change" a personality, the individual may feel the inhibition to act on their true personality has been removed; however, if anything all either do is expose the true personality that's been there all along. Don't blame the gun or the bottle, the responsibility lies solely with the individual.

Spot on.

This one is complex. I lease out a lot of land to hunters. Deer hunting really exposes the character of some men. Odds are the old boy knew what was going down. An A-hole move. 30 years ago I extended that olive branch to one of my brother-in-laws. After discussing the rules with him, he said F it and shot a deer on the “no shoot” list. He is still the wife’s family and my sons uncle but we don’t hunt together. Not everyone recognizes or puts the same value on a trophy deer or even recognizes any significance. A fellow without a place to hunt most likely falls into that category. The real blame resided on my shoulders. I was the one that brought the fellow in the gate that couldn’t keep his foot off the gas….

Lessons earned are lessons learned.

Have to disagree again...

Its not about the value or significance a guest puts on a deer. Its about them respecting the value or significance you put on the deer. In this case in particular that value seemed to be very well established as I'm sure it is in most cases like this. Also don't feel most people without a place to hunt fall into the category of these A-holes. Being able to share comradery while hunting is a huge factor of what keeps it going and one of if not the main thing most of us value the most. You have to be able to trust people, if they choose to lose that trust its on them 100% you're not to blame unless you fail to explain the rules to them.

What I was getting at is someone that does not put enough value on deer hunting hunting to procure their own place to hunt does not see a trophy deer with the same reverence as I see it.

I agree the vast majority of humans do not revere, respect, honor, or value most animal species the way the hunters who pursue those animals do. But when a guest comes to your ranch or lease it no longer becomes about their beliefs or value systems, it becomes about them honoring yours. Just as those of us who hunt in other countries do not try to impose our beliefs or traditions on other cultures we, or at least most of us, try to honor local customs and traditions. After all that's part of the reason we're there, to see how its done in other places, and if we don't like the way its done its not our place to pass judgement we're free to chose not to have that experience again. A non hunter or someone who hunts very little is somewhat like a foreigner in a different land when we bring them hunting. When an instance happens as described by the OP its a horrible thing. Betrayal, regardless of the circumstance, is one of the worst feelings you can experience especially when it involves someone you've know for an extended time and consider a close friend.

Get a rope.

This makes sense when you consider hunters make up such a small segment of the overall population. It would also make sense that at least some of these do not see themselves as being "serious" deer hunters, and even fewer who are serious in their efforts to manage wildlife and habitat.

I've never really thought about it but chances are any guests (especially those who are relative newcomers) that you take will likely not harbor a strong commitment to the sport or managing wildlife. While they may very well develop these values over time, for now they just see deer with horns.

A lot of good discussion and comments here. I hope that someone who needs these lessons gets to read over this and it helps them.

I'm just gonna say that you handled much better than I probably would have!!

I just do not understand how people pull chit like this and especially if this was someone you knew.
He would NEVER be invited back again...........EVER

take your photo of the deer at the gate as that would be the last time you ever saw it.

No reason you still can't be friends. He just doesn't get to hunt any longer...He would be welcome to show up a camp with steaks and crown, but leave the rifle at home!

This is one of the reasons that on invite hunts i have shot only does and spikes (if allowed).

I wouldn't ever want someone to think I took advantage of them and definitely wouldn't want to lose a friend over it.

Im sorry that you were put in that position. Even when you dont agree with someones rules or wish that they had been different, you have two choices when you are at someone's place, obey rules or dont be there.

Here i am just wishing I had somewhere that had some pigs to shoot and trees I can cut for firewood.

He had a shot at a nice deer for his kid and ruined it by taking a trophy instead. Don't let this ruin it for everyone for you, but i understand why it would.

I was hunting a friends place about 15 years ago. I had a nice buck for our area (not a trophy by any means, It's not that type of managed land) come out to the feeder. After the hunt, I was telling him what happened. He was upset, upset because I didn't shoot it. I was just so thankful that I was allowed to hunt there that I was only going to shoot a doe. I just couldn't bring myself to shoot it. I felt that it would mean more for him to harvest it than it would for me to just come in and get it.

you know this whole thread is a microcosm of our world today - many of us would not dream of being invited to a lease and taking advantage of that by shooting a deer that was not suppose to be shot - on the other hand there apparently are many others who would say "screw it" I am shooting that buck even if it ruins my relationship - I still try to believe that the majority of people in this world are good and upstanding people

Couple different scenarios: I may take someone with me just during doe/spike season or after only does or spikes/culls, with that understood ahead of time and they are hunting with me. This is for relationships that are a little farther removed.

Second scenario: if I am going to let someone hunt on my place un-chaperoned, this is someone I am close to, and I don't do it unless I'm ok with them shooting anything that they want to shoot. I just prepare myself for it, give them the guidelines I follow, and tell them try to follow those guidelines but ultimately to shoot whatever makes them happy as long as they will hang it on their wall at home. If you're not okay with them doing that, then you shouldn't let them out there. JMO. I want to grow good old bucks, and we do, but at the end of the day they're just deer. I also want new hunters to learn to love the outdoors and not strangle them with so many rules that it's not any fun. I'm not going to let many people hunt my place, but if I do I'm not going to be a stress ball about what they shoot. I'm going to go pick them up, and if there is a smile on their face I'm going to be happy.

that is all good and well unless your LO is involved - then it becomes a huge problem - if you own the place then that is your call for sure

I believe the OP handled things in the best way possible. As a guest you should abide by the house rules. If there is any question when you cannot consult with the house, err on on the conservative side, which in this case means don’t pull the trigger. Respect the landowners wishes, rules and guidelines. It’s not difficult.

I’ve been invited to hunt and have hunted in various parts of the world. Behave like a guest. It’s not complicated.

Your a good person for not making a scene in front of the kid , it wasn’t his fault you know the dad made the call to shoot it. Feel for ya and agree with ya. Be done.

I had a version of this happen to me last year but was a doe. A fawn doe. Had friend and his son out and same situation. I said no matter what,, do not shoot a lone doe!!! Only ones you know are not by themselves and older. Kid knew the deer was tiny and dad said shoot anyway. I could pick it up with one hand. And they have their own place to hunt. I just give him hell about it as much as I can. But no more deer for them. I made him drop it off at the processor and I wouldn't even get out of the truck. Their faces said it all and asked him wtf was he thinking. Think he got 15 lbs of sausage from it.

Now I have made an honest mistake myself and the supposedly 8 turned out to be a 10 pt with a little kicker when I walked up to it. I was very upset. They questioned my counting skills lol. Only shot does and spikes there since. At least it was an old deer that scored maybe 120. The 8 I should have shot left the sendero and thought was crossing to the next one and the deer I shot stepped out instead. I watched the one I shot for an hour before and knew it was a 10 but I thought it left as I hadn't seen it for a long time. Even took a bunch of pictures of it eating. I shoulder mounted it so he stares at me daily.

On the flip side I will add I had an absolute low fence giant buck in front me that a buddy told me thru text to shoot on his lease and I could not do it. He told me to shoot it. I said you paid for your spot and I just couldn't do it. Buck was well over 150+ and watched it for 10 minutes in the wheat field 300 yards away. Later in the season he said they shot it over 300 yards away and never recovered it. Should have hired dogs or never taken that shot.... I shot a doe instead that I was there to shoot.

Friends like you are rare.

Bummer of a situation. Maybe your friend make up for it somehow, but could it have been an honest mistake?
There are wrong deer killed all the time. A good way to handle this is to agree beforehand that if the wrong buck is shot, the hunter(or responsible adult) has to pay for it. Get it in writing, especially if you're not with them, and the wrong deer is high dollar or has intrinsic value.
I could see a situation that when the shot was taken, the 12pt was in the brush, which was out of sight, behind the 8. A poor shot hit the 12 by mistake, or even passed through the 8 & caught the 12 too(2 dead deer). Alternatively, both the 8 & 12 were in plain sight near each other, the dad gave the ok & the son shot the wrong deer in error. Maybe the 8 & 12 look like each other when facing you & a quick shot was taken.

Trust can go the opposite direction as well.
Sometimes guides/spotters or hosts make mistakes & give the nod that results in a big disappointment. Turns out the buck you just shot was a miniature version of the one you've been after.

Your decision of the 'gigs up' definitely works.

The OP is to be congratulated on the way he handled the situation.
Hunting brings out the best and the worst in people.

I’d say you 100% spot on.

I’m normally all for letting kids shot what ever. No deer is worth it IMO but specific instructions are just that, Wether it’s a deer or safety doesn’t matter, it being said for a reason . Think the OP was very level headed about that

The toadstool that shot this buck conned an old woman, was told he could shoot does and spikes but nothing in writing. After he posted it on social media and the landowner saw it, he wouldn't return or answer her phone calls. Does this look like a doe or a spike?

Unfortunately, our sport is overrun with dad's who are far more eager for their kid to shoot a deer than kids are themselves.

Way back when I did hosting hunts, I ran across every kind of hunter, from great to awful. One guy I can never forget. We told all guests that it was 8 points or better, then put them in the box stands. Later that morning we picked them up, and one guy had shot a 4 point. I’d have fussed at him, but he was truly shaking with buck fever. I had never seen that degree of shaking before, particularly an hour after he had shot. It was his first deer, and he was way beyond counting antler points. He was my guest, and I knew him well, but I didn’t give him much of a fuss.

Other than that, I don’t remember anyone totally and knowingly disregarding the rules. But, it was a company lease. On our personal land, I’d be less forgiving, but nobody but the GS and I hunt here.

For what it’s worth I’m over it but sadly disappointed I was put in this situation. We live and learn but I’m taking a neighbors kid that’s never shot a deer before in this afternoon to go after the deer dipchit was suppose to shoot.

He admitted he knew it wasn’t the deer they were after last night but he didn’t think it was the same deer I had showed him pics of which I didn’t believe for a second after he said that .


The main problem I currently have I never mentioned was the deer they shot was the wife’s so called pet deer she called Ralph, it was a wild deer but was pretty tame as far as wild deer are concerned and she’s beyond pissed off. That was the whole reason I showed him the pics of that specific deer and told him not to shoot it no less than a dozen times. If it had been any other deer besides this one I’d probably never said a word about it and moved on but shooting the boss’s friend has proved to be a very touchy subject and I’m in the dog house for letting it happen. She gave explicit instructions that nobody's to hunt without me present from here on out, one asshat ruined it all by himself over his greed to get his son a buck.

Lot's of stories here with valid reasoning. The one thing I see in all of them I've read is a lack of oversight at the particular times these things occurred. If someone is allowed to hunt our property and there are any deer that are off limits, and there always are, they simply are not allowed to hunt alone. Period, no exceptions. They are accompanied at all times in the field, and while it's rare that anyone else is even allowed to deer hunt our place, in those rare instances they have always taken the type of, or particular, animal we wanted them to.

Turning a hunter loose on a property with off-limit deer is asking for something like this to take place. JMO

Best answer.

a friend did this.....a guy you knew for a long time......I would not do it to someone I met yesterday that let me hunt....this is why I don't have very many "friends"

I’ve simply learned over time that if I’m not there in the blind to go/no go on the specific animal to be harvested, I should just assume anything with feet and fur may be shot.

I understand the feeling though. I used to be a big people person, but people eventually changed my mind.

Doe with antlers!!!

Well, according to TPWD... he does have one unbranched antler... ?

Sounds like a crappy friend to me. I would be pretty upset, but think you handled it well. Thankfully I have not had that happen to me at my place. I don't really let anyone other than family hunt anyway. And by family I mean my 76 year old Dad, my wife and my daughter.

I think you handled it admirably, but the mistake was allowing them to hunt with limitations but unsupervised.

As a long time landowner I have learned the hard way many of the lessons set forth above, particularly that:
1)Big deer make people do strange things and
2)People are not always what they seem.
The only ways to be stress-free about what takes place on your land is to either strictly limit access or simply not care what happens.

Plain & simple, Ol' Thump got hisself punked. Someone did something to him that he couldn't imagine doing to someone else.

Yelp, especially since he told them why. It stinks that it makes everyone look bad, and closed another hunting opportunity door

I’d be mad in his shoes also.

I just don't get it. I've hunted a lot of different ranches alone in the blind with numerous deer that were off limits, and never shot one of them. When in doubt, don't shoot (I do understand honest mistakes happen). In this case though, this guy knew that buck was off limits and didn't care. Pretty messed up. Anyway....

Man I have had the sorriest friends since way back

A really close childhood friend of our family had a couple of hundred acres just south of Blooming Grove that had about a 16 acre lake on it full of fish.
He told me I could fish it whenever I wanted to and could bring some friends as long as they do not litter or go out there without me.

Well I took a group of my buddies out there, explained the rules no littering or coming out there without me per the land owner.
We had a great time, caught a lot of fish, drank a lot of beer life was good until those azz wipes went out there without me and left a bunch of beer cans on the property.

One of the neighbors saw them leaving the place music blaring and called in, the eldest brother went out there got pissed rightfully so and that ended the fishing out there.

I am with you Ol Thumper, people get stupid when it comes to shooting bucks. I have even seen the " I thought it was a doe" when a giant buck was on the ground.
A family friend was hunting at my brothers place a while back. He was given instructions and pictures of a seven pointer that he could shoot, or any doe.
He shot a monster 10 pointer... at 25 yards. He is a friend and still comes around, but has never been allowed to shoot at another animal of any kind.

I have had 2 guests on my place in the 3 years I've been hunting it. 2 guests and 2 injured bucks. One was from my 69 year old dad shooting it in the butt running away from him and blowing out his crotch and telling me he missed a doe. I killed the buck a couple weeks later to figure it all out. If someone hunts with me, the only direction i give them is that it has to be legal and ethical. If they kill the state record while hunting on my lease I'd be jealous but happy for them. With that said, I'm not a big antler managing guy and happy to see a decent buck in the thick woods of East Texas, although there are many. I don't blame Ole Thump a bit though in his situation. That's why I hunt alone, but I'm a loner and the close friends I do have all have their own leases to hunt anyway.

It’s because you can be trusted to behave like a guest and respect the landowners wishes.

It is pretty wild how some people just dont know how to be a guest anywhere really. Take what you are offered and no more. It really isnt that hard.

That’s why I don’t let guests on the place period.

It's not going to get better. Extremely few parents are teaching their children a dam thing about it. A friend's little kid recently spoke to me (the hunt host) in a way that, if I were the little guy in that situation, my butt woulda been yanked out of that chair by my dad, taken outside, and made to ache for a week. Instead, his name was just called, not even that loud, oh, but in a stern tone.

These parents are not doing their children any favors. I've seen it in my brother's own children. They do not find what you'd call a successful, or even happy life. But I digress.

Been there and done that. Great experiance for the kid despite the circumstances. One day you may have chance to explain to him when he gets older about respecting other peoples property. I now print out my rules now and hand it to guest. My rules include a fine now. It has worked so far.

I have a buddy that has a small lease to hunt and has great fishing. I help him do a lot and he carries me to hunt and mostly fishing. He doesn’t carry many and we do some hunting in texas and keep it to me and him. This topic reminds me of why. U know how u have a buddy then they have one and next thing u know it’s outta control so we keep everything to ourselves which works best. He has several fishing spots and I would never even think about making any my own. Some folks are that way about hunting and fishing period. When I deer hunt with him I mainly just watch cause ain’t shooting anything unless it’s bigger than what I have and let his girls shoot those deer. He earned those places not me so I follow his rules and all works fine. We drink more beer and have fun more than anything. Some folks want a picture on social media and will do almost anything to get it so we keep it close. Loose lips sink ships is what happens around here.

The first time I was ever in a blind with a gun and saw a deer, I got buck fever pretty bad and all I saw was a doe. I started shaking, heart was pumping, I got nervous, started sweating even though it was about 27 degrees. But I didn’t shoot it because I had been told not to shoot any does. Even though someone gets nervous and wants a deer, it does not justify violating clear rules.

Be happy for your friend, not like he shot your prized steer

I have an "acquaintance" like this. He has never hunted, wants to hunt, but honestly just wants to shoot a buck to put on Instagram. He turned down the opportunity to shoot a doe two years ago and that told me all I needed to know. He's mid 30's and I suggested to look into some adult mentored hunting programs. He responded with "That's remedial s***."

I'm afraid that this is just a sign of the times.. very little personal integrity left in the average Joe...

I dont get it, i went to an acquaintances property, I was just happy for the opportunity and super excited to get a doe last year. People dont understand how to appreciate the opportunities anymore .