Hunting partner

tlo7mm · Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 12:39 pm Post subject: Hunting partner

Have you ever been faced with a situation where you were hunting with a friend or family member and both of you shoot at an animal and there is a great deal of question as to who actually hit the animal. My brothers (I will add they are both older then I am and the oldest is quite competitived) are hunting elk this winter. Opening day of the season they got a 5x5 bull. Both shot, there was a third person that was watching with binoculars (a family friend and reliable source). My brother Dan shot (the younger of the 2) and our friend said that the bull rocked like it was hit, then my brother Bill (oldest) shot hitting the bull in the spine near the hind quarter. Don't ask me where he was aiming lol. There was other shots made and when they walked up to the animal he was still alive but unable to move as his front shoulder and spine were blown to h3ll. They walked up on and Bill shot it through the heart to finish it off. Basically Bill is trying to say that Dan did not hit it at all however our hunting partner states that the first hit that was made was by Dan. There was also a graze along the back of the neck splitting the skin. All in all it was a group effort to tend to the elk by all three however Bill it trying to take all the credit for the kill. My brother Dan tagged the bull as he had less time to hunt. Bill says its not a big deal to him but he cannot stop running his mouth about how he was the only one to hit the Elk.

Ominivision1 · Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 12:54 pm Post subject: Re: Hunting partner

I have never had a situation like that and sometimes I hunt with a party of 12 people. It sounds to me like your brother Bill has an ego problem. If anyone acted like that in my hunting party (brothers or friends) I would refuse to hunt with them.

That said, you are out to enjoy yourself and the hunt, there is no need for that kind of attitude when hunting.

tlo7mm · Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 1:14 pm Post subject: Re: Hunting partner

I go to enjoy myself and have fun. My brother Dan has said he is not going to be hunting with Bill most likely anymore. He was pissed off over Bills attitude.

Pumpkinslinger · Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 6:37 pm Post subject: Re: Hunting partner

Funny, I was thinking that the guys I hunt with would be more likely to argue that it was your bullet, not theirs, that made the kill.

slimjim · Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 8:26 pm Post subject: Re: Hunting partner

Pumpkinslinger wrote:

the guys I hunt with would be more likely to argue that it was your bullet, not theirs, that made the kill.

Yeah, they get to keep on hunting. Very Happy

Did you guys have an agreement that once someone fired, everyone could pile on? Unless agreed before hand or asked by the first shooter, I don't know why others would shoot. It sounds like Dan and Bill were pretty much together. It wasn't like the bull was walking away wounded and stumbled into Bill. Is there hunting etiquette for this situation?

Elvis · Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 8:37 pm Post subject: Re: Hunting partner

man who cares who shot it THEY DID end of story.
Its a hard call/situation but I know how it goes.
I stalked my bro in law onto a deer lined him up he fired the deer stood still so I dropped it. its still his deer weather he missed or not. we hunt together and share the carrry and the meat.
my son and I now hunt together WE shoot the ducks and WE eat them too.
there is no I in team

TRBLSHTR · Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 9:44 pm Post subject: Re: Hunting partner

Bill and Dan,50/50,or duke it out! Laughing

Vince · Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 4:23 am Post subject: Re: Hunting partner

A mate I used to hunt with would often take his two sons (14 and 16) with us when we went out. One of his boys wasn't really interested in hunting...just plinking at targets, but the older of the two was a pretty keen hunter.

Cut a long story short, well sorta short...when the mate and I were alone we would take turn about with the shots...unless there were a heap of rabbits, then it was open slather...but his son (who wasn't a bad shot and had eyes like most teenagers - GOOD) would see the game and come up for the shot, regardless of whose "turn" it was. I'm not as quick as him because I am a fairly leisurely hunter...no need to rush these things unless necessary...and I would be settling the rifle into the shoulder and starting to look through the scope...just in time to hear his shot and see the animal either fall or do a runner. Needless to say, it annoyed me no end. In the end I politely mentioned to my mate that if the young fella wants to hunt, he should either go alone with his Dad, or learn a little hunting etiquette...I wouldn't hunt with him anymore. As an aside, I made sure the young fella skinned and cleaned everything he shot instead of leaving it for his Dad and I.

Hunting etiquette is a very important part of the sport. If you are not prepared to "play the game" then don't expect to be asked to come with me a second time. This especially includes not approaching the owner of the property I have managed to secure for myself (and invited "you" along for a hunt with me) later and try to arrange access for yourself and another of your mates. This happened on one occasion and I lost access to a great property with a heap of game because the property owner wasn't happy about a few other guys ringing him, dropping my name, and hitting him up for access. Needless to say I "explained" the "error of their ways" to these idiots and they never came with me again. I apologised profusely to the owner, accepted his decision with grace, but also made sure that he was aware of any shortcomings of the other guys. They didn't gain access.

Etiquette...most important...as are the "Rules of Engagement".

Cheers, Vince

slimjim · Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 6:40 am Post subject: Re: Hunting partner

Vince wrote:

I lost access to a great property with a heap of game because the property owner wasn't happy about a few other guys ringing him, dropping my name, and hitting him up for access.

How unfortunate to have others ruin your opportunity! When someone else lets you hunt on their property you can’t do too much to show respect for their land and appreciation for their generosity.

Vince wrote:

Etiquette...most important...as are the "Rules of Engagement".

Agreed!

okiephil · Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 8:06 am Post subject: Re: Hunting partner

Sounds to me like yall hunt to close together, spread out, you cover more territory that way.

Pumpkinslinger · Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 8:52 am Post subject: Re: Hunting partner

As usual, well said Vince!

Aloysius · Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 12:55 pm Post subject: Re: Hunting partner

okiephil wrote:

Sounds to me like yall hunt to close together, spread out, you cover more territory that way.

sorry, but I don't agree. The fun in hunting is not in the harvest or the yield, but in the performance of your dog(s), the result of your plans and the cooperation in your hunting group. Better to have a good group than a good hunting field and poor company.
But here we don't have such a tag-system, so I think for us it's easier to go for a higher goal than just fill your tag or your freezer. I think we are more a kind of farmers, trying to manage wildlife within our own hunting area. So for us it's a sin to shoot a nice roebuck before breeding season, we go for the bad bucks first. Pheasants and hare, we try to shoot the male and safe the females. So only the rooster pheasant and for hare the ones with the ears high up while running away.
I don't say what's better or not, I only got the feeling that there are a lot of diffirences on how we hunt on both sides of the big water. But at the end, we all go out hunting and we all like life and love living it.

tlo7mm · Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 3:56 pm Post subject: Re: Hunting partner

Here dogs are not legal to hunt with first of all. Also Hunting here is not entirely like hunting elsewhere a lot of the time. Most people come here expecting it to be like it is where they are from (my uncles from Texas for example) and they decide that we work to hard for what we get. In some areas we end up doing a lot of "road hunting" which means we drive around checking units and glassing areas a lot. Ours is a rugged country. Not a lot of walking until after the kill.
I am not defending the wrecklessness of my brothers. We do however find the need to have backup shooters sometimes.

Elvis · Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 5:08 pm Post subject: Re: Hunting partner

your last line says it all "back up" is just that or you are hunting together for a team result.

Grant · Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 7:31 am Post subject: Re: Hunting partner

Vince wrote:

A mate I used to hunt with would often take his two sons (14 and 16) with us when we went out. One of his boys wasn't really interested in hunting...just plinking at targets, but the older of the two was a pretty keen hunter.

Cut a long story short, well sorta short...when the mate and I were alone we would take turn about with the shots...unless there were a heap of rabbits, then it was open slather...but his son (who wasn't a bad shot and had eyes like most teenagers - GOOD) would see the game and come up for the shot, regardless of whose "turn" it was. I'm not as quick as him because I am a fairly leisurely hunter...no need to rush these things unless necessary...and I would be settling the rifle into the shoulder and starting to look through the scope...just in time to hear his shot and see the animal either fall or do a runner. Needless to say, it annoyed me no end. In the end I politely mentioned to my mate that if the young fella wants to hunt, he should either go alone with his Dad, or learn a little hunting etiquette...I wouldn't hunt with him anymore. As an aside, I made sure the young fella skinned and cleaned everything he shot instead of leaving it for his Dad and I.

Hunting etiquette is a very important part of the sport. If you are not prepared to "play the game" then don't expect to be asked to come with me a second time. This especially includes not approaching the owner of the property I have managed to secure for myself (and invited "you" along for a hunt with me) later and try to arrange access for yourself and another of your mates. This happened on one occasion and I lost access to a great property with a heap of game because the property owner wasn't happy about a few other guys ringing him, dropping my name, and hitting him up for access. Needless to say I "explained" the "error of their ways" to these idiots and they never came with me again. I apologised profusely to the owner, accepted his decision with grace, but also made sure that he was aware of any shortcomings of the other guys. They didn't gain access.

Etiquette...most important...as are the "Rules of Engagement".

Cheers, Vince

This I completely agree with Vince. Far too many people now a days don't have any etiquette in any aspect of their lives, let alone hunting.

I had an issue with a couple of guys last weekend as I was driving into a hunting spot. They decided they were going to pass me on a single lane dirt road so they could "get in before me", that didn't happen needless to say. If I had been in the second vehicle, I would have turned around and gone somewhere else and maybe, just maybe, come back a few hours later to see if they were still in the area or not.

Practice good hunting etiquette in all aspects of our sport. We're all trying to have a good time out there and we should be both respectful of others and do what we can to make sure others enjoy their time in the woods as much as we do by not doing ignorant things.