Here's the story. I am deer hunting for the first time
EVER this year. I have gone out 3 times so far since archery season started here in KS. I teamed up with a fellow from my work who has deer hunted for 8 years. He has family property in western KS and has hunted public land around here years ago. I was able to get permission for both of us to hunt 100 acres 1 1/2hr north of where I live and have gained permission for more property 1 1/2 hrs south of here as well.
Last Saturday we went to the north property.We are hunting from ground blinds on this property and only about 60 yards from each other. I watched as a fork horn buck walkedin to 20 yards from my fellow hunter. My heart started racing since I have the only archery tag between us. He got spooked and ran away. If the deer hadwalked past him, I would have had a 30-40 yard shot.
Later that day, we went down to the south property and looked it over. We found out that the farmer had been putting out corn to keep the deer from eating his beans. Deer have already destroyed a bean field to the east of this farmer (supposedly 50-60 deer were seen 2 weeks ago in the field). Thisfarmer also counted 16 does last Thursday on his35 acre property and considers this a problem. He was happy to have us hunt his land.
Sunday morning we went back down and set up in tree stands the farmer already had set up.We were set up on opposite ends, the southand north end of this field, roughly 300-400 yards apart both facing into the field. At 8:40 AM I heardthe signal that my fellow hunter had taken a doe. According to the farmer, the deer normally should/would have traveled to the north end where I was set up, they never did. Later I found out, two does and 2 fawns showed up on the south end, only 3 of them left the field. Oh, I left out that we set in the rain for about an hour before he shot this doe.
I was happy for him to harvest a deer, but was sad that I did not.
Because it was raining and
he did not have any rain gear, I chose not to go back out in the evening. This also allowed us to get back home early since it we were out late the night before and we both had to work Monday.
When we got back to town, he gave the deer away to a co-worker. I asked him why he gave the doe away. He said because both he and his wife have firearm tags for section 1 in western KS.The other day he asked meto consider going back down this weekend. Now, I find out hehas told another coworker that he would give them a deer.
I told him that that I would go back down this weekend, but that if he got another doe and I cameback empty handed that I would not take him down there again. He asked me today if I was serious about saying that yesterday. I said that I was. He of course feels that I am being a ridiculous and that I should not act this way. Today he said that he might as well not go down then. Because I am much heavier then him, the tree stand he was in will not support my weight. So, we cannot just switch ends of the field. His attitude is that if a doe walks past him again, he
will take the shot.
My feeling on it: he knows I have never taken a deer and he could have passed up the shot to give me an opportunity to harvest my first deer. All 3 times I have went deer hunting, it was with him.
I have spent the last
2 years, getting ready to try my hand at deer hunting.
I was the person who asked permission for us to hunt on these lands. I feel he at least owes me the
chance to either bag my first deer or miss.
What would you do in my position???