RE: My eyes were opened.....Am I selfish?
To me, I guess it depends on whether you consider these guys (and they consider you) "friend" or not, as to whether I think it's selfish, or not.
If these are just some guys you know and you want to engage their service at killing some doe(s), ina hunt in which you may or may not join them, then I can understand your point.
However,as a friend, I don't think youshould ever put restrictions on another, if the only reason to do it was so that you could possibly have an opportunity at the same animal you asked your "friend" to pass on. What's more important? A friend? or a deer???
I had a good friend growing up whose family farm bordered my family farm. We hunted and fished together a lot growing up and although deer weren't extremely numerous on our farms in those days, we had both killed deer on the other's farm with no problem. We used to talk as young adults about getting another place jointly together. My friend graduated from college and started making real money before I did. He went with his brothers (who I also hunted with a lot, back in "the day") and bought some land. He called me up right after they closed on it and I expressed how happy I was for him.
Then he said " In a year or two you can come hunt with us on this new property...after we get our (their) "spots" picked out." I said "ok, sure" but later decided "forget that". After thinking about it for a while, I asked myself what kind of friend would say that. In the grand scheme of things, who cares who gets what spot? god forbid his friend should have a better "spot" than him. Like our "spots" had to be permanently assigned or something.
I ended up buying some other land jointly with some other guys I know as a kind of club. We are each allowed to takeone guest per hunt. The first yearwe ever hunted it, I took a good friend of mine. He went up a hollow that looked good to him and killed a really nice buck. Ever since then, most times when he goes with me or another friend of his that's also an owner, he goes up that same hollow usually. Heck we've even named it "Dave's hollow" andusually stay away from it if he happens to be out with us that day. No big deal. He's my friend. I'm just as happy to see the look on his face after he's killed something as I am to kill it myself.
That's what friends are for.
Sorry so long