Questions and story about ethics
Had a strange day today.. 2nd day of Michigan deer firearm season hunting on my uncle's farm. My dad hunts at their family camp and me and my brother stay around home and hunt on the farm property. We have this one neighbor who is a big hunter too and we've always suspected him of shooting deer out of the farm field. Although every year he always asks permission from my uncleto enter the property to "track" stray wounded deer.Last year he put up a big shack on the north line of his 40 right by the south endof ourfields. We always put a shack in the back field to deter him from possibly shooting any deer on our property. My brother has been scouting a nice buck crossing there and chasing does in the mornings so I felt it was a good place to sit this year. It faced north because I didnt want to make the neighbor think I would shoot in his direction. Anyway, this morning I spoted a nice buck tending a doe about 200 yards north of me. It was too far a shot with the gun I had so I was patient and hoping the doe would get moving. I could see the neighbor behind me also watching this buck! After a half hour a loud shot, then 3 more!!!The buck hunched over and staggered! I looked back and was shocked to see him drawing his gun out from the window. He was in an elevated shack and nearly was shooting over me some 250 yards to the buck. I was scared and left the gun in my shack as I walked back to my atv. I drove up to the barn to tell my uncle about what happened and how he shot a deer from the property. Next I looked with binoculars to see the deer bedded in the filed still, so I went back to my shack, got my gun and put it out of its misery as it struggled to get up. The neighbor then walked over appologizing saying he didnt know I was in the shack and actuallybeing pretty nice. He had no argument in me tagging the big deer, and I was damn sure not going to let him have it! This was the biggest buck I ever tagged, but its a shame how I feel about it. Its such a bad experience and the feeling of a tarnished hunt. I felt if it was wrong to shoot and tag someone elses wounded animal... but then he had no right to shoot it on someone elses property. I don't know, but its hard to believe that this guy could have been doing this for years and getting away with it. This time he was caught red-handed. But I cant sit every day and babysit this area of the field to make sure he dont do it again. Im not sure if I should grow a hedge or what.... Its too bad how some people so disregard ethics like that.