A friend of mine asked me if I would like to be go on a bowhunting deer drive over the weekend, I had never went on such an adventure but told him I would show up, although I'd be a couple hours late, the following morning. I had questions about the whole thing right after the call ended, but decided since I had a tag left and I hadn't had time to get out much lately it wouldn't hurt to check it out.
When I arrived at the meeting point, three guys I hadn't met before were just about to drive the adjacent timber, they told me that they had about 20 hunters total and they were already set up on the timber, I agreed to sit tight to cover anything that might come out from behind them. I had many chances to take some good shots at several does and a 160 class 12 point, for some reason I didnt feel comfortable with the whole thing and didnt shoot at any of the deer, hard to do when you're drawn on a buck that size at abt 35 yrds broadside. I headed back to my truck just watching all the deer that had slipped by the drivers.
A little while later some of the other hunters were arriving back at the meeting point. I only knew a few of the guys there and had never done any hunting with them before. Alot of what was done and said at that point really bothered me.
First off out of the 20 guys there I was the only one that was sober (this is around 10 am) and I'm not talking about a couple guys having an early beer; but everyone had a 12 pack with them, some guys riding around in their trucks with beer cans sitting in the can holders. I dont have a problem with guys drinking, I enjoy having a few beers with my friends just as much as anyone else. BUT there is a time and place for drinking, in my opinion it is after the day is done and when you are far away from any bows, guns, knives or any other weapons.
Next I was talking to a couple of the guys and asked them if anyone had any luck, they said they had hit at least four deer that morning but were unable to find any of them. Its one thing to hit a deer and not find it after hours of tracking, it is an entirely different thing to have it happen 4 times in about 3 hours, regardless how may people are hunting together.
The next subject that came up really pissed me off. One of the "hunters" was talking about how he killed a doe earlier this season with his four wheeler. He said he basically ran up on the back of the deer and just sat there with the animal under the four wheeler, alive, until his friends got there so they couldn,t say he made it up. Not only is this highly illegal but it is totally unbelievable that some jackass would have the nerve to do something so ignorant and cruel. No one else seemed to share my mentality, so I left.
The first thing that came to mind was to inform the DNR, after a lot of thought I decided not to. I feel ****ty that I didnt, these "hunters" are the kinda people who deserve a nice visit from a conservation officer, but I am not the kind of person who tells other people what they should and should not do, no matter how ignorant (unless they are a very good friend or family).
I am wondering if anyone else out there has had a similar experience and how they handled the situation.