ORIGINAL: captain backstrap
My hunting friends (who think we're "buddies") have not a clue when it comes to what I'm actually doing regarding deer hunting or preparation.
This reads like your not really "buddies" at all..........even though they see you as a "buddy".........perhaps if they knew everything you kept from them they might have a different opinion.
I usually hide my truck and sneak in and out of the woods............... I have nothing to hide, I just don't like for anybody to know my business.
You say you have nothing to hide...........right after telling us you hide and sneak.
If anybody asks me if I've seen anything I always say , "Nothing to speak of" and leave it at that. I don't really lie, I just don't volunteer all the truth.
You are lying............it's OK..........I wouldn't blab to every stranger I saw at the local coffee shop either. When it comes to family and close friends if your answer is the same then that's a different story.
The closest I come to sharing all of this with anyone is my two brothers who also hunt the property, but guess what! Last season I saw a MONSTER 160 class 5x5 with a sticker and NEITHER one of them knows about it to this day. I just don't talk about a lot of stuff.
You don't think this sounds like someone who wants that deer for himself and ONLY himself...........If you would truely be happy to see one of your brothers kill that buck they would know about it by now.
When I kill a deer I always cover it up in the back of my truck and try to drive out when noone is around. So far so good.
Didn't you say something about having nothing to hide??
I've been this way since I started bowhunting at age 9! It just seems to be the way I am, I can't help it.
Am I weird or can any of you guys relate????????????
You asked...........I'm just being honest.
Whew!! I wish you would go back and READ my post, not READ INTO it. There's a big difference.
Sorry if it's not the response you wanted...................you painted the picture and that's how I saw it.
Of course I want them to be succesful, the more the merrier, but I also want them to do it from their own treestand, not mine. What you don't know atlasman, is that we hunt on over 6,000 acres. There's only a handful of people who hunt this property, so there's PLENTY of room for people to find their own spot.
Their success is only OK with you if it doesn't effect you in any way??
In fact, both of my brothers are older than me and have hunted longer and are more than capable of finding and hunting their own place, but respect for my hunting ability , laziness, and lack of courtesy causes them to crowd in on me. I don't do that to them or anyone else.
A simple chat on common curtesy would probably clear that up over morning coffee.
When they do kill a big buck, nobody is happier for them than I am.
As long as you didn't see him first right?
I never said I wanted everything for myself, I never said I didn't want anyone else to shoot anything, but I would like to be able to hunt without being intruded on, and in my situation that means keeping information to myself. If I could tell my brothers what I see and not have them crowd me, I certainly would.
I guess that's where we are different............I saw a nice buck 2 years ago that kept avoiding me........and in a small plot of woods no less!! He was always juuuuust out of reach. I took both my brothers with me and set up a gauntlet so he wouldn't be able to slip by........my oldest bro got busted drawing and we didn't see him again for about 10 days...............when my good friend killed him from the exact tree I sit in. We were all thrilled that someone got him and I couldn't care less that he took him from my tree............I did 90% of the legwork on that deer but was thrilled when I saw him in the truck......even if it wasn't my truck
Also keep in mind my brothers and I have all killed a lot of deer.
So have we
I drive 1-1/2 hours to get where I hunt, I sacrifice a lot of money, time and sleep.
Our drives are 1-2 hours depending on which area............I can relate.
I just wanted to clarify atlasman, because I'm sure you are level headed and had simply misunderstood and I don't want you to have the wrong impression. If I did want "everything to myself" and was jealous of them and did not want them to have success, then I agree with you that would be wrong. But I assure you that's not the case. I would be tickled pink if they killed twice as many bucks as me and if they were all bigger than mine, just not sitting in my stand doing it while I had to work.(which has happened). I also spend a lot of time trying to help them scout new areas. I WANT them to be successful, but I'd rather them do it at my help, not my expense.
I understand what you are saying and I think you would be much better served having this conversation with your brothers and friends.........instead of a bunch of strangers on the net