I need to whine a bit. UPDATE pg 3
 

So for the past 5 weeks I have spent as much time as possible in the woods. I have killed my best bow buck yet and a couple of feral hogs and one coyote. And this morning I'm really frustrated. My BIL called and told me about the 120" 8 that he shot this morning.
My BIL and I share a 380 acre lease. Just the 2 of us. There is a woodedcreek bottom going through one end of it along a 100 acre pasture. It is "his" area. He is very protective of the area and gets Po'd if I even go near it. This morning was his third hunt. He has spent maybe 10 hours in the woods hunting. No scouting at all. every year he kills a nice deer. I don't even see deer that big on my end of the place let alone have a shot opportunity. He killed the buck with a 30/06 at 150 yds. I have to ask my wife if I can borrow my pair tonight so I can talk to him about setting a bow stand down there. Every other time I've even hinted at it he gets upset. We pay equal amounts for the priveledge to hunt this land I think I deserve an equal opportunity to hunt the best habitat. Tom has been out there for 20 years I have been there for 3. I'm willing to wait until he has a kill and then go in. He has seniority and I've been respectful of his wishes up to this point. I think he needs to be more flexible. What do you think?
BTW, he has a trophy room full of nice bucks. My best is the 84" I killed 2 weeks ago. That is truely a trophy for me but I'd really like to break 100.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

= pay = rights screw who's been there longest.. !

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

I say just discuss it with him as you have here. Tell him you feel entitled to be able to hunt that area also. Or change around the lease details and payments.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

Seems like since he has a good one down he wouldn't care if he was a decent guy at all....

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

You are being hosed my friend.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

What the heck is this just a few little lines on aninternet forum:)

Why didn't you type up our 45 minute phone chat on this very subject this morning:D

You already know my standing on this;)

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

Yeah Russell, after our talk this AM he called just after 8:00 and told me he made the kill at 7:50!

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

That's a tough one, but if you pay half for access to the entire 380, and your name is on the lease as such, then you have the right to hunt anywhere on it!!

I would try whatever possible, to not turn it into a fight, but you have rights too!!

If your talk with him doesn't work, maybe your sister can help him see that he is being unreasonable! Otherwise I'd just say, I'll stay out when your there, but if your not, I'm hunting there! Point blank and period!!

Why bother to pay for it if you can't hunt it?

My $.02!!

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

Well, something I've thought about is just not telling him. He is a firefighter and works 24 on and 48 off. I could hunt the bottom every 3rd day and if I'm careful he'd never know, but I would. I shouldn't have to be sneaky about it. I'm going to talk to him tonight. I hope it doesn't turn into a confrontation.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

I wouldn't be sneaky about it. If he isn't willing to flex a lot I'd suggest finding another lease. This is case and point as to why I never do anything that involves money with family. Bad idea generally.

Tom

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

Firemen have mean tempers (I am one and married to one, I know!), I would tell him, because if he does a mutual and finds you out there on a day you thought he was working, it would end up being worse for you in the long run. Tell him you arent seeing many deeron your half and since you share the rights / cost, you share all the land or you want to re-evaluate the area you hunt to split it for better opportunity.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

Couldn't have said it better, if he argues that tell him to pay for everything next year since you can lease elsewhere.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

Soooo you're saying that you think he has the more prime hunting ground, but it also sounds like he realizes he does as well. If you are paying equally, you should not have the worse of the two habitats. Besides theres more than enough room there for the both of you. With a 30/06 he should be able to kill whatever, whenever anyway I mean geesh...

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

Loved that line, good luck tx....

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

You don't lease a certain portion of the land, you lease the whole thing just like he does. Fair would be for you to have stands in "his" section and he can have stands in yours, and you negotigate who is going to what stand and when. If he's working and you hunt, what's it to him where you hunt on the lease.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

you want uncle vito to pay him a visit?

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

I think you are being way to nice. I would hang a stand where I want or I wouldnt pay anymore

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

This lease is 6 miles from my house. I can hog hunt year round also.It wouldbe hard to walk away. I'll get it straightened out. There may be some hard feelings but I'm gonna get it done!

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

Are there any terrain features that make "his side" better, or just seems like dumb luck? Just curious. If there is an obvious advantage to "his side" (i.e. food, terrain, etc.), he should ease up and give you a fair shake.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

The wooded creek bottom is full of oaks and is a natural travel corridor.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

If he has been hunting the place for 20 years, I would say it is more than dumb luck. It appears to me that he got his BIL (you) to pay half the expense for his lease buttook the good part of the lease for himself.

And to think of all the derogatory jokes made about brothers in law. On what merit?:D

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

I just wish i had your problems....LOL... good luck...

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

yeah Wilk you have a point. I do have it pretty good even if I never hunt that bottom. Thanks for helping me keep things in perspective.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

I say you go tell him where you are going to hunt. You want to bowhunt on the best spots at the best times of the year....period. And you are going to do it. I wish you the best of luck TX and I hope you make your goals.

shadow

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

Unless this guy is just a complete ***hole, I don't see any reason why you couldn't set up a stand 300 yards away from his stands. Especially if you are just going to be bowhunting the area.

I agree with everyone else, sounds he is just using your to pay half of the lease fee.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

greg:

I'm being serious......"I" would ask him what he was afraid would happen if he let me hunt that area. Then wait for him to talk. Don't say anything else.

Let him do all the talking. I think he'll show his hand if you do this.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

As I mentioned to Jeff in a PM If my BIL still balks after the talk I'll try a different approach. Now that I own a tractor and implements I'll put food plots on my end of things next year and try to pull the deer up there>

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

Well, I talked to him last night. At the recommendation of Jeff,(GMMAT), I simply asked my BIL what he was afraid of if I hunted that bottom. He told me he was afraid I would kill "his" deer. This selfish attitude, ( he also told me that I'm being selfish for wanting to hunt in his honey hole), is coming from a man I consider a friend. Had I asked him for a kidney he would ask me which one I'd prefer. This guy offered me several thousand dollars in financial aid when I missed a month of work due to meningitis. He came out in a torrential downpour to tow my dumb a$$ out of a ditch I had foolishly driven into. In any other area of life I could turn to this guy. I would think he would be happy for me to have the opportunity to kill a big deer, and he would be, as long as its not "his" deer.
This is the guy that got me interested in archery 3 1/2 years ago. He got me interested in hunting after I took a 22 year layoff.
I'm not sure what to do. I feel somewhat indebted to him on one hand and on the other feel as if I should have equal rights on the place. I have several options. One is to walk away from the lease after this season. That would be hard to do. It is 6 miles from home, cheap at $500 a year, only hunted by 2, and has hogs I can hunt year round. I would have to find something else similar. Option 2, say to hell with my BIL and hunt where I want to. I would have to live with the loss of a friend then and family gatherings could get a bit tense. Not an option I'm interested in. Option 3, Make the area I hunt desirable to deer. Through the use of food plots and feeders I could try to attract the deer to my end of the lease. I own a tractor and the implements I need to put a bunch of acreage under plots and I have the owners permission. This is the option I'm leaning towards. Although I will be looking at other area properties to see if I can find a similar deal that gives me a better opportunity.
I told my BIL I may be looking for a new lease and he got pretty upset with me for that as well. If I leave the owner will want someone else hunting out there and my BIL will have no say in where on the land they hunt. So he thinks I'll be screwing him out of his sweet spot that way.
So in the interests of whirled peas and global harmony I think I need to start making improvements to my end of the lease. I can have 3 feeders up and running by the weekend. I usually only use feeders for hog hunting but I believe I'll now use them as a deer attractant. (I doubt I'll be hunting over the feeders for all you holier than thou types).
Our discussion ran on and on and was rather heated at times. It turned from hunting to business, ( I subcontract for him), and back to hunting. What a pain in the butt!

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

Oh quit your whining....:Djk man.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

I told you he'd tip his hand. I was also hoping it wouldn't be this outcome. SOrry to hear that. Good luck.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

Tx, now that you put your friendship in perspective, you got to ask, is it worth it to tick off a friend who is there for you in need. Those are rare these days. People goes bonkers over hunting. But in the big scheme of things, aid when you are out of a job is much more sincere gesture.

RE: I need to whine a bit. UPDATE pg 3
 

I would get a new friend. I mean, I have actually passed on bucks that were very nice because I had already killed one that year and let my buddy go and sit in the stand the next time to try and kill him. I get more enjoyment out him killing a good buck than I get out of it.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

Geez..How much success has he had this year compared to you? I believe i have seen you pictured with several hogs and a few deer. He might feel jealous which is leadind to him protecting his little honey hole. He might feel as if the "rookie" that he helped in this sport is surpassing him. I'm sure if you tried to convince him that if the two of you work together on food plots on both sides of the lease, you'll both have a good chance at getting something. Sorry if this stuff has already been said. Good luck


Zach

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

He shot a 123 4/8" buck. I shot 2 feral hogs, a coyote, and a 84" buck.
He consistantly shoots quality deer,(110+), every year. In 5 years on the lease I have SEEN two deer that may go 100". He spent 6 hours on stand so far this year I have spent over 50.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

He sounds like a lot of people I've seen over the years. He wants to hog all the good spots for himself and be the top dog. I'd say you two need to have some sort of rules to level the playing field. I can see not screwing upa good stand site of his, but he can't reserve the choice half of 300 acres. Put a reasonable minimum distance between stands and help each other, not hold one back. That said, he doesn't get these nice bucks year after year simply because he has the choice area. You know the old saying about the grass always being greener. If you have sign in your area the same deer are there more than likely. 300 acres isn't big enough to prevent deer traveling it all. You say it's the area, he probably says(and I expect he's close to right) that it's the hunter. There are NO lucky hunters that score year after year. The rifle bit doesn't impress me but you know what I mean. I'd ease in a little closer to him and try not to mess up his setups. You say he hasn't hunted much. That doesn't matter if you do the homework and there are deer there. Sometimes NOT hunting because of wind or whatever is the wiser choice to ensure success later on.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

You are right. I am disappointed but is it worth his friendship? No, just something I need to learn to live with. That is why I think my best option is to make improvements.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

That's ok, once he sees the Booners you'll be dragging out in the next couple years from your side, he'll even walk you to his honey hole stand.:D;)

It's too bad that you two weren't able to work something out. But you have your priorities straight and know it's not worth losing a friend over. Go ahead and start plowing and planting, the deer will come if it's the nearest available food option for them.

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

i am on the other side of the fence here. if i undertand this right, your BIL has been hunting the same spot for 20 years, youve been hunting it for 4 and now you want to hunt his spot?

i would be pissed if i was him, too. on less than 400 acres, the only reason he's CONSISTENTLY seeing more and better deer is because he's doing something your not. I share 300+- acres with a couple of my cousins. every year for the past 20 i get a decent buck from "my" spot. And every year they horn in a little closer, encroaching "my " area, and it's getting old. this year i found my cousins tree stand less than 50 yards from my stand. WHY?

I'm just trying to show it from a different perspective. 400 acres is small, man. All the deer he shoots could just as easily walked in front of you.

Just my .02

thanks
moose

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

I like Option 3, pull the deer and tell him to stay out of "your" area!;)

RE: I need to whine a bit.
 

I agree with Rob on this one. Plus, it is never good to piss off the in-laws. I hope everything works out for you this season Greg. Hopefully he will come to his senses and share the spot a little. We had the same problem opening weekend on our lease. Two of the guys wanted to hunt a certain spot until I pulled out the contract all three of us signed that says the stands will be hunted over equally and no man has "his" stand. The standsare everyones. Best of luck to ya.