How would you guy’s handle this.
 

I have 250 acres available to hunt. 130 of it, is mine the rest is another guy’s. There are 5 guy’s and 2 women that bow hunt it. The 2 women that hunt 1 is my wife and the other is the other land owners wife. The 3 other guy’s that hunt 1 is his friend and the other 2 are mine.
When it comes time to do the work, cutting & splitting firewood, planting food plots, hanging tree stands my 2 friends never show up. I call them and ask them for help and they always come up with some excuse. The other land owner is getting frustrated with these guy’s also. Come the end of September my phone is ringing off the hook are we set for hunting when can I come up.

The question is do I give these guy’s the boot and invite other people or do I just keep my mouth shut. Or give me some other opinions.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

That is a tough one man. My thoughts on this is to let them hunt this one last year; however mention to them the situation and if they do not help out next year they are going to have to try to find some other place to hunt.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

Maybe this year when they're calling asking when they can come hunt, tell them that you guys did all the work and things are ready, but if things continue to work this way, with you doing all the work and them not helping out, that next year you will be looking for someone else that is willing to lend a hand in the off season. and if they still don't think they need to help next year give 'em the boot.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

Well the way it normally works on any lease, you have to do the work inorder to hunt the land. If they arent doing the work that needs to be done to EARN the PRIVLIDGE to hunt, then they dont hunt, simple as that.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

Thats the perfect way to handle it. If they dont put forth any effort, why should they reap the rewards?

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

I would give them the boot. Lazy excuse makers don't have a place here.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

Tell them that the land is ready for "me" to hunt, just not "you", and then tell them why. They have you doing all the work, & they know it.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

An ultimatum is definitely in order.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

Beupfront andstraightforward with them. If they don't pitch in they loose thier prevelge's to the place. Plain and simple.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

This is not a tough one. You really cannot do anything about it this season, because their hunting plans are made and it would be too wrong to screw a guy's hunting season up (for whatever reason). However, after the season I would sit your buddies down, drink and cold beer and explain some "rules" to them. I had some friends that done pretty much the same thing to me, I ran all of the trail camera, hung all the stands, planted all the food plots. They showed up and killed deer. I went the route of keeping my mouth shut and it destroyed our friendship, I do not talk to either one of this to this day and that 5 years ago I stopped hunting with them.

Just let your friends know that there is more to deer hunting that sitting in a tree and shooting a deer. Explain that this is not an "outfitted" hunt and if they want to hunt, they have to work. Schedule "work" days during the spring and summer and make so many "mandatory" to gain hunting access. After all you own the land, so your rules. Good luck!

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

If they are friends, it will be hard for you to boot them off. I think you should give them the ultimatum of doing their share of the work or they won't hunt next year. In the mean time, maybe you can come up with a few excuses of your own to limit thier time in the woods this year. Something else to consider is this, how much was your time in the offseason worth? Let your friends hunt and they can be responsible for most or all of the costs for the year. Let them pay for feed, fuel, meat processing, maybe even a shoulder mount, etc. Hit em in the pocetbook and they may want to get off thier butts next year.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

Sounds like good suggestions. Now is a tough time to boot them, but I would make it clear about next year.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

Drag your feet a little. Make them wait until the later part of the season. The "workers" should get the time to get the deer first and if there is time remaining in the season, then take them. Then would be a perfect time to say if you ever want to hunt here again, the dues need to be paid.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

Some thing along the lines of earn a buck might work.[:-]

A day of labor for a week of hunting or how ever you want to work it out. Or if they don't want to spend the day helping they can can buy the day for $100.00 bucks.To earn their week of hunting.
Some people have no Idea how much work & money it takes to maintain food plots.Taxes and tractor fuel & seed all add up.
They Wanna playthey gotta pay.:)

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

I would try and talk it over with them.... Hard subject to bring up - you say they are friends, so I'm also guessing you would liketo not be a total jerk about it? Butlending a handis the least they can do - time theystart pulling their weight.

Do you ride up together - to your hunting spot? If so, thatcould be a nice time to have a "heart to heart" discussion with them about it. With all the work that needs to be done, say that you and the other owner have agreed that you needsome help from the people that hunt the land..... No help, no hunting..... In a kinda nice way you can tell them they better save some weekends to help out, if they want to hunt next year;)

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

My question is, how good of friends are they? I'd be honest andgive them an ultimatum....tell them the landowner is pissed at their lack of accountability, and he feels like they are moochers. Make em feel a little pain this year, like NO HUNTING the first week or whatever - something. Maybe it will help, and if it doesn't....bye bye. Whatever you decide, don't let THEMend up affectingYOU andyour situation with the landowner. Honestly....I've disassociated myself with the slackers over the years, I don't have time for it. Thats in all areas of life, business, hunting, sports, whatever. Everyone should be willing to pull their weight. Good luck, sorry to hear you're in that spot.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

I wasn't going to cut them out this year.I think that would be wrong on many levels. I did tell them if I'm not there they can't hunt.That kind of pissed 1 guy off because he had plans to hunt 1 weekend that I'm not going.

I thought that next year I wouldn't call anybody and see if they call me. If they call and come up to help then they could hunt. If they don't call until September well I guess they will be out of luck.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

I dont care what anyone says...hunting is NOT a leizure sport. Tell em its time to straighten up or get the heck out.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

Brutal honesty. It's not always easy, but it's the easiest way to get something right.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

Not a chance.

They are big boys. They can take care of themselves. Like someone else said, "you reap what you sow".

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

That's crazy, they don't realize how good they have it, and are spoiled in my opinion. Most guys wouldbend over backwardsfor a place of that size to hunt for no more than helping out during the off season. It sucks they even put you this position.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

:DFor me it is easy my friends know I am a jerk and straight forward. I would just be like need some money or help, or I hear there is some good gamelands down the road.:DI do 95% of the work by myself on my spots and the only other people who I allow to hunt without help is family.( Ex. Wife and her 15 yr old brother or friends from out of town)

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

Thanks for the replies guy's. All the answer's are pretty much the same. I think I'm right to just cut the ties after this season and move on. I just need to find people with the same amout of passion.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

pick me....pick me....pick me;)

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

Hook me up with an IL spot and we can talk.;)

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

Easy for me Dan. Boot 'em!

Those are like "friends" who don't help you move. Not worth my time. Shouldn't be your time either.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

I can relate to your situation all too well bud. There are four people that hunt at our hunting club. Three of us do all the work, clean out shooting lanes, hang stands, cut the firewood, etc. etc. Then, come hunting season, the fourth member comes over and expects us to direct him to where our scouting has found the big bucks to be and gets all bent out of shape anytime we don't give a rundown of our hunting strategies of the day. Even worse than that, the three of us that do all of the work never bring other people in to hunt, its somewhat of a family hunt club and through four generations it has been this way. Well, the lazy-bum who never comes over except during rifle week also insists up on trying to bring his buddies over to share his "hunting experience." Unfortunately, in our situation, we don't have the authority to give him the boot.

If I were you, I'd try and sit down and talk to the other folks and if nothing changes give them the boot!

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

"That kind of pissed 1 guy off because he had plans to hunt 1 weekend that I'm not going"

That is enough for me to tell them what I think about their lack of help. If your paying the lease bill or taxes either one on a property and can get the work done on your own, move on and let them find their own property to hunt. For them to somehow feel entitled to hunt would not set well with me, unless they are investing something into the opportunity. I can't imagine any of my real friends not being willing to help with summer chores when they knew I was allowing them to hunt. My actual friends would be there before me. I can think of several people that I know who would expect to hunt without any investment, but I wouldn't call them friends and I wouldn't invite them to hunt.

Unless there are other circumstances that we couldn't possibly understand over an internet forum, I'd tell them to take a hike.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

I have passion!:D

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

I say boot the 2 guys.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

Dude you know you have a standing invite. Anytime just let me know.

RE: How would you guy’s handle this.
 

Well, it sounds like they havent just started doing this to you...so if it was me id leave them with no where to hunt this season, give them some time to think so maybe they can change their ways in the future.