bryant1

I would have dropped him

Lanse couche couche

This is a good illustration of the need for communication among neighborhing landowners. Things like shooting across property lines, right of retrieval, etc. should be settled before the season even starts.

valor10

I don't think you had a wrong choice in this situation. Just whatever you personally were comfortable with. As stated, you were given permission to hunt his land, but you declined. Still, I doubt the landowner would have cared if you changed your mind with this buck. I think you made the right choice though. My experience, you start hunting your neighbors land, maybe some more of his kin start hunting your land again.

superstrutter

I had the crosshairs on the bucks shoulder. I squeezed the trigger, but purposely left the safety on. I wanted to shoot the buck, but decided not to. My neighbor probably would not have said anything if I had, but I didn't want to put our friendship at risk. Afterall, it wasn't he who shot the doe on my property. He probably would have never known, but it just wasn't right IMO to shoot over the line. As I watched the buck walk into the woods, I thought to myself, I just blew a perfect opportunity at a great buck. I second guessed myself all day, but in the end was satisfied with my decision. I was rewarded a few weeks later in the same stand when another nice 8 point walked out on the line. This time he was on my side of the fence. It wasn't the same deer, but he was a very nice buck with a 19 1/2 spread that scored 125. I know many people would have shot the buck, and that is fine, but I just decided not to.

Firehawk7309

Personally, I would have shot that deer. You were granted permission. If it had been awhile since you spoke with the neighbor, take a backstrap over and talk about it.

teedub31

I am suprised by some (valor) that think just because a guy gave you permission to hunt years back (which you declined) means you have permission in present day. I was always taught that you got permission each year.

I had some property that I had permission to hunt about 10 years ago. I moved and got new ground closer to home. Now since I had permisssion to hunt it back then you are saying I have permission now??????

When does the statute of limitations run out on permission to hunt ground.

valor10

After reading your comments in the other thread, what would you care about permission in the first place? You'd shoot across the property line at a deer and think nothing of it, whether you had permission or not. That's what poachers do, right? Where I'm from, a man's word, is a man's word. I didn't know there was a "stature of limitations" on that.

FlDeerman

I think you made the right decision.

daleheth

I would have taken the shot, provided that there was no one hunting on his side of the fence.mostly because of the fact that I wouldn't like someone shooting a dear from underneath me. In PA, where I hunt it is legal to shoot across fencelines.

superstrutter

The landowner does hunt there, but he wasn't there at the time. Just because he wasn't there doesn't make it right to shoot one across the fence on his property. Would you want someone shooting a deer across the line on your property? I highly doubt it. I can't believe any state would allow someone to shoot a deer across a bounday line on anothers property. That is rediculous. Even if it's legal, it's still not right. The man told me at the time I could hunt his property. I told him it's okay because I have enough property to hunt. He was doing it as a nice gesture because of what his son did, but I believe he, like most other landowners, would not really appreciate someone shooting a deer (big buck) across a fence on his property. We get along great. I go to his house and visit with him quite often. He even lets me use his tractor to bush hog my property. I wasn't willing to risk our friendship for one buck, although I would have really liked to have taken that buck. BTW, I never saw that buck again.