non-hypothetical question (scenerio)
 

Since we are discussing situations, here is one for everybody. Bear with me here. I have to go back a few years to get to the present. Several years ago I took my nephew to my property on a youth gun hunt. We were on a powerline-pipeline that runs through my property. I noticed the landowners son and his son hunting across the fenceline about 700 yards down the line. I watched a doe and her two fawns walk out on the line on my side of the fence. They were about 500 yards from me and my nephew, so we just watched them cross. They stopped and about that time, boom, pause, boom, and on the third boom I could tell the doe was hit. I was watching the whole thing through my bino's. The deer were clearly on my property. The father and son were in a stand about 150 yards from the fence-property line. The deer were about 75 yards on my side. To make a long story short, I walked down the line and let him know what I thought. I told him this is not a very good lesson you are teaching your son. He said I didn't know you were hunting on the line. What difference does that make. You allowed your young son to shoot a deer on my property without permission. I do realize they are not "my" deer, but they were on my property. I didn't want to overreact in respect for his young son and my nephew. I didn't cause a scene. I have had trouble with this guy in the past. Since then he has moved. His father, who I get along with great, was pretty pissed at him. He was very sorry for what his son did and told me I could hunt his property if I liked. I told him don't worry about it. I have plenty of land to hunt. Fast forward a few years. I'm hunting a tripod on the line. This stand is 158 yards from the fenceline that separates our properties. About 8:30 one morning a great 8 point walks out about 50 yards across the fence on the other property. He looks to have close to a 20 inch spread. This is a great good buck for this area. Remembering what had happened a few years back, I put the crosshairs behind his shoulder, but it just didn't feel right to shoot him across the property line. I wanted him bad though. I had to make a decision. Question is, what would you do? Considering what had happened a few years ago, would you shoot the buck? I will let you know what I did later. I just want to know what you would have done. Be honest. Lets try to stay civil on this one.

Tough call, but since you did have perrmission at least at one time to hunt the other property, but to take a shot as payback would not be right. A friend who owns 80 acres across the road from our lease has the right shoot across a fence line but not to hunt there...

If you have permission to hunt that property its a no brainer you shoot the buck

I think your first mistake was saying no when he offered you permission to hunt there-then there would be no question whether to shoot it or not-or whether it was ok.

Very well said CI. I agree 100%.

thats a tough one...I would probably have not taken the shot.

I wouldn't want to be in debt to that guy after you made the shot (by in debt I mean give him the feeling that it's alright to shoot across eachother's property lines). If you wanted to maintain a property relationship where you both respect the line strictly, you cannot take the shot.

I guess I'd have to let him walk.

In Iowa you could have shot across the property line, but that law has changed last year.