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.

I would have dropped him:D

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I think you made the right decision.

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.

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. :sad0064:

Lanse, before this incident occured, the man's older son and I did communicate. We agreed not to shoot across the line, but if a deer that was shot crossed the line, it could be retrieved without asking. The other son is the one who allowed his young son to shoot the doe on my property. The landowner and his older son were not too happy at all with what happened. I never saw him hunt the property again after that happened. I guess the father made his point clear. I don't have to deal with him anymore. He moved to Ark. several years ago and doesn't hunt his fathers property anymore. The landowner and I have mutual respect for each others property and we get along great with each other. I didn't want to disrespect him by shooting across the fence.

Superstrutter, feel good about yourself! Charactor. Some have it, some don't. You have it!

God you got blinders on. I said in the I the hypothetical situation I would. Never saw a rule or reg that said thought crime made you guilty of poaching (only in Orwell's 1984). But in my posts I also said I don't put stands in positions that make that situation come up. I do have a stand on property line this year. The property on the east I had permission 4 years back, but the owner ha moved to Florida and I have no way of contacting him. But you have said it is okay to shoot on the east side of my setup since I had permission several years back

I'm not touching this one with a 10 foot pole after the last thread. Have at it.