Hunting Buddy or Partner?
10-29-2003, 03:55 PM
#1
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 6,921
Hunting Buddy or Partner?
I have a situation that has got me miffed and thinking. Without going into grave details I would like to here comments on hunting with others.
I have guys who are hunting buddies, guys you go out with and hunt but don' t really share ideas, spots, etc...just a hunting companion really. Then their are a select few who you hunt and share with every detail. the ones that work with you and you with them to achieve your goals. Tthe kinds that come with you even when they don' t have a tag and are as happy or happier for you harvesting a nice deer as if they did themselves. I think it is essential to hunt with guys you trust and are on the same page as you, but still there are those who you hold closer or share more with. I have been fortunate to have a couple of hunting partners over the years, the ones that in which I am speaking of. However just this year one of those partners turned to foe and didn' t keep up his end of the bargain..in fact weasling around behind my back in hopes of tagging a bigger deer than me. Something I am not concerned about and had he done it the way we normally did, I would, be tinkled that he took a great deer...it is what I had hoped for and why I shared ideas with him. unfortunately for lack of my blinders he didn' t feel the same and it took a few other guys to make me realize what the score was. I feel like a guy who lost his wife, gf or dog been snowed over by a guy I called my best friend. Yes i gave him a piece of my mind when I found out what was happening and he seemed unfazed and really felt like he could care less. Well I guess our friendship has ceased after 20 plus years and all over a stupid deer
][:' (]
How do you determine when a hunting partner goes back to just a buddy? Is their truly a difference? What would you do in this situation? I hunt a lot alone, as does he but we always shared experiences to try and help each others success. Over the years we have both learned a lot form each other but is it wrong for me to assume our friendship has changed? Should I have said oh well " Thats Hunting" ? Being walked over is not my strong suit and I usually come out swinging when I realize I have been had, sorry for the rant but am at a loss.
Thanks for your time and thoughts.
Good hunting!
I have guys who are hunting buddies, guys you go out with and hunt but don' t really share ideas, spots, etc...just a hunting companion really. Then their are a select few who you hunt and share with every detail. the ones that work with you and you with them to achieve your goals. Tthe kinds that come with you even when they don' t have a tag and are as happy or happier for you harvesting a nice deer as if they did themselves. I think it is essential to hunt with guys you trust and are on the same page as you, but still there are those who you hold closer or share more with. I have been fortunate to have a couple of hunting partners over the years, the ones that in which I am speaking of. However just this year one of those partners turned to foe and didn' t keep up his end of the bargain..in fact weasling around behind my back in hopes of tagging a bigger deer than me. Something I am not concerned about and had he done it the way we normally did, I would, be tinkled that he took a great deer...it is what I had hoped for and why I shared ideas with him. unfortunately for lack of my blinders he didn' t feel the same and it took a few other guys to make me realize what the score was. I feel like a guy who lost his wife, gf or dog been snowed over by a guy I called my best friend. Yes i gave him a piece of my mind when I found out what was happening and he seemed unfazed and really felt like he could care less. Well I guess our friendship has ceased after 20 plus years and all over a stupid deer![
][:' (]How do you determine when a hunting partner goes back to just a buddy? Is their truly a difference? What would you do in this situation? I hunt a lot alone, as does he but we always shared experiences to try and help each others success. Over the years we have both learned a lot form each other but is it wrong for me to assume our friendship has changed? Should I have said oh well " Thats Hunting" ? Being walked over is not my strong suit and I usually come out swinging when I realize I have been had, sorry for the rant but am at a loss.
Thanks for your time and thoughts.
Good hunting!
10-29-2003, 07:42 PM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Hays Kansas USA
Posts: 87
RE: Hunting Buddy or Partner?
Well i think your gut feeling sums it up. If he stabbed you in the back once dont pull the knife out and give it back to him. I do beleive this may be a rare case however and i would still look for another to share the hunt with, because, to me anyway, that is one of the most important part.
[&:]Keep your chin up and mabye smack him on his!
[&:]Keep your chin up and mabye smack him on his!
10-29-2003, 09:01 PM
#4
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: fort mcmurray alberta canada
Posts: 5,667
RE: Hunting Buddy or Partner?
The hardest thing to find is a good hunting partner.I thought I had one for a few years but he got lazy and didn' t want to put any effort into hunting.I was fortunate to find two new hunters last year that are really into hunting and are happy to do their share and are very willing to learn.I am hopeful that they will become long term hunting partners.Other than that my only long term hunting partner is my father who is 72 this year and only hunts deer so I only get to hunt with him for a week each year.When a hunting partner shows someone else my spots he is no longer a hunting partner or a buddy for that matter.
10-29-2003, 09:48 PM
#5
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 6,921
RE: Hunting Buddy or Partner?
Thanks guys. I haven' t lost faith in hunting partners I am fortunate to have another guy who I hooked up with a few years ago, we are very similar in hunting styles and it has been 50/50 on info and work thus far. It just burns my butt he would do some very foolish things to ruin a good relationship in and out of the field. For god sakes we were the best man at each others wedding! I am serious about hunting but if a deer effected my life in a way that would make me do things to jeopardize those I care for I would say it is time for a re-evalaution and gut check!
My back is healing and I will move on, plenty of fish in the sea
My back is healing and I will move on, plenty of fish in the sea
10-29-2003, 11:26 PM
#6
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location:
Posts: 342
RE: Hunting Buddy or Partner?
I can understand what you' re saying, skeeter. I had a hunting partner that was one of my best friends, but didn' t share the same dedication and die-hard attitude I have towards deer hunting. He wanted badly to shoot a deer, but didn' t want to put as much time and effort into it as I had.
I took him to a nice spot I had scouted, with the agreement that he would only hunt there if he was with me, and would tell nobody else about it. He agreed. A week or so later, he was hunting my spot while I wanted to give the area a break. He had told his non-local buddies all about it, and they had formed their own plan on how to hunt it. Basically, my " buddy" was in place as a dogger to drive the deer out of " my" area and to where his other buddies were sitting. I have since abandoned that spot, and will maybe never hunt there again. I don' t think I will be taking him along this year!
I took him to a nice spot I had scouted, with the agreement that he would only hunt there if he was with me, and would tell nobody else about it. He agreed. A week or so later, he was hunting my spot while I wanted to give the area a break. He had told his non-local buddies all about it, and they had formed their own plan on how to hunt it. Basically, my " buddy" was in place as a dogger to drive the deer out of " my" area and to where his other buddies were sitting. I have since abandoned that spot, and will maybe never hunt there again. I don' t think I will be taking him along this year!
10-30-2003, 08:04 AM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 3,406
RE: Hunting Buddy or Partner?
Skeeter:
I honestly cannot say I have been in your position and hopefully I never will. I can certainly understand how this would affect you and your feeling to this other friend. I have been hunting with my sons and other buddies for many years and we continue to have the " we" attitude. When one of us gets a deer, " we" have tagged and it is shared by all. We are always on the same page, and share hunting and scouting informatiom freely. It is what this thing we can hunting is all about. I hope things turn out for the best for you...Good Luck in 2003 and Happy Hunting....Jimmy S
I honestly cannot say I have been in your position and hopefully I never will. I can certainly understand how this would affect you and your feeling to this other friend. I have been hunting with my sons and other buddies for many years and we continue to have the " we" attitude. When one of us gets a deer, " we" have tagged and it is shared by all. We are always on the same page, and share hunting and scouting informatiom freely. It is what this thing we can hunting is all about. I hope things turn out for the best for you...Good Luck in 2003 and Happy Hunting....Jimmy S
10-30-2003, 09:57 AM
#8
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 259
RE: Hunting Buddy or Partner?
Wow seems like I had the same exact experience. And I mean almost to the T. My
X-hunting buddy left me to pay and go hunt on a girlfriends families lease. By doing this it left me hanging, I won' t travel 6 hours to my lease by myself just don' t care to hunt that far away by myself (I might get hurt). He didn' t ask me if I wanted to go or anything. So I invited another friend to hunt my lease with me. This new guy bought three new feeders and put a lot of time in the place just for inviting him for the following year. Well come the following year which is now, my old buddy doesn' t have his girlfriend or the money to get another lease. So a week before hunting he calls me every day asking if we are going. Well I had to pipe up and tell him the truth. I said, " Mike you left me hanging for a girl, thats cool but to loose what you had and expect for me to take you hunting isn' t going to happen. You know I cannot go to Leakey by myself so a started inviting Adam. He put money and time since you' ve been gone and simply put I cannot take you during rifle season." I did let him come hunting with me during Bow but that' s because Adam doesn' t bow hunt. So instead of the close hunting buddy he used to be Mike is now just a buddy.
X-hunting buddy left me to pay and go hunt on a girlfriends families lease. By doing this it left me hanging, I won' t travel 6 hours to my lease by myself just don' t care to hunt that far away by myself (I might get hurt). He didn' t ask me if I wanted to go or anything. So I invited another friend to hunt my lease with me. This new guy bought three new feeders and put a lot of time in the place just for inviting him for the following year. Well come the following year which is now, my old buddy doesn' t have his girlfriend or the money to get another lease. So a week before hunting he calls me every day asking if we are going. Well I had to pipe up and tell him the truth. I said, " Mike you left me hanging for a girl, thats cool but to loose what you had and expect for me to take you hunting isn' t going to happen. You know I cannot go to Leakey by myself so a started inviting Adam. He put money and time since you' ve been gone and simply put I cannot take you during rifle season." I did let him come hunting with me during Bow but that' s because Adam doesn' t bow hunt. So instead of the close hunting buddy he used to be Mike is now just a buddy.
10-30-2003, 10:28 AM
#9
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 6,921
RE: Hunting Buddy or Partner?
Thanks guys, it sucks but something many of us have gone through. It is great to be able to vent and it helps to move on.
This guys never shyed from work and I guess maybe we were to alike at times, however we both had our spots and our deer, almost like don' t go their territory. But many spots we shared as well. This fall he hunted a piece of property that only I had permission to hunt and when the landowner question him, he stated I said it was OK. Well first of all that is not true, secondly it is not my land to give permission and 3rdly I knew I couldn' t hunt their due to livestock being on the pasture land that leads to the spot (if it was huntable i would have been hunting it). So his zest and lack of judgement put me in a very bad situation. I don' t blame the landowner for being upset one bit, we had a deal and he felt I didn' t keep my part of it. As a result he has said no go to further hunting. Bad enough but this is just one example of what has gone on this fall. Ok enough I am stewing and that doesn' t have any positive effects.
thanks again
Jimmy, I am glad it hasn' t happened to you and hope it never does. Hunting is a great sport just sometimes we forget or get clouded on what truly makes this sport so unique.
This guys never shyed from work and I guess maybe we were to alike at times, however we both had our spots and our deer, almost like don' t go their territory. But many spots we shared as well. This fall he hunted a piece of property that only I had permission to hunt and when the landowner question him, he stated I said it was OK. Well first of all that is not true, secondly it is not my land to give permission and 3rdly I knew I couldn' t hunt their due to livestock being on the pasture land that leads to the spot (if it was huntable i would have been hunting it). So his zest and lack of judgement put me in a very bad situation. I don' t blame the landowner for being upset one bit, we had a deal and he felt I didn' t keep my part of it. As a result he has said no go to further hunting. Bad enough but this is just one example of what has gone on this fall. Ok enough I am stewing and that doesn' t have any positive effects.
thanks again
Jimmy, I am glad it hasn' t happened to you and hope it never does. Hunting is a great sport just sometimes we forget or get clouded on what truly makes this sport so unique.
10-30-2003, 10:36 AM
#10
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Adirondack Moutains USA Member since sept/02
Posts: 1,639
RE: Hunting Buddy or Partner?
I have had similar things happen not just with hunting either. Sometimes it seems like when your nice and trusting to a person, or people they take advantage. One human characteristic I don' t much care for. What else can you do, move on, the next time he needs you tell him to go suck on some tall grass.