Public Land Conundrum

[ignorethefringes]

General tag, public land. I can’t imagine a scenario with less claim to a spot/buck.

 

[belshawelk]

All I can say is this.

If I was your friend, Id be the first one at your house hunting morning to help you find the buck and do all I can to help you harvest and then help pack out.

Guys I have a different state of mind. I enjoy the whole process of hunting. Not the killing. Hence why I take hunters on my property to go hunt. All I do is hike around and help find critters for them. Thats my joy. Especially new hunters or hunters that have never killed and elk.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

We have tags for the same area. His tag starts a week after me. Basically, I get first chance on a hunt with way less pressure.

Then go shoot it, f that jerk ! OK, now that I left this here for a while on to the real answer. As others said, he did the scouting, but the real issue is the WAY he approached it with you based on what you typed. He should have said, oh man, I'm glad for you and thw tag, but if you don't mind please don't shoot that buck unless....blah...blah...OR said let me help you find a good one too. Get a cup of coffee and talk it over is what you should really do. If he is still like what you typed, then I guess it's up to you how to handle him as a friend.

 

[406dn]

I would assume he had the same chance to apply for the tag you received. He may well have tried to draw the same tag you drew. He should be happy that a friend drew a good tag.

He does not own the buck, at all. The other tag owners will not pass on this buck, if they see him.

I'd hunt the unit in an area away from where he saw the buck, if there are other promising spots. I would keep it as a plan b option, probably.

His jealousy that you drew this tag, is an insight into his mindset. If he was less self centered, he would be pleased that someone he knows might get that buck. He has to realize that no one else with that tag is going to save that buck for him.

Good luck on your hunt.

 

[Ought Six]

I’d say it depends on how good of a friend he is. I took my best buddy to a phenomenal duck spot one time and we limited out real early, unbelievable fun. A few weeks later I get up at the butt crack of dawn, get down there in the dark, and him, his dad, his MOM, his brother, and a couple buddies are set-up in the same blind and other spots.

They try to guilt trip me with “we really want to show mom how good it is”. Whatever, I was taught to adapt especially on public land. The duck hunting that day sucked ass and they went home disappointed.

I was butt hurt but we are still good friends and hunt and fish together all the time. I’m a little more closed lipped on spots with him. I give him shit ‘sarcastically’ every chance I get though about that situation.

The spot has since dried up, literally on the water flow, and access is tough, so whatever.

 

[Nameless Range]

If you both hunted there together for the first time, it’s certainly not anyone’s spot over the other.

The weirdness comes in that he has sent you intel on an animal at that spot. I understand his frustration, and it sounds like the whole thing is exacerbated by his pettiness.

Personally, I don’t think I would go hunt that spot for that animal, but I’d also never hunt with him again. Hunting partners are not competitors outside of playful fun. I always root for anyone I hunt with over myself, and it feels good and comes back around.

Either way forward you choose, I don’t think you’re wrong, but you will be dealing with the predictable fallout of human emotions.

 

[Dave N]

Hunt the place, try to keep an eye out for "his" deer, kill whatever else you want to, help him out when he shows up. Or not. Up to you.

 

[mevertsen]

If my buddy has a buck scouted out, I would purposely not hunt that spot.

That's not to say someone else may stumble upon it or it moves out of the spot it's at, but I would avoid that spot/buck and hunt elsewhere in the unit.

Then help him hunt the buck and get fulfillment from that.

 

[Forkyfinder]

The way I have seen it work they just creep on it, or treat it as their own. Unless someone has something to offer don’t take them hunting. Sucks but it’s best to tell everyone it came off of highly regulated private with no access. Or Gallatin county. I like that one.

Thats a good one. Gallatin county is where ill have shot anything.

@brymoore im not good at it often - but when you are distinctly decent in a situation where people are being unfair it often makes them see it faster than trying to argue it to them. There might be elements to his point that you aren't seeing because the dialogue sounds more like an argument than conversation.

 

[hank4elk]

I hunt alone...and have no friends. LOL

 

[Bob-WY]

Let's flip it. Everyone is focusing on how good a friend he is. And they're right. But flip it. How good a friend are you? People go through stages of desires in hunting. You both seem to want this buck, it's on public land, you both originally found the spot, so all fair

But he scouted this year, you didn't. Should he be happy for a friend to get the buck? Maybe, but given his view, are you the type of friend who overlooks his desire and does what you want thereby straining if not trashing, the friendship?

Oh, toss in he's a relative? That makes it bigger since you can't just go separate ways

 

[brymoore]

Let's flip it. Everyone is focusing on how good a friend he is. And they're right. But flip it. How good a friend are you? People go through stages of desires in hunting. You both seem to want this buck, it's on public land, you both originally found the spot, so all fair

But he scouted this year, you didn't. Should he be happy for a friend to get the buck? Maybe, but given his view, are you the type of friend who overlooks his desire and does what you want thereby straining if not trashing, the friendship?

Oh, toss in he's a relative? That makes it bigger since you can't just go separate ways

I got him his first deer and elk. 90% of his spots are places I have showed him including his second target buck spot. He joined me on a hunt at that spot I had hunted before when he had no tag.

He asks me to look at his map points for scouting for my opinion. He wastes a lot of time on unproductive areas. He sends me his scouting pics because he’s bad at scoring deer and wants my opinion. He normally under scores deer. He passed on hunting a deer last year that was probably 170s thinking it was 140.

He scouted the ridge one day this year. Hasn’t been back since August 8th. He’s seen the buck once.

I could care less about the deer. It’s about 165”. He thought 140 again until I had a mutual friend throw in his opinion. Great buck but we’ll see what I can find. Last time I hunted the ridge we saw 9 bucks in the morning. I’m hoping I can do better in a week. I’m going back because it’s a good spot. We talk to each other each year to see if schedules work to hunt it together but it hasn’t. Suddenly, it’s his honey hole because he saw a good buck.