Busted Hunt

[Phrogdrvr]

This is going to be some cathartic writing.  The Colonel asked for a last minute brief late this afternoon, and I was just the lucky Major for the job.  Apparently he doesn't know we are in the midst of archery season.  So I got home with a little more than one hour left to hunt, I knew it was late to go out and I would be spooking all the game but I couldn't resist an hour in the woods with bow in hand.

I headed out to the ground blind that I set up (months ago) that is no more than a few hundred yards from my door through dense woods.  

The past two weeks I've hunted these woods all day, every day (except Sundays) and I've had the woods to myself.  But I did notice a tree stand directly adjacent to my blind- don't know which was there first; you can probably guess where this story is going.

I was moving swiftly through the woods to get in place, so my stealth was not the greatest, but not too bad either.  About 50 yards from my blind I noticed a fellow up in the stand, so I halted and waved my regrets to him.  I moved in the opposite direction up and over the hill to another good spot, but I couldn't shake my dismay that I ruined that guys hunt.

19:05 promptly I exited the woods and waited for the other guy to come out so I could offer my apologies face to face.  Needless to say he was miffed that I walked in on him during "prime time" and I had in fact scared a trophy buck out from beneath his stand.

I had to diffuse the situation because his tone of voice was escalating and he was accusing me of attempting to hunt his stand.  I apologized profusely but made my point that I was hunting a blind that was there "long before your stand" (even though I'm not sure if his stand was there first or not), any case it wasn't a lie because all of the material I used to make my blind (sticks and vines and leaves) was indeed there long before his tree stand.

Anyway I was sincerely sorry for busting his hunt, and my apology was enough to talk him down off the ledge.  Shew, I thought I was going to be wearing an ugly wheelie bow across my forehead there for a little bit.  We even shook hands and made friends, and developed a signal system so that one will know if the other is already out in the woods.

My bad.  I feel better now that you all had to endure my self-inflicted troubles.

Thanks for listening,
Tom

[Possum Head]

You should have blamed your Colonel! Joke aside sounds like you handled the situation like a real gentleman.

[Bjorn]

Are we talking public land, a lease or what?
I have had numerous people intrude on my hunts on public land-it happens.
I even had a guy, bow in hand, run through my hunting spot-twice in a row! And he knew I was there!

[Phrogdrvr]

This is not public land, it is owned by a corporation and we both have permission to use the property.  I think with our new system we should be deconflicted now.

[Big Ed]

Great to see some respect for other hunters!! I hunt this same property and have had some real knuckle heads take stands, hunt my stands with no consideration.
 Great to see someone man up for a mistake and make right!

[Mudd]

[GRINCH]

I like your attitude and honesty,you made a new friend and owned up to your unintentional intrusion,well done.