Unbelievable!

[bear bowman]

I'm hunting a nice piece of private ground with plenty of deer. I'm the only person with permission other than the owners uncle.
This past Friday I set up on the northeastern corner of a big food plot. I was set up about 20' in a big old poplar tree. The way it looked, the deer would pass at about 20 yards and be broadside.
I started seeing deer at about 3:30 and there was pretty much deer coming and going from then on. Finally a group of doe start heading my way. I was trying to figure out which one I wanted to shoot. Sure enough, they were coming off the field exactly where I wanted them. There was one deer still left in the upper part of the field and she was looking antsy.
So as the deer were coming out of the field in front of me, I was picking my deer. She was just about ready to clear the last little bit of thick stuff between her and I when I hear this crack and then a whistle from the upper part of the field. Right then, the deer that was in the upper field bolted which sent all the deer around me in every direction.
The next thing I know, there is a guy walking across the food plot with his cross bow.
I'd already had an issue with trespassers earlier so I texted the owner. He only lives minutes away and was heading over on his side by side. In the meantime, I yell at the crossbow guy and he starts heading my way. He gets there the same time the owner does only to find out it's his uncle.
Needless to say, my night was over and the uncle was getting an ear full from his nephew for not letting him know he was planning on being there.
I wasn't mad afterwards, it's the man's family and I'm a guest. I was a little upset by the distance he was flinging arrows though. That deer was at least 50 yards from where he shot. Well, that's my story.

[fnshtr]

       :confused:  
That is a tough situation. Sorry for your luck.

[Michael Arnette]

crossbows are deadly at 50 yards...we are talking arrows touching each other accurate with a good rest. I don't hate on the people who use them but the fact that our game Department has decided to make us share the general archery seasons with them pisses me off at so many levels.

[VA Elite]

well here in va the smoke poles will be out in force come Saturday and everyone of em will trying to shoot 150 yds at deer where I hunt... time to go deeper in!

[Sam McMichael]

I would check in with the landowner and see if he wanted to call law enforcement. In Georgia, illegal hunting can terminate a person's hunting privileges.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Tough situation, If you cause too much stink, you could create hard feelings in the family and ruin your chances to hunt there.

[CoachBGriff]

Definitely frustrating!  At least you have permission to be on a good piece of private ground.

The crossbow issue during archery season drives me nuts though.  

Not only are they accurate at crazy distances, but they also require zero practice.  Someone else can sight it in for a trigger-puller.  Then the trigger-pulller just has to put the cross hairs on an animal.  

I'm fine with cross-bows...just not during bow season.

[Doc Nock]

Indeed, gents, they are deadly accurate at longer distances...

...having said that... lets not forget that those short li'l "bolts" shed energy FAST in a much shorter distance then normal arrows, or trad arrows...

Too many think because they're accurate, they're also lethal... I've seen many bolts fall out of targets at 35 yards... serious limitations to penetration and Penna has some serious draw weight limits on String  Guns at the lowest ## level I've seen them (xbows) for sale... makes the problem even more UN-deadly!

Add in the shop people tend to push newbies into EXPANDABLE heads with diminished energy and it's a serious issue

[foxbo]

I'd be happy that I had a place to hunt. Things like that will happen.

[Caughtandhobble]

Did he get the doe, did you help him look for blood? Sounds to me uncle has as much business there as you do. After all, the property was likely his parents land.

Seems like to me that you need to take the said uncle to lunch and get to know him, you may make a new best friend. Just maybe, he'll teach you something about hunting. He may have an ailment that prevents him from shooting his trad bow, who knows?

Good luck keeping your great hunting area. I recommend not causing any headaches for the land owner. There's a reason good free hunting spots are becoming hard to find if not near impossible.

[DaveT1963]

I had a ranch owner do the same thing to me, walk into my hunt with a crossbow - and I was on a paid outfitted hunt.  He ruiedn one of my five evening hunts.  I could have got upset about it but I chose to just continue to hunt another property.  Things like that will happen - try to look on the bright side you have access to private property.... where I am in TX that doesn't happen.

[Michael Arnette]

I think you've gotten some good advise! Make a new friend.

[DDawg]

Family issues can be tough.  I hunt on my father in laws land (100% owned buy him). We have had problems with my wife's uncle's grandkids thinking they have free rain to hunt as they please, even though the uncle owns just as much land.
We finally worked out a 'they stay on thiers and we stay on ours' agreement.

Good luck

[bear bowman]

I think some of you took what I was saying the wrong way. I wasn't upset in the slightest with his uncle being there. I wouldn't have contacted the owner if we didn't already have a trespassing problem. The owner wanted me to contact him if I saw anything. I didn't realize it was his uncle until after the fact.
His uncle called me later that night to apologize for "ruining my hunt", I told him that I wasn't worried about it and that I felt he had more of a right to be there than myself.

[Doc Nock]

Maybe you can meet up with the Uncle another time, and help him gain insight into his weapon's lethality???