# Sharing property dilemma



## d_rek (Nov 6, 2013)

I debated about posting this since it’s sure to draw some heated opinions. Not looking to point fingers or accuse just looking for perspective and how I can handle things differently in the future. 

Ran into a situation on private land I have access to turkey hunt this morning that left a sour taste in my mouth. 

I have turkey hunted a private 85 acre farm for three years running. I also secured permission to bring a friend to hunt out there. To date I have only taken my brother in law out there twice - once last year and once this year. We made plans over a month ago to find a day to go out and hunt together and this morning was the day.

This morning my BIL and I arrived at the property at 5:30am and much to our surprise found another truck parked next to the pole barn. Now having hunted this for 3 years I have never shared this property with anyone else during turkey season. I sat for a week straight last year and there was no one else there. I drive past it every day to pick my kids up from school during deer season and have never seen anyone else parked or hunting it during the fall. I had zero reason to believe there was anyone else hunting the property, having never experienced or seen anyone else there. 

So after debating whether or not we should go out we decided screw it if there’s someone out there they will just have to share the property with us this morning. So after getting our gear and hiking about halfway to my blind I had setup before the season we hear the distinct sound of someone whistling at us. I stopped but because it wasn’t light enough to see I just whistled back. After asking my BIL if he wanted to hunt knowing there was someone else there he said my call so I said yes let’s go. We hiked another 300-400 yards away from the other hunter and got setup in my blind by 6 am. 

Right at daybreak the birds started gobbling their heads off. We could hear the other hunter calling and I did a few short calling sequences and got some gobbles back. Well at 6:30 after only light calling a giant black blob appears on the field edge 50 yards to left of our blind and quickly covers that distance to our deke setup. At 15 yards my BIL dropped him with his 1187 wingmaster and shot his first turkey ever! A nice 25lb, 10” beard, and 7/8” spurs. A GREAT first bird! 

Well our short hunt was over but not wanting to disturb the other hunters we sat for another 1/2 hour before deciding to pack it in. On our way in we noticed two other hunters walking back to their vehicles ahead of us. 

After getting to our vehicles I introduced myself and my BIL and we talked about what happened and even apologized because we didn’t expect anyone else out there. Turns out it was a friend of the property owner and they heard there were good turkey numbers on the property. We had a cordial conversation and they congratulated us. I even offered to let them use my blind the next time they were out. I thought we left on a good note and both my BIL and I were pumped to get him his first bird.

So a couple hours go by and I get a phone call from the land owner who was quite irate. Allegedly I had walked into this other hunters setup and bleeped up their hunt. Apparently they had come out the day before and roosted birds and got setup at 5am and then we came in and ruined their hunt! I explained the situation to the land owner and how we didn’t even come close to their setup (actually skirting it by several hundred yards on top of being setup another couple hundred yards away from them). 

Anyway the landowner said I should have never hunted there if there was another vehicle but didn’t go so far as to tell my I didn’t have permission anymore. I explained to them about how I have never seen anyone else hunt there and if I had known I would have tried to coordinate so we weren’t hunting the same days. They understood but didn’t like that I had trashed this persons hunt. 

To me it sounds like the other hunters were sore they didn’t get the bird this morning but I don’t know what else I could have done other than not hunted there? 

If you were me what would you have done differently? Anything? 

Just kind of left a sour taste in my mouth as I have a really good relationship with the land owner and I’d hate to burn a bridge over hunting. 

TL;DR: hunted property I have access to and found someone else hunting it this morning, ended up shooting a bird this morning, and other hunter called landowner claiming I ruined their hunt.


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## Slick Trick40 (Nov 25, 2012)

Sounds like poor communication on the landowners part so he shouldn’t be mad.He should of told you or the other hunters that someone else could be hunting the property. Tough call on whether or not to hunt seeing another vehicle. Unless you have another property close by has a back up


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## HungryHunter (May 10, 2017)

The past is the past you did what you could at the time. I agree with the communication issue. In the future it would benefit you to have a few backup places to hunt as well. Makes things a little tougher to plan with more territory to cover and scout but at least you would be prepared if this scenario pans out again.


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## michael marrs (May 22, 2017)

not sure why the hunters were okay with it, and the land owner not okay, i guess the other guys had to have snitched you out , but it was a little 2 faced


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## SWMbruiser (Jan 25, 2012)

michael marrs said:


> not sure why the hunters were okay with it, and the land owner not okay, i guess the other guys had to have snitched you out , but it was a little 2 faced


Most people aren't confrontational. May have been ok with it to his face but cussing him out when they got in the car. Sounds like he is trying to get you off the property, and probably pretty close to doing it! Crap situation for sure. Hard to believe someone would complain to the land owner like that. I wouldn't have the ba**s to call and complain to the landowner about someone else having permission hunting the property. I would have just rolled with the punches. Not sure if I would have continued to hunt after hearing the whistle though, knowing it was private property, in fear of the situation playing out as it did. If you could hear them whistle, were you really several hundred yards away?

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## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

Assuming......the landowner has your number ,a phone call the night before would save you a trip out there to find out if anyone was hunting.
Yes that is a burden on the landlord. Would have been better for your parties to hash out exclusitivity and swap phone numbers.
Taking it to the landowner without the other party is a cheap ,but effective shot if you are buddies.

Not much sense in arguing ,even if there was room for multiple parties.
Though I would be defensive of being accused of blowing a flydown set up if I had not...


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

If you don't own the property, you will lose. If not this time, eventually you will.
IMO, a lease might be the better option.


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## buck37 (Aug 8, 2002)

Congratulations on the bird. Doesn't sound like the other hunters are very hardcore if they leave by 7 am. But if they are the landowners buddy, it could be a problem for future hunts. When was the last time you hunted there or talked to the landowner?


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## Nostromo (Feb 14, 2012)

Congratulations to your BIL.

I think the landowner made it pretty clear. If there is another truck parked there leave. Which translates to get there earlier.


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## ezcaller (Feb 21, 2009)

One of our properties is not shared but the landowners does have tree cutters come in.He always sends me thier numbers so I can inform them of the seasons and when we will be hunting.My farmer knows very little of the seasons and does not want to be bothered .


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## notime (Nov 11, 2011)

sounds to me like the other two talked bad about you to the landowner and from my experience this is just the start of the end. i have had this happen to me and its sucks but your best bet would be to either secure with a lease or find another property to hunt. the sooner you start looking for another place the better off you will be.


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## LG1 (Sep 8, 2008)

Sounds like the other fellas that are “ friends” of the landowner ratted you out when talked to him. Plus sounds like they ran into the owner somewhere and he told them there’s lots of turkeys on the property so to them sounded like a easy hunt not much scouting when the owner tells you where been seeming them. Sounds like lazy hunters.


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## zig (Aug 5, 2009)

Interesting story. My opinion may be somewhat different than most. 

What could you have done differently? Not hunted. You should have not hunted, in my opinion anyway. What happened here is the landowner made a mistake. You had two choices, bring that mistake to light, or not bring it to light, and help the landowner not make it again. You unfortunately chose the former, bringing hassle into the life of the guy that is letting you use his land. He gets nothing for letting you use it, but gets some hassle because of what happened. He'll eventually look at that as a bum deal, reasons and right vs. wrong being irrelevant. 

The landowner should have coordinated this. Actually, he should given both parties each others phone numbers and told you boys to coordinate. But, he forgot, didn't think about it, got busy, etc. At this point, it is the responsibility of the guys using the land to prevent trouble from happening. Otherwise, the owner is going to get frustrated, feel like all of this is a pain in his a** for really no reason, and tell EVERYONE that they're done hunting there. Seen it many times. And been on both sides of the ordeal. Yeah, you would have wasted the morning, but one bust is pretty well worth a long future of hunting to come.


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## QDMAMAN (Dec 8, 2004)

d, I would reach out to the landowner, apologize for the misunderstanding and suggest to him that due to the Michigan turkey season being split, that you'd be happy to take which ever season his friend doesn't take.
Sounds like a great spot and those spots are worth adjusting your efforts. I've lost a couple of my best spots due to them changing hands. You don't know whatcha got til it's gone!


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## dmrbigeshott (Apr 18, 2010)

Zig and Q and right on point. 

Bummer that the situation happened and I'd take Tony's advice and implement it right quick.

Mistakes on everyone's part, but you can only control what you can control. 

Contacting the landowner each time before I hunt their property has helped out and I also talk with them a couple weeks before season starts for any kind of update.


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## Sewey (Jan 10, 2017)

Congratulations on the successful hunt, and sorry to hear about the unpleasant phone call afterward.

Definitely sounds like more communication between all parties is needed. I also hunt some property that I have to share with another hunter. My situation is different in the fact that the land owner is very easy going, and the other person hunting turned out to be a stand up guy and we were able to share numbers and coordinate all season. I helped him put up a stand and he even helped me gut and drag the doe I shot out there. 

As QDMAMAN suggested, I would call the land owner and apologize for any miss communication or understanding. I would explain your thought process and that you had no intention of ruining someone else's hunt. Also I would either ask for the other hunter's number, or request the land owner to share your number, so that the two of you can coordinate individually from now on without needing to bring the land owner in to mediate. It kind of sounds like the other hunter is going to be difficult to work with however, just bad luck there if so. 

Like others have suggested as well, finding another place or two to hunt if you don't have some already would be high on the list of things to do after this past experience. The property I share is not my main hunting place, so I'm willing and able to adjust my hunting plans if need be for the other hunter, but the farm is plenty big enough for the both of us to be out there at the same time. Which we both were when I shot that doe I mentioned earlier. 

Good luck, I hope you find a resolution that allows you to keep this piece of property on your hunting list.


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## Yankee#1 (Jun 3, 2015)

I'm objectively thinking about this situation from multiple viewpoints - as a landowner, as the first hunter there, and as the second hunter there. You're wrong no matter how I look at this, largely because you had multiple opportunities to avoid the situation altogether.

You should have went hunting on a different spot (Plan B), you could have actually spoken with them when they whistled (instead of whistling back and in essence ignoring them), and you definitely could have hunted in a different area and looked for a different bird on 85 acres of land. I mean come on - you're only 300-400 yards from them on 85 acres, _calling to the bird gobbling between the 2 setups_ - and you DON'T think you ruined their setup? You definitely ruined their setup, and I think you know you ruined their setup...which is why you're on here looking for vindication...

Let's simply reverse the roles and think about it as if you were posting as the FIRST hunters on the scene. I see you painting this picture where you and the BIL had roosted a bird the night before, had identified a setup spot for the next morning, got to the property and walked out to the spot way before daybreak to make sure you didn't spook anything. You were then 'horrified' as another group of hunters pulled in and parked, walked through your setup, ignored your whistle to let them know you were there, setup a few hundred yards away and then proceeded to shoot a bird on the private property you have permission to hunt. 


I own a small piece of land but I also hunt other private and public lands - and I'm simply going to say I think you were in the wrong and had multiple chances to act differently. I recommend giving the landowner a small gift (Bigsby gift card, etc.) and asking him for the address for the other hunters to send them something too. Your only saving grace is that you must have a decent relationship with the landowner, because all the landowners I know would have given you the boot and been quite emphatic in telling you to stay out...


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## Yankee#1 (Jun 3, 2015)

Also, don't be so fast to place any blame on the other hunters. 

They may have just relayed your information to the landowner to verify you actually had permission. He may have asked them about what happened and came to his own conclusions. Recognize that he may have assumed you were done hunting for the year and told them they would be the only ones hunting, therefore by hunting you may have inadvertently made him look foolish, which could be the main reason he called.


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## d_rek (Nov 6, 2013)

I appreciate everyones input. 

In hindsight I was wrong - and selfish - to setup and hunt at that spot yesterday morning. I'm not looking for vindication or anyone to support my claims - right or wrong. I should have backed out when I saw the other vehicle and should have definitely done so when I got whistled at. At the very least I should have went over and talked them too. But I didn't and we ended up getting the bird yesterday, though in doing so ruined someone elses hunt. There are a lot of things I should have done and didn't and now that's on me and I own up to it. If I lose permission it wouldn't be entirely unwarranted. 

I did call the landowner and apologize and own up to my mistakes. I also asked for the other hunters contact information so I can contact later and apologize. He gave me their numbers and appreciated that I was willing to apologize to them. I feel like I smoothed things out with the landowner to the best of my ability.

I screwed up. The only thing I can do is not make the same mistakes again moving forward. That will have to be good enough for now. Thanks again everyone.


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## Hoytman5 (Feb 1, 2008)

d_rek said:


> I appreciate everyones input.
> 
> In hindsight I was wrong - and selfish - to setup and hunt at that spot yesterday morning. I'm not looking for vindication or anyone to support my claims - right or wrong. I should have backed out when I saw the other vehicle and should have definitely done so when I got whistled at. At the very least I should have went over and talked them too. But I didn't and we ended up getting the bird yesterday, though in doing so ruined someone elses hunt. There are a lot of things I should have done and didn't and now that's on me and I own up to it. If I lose permission it wouldn't be entirely unwarranted.
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing your story and being candid in doing so. I hunt several pieces of private property, as a guest, and admit that sometimes I catch myself being a little "territorial" towards others even though I am not the owner. Your experience reminds me that I need to be courteous of others who may also have permission to hunt as a guest as well. I learned that on one of the best farms I hunt. Although the land owner told me I would be the only one deer hunting the property, he neglected to tell me a couple other guys had permission to goose hunt it! (I found that out on opening morning of bow season a couple years back!) Which also reminds me, on this same farm, there are three brothers that own it and you have to remember that each brother might be giving permission to other hunters as well.

I think you are doing the right thing by apologizing and hopefully the landowner respects you even more for doing so. Good luck.


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## buck11pt24 (Mar 11, 2007)

I would have done the same thing you did. If they roosted that bird then why were they set up 3-400 yards from it? Guys are just jealous that you killed the bird and they didn't.


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## Yankee#1 (Jun 3, 2015)

Buck11pt24 - d_rek said his blind was 300-400 yards from their setup - not from the gobbler. The bird was between them, and without seeing the property we have no idea why they setup where they did. Maybe they saw tracks and strut marks, etc.

d_rek, I hope you smooth things out with the landowner. I still recommend getting him something - or maybe just stop over with a coffee and a box of danish/donuts and talk with him some morning, a good conversation usually goes a very long way with most farmers.


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## Thirty pointer (Jan 1, 2015)

Stuff like this can get messy i had permission to bow hunt the 60 behind me .Two 14 year olds kept walking directly under my stand one carried a gun and laughed .I confronted them to the ire of mama bear who called and threatened me with a lawsuit . The elderly couple that gave me permission were not sure what to do so i just quit for their benefit .One year later one of the kids took a buck i had shot from my property .That's why 14 year olds have to have supervision .


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