Looking for some prospective this morning:

I invited a coach of my sons football team to come down to our place and go hunting with me. Last week he asked if his best friend could go with us and I said sure as long as he knows that he could only shoot doe. (which was the deal with the coach) He said he told his buddy and both of them understood the doe only aspect.
On Friday I found out that this other guy was going to bring his 13 yr old son. No one asked me and I expressed my concern to my wife but I thought if I have the opportunity to take any kids out to have an expercience it is worth it.
So we load up Saturday afternoon and hit the road. Again I told the guy that I was sorry but they were only allowed to shoot does because the owners(Brother in Law, wife and myself)have not shot a buck or been hunting yet. He said he understood.
So we get there Saturday at Dusk and see some deer, and yesterday morning the guy and his son sat together again and saw plenty of deer but did not shoot. I suggested that I sit with his son and that he should take one of our single blinds to sit in. I wasnt intent on killing a deer so I thought I would try and spread them out a bit so that everyone had an opportunity.
Needless to say at 4:20 that dude shoots the biggest buck we have seen our place. It is the buck that the night before I showed a picture of him from one of our game cameras and said that my wife had called dibbs on that buck.
So once I found out, I composed myself and asked him how he was getting home and had it just been men I would have left his butt in Ballinger for him to figure it out. I did not want to dress the dude down in front of his kid and I knew he had school today. So I just said that he was going to have to make it right. He said he would work it off or pay for it. After we got the buck to the taxidermy the cost of his decision was adding up in his mind.
Pretty quite all night back to San Antonio but I told him that if we have paid hunters come out, we charge 1200 to shoot what they want with no restrictions. I have a feeling he thought I was going to say "that's ok buddy, no problem" but I just said I would talk with the family and decide what to do. When I got home and laid down to go to sleep I got even more mad. That act was a total act of disrespect to me and my family. I think I am more mad today than last night.
So Family what should I do?

Have him pay it off. He did the EXACT opposite of what you had asked. I would be PO'd too. Were the deer rutting near ballinger DT?

who is "he" the kid or the dad who shot the buck?!

I would've ended the trip before it started when the "daisy chain" of people bringing other people started. I guess lesson learned though. $1200 is fair since you're losing out on that from another paying hunter. Just sign some kind of bill.

I'd definitely give him a price to pay off.

WOW!!! What a jerk.

That was nice of you to offer to take the coach but he shouldn't have invited a buddy to begin with.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee471/mtmonroe/iphone069.jpg


Here is the buck the Dad shot.

I knew after I read the first few sentances of your story that it would point to why I NEVER invite friends to go hunting with me.

You should have made it clear in the very beginning that the invitation was extended only to single person. By not doing it, you gave the guy and every other person involved a "it'll be okay" to take advantage of you, even down to the time at which the buck was shot.

No question, the guy should be held accountable for his actions and clear stupidity.

AND UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD HE BE ALLOWED TO KEEP THE DEER FOR ANYTHING LESS THAT $1,2OO CASH. YOU MADE IT CLEAR TO HIM WHAT HE AND HIS PARTY WERE ALLOWED TO SHOOT.

Just another example that proves one of my favorite quotes. "Sports don't build character. They reveal it." And in this case, this guy proved his true character.

wow what a stud buck. That makes me even more mad for you after seeing that.

I see how you got even more mad once you got home and had to give the bad news to your wife. I'd be hot too if someone screwed my chick over.

Depends on how far you want to go. You could probably press charges since you explicitly told him does only. Poaching or something similar? Ask the game warden. I'd be steaming.

I would be madder and madder everytime that I thought about it.

I would also question the character of the Coach. IMO, he took advantage by bringing a friend, then added the kid, and he has friends that would do that?

Just seems like having to pay a monetary penalty isn't enough but the hassle and cost to take further action probably isn't worth it for you. Be nice if you could get the mount and require that it stay at the ranch.

Sure seems that people like this guy never get what is coming to them. All I can do is hope that I just wasn't around when they got what was coming to them.

Seriously I think you should type out a short and to the point bill and have him sign it. How else is he going to pay you back?

WOW - I would be furious - this is the exact reason I hesitate on bringing people out to my ranch for free doe hunts. I would absolutely make sure he pays the $1200

Yep, and people wonder why more invitations aren't handed out. First off, guest don't get to invite other guests. That's just rude as heck.

Secondly, if you're a guest you follow the rules and only shoot what you're allowed to shoot...period.

As for these bozo's, they'd never step foot on any place of mine...ever.

And finally, he wouldn't leave with that deer without writing a check or a trip to the ATM. Dumb SOB. Another reason I won't let guests sit alone in the stand unless there's years of trust built up.

Wow. That is disapointing to say the least.

Either keep the deer and meat and hang it in your place or send him a detailed invoice. Neither is going to remedy the issue but pick the one that is feels best.

Don't be suprised if you don't see the $1,200.

definitely take the mount and hang it at your place and let him foot the Taxi bill too.

The more I think about this the more I am steaming - I cannot imagine if this had happened on my ranch. This guy had no regards for your rules and he was not even an invited guest.

Just for grins what did it score? Based on the score I can tell you what he would be expected to pay based on the guided hunts my neighbors offer.

BTW - I think you did the right thing and not causing a bad scene since the kid was there.

Not really. Looked like two weeks ago is when they were full tilt.

Score the buck @ $100.00 an inch for the fine of following the rules of your ranch and make him pay.

Wow what a total DB. I would be soooo mad. I would have taken is gun or something and send him a crazy bill. He took that deer without your consent. Taking his gun until he paid up in full would not bother me at all.

If someone did that to us on our place... He may be in a shallow unmarked grave somewhere and I would be laying low for a while. Something like that would set me off to no end, if I couldnt kick his but I would die trying, kid or no kid, sounds to me like the kid needs to see what kind of a jerk his old man is.

I will second, no friend will invite a friend to come along to our place.

Also I think 1,200 sounds a little shy, I would be looking for $5K or criminal charges. He shot what he was strictly told not to on your place. Bad no no.

matt

This sucks big time.

What did he say at the time??

you should have called the game warden, I dont know what or if he could have done anything but It would have scared hime some.
It boils me just hearing about this.
I hunt some awsome places with bucks that are off limits to me and never even think about it. People man I hate them at times.
They wonder why they dont get invited. arrrrrggg!

You guys are right. I should have put the squash on the trip. I was just so explicit I would have never thought he would have done that.

As I lay awake last night I thought "I wonder what the state would charge for the replacement of that buck." That seemed like the easiest way to calculate it. I couldnt really be around the guy and the buck. I would guess it scored in the low 130's but I am not a specialist on scoring. Let's put it this way. That would have been the best buck we would have shot ever, score does not matter.

I know I will never see the money.

Charged him the 1200 plus what texas parks and wildlife would place on the deer as a replacement value, based on the b c score. The fact that they didnt shoot from first stand leads me to think he intended on shooting buck, bet he figured what you going to do after the fact