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.

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

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.

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?

I would demand fair market value . $1200 is the most you can hope for but the $100 /" sounds more like it .
What do the folks on your lease think about you taking all these people out there to hunt ?
P.S. Get something in writing from him ASAP !

So why did you invite your son's coach, and not one of your close friends? I know you didn't think they would shoot a buck, but you should have implied how much it would cost if they did shoot one in advance. Why did this guy say he shot it again, cause it really doesn't look like a doe to me. And yes, you should have called him out in front of his kid. His kid will not learn an important lesson now, he will only learn it is ok to bend the rules........

My wife, brother in law and I own it. I have taken friends out in the past with no issues but we recently moved and I am trying to establish friendships in a new community. I used poor judgement.

That sucks to hear. If nothing was in writing can you do anything legally?

I tend to agree that I would have just cancelled the trip once the friend wants to invite another friend and he wants to bring his kid too. I'm all for getting kids into hunting so that's not my issue but when the guest list grows and grows, especially without letting you know first, problems always arise.

As far as the total disregard and respect for the rules that were put forth ahead of time and explained thoroughly, that's just an awful shame and a really bad example that the Dad put forth for his own kid to witness. Now, as far as all the chatter about "billing" the guy or writing up some form of bill for the guy to sign now (especially when you're talking about $1,200 to $5,000), well, that's a little ridiculous. You really do't have any legal recourse to confiscate his gun. You can ask him to do so pay retribution and if he wants to man up he will pay. However, from a legal perspective it would be a little difficult to force him into any type of payment if a contract wasn't signed prior to the trip or any type of "penalty" wasn't agreed upon (preferably in writing) prior to the trip. Sort of difficult to press any charges too if you invited him onto the property, he wasn't trespassing. Hate to say it but you are probably just out of luck from a legal perspective. Hopefully he will feel remorse and pay up something for the mistake in judgement but I wouldn't hold my breath.

He had no option but to pass, doe only! If it had horns he did not have the right to shoot it. Sorry to say, but it sounds like you lost control of the situation when you let the friend and his son come along with the coach in the first place. DTA- don't trust anybody is the lesson i learned along time ago. Also don't assume, it a makes and arse of u and me. Hopefully it works out for you, but if it doesn't and least take something from this...