OK. I've been married for 4 yrs now. My wife's family has 1200 acres in Anderson county. No one in her family is what I would call a serious hunter at all. However I work on this place year round and feed 6 months out of the year. A buddy of mine and I have spent countless weekends down there since june, sweating our butts off to make this place huntable. For the 4th year in a row now my wifes family is ready to hunt but no one has done a dang thing to get ready for it. So after building stands and filling feeders everyone is trying to claim one of the many spots I have worked so hard for. Then when they get out there they shoot anything that moves. Like last year, I feed and watched a NICE 2.5 year old 8 pt all year. Wasn't gonna shoot him then the last day of the season someone rolls up with him. Drive me nuts. Weekends I'm not there I have God knows who hunting outta my blinds.
I don't know if I can actually complain to anyone about it because its not really my land. So its more of a priviledge to be out there, and I know I'm lucky to have what I do. But how would yall handle this?

Seems like you are in a bad situcation. IF you complain , you the bad apple and cant hunt, if you don't , you working your butt of for others.

Maybe set up a stand that you want to hunt , fill the feeder and so on and let everyone know that you working that one for yourself next year. Maybe if you don't make it so easy for them to walk in and hunt they may not be so quick to show up all the time. If you doing all the work why should they hop up and do any ? Just a thought

Been there, done that, and I am still doing that. It is no fun, but the bottom line is there are some jerks in this world and no matter how we try to get around it, some of us are kinned to them. Does this sound familiar?

We basically have the same problem. Place was handed down in a trust to 4 grandkids. Place is 525 acres in Hill Country. All grandkids have a family and most want something for nothing. Most of hunters in the family want to show up with everything working and feeders going with stands in good shape so they can crawl in them and hunt. They do not want to foot the bill for corn or stands. They say they filled up the feeders, but they never do. I think they want to just pay for the kernel of corn the deer was eating at the time they pulled the trigger and are so cheap they would average the number of kernels in a sack and divide it into the price of a bag of corn to see what they owe everyone else that paid. They want to throw trash, beer cans, and anything else that they want and do not want to clean up anything except for their plates after you have cooked for them. Rules are for someone else to follow, and management is they manage to do whatever they can to have a good time and you are to manage your time to help them out as much as possible. They want to use your stuff and gripe when they tear it up. IF it is not torn up, they want to take it home with them and use it there because you owe them that. They get to kill whatever they want and you are just here to kill time and you are not supposed to dare suggest that they need to do any type of work while they are there relaxing. If they forget their key, they pry open the door and leave it for you to fix and just take the gate off of its hinges and expect you to fix it whenever you get back down there. They can go any weekend they want hunting and if you want to go and be as big of a slob as them and hunt the way that they do, just come on down, because they will embarrass you, or cheat you, or basically just make your life miserable. Other than that, they are pretty good people. I know exactly what you mean in regard to this situation.

Is there a place that you can set up a stand and feeder and no one will find it? That has worked for me in the past. They can't hunt it if they don't know it's there...

Be thankful for the opportunity and the others who are participating. Remember some people hunt for the time they spend with people and the food it provides. Some hunt for the horns. We are all hunters. When we start cheaping one or the other we all lose. Your situation is not the best of course but it is far from the worst.

I don't think you are over reacting, but you are between a rock and a hard place. You are probably facint that "blood is thicker than water" situation.

Your solution, or attempt at a solution, probably depends on who in the pecking order is doing the shooting. If you can find that out, or know, maybe talkig to them about what it is you are trying to do, not only for you, but the place in general, as far as improving the herd, maybe they'll get on the same page as you. The problem could be from a lack of knowledge on the other person's part.

I would think you wouldn't wanna rock the boat too hard and risk being told you aren't welcome to hunt there because you are causing "family" problems. Just thoughts.

BenBob.... We might be related to the same family!!!! Hahaha... Yea, that exactly what happens EVERY YEAR. Thought about setting up where no one can find it. That what I'm gonna have to resort to I guess.

If you decide to hide a stand... don't take one that is already there... they will go look for it, or ask about it... When I hide a stand, I will go buy a new one.

First off, are you paying anything to hunt? If not, then I would think somebody hunting your blind a few times would be a small price to pay. I know it's rubs you wrong, but really it's not your land. Whoever owns the land sets the rules or at least that's how it is on our place.

You might think about putting a lock on your blind or think about getting some secret spots just for yourself.

I for sure wouldn't put a whole lot of effort and money into it until there are some rules established. If they didn't agree to the rules I would just hunt out of temporary blinds and only feed a small amount of feed.

I don't pay the my family anything, but you put a price on my time, 2 tons of corn a year, and all the equipment I buy. We are talking a good chuck of change. But I guess getting me a lock on blind and putting it back where no one can fine it might just be the best way to go...

Can only say what I think I'd do since have never
been blessed with this particular curse.

Think I'd take my feeders down and stop feeding.
Take down my blinds/stands.
Go regularly and do general work
(fence repair, clean-up and such)
to stay in the good graces of those that matter,
followed by scouting of game trails
and other natural habitat. Use pop-up
blinds or better yet fashion natural
blinds that blend well enough so not
easily found. Hunt in ways that others
can not take advantage of your preparations.

Don't set yourself up for disappointment.
I'm sure no one else needs to say it but
the chances of winning a battle with folks
that have blood ties to the land are slim to none.
Enjoy the opportunity for what it is.

Good luck,
PK

Talk to whoever owns the land. Don't complain!. Talk to them about ideas you might have for making the hunting even better than it already is. Let them know that these new ideas will require the effort of more than just you. And see if you can schedule a weekend, or more, for everyone that hunts the place to come out and help. Don't just let it go either. Bring it up multiple times, with the head honcho, and with all of the hunters on the place. Ride them about it. Let them know this is something you really want.

If one of them has one negative thing to say about it, bring up the fact that they've been reaping the rewards of your hard labor for some time now, and that a little effort on their part might just be taken as a showing of appreciation.

Some people just don't understand what kind of work is required just to maintain minimal hunting areas. My little cousin is a great example of this. He always hunted with my uncle (his dad) when he was growing up. My uncle was always on some sort of corporate deer lease somewhere in the brush country. And my uncle is the worlds biggest procrastinator too. So when we all started hunting our family land again, a few years ago. I kinda ran into the same problem as you. Me and my hunting buddy would go down, keep feeders full, and try to do what we could to better the hunting. Then my cousin would show up and just hunt, as would my uncle, with little more effort invested than just erecting a stand somewhere. Often, my cousin would bring some of his college buddies with him. We were rarely all there at the same time, but it kinda chapped my arse that we were doing all the work, and they were getting the benefit from it.

So I told my uncle that I wanted to put in a few food plots last year. He said "great". I explained to him that I could get a tractor, and mower, and disc, and I would appreciate some help. It almost took an act of congress to pin him down on a weekend to do this work. And I also stressed how much easier it would be if his boy showed up to help. So he did. We worked our butts off from daylight to dark for two days in the summer heat getting ground cleared and turned over. The food plots didn't do so well. But when it came time this year to do it again, there wasn't near the problem getting them involved. I think it showed them what we'd have done with or without them. And they felt a higher sense of obligation to help us. I'm even getting offers to help out with the cost of corn this year too.


But another thing you could do. Just concentrate your efforts on one blind, and area. Let all of the others go. When people start complaining because the blinds aren't safe, and things like that. Tell them "that kind of stuff don't take care of itself. My blind is in good shape, wouldn't ya like to have key"? That'd send a message for sure.

Deadbeat hunters, ah I better quit now.


Jay

Not over-reacting at all. If you put in all the time and money, then you should have the run of the place. I would pick your favorite stand or 2, and mess with them only (clean up, feed, food plots, stands, etc...) Come next deer season, they will appreciate how good they had it when their favorite stand is all grown up and there's no corn in the feeder. JMO Good Luck with that one, family and hunting sometimes dont mix well

My opinion is that because this isn't your land and your allowed to hunt it, anything you do to that land is a "thank you" of sorts.

When I go hunt anyone elses land, I am exceedingly thankful they allowed me to hunt their land. I chalk it up as my "payment" and try and do at least as much as they expect of me and more, if I can. I'm not always the quickest one to the etiquette all the time but I do as much as I can.

That's how I think I will create the best situation for everyone, therefore making the best situation possible for myself.

They happen to benefit from it and rightly so, without them, even with their lack of consideration (I think of the times when I might not have been as considerate as I could have) you would have no place to set your stand.

Just my opinion. Take it for what it's worth.

buy your own place!

backin up!
that sounded mean, but it was complete sarcasm.
Honestly, try consulting the direct landowner; maybe have a sitdown with all the involved hunting parties. Set out rules and guidelines, maybe draw stands or rotate or vote on picks by seniority or hours put in to benefit!
If you approach something like this the right way you might wind up impressing a FIL or other family member enough to heed some carrying weight your way in the way things go as far as hunting operations. Good luck!

ac

I really don't care to much what they do other than sitting in the one blind that I have invested so much time it. All the other ones really no big deal. But I went out and invested a ton of money on a blind and a nice feeder and some how I have pics of every person in her family on my game cam. Just 2 weeks ago I checked my camera and there a pic of her cousin shooting 3 hogs inside my hog trap 30 yrd from my feeder. Then he drags them out and just leaves them there for the buzzards. If they would just leave my chit alone and pay for alittle corn I don't really mind the work. Just frustrating!!

It sounds like they just don't understand the impact theyre having. Maybe try explaining it to them as nice as you can. I would like to think they want to do the right thing and be "hunters" and not ingrates, they just don't know what "hunters" are supposed to do. I'm just going on what I read and I know I'm ignorant as to all the actual specifics of them, their personalities, and the situation like you do. Just trying to help you have what you want.

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My wife's family has 1200 acres in Anderson county. No one in her family is what I would call a serious hunter at all.

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I have been watching some of the responses, and I wonder how many folks paid any real attention to the above statement??

JMO, but I see only two options, a address the situation and possible get told that you can't hunt there and since you are only married into the family you don't have a reason to gripe, especially in that you make no mention anywhere that anyone told you that you had to do all that work.

You are more interested in hunting then any of them are, and my guess is all the work you have done all this time was self motivated, and they did not care one way or the other.

Option 2, as someone else mentioned, figure out a way to set up some ground blinds and just put out corn lines on the ground in the areas you are going to hunt and hunt those.

Quote:

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A buddy of mine

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Here is another little aspect that can cause you problems with forcing the issue.

Is this buddy a member of your family, or your wifes family, and just exactly how much griping has he been doing about the situation?

Is this the buddy's first season to be able to hunt the place?

Quote:

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Like last year, I feed and watched a NICE 2.5 year old 8 pt all year. Wasn't gonna shoot him

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Do the places adjoining this 1200 acres have management plans in effect? Is the place your on high fence or low fence? How much hunting goes on, on the adjoining properties?

Quote:

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So its more of a priviledge to be out there, and I know I'm lucky to have what I do.

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You have what sounds like a good place to hunt or one that could become good, except, it is your in-laws place, and they are not as interested in hunting as you are.

It is a difficult situation, but I think it can be worked out, if you go about it the right way, and I don't believe being confrontational will get you very far.

I think the suggestion of changing your hunting strategy and doing things that the in-laws are not going to be willing to try will work better than anything else.

If you can statr bringing bucks using methods that the family is not interested in, maybe it will get them interested in trying new things or at least putting forth some effort in amking the place better for everyone. JMO.

Yea... I haven't tried talking to them cause I didn't want to "rock the boat" but I guess ill try. Thanks for all the advice

Just remember, you knew they weren't "serious hunters" and it is their land. Not to sound like a jerk but that's kinda tha chance you took.

IMO locking or hiding blinds will quickly lead to unfavorable family issues.
How are you going to react when a relative breaks the lock off of or finds one of your hidden blinds and starts hunting it.
That's right you're going to flip out may not be able to hold your tongue and the poo's gonna fly, and you've gotten into a no win situation.

If you have a good relationship with the land owner I'd have a talk with him.
You never know until you try he may see it your way.
I doubt he'll care about any management issues or they'd already be in place so I wouldn't go there.
He may not have a clue about how much time effort and money you're putting into this and possibly tell the family "y'all guna have to start helpin out ole frizz if you wanna hunt".

I'm not saying anything against your buddy but in my experience including a buddy on family land hunting deal such as this is a good way for the both of you to end up looking for a new place to hunt.
When buddies get fed up with something like this they'll say the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time 98% of the time.

Look, talk to the people who are bugging you adult to adult. Clearly lay out what bothers you, and explain how their cooperation will make for a better experience for everyone. They can listen to you, or they can't.

On the side I would tell you to be thankful that you have a place to hunt. There are plenty of people on this forum who write in looking for a place to go cause they can't afford a lease, so while I do see your warranted frustration, looking at the bigger picture......you still have the opportunity to go.

Unless you have the ability to purchase your own land, dealing with the inconvenience posed by this situation may be your only recourse. Often calmly facing your problem and dealing with it in the open will get you more than you expected.

Just my two cents. Good luck with it.